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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Identifying transport preferences in a South African township: A case study of Soweto</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2679340</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rapid urbanisation and apartheid-era land-use legacies leave many South Africans captive to long, costly, and unsafe commutes. Yet rigorous evidence on how township residents value transport attributes is scarce. This study addresses that gap with the face-to-face stated-preference survey dataset for travelling to work and higher education institutions in South Africa. Using an efficient best-worst design, 201 face-to-face interviews were conducted in Soweto, eliciting dual responses on cost, in-vehicle time, first/last-mile effort, comfort, and safety for both public and private transport options. Mixed-logit best-worst models capture unobserved taste heterogeneity and deliver the township's first mode-specific elasticities and willingness-to-pay measures. Results show no systematic behavioural differences in mode choice between workers and adult students. Instead, attribute valuations are dominated by safety concerns. The willingness to pay for a “very safe” service is over four times that for a one-hour reduction in travel time. Elasticities confirm that safety improvements have the greatest potential to shift demand, whereas marginal fare increases sharply deter low-income users. The findings stress that enhancing perceived and actual safety is a prerequisite for sustainable mode shift in South African townships. They also provide policy-ready parameters for appraisal of bus, rail and minibus-taxi upgrades in similarly segregated African cities.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:17:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2679340</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>The role of government policy in reducing road carnage: Evidence from Zimbabwe’s public passenger transport sector</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2682720</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Road traffic injuries remain a pressing public health and development challenge in Zimbabwe, with public passenger transport accounting for a disproportionate share of fatalities. Despite multiple government-led policy interventions, including driver retesting, vehicle inspections, and speed enforcement technologies, road deaths increased by over 40% between 2020 and 2022. This study critically examines the role and effectiveness of government policy in reducing road carnage in Zimbabwe’s public passenger transport sector between 2000 and 2024. A qualitative systematic literature review was conducted, complemented by a comparative case study analysis of international best practices from Sweden, Singapore, Kenya, and South Africa. The study applies Public Sector Performance Theory and Collaborative Governance Theory to assess policy implementation, institutional capacity, and stakeholder engagement. Findings reveal that Zimbabwe’s policy approach remains reactive, enforcement-heavy, and poorly aligned with long-term safety goals. Key limitations include institutional fragmentation, low technological adoption, underfunding, and minimal stakeholder participation. Comparative insights highlight the potential of decentralizing enforcement, adopting AI-based monitoring, and embedding road safety into broader urban governance frameworks. The study concludes that while government policy is necessary, it is insufficient without structural reforms in implementation, oversight, and collaboration. It recommends a transition toward integrated, evidence-based, and participatory policymaking. The findings have significant implications for policymakers, development partners, and urban planners seeking to improve public transport safety in low-resource contexts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:32:50 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2682720</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Transport Rebound Effect in BRICS: A Panel Threshold Analysis of Income and Green Innovation</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2666899</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Energy efficiency (EE) has emerged as a central policy objective, particularly in energy-intensive sectors such as transportation. The rebound effect (RE) may offset the anticipated energy savings from EE improvements, thereby diminishing their overall effectiveness. Using a two-step methodology, this study examines the rebound effect in the transport sector of BRICS countries from 1990 to 2023. Initially, transport efficiency is estimated via stochastic frontier analysis; subsequently, the extent of the RE is quantified. In addition, the study explores the non-linear relationship between EE and TEC using income and green innovation as threshold variables. The results indicate a rebound effect of 84% for the BRICS panel, with country-specific estimates of 84% for Brazil, 64% for Russia, 88% for India, 72% for China, and 105.9% for South Africa. The analysis further reveals that the rebound effect intensifies beyond the threshold income level, whereas green innovation plays a mitigating role. These findings underscore the need for stringent and targeted transport energy efficiency policies. In particular, fostering green technological innovation and addressing income-related disparities are critical for mitigating the rebound effect and achieving sustainable energy savings in the transport sector.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:15:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2666899</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Is first mile behaviour similar to last mile behaviour? A case study on a rapid rail system in South Africa</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2669896</link>
      <description><![CDATA[First and last mile behaviours to and from public transport are rarely studied together, limiting insights into preference differences between access and egress trips. This paper addresses this gap through a case study of an urban rapid rail system in South Africa. Data are from an online stated preference survey conducted amongst train passengers, in which mode choices for the access and egress trips during the morning peak are captured. Nested logit choice models for access and egress trips differ both in nesting structure and the relative size of coefficients. Values of travel and walk time are three times larger for the egress than for the access trip, suggesting that time-saving strategies are more important on the last mile than the first mile part of a commute trip. We explore the impacts of these differences by modelling hypothetical improvement scenarios to access and egress conditions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:15:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2669896</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Transport equity in South Africa - How much progress was made over the last two decades?</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2632872</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transport equity (justice) is a field of research that has been gaining momentum. As South Africa is the least equitable country in the world, according to the World Bank, the authors felt compelled to assess if this injustice is also present in the transport system. Availability, access, safety, security, affordability, inclusion, sustainability, human rights and equity are fundamental concepts of socially just transport. Consecutive South African Household Travel Surveys (2003, 2013 and 2020) were used to establish trends in travel times, mode use, travel purpose, as well as perceptions of road safety and personal security. Gender and race differences were analysed to investigate the (in)justice argument. Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in average travel time with evidence of racial disparity related to the travel time burden. The nation walks more, however, this is out of economic necessity, not environmental consciousness. While travel patterns between males and females only differ marginally in the South African context, in contrast with common literature, racial differences are significant. The Black community travels longer distances, mostly by walking and the use of (in)formal public transport. They are also more exposed to road safety and personal security risks. The analysis revealed that more metrics deteriorated over the past two decades than improved, leading to the conclusion that transport justice has not significantly improved, despite major investments in the public transport system, in the form of bus rapid transit systems, amongst others.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:15:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2632872</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Dry ports research on African countries: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2643821</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Research on dry ports has grown globally, yet systematic evidence on Africa remains fragmented across numerous journals, countries and a loosely connected author network. This fragmentation limits the development of an Africa-specific conceptualisation of dry ports and makes it difficult to compare experiences across regions. This article presents a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of dry port studies with an explicit African focus, consolidating dispersed evidence into a continent-centred synthesis.Searches in Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO Host, Engineering Village, ProQuest and Google Scholar identified 418 records. After applying predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, 70 publications (69 journal articles and one book chapter) were retained for analysis.The evidence base spans 51 journals and 27 African countries, with concentrations in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa and Kenya. Results show a marked post-2019 increase in African dry port studies but reveal a fragmented author network and dispersed publication outlets. Synthesis across the retained studies highlights three continent-specific features: (i) dry ports often respond to structural constraints including weak inland connectivity, customs/clearance frictions, and limited multimodal integration; (ii) governance and institutional arrangements—including concessioning, regulatory coherence and overlapping mandates—strongly determine performance; and (iii) corridor logistics and regional integration shape the siting and roles of inland terminals beyond seaport decongestion rationales.The review contributes an Africa-centred consolidation of a previously fragmented field, clarifies where and why research attention clusters, and distils core themes that distinguish African dry ports from developed-economy trajectories, providing a baseline for comparative work and future inquiry. In so doing, the review advances theory on port–hinterland systems by foregrounding institutional and corridor-based dynamics. It offers policy-relevant insights for designing dry ports as instruments of regional integration rather than purely as seaport extensions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:58:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2643821</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Towards a revitalization of passenger rail services in South African cities: Lessons from international institutional reforms</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2636407</link>
      <description><![CDATA[For over a century passenger rail services in South Africa have been provided by one or other form of national public monopoly. Over the past decade these services have been in steep decline, effectively collapsing when COVID-19 lockdown regulations were imposed. Current policy attention is focussed on reviving operations and installing an institutional structure capable of providing ‘safe, reliable, effective, efficient and fully integrated’ rail transport. Key to this is a commitment to devolve functions to capable lower spheres of government. The aim of this paper is to explore lessons from international experiences in institutional reforms centred around devolution. To qualify for inclusion, cases needed to have experienced a deliberate policy action to devolve passenger rail functions from a national to a lower sphere of government. A literature search revealed 11 such cases. Case reviews focussed on: the circumstances of the devolution; any associated vertical separation and privatisation; impacts; and any subsequent policy reversals. Key lessons included: devolved operations should be accompanied by financial resourcing; vertical separation requires independent institutions capable of adjudicating competing interests; private sector participation in operations is less risky than private infrastructure ownership; and the devolution of both train and bus services can enhance modal integration.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:45:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2636407</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Correlation between Ambient Air Temperature and Effective Bridge Temperature Based on Long-Term Field Monitoring: A Case Study of a Concrete Girder Bridge in South Africa</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2652146</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study investigates the long-term thermal behavior of an RC twin spine-beam bridge, the Van Zylspruit Bridge, located in central South Africa. This research utilizes 9 years of field monitoring data, including over 11.5 million data points from 41 thermistors as well as local meteorological information, to establish appropriate design correlations between the environment and the bridge’s thermal response. This study found that the temperature specifications for both ambient air temperature (AAT) and effective bridge temperature (EBT) in the South African Bridge Code, TMH 7, were overly conservative for this specific bridge and location. For instance, the design 50-year return period minimum and maximum AAT corresponded to actual return periods of 3,675 and 595 years, respectively. Similarly, the design EBT limits showed significantly longer actual return periods. Ultimately, this study underscores the critical importance of using appropriate thermal material properties alongside locally relevant environmental data for thermal design of bridges and proposes an adapted method for determining design effective bridge temperatures based on local meteorological data.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:11:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2652146</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The incorporation of the plastic-coated aggregates into a South African asphalt mixture</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2618010</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The use of plastic waste in asphalt pavements has been studied internationally. However, only a limited number of studies have been conducted in South Africa that focus on non-recycled plastic waste. This article focuses on the incorporation of LDPE (Low-Density Polythene) plastic waste into South African asphalt mixes via the ‘dry’ modification method. The purpose was to evaluate the effect of LDPE plastic waste on the volumetric and performance properties of an asphalt mixture at optimum bitumen content. Contrary to other research findings, the added LDPE plastic waste did not act as a binder replacement because the bitumen content at the optimum binder content of the asphalt mix remained unchanged after plastic waste addition. Instead, the plastic waste introduced an additional binding effect between the aggregates. The asphalt mix with plastic-coated aggregates (PCA) showed improved resistance to rutting, in line with the improved asphalt stiffness and elasticity at elevated temperatures.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:55:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2618010</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Direct and Indirect Impacts of Transport Mobility on Access to Jobs: Evidence from South Africa</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2651511</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Access to jobs is essential for economic growth. In Africa, unemployment rates are notably high. This paper reexamines the relationship between transport mobility and labor market outcomes, with a particular focus on the direct and indirect effects of transport connectivity. As predicted by theory, wages are influenced by the level of commuting deterrence. Generally, higher earnings are associated with longer commute times and/or higher commuting costs. Local accessibility is also important, especially for individuals with time constraints. Both direct and indirect impacts are found to be significant in South Africa, where job accessibility has been challenging since the end of apartheid. For the direct impact, the wage elasticity associated with commuting costs is significant. Returns on commute are particularly high for women. Local accessibility to socioeconomic facilities, such as shops and health services, is also found to have a significant impact, consistent with the concept of mobility of care. To enhance employment, therefore, it is crucial to connect people not only to job locations but also to various socioeconomic points of interest, such as markets and hospitals, in an integrated manner. This integration will enable individuals to spend more time working and commuting longer distances.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:19:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2651511</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Global Climate Change, Developing Countries and Transport Sector Options in South Africa</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2628297</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This report was undertaken for the PEW Center on Global Climate Change and deals specifically with the issue of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Transport Sector in South Africa. As a country study its focus is on the national level due to the relative size of the transport sector in South Africa versus some of the other case studies, as well as the availability of data in this country. The objectives of the study are to: (1) Gather information on the development of the transport system in South Africa, the key drivers which have shaped the current system, and critical issues and priorities; (2) Identify current policy goals and initiatives relating to the transport sector and their possible implications for the sector over the long term (i.e. 20 years); (3) Assess the contribution by the transport sector to Greenhouse Gas Emissions; (4) Identify possible measures (where appropriate) which can be employed to influence the transport sector in the South African context; and (5) Set out scenarios for the transport sector in South Africa in such a way that stakeholders will understand the benefits of mitigation and how this can lead to the enhancement of economic growth opportunities, rather than constraining it. In addressing the respective components of the project, an interview process was conducted by members of the project team. This involved a series of discussions with key role players in the transport sector in an attempt to obtain their views on current and future drivers of the system. The discussions were also used as input to the scenario generation process to formulate useful outlooks of the future of the transport sector in South Africa.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2026 09:57:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2628297</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Benchmarking Contiguous Aggregate Ratios with Asphalt Compactability and Rut Resistance</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2606348</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Aggregate packing is the primary determinant of the shear strength, stiffness, and durability of asphalt mixes. The current asphalt mix design practices emphasize using aggregate gradation envelopes as control mechanisms to achieve an enhanced aggregate packing structure with optimum shear strength, durability, and stiffness, and to guarantee rutting resistance. However, experience in South Africa has shown that the bias toward rut-resistant mix designs often leads to compactability problems. The significant knowledge embedded in the basic aggregate gradation curve has the potential to improve the understanding of the compactability and rut resistance of asphalt mixes. Based on the well-known Bailey method, the basic aggregate grading curve is used in this paper to determine various revised rational Bailey ratios (RBRs) that adhere to the contiguous aggregate fractions (i.e., aggregate with consecutive sizes). The determined ratios demonstrated a better description of the aggregate packing. The subsequent correlations analysis performed in this paper indicated that the revised RBRs exhibit strong relationships with compactability (i.e., R2 up to 0.99) and rutting resistance (i.e., R2 up to 0.81) of asphalt mixes. The research work presented in this paper indicates that the revised RBRs can be used to optimize asphalt mix designs via benchmarking methodology. Ranges of the revised rational Bailey parameters for such a benchmarking methodology are proposed to enhance the asphalt grading selection and mix design process.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:09:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2606348</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Engaging citizens from low-income communities in transport planning: experiences from peer research studies conducted in three African cities</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2628426</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper draws on experience from a series of transport-focused studies built round peer research with community members resident in low-income neighbourhoods at the periphery of three major cities: Abuja, Cape Town and Tunis. These were conducted firstly with young women aged 18–35 in all three cities over a four-year period (2019–2022, i.e. spanning the pandemic), followed by a recently completed pilot with young men in the same age group (but in this case restricted to Cape Town). The paper reflects firstly on the peer research methodology employed (including training procedures, ethical issues and context specific challenges/barriers) and the significant field outputs achieved by the groups concerned through their in-depth interviews, participant observation and mobility diaries. It then moves on to consider the engagement of the community peer researchers with city transport professionals and practitioners at our project stakeholder consultative group meetings and their potential for promoting the design of more inclusive, accessible and sustainable transport systems. While peer researchers' direct field evidence offers rare insights into the transport and mobility challenges that many marginalised residents of these low-income neighbourhoods experience in the everyday – perspectives that could be crucial to effective user engagement around transport issues in an Urban Living Lab - the actual patterns and potentialities of engagement within each city that might promote a more socially just travel environment are strongly shaped by a range of locally specific factors. These extend from resource and policy contexts set within distinctive local urban geographies, to the personalities and positionality of all actors involved.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:53:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2628426</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigating Life Cycle Cost, Environmental and Social Impacts of a Lithium–Ion Battery Pack</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2591562</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study evaluates the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the life cycle of a battery pack for automotive applications. The analysis employs Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for environmental assessment, Life Cycle Costing (LCC) for economic assessment, and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) for social impact analysis. Key locations of non-European raw material extraction and refining are considered for the supply chain. Instead, European countries are considered the final destination for battery pack manufacturing and assembly, use, and End-of-Life (EoL). For the use and EoL phases, three scenarios are analyzed. The LCA results indicate that greenhouse gas emissions vary from 77.2 kg CO₂ -eq/kWh to 80.7 kg CO₂-eq/kWh across the evaluated scenarios. Similarly, the economic assessment estimates LCCs between 77.7 EUR/kWh and 79.4 EUR/kWh, depending on the scenario. The S-LCA results highlight significant risks related to fair pay across numerous countries during the raw material extraction phase, particularly for cobalt (Democratic Republic of the Congo), manganese (South Africa), nickel (Australia), lithium (Australia), and graphite (China). In addition, the score for health and safety concerns presents high risks associated with cobalt, manganese, and nickel mining. In contrast, no significant critical social impacts are found for the use and EoL phases.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:07:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2591562</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Transport infrastructure investments and economic transformation in South Africa: The case of integrated public transport network in the Gauteng Province</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2602078</link>
      <description><![CDATA[With the unemployment in South Africa reaching 32.5 %, rising inequality, poverty, and low growth rates, investment in infrastructure projects like the Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTNs) is a strategic tool in the hands of government to transform the economy. This article examines the IPTN infrastructure project in the Gauteng Province to analyze its contribution to local economic transformation and skills development. The research is designed as a deep-dive case study in which pertinent data are collected from multiple stakeholders through semi-structured interviews, and triangulated through available internal and external documents. The research sample comprises IPTN planners, contractor and sub-contractor small-, medium- or micro-enterprises (SMMEs), an executive from a bus manufacturing firm, and representatives from the transformed taxi industry. The main findings from the study reveal that infrastructure investments in IPTNs have been instrumental in fostering job creation, driving skills development, supporting SMME growth, and spurring a surge in local bus manufacturing. The case study for successful vehicle operating companies (VOCs) suggests that further investigation into other manufacturing opportunities and skills development is needed to provide additional evidence of infrastructure investment spillovers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 08:48:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2602078</guid>
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