Jan Husdal

Impact assessment of road transportation projects

The idea of an impact assessment, often also referred to as cost-benefit analysis, is to assess all impacts of a certain project, positive or negative, monetized and non-monetized. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) has the responsibility for building and maintaining all regional public roads in Norway, and has developed a method for impact assessment that is outlined in this brochure  (in English, pdf, 1,27MB). The strength of the Norwegian method is how non-monetizable impacts are handled and integrated with the framework of the impact assessment. The significance of the various impacts is then assessed by combining the value and the magnitude of impact on five criteria: landscape/cityscape, community life and outdoor recreation, cultural heritage, natural environment and natural resources. A valuable resource for transportation planners, the actual handbook is unfortunately only available in Norwegian.

Book review: Cost-Benefit Analysis - Concepts and Practice

This book, Cost Benefit Analysis: Concepts and Practice (3rd Edition), by Anthony Boardman et al. is a heavy read. It is not a book you would want to read from A to Z in order to understand Cost-Benefit Analysis or CBA, but it is one of the better reference books I have found. The only downside I found was a very theoretical approach and lack of really useful examples. Nevertheless, not one element of CBA seems to be left untouched. This book is a valuable reference to anyone relying on CBA as a decision-making tool, because it will assist you in understanding what it is that you are analyzing when applying CBA.

Cost-Benefit Analysis - an essay about valuation problems

This paper introduces vulnerability as an important parameter for decision-support in costbenefit analyses for transportation projects, by seeking to establish a link between the terms reliability and vulnerability vis-à-vis costs and benefits. The paper contends that a reliable transportation network represents a net benefit to society, and conversely, that a vulnerable network represents a net cost to society. Vulnerability costs or disruption costs are related to both location on and usage of the transportation network, and methods to explore these costs are suggested.

The vulnerability of road networks in a cost-benefit perspective

Paper presented at TRB2005, the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2005, Washington DC, USA, 9-13 January 2005.

A reliable transportation network represents a net benefit to society, and conversely, a vulnerable network represents a net cost to society. Hence, vulnerability ought to be an important parameter for decision-support in cost-benefit analyses, by seeking to establish a link between the terms reliability and vulnerability vis-à-vis costs and benefits. A multi-criteria analysis approach is suggested as an appropriate methodology for analyzing the monetary and non-monetary effects of vulnerability.

Looking beyond the science of vulnerability assessments, this paper discusses some of the network attributes that influence the vulnerability of transportation networks, influences that can be described as structure-related, nature-related or traffic-related attributes. The influences of the individual attributes are then examined as possible candidates for measuring of the vulnerability of the transportation network.

Reliability and vulnerability versus costs and benefits

Paper presented at ETC2004, the European Transport Conference 2004, Strasbourg, France, 4-6 October 2004.

Taking up the invitation of Berdica to bring out and recognise the vulnerability in the road transport system as a meeting point for all the different strands of transport reliability research and other issues, the focal point of this paper is to look at a road network from a reliability and vulnerability perspective and to link this analysis to cost-benefit decisions.

Looking beyond the science of vulnerability assessments, this paper discusses some of the network attributes that influence the vulnerability of transport networks, influences that can be described as structure-related, nature-related or traffic-related attributes. The paper introduces vulnerability as a parameter for decision-support in cost-benefit analyses, by seeking to establish a link between the terms reliability and vulnerability vis-a-vis costs and benefits.

Keywords: reliability, vulnerability, cost-benefit

Reliability and vulnerability versus costs and benefits

Paper presented at INSTR2004, the Second International Symposium on Transportation Network Reliability, Christchurch and Queenstown, NZ, 20-24 August 2004

Issues of reliability and vulnerability are mormally not considered a matter of evaluation in traditional cost-benefit analyses. Consequently, traditional cost-benefit analyses are lacking decision variables that may be important.

This paper looks beyond the abstract science of vulnerability assessments, and discusses some of the factual influences and network attributes that contribute to the vulnerability of transport networks. The influences of the individual attributes are then examined as a measure of the vulnerability of a transport network. Although reliability can be defined by absolute numbers, vulnerability, by its very nature can not. The paper further outlines a framework for developing a methodology that to incorporate reliability and vulnerability as parameters for decision-support in a cost-benefit analysis. In doing so, this paper seeks to establish a link between the terms reliability/vulnerability and cost/benefit and seeks to describe reliability and vulnerability in terms of cost and benefit. Cost-benefit evaluations are part of many decision making processes, and it is argued that vulnerability assessments likewise should play an important role as input to these processes.

Keywords: reliability, vulnerability, cost-benefit, transport network

Why reliability and vulnerability should be an issue in road development projects

Few will question that the sender, the recipient, the freight hauler or society in general, experience additional costs when goods or persons cannot reach their destinations in time or space. Consequently, it should be obvious that a reliable transportation network represents a benefit to society. Equally, a vulnerable network would represent a net cost to society. Why then, is the reliability, or conversely, the vulnerability, of the transportation network not a matter of evaluation in traditional cost-benefit analyses?

This is an English translation of an article that was first published in Norwegian in "Samferdsel", issue 4/2004:

Husdal, J. (2004). Pålitelighet og sårbarhet - et ikke-tema i nyttekostanalyser? Samferdsel 2/2004, s. 28-30. Reliability and vulnerability - a non-issue in cost-benefit analyses? Samferdsel (Journal of the Norwegian Institute for Transport Economics, TØI), 2/2004, pp. 28-30.

Book review: Cost-Benefit Analysis: Theory and Application

I really enjoyed reading Cost-Benefit Analysis: Theory and Application. I used this book to learn more about cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in tranportation planning, and albeit the book does not relate specifically to that field, it worked very well. The nice part is that it first discusses some macro-economical concepts before delving into cost-benefit calculations. This is very useful if you, like me, do not have a background, classes, courses or a degree in economics. As an introductory book this is excellent.