Merry Christmas
The IVM wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2024.
The IVM wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2024.
Prof. Dr Gernot Sieg interviewed by WDR 5 Westblick on higher truck tolls to finance rail infrastructure (click here).
On 12.12.2023, a guest lecture by Dr. Kathrin Goldmann as part of the lecture Fundamentals of Transport Economics will take place. The topic is state transport planning at the Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MUNV).
"No matter how fast you are driving in Germany, someone is driving faster than you," Tom Hanks told show host David Letterman about his experiences on the German Autobahn. Hanks was referring to the lack of a general speed limit on the German Autobahn. On many sections - and if the traffic allows it - an absolutely free choice of speed is therefore possible. But what about the speed decision when fuel prices increase?
In their article "No Need for Speed: Fuel Prices, Driving Speeds and the revealed Value of Time on the German Autobahn", Thomas Hagedorn, Till Kösters, Sebastian Specht and Jan Wessel analyze this relationship between fuel prices and driving speeds on the German Autobahn. The results of the empirical regression analysis provide differentiated answers with regard to individual speed decisions on sections with and without speed limits, fuel demand, and the value of travel time on the German Autobahn.
Currently, a delegation of the city of Münster is visiting its twin city Fresno in California, USA. During this visit, the jointly organized mobility conference "International Transportation Innovation Summit - PEDAL 2023" will take place. The aim of the conference is to exchange knowledge between the two partner cities with regard to sustainable mobility and, in particular, cycling.
Dr. Jan Wessel from the Institute of Transport Economics at the University of Münster gave a presentation on the economic impact of road space redistribution at this conference. The subsequent discussion of this topic highlighted the high relevance for both cities. Especially given the background of wide streets, few bike lanes, and the low modal share of bicycles in Fresno, the presented results can provide an economic justification for the redistribution of road space from cars to bicycles.
The conference's program also included discussions with representatives from FH Münster and Fresno State University about research, teaching, and potential collaborations. In addition, the local bicycle infrastructure was explored during a joint bike tour through Fresno.
With the support of the German Aviation Research Society (GARS), airliners.de launches the article series "Rethinking Slots". In the first part, Marlena Meier, Till Kösters and Gernot Sieg analyze the effects of the "use-it-or-lose-it" rule on airlines and the climate (link to article).
The annual conference of the International Transport Economics Association (ITEA) was held at the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain, from June 14-16, 2023. Participants of the conference are scientists and specialists in the field of transport economics. The Institute of Transport Economics of the University was represented by seven scientists. Tim Podleschny, Sebastian Specht and Dr. Jan Wessel presented their research work and received valuable input for future research in the exciting discussions.
A highlight of the conference was the award ceremony for the best papers, where Dr. Jan Wessel from the Institute of Transportation Science at WWU Münster was awarded the "Richard J. Arnott Best Paper by a Junior Researcher Prize". His research paper, titled "Space Wars - Finding an Economically Efficient Allocation of Street Space Across Different Transport Modes," examines the economically efficient allocation of street space. Through a theoretical model of transportation mode choice and extensive simulations for the cities of Berlin and New York City, the study shows that reallocating street space from cars and parking in favor of buses and especially bicycles can increase the economic efficiency of the transportation system. The paper thus makes an important contribution to the current debate on the distribution of road space.
Comment by Gernot Sieg on Radio RST on "Higher parking fees for the environment?". Click here
On June 7, the annual WiWi-Cup took place at the sports facility of the 1st FC Gievenbeck. The team "1.FC Wacker Wirtschaftswunder", a selection of the Münster Center for Economic Policy (MEP), also took part. Three IVM scientists were part of the 1.FC Wacker Wirtschaftswunder and played a major role in the successful group stage. With three wins, one draw and one defeat, the team reached the round of 16. There, however, the team of "1.FC Wacker Wirtschaftswunder" was eliminated. Despite the defeat, the team left the tournament with its head held high.