Public Attitudes Towards Policy Instruments for Congestion Mitigation in Shanghai

Congestion causes many externalities for the society, including time delays, excessive fuel consumption, air pollution, noise and safety concerns. In Shanghai, various policy options have been explored, piloted or applied; however, not all of them may be understood and accepted by the public. A survey was conducted to investigate people＇s attitudes towards several policy options. The main findings reveal that Shanghai residents are resistant to certain policies, such as congestion charges, higher parking charges in congested areas and car restrictions. Instead, they favor public transport provisions. The paper suggests that there is a case for promoting public transport and more efficient trips when the car ownership is still low, and for investing in a policy of educating the public on the ＇true＇ costs and causes of congestion before embarking on ,an intensive policy of congestion charges or restrictions.     

Public Attitudes Towards Policy Instruments for Congestion Mitigation in Shanghai

Abstract

Congestion causes many externalities for the society, including time delays, excessive fuel consumption, air pollution, noise and safety concerns. In Shanghai, various policy options have been explored, piloted or applied; however, not all of them may be understood and accepted by the public. A survey was conducted to investigate people’s attitudes towards several policy options. The main findings reveal that Shanghai residents are resistant to certain policies, such as congestion charges, higher parking charges in congested areas and car restrictions. Instead, they favor public transport provisions. The paper suggests that there is a case for promoting public transport and more efficient trips when the car ownership is still low, and for investing in a policy of educating the public on the ‘true’ costs and causes of congestion before embarking on an intensive policy of congestion charges or restrictions.     

国外环境行为影响因素研究述评

基于心理性因素与内外因素相结合的视角对国外环境行为影响因素研究加以梳理,发现大多数研究认为环境行为是在自我约束和自我控制下做出的契合自身实际的选择,其对改善环境状况与提升环境质量有着积极正向作用,并将环境态度/环境关心视为关键变量,以揭示实施环境行为复杂的内在过程与心理机制;大多数研究采取问卷调查的方式收集某一时点的数据,借助结构方程模型等高级统计方法着重探究自我报告的一般意义或某类具体环境行为.其相对忽视了社会经济发展、文化变迁、制度政策变化、阶层分化、地区差异、信息分割等外在结构性因素对环境心理的可能塑造及其对环境行为的动态影响,进而提出在准确厘定环境行为内涵的基础上,针对社会群体成员或社区居民采用问卷调查、实验法、实地观察、深度访谈等多元研究方式长期追踪收集纵向数据或资料,以及将心理性因素与结构性因素结合起来探讨不同类别的环境行为,有助于突破既有研究的心理学局限与行为决定论桎梏,且切实反映环境行为的历时性变化与动态性影响.     

机场火灾旅客安全态度、风险感知与非适应性疏散行为的关系研究*

为减少旅客非适应性疏散行为,提高机场火灾疏散效率,基于态度-行为过程模型,剖析机场火灾旅客安全态度对非适应性疏散行为的作用机理。构建包含安全态度(安全认知、安全情感、安全行为倾向)、风险感知（概率感知、控制感知、损失感知）和非适应性疏散行为的理论模型,并依据507份有效数据进行实证检验。研究结果表明:安全情感对非适应性疏散行为有直接显著的负向作用,安全认知和安全行为倾向通过风险感知的中介作用对非适应性疏散行为产生负向影响,且安全情感对非适应性疏散行为的总效应最大。     

DUAL PURPOSE DETENTION BASINS IN STORM WATER MANAGEMENT1

Storm water management contributes to flood hazard mitigation; but new approaches now being developed consider also the reduction in particulate pollution and stream erosion. Such approaches involve retardation of storm runoff, or detention programs of some kind, and detention basins are usually required if large storms are to be controlled. The usual concept is that future storms occurring after development should have no more adverse effect than similar storms would have had before development; but a number of different criteria are being used. If control of storms of different sizes is required, only a small amount of additional capacity is required to obtain retention of particulate pollution in the same basin. In at least three different parts of the country, such dual purpose detention basins are being required of developers. In such programs the developers bear the cost, the governmental contributions are not involved.     

Regulating Functional Foods in the European Union: Informed Choice versus Consumer Protection?

Due to the rise of functional foods,the distinction between foods and medicines hasbecome increasingly blurred. A new EUregulation covering health claims and otherclaims on food and drink products is on thedocks. A basic motive of legal regulation oflabeling and advertising is to inform andprotect the consumer. Promotion of informedchoice and consumer protection may, however, beconflicting objectives. A further problemsprings from the fact that choice, likeconsent, is a propositional attitude andtherefore opaque. Thus it is extremelydifficult for regulators to fasten onparticular formulations of claims. Despite theprofessed respect for the autonomy of theconsumer, paternalism is never far away andeasily enters in various guises.     

Misuse of booster cushions among children and adults in Shanghai—an observational and attitude study during buckling up

Objective: Traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of fatalities among Chinese children. Booster cushion usage in China is low, and there are no studies showing how a population with limited experience handles booster cushions during buckling up. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the handling of and explore the attitudes toward booster cushions among children, parents, and grandparents in Shanghai.

Methods: An observational study including a convenience sample of 254 children aged 4–12 years was conducted in 2 passenger cars at a shopping center in Shanghai. Parents, grandparents, or the children themselves buckled up the child on 2 types of booster cushions, a 2-stage integrated booster cushion (IBC) and an aftermarket booster cushion (BC). The test participants were observed during buckling up, first without and then with instructions. The test leaders conducted structured interviews.

Results: Ninety-eight percent of the uninstructed participants failed to buckle up without identified misuse on the aftermarket booster cushion and 31% of those uninstructed on the integrated booster cushion. The majority of misuse was severe, including placing the belt behind the arm and the lap belt routing above the guiding loops. Instruction reduced misuse to 58% (BC) and 12% (IBC), respectively, and, in particular, severe misuse. Some misuse was related to limited knowledge of how to buckle up on the booster cushion, and some misuse was intentional in order to reduce discomfort.

The participants, both children and adults, reported that they preferred the IBC due to good comfort and convenience. Safety was reported as the main reason for adults using booster cushions in general, whereas children reported comfort as the most important motivation.

Conclusions: Education is needed to ensure frequent and correct use of booster cushions in China and to raise safety awareness among children and adults. Furthermore, it is important that the booster cushions offer intuitively correct usage to a population with limited experience of booster cushions.

This is the first study published on the handling of and attitude toward booster cushions after child restraints laws were introduced in Shanghai 2014.     

居民旅游影响感知态度及其动力因子研究——以周庄为例

旅游发展对旅游地居民生活产生经济、社会文化、环境等方面的影响。首先分析了居民对旅游影响和旅游发展的感知态度,发现居民对旅游影响的正面感知较强烈,对旅游发展也持理性支持的态度,其中居民对环境影响的正面感知最为强烈。结合居民态度随旅游发展而发生相应变化的相关理论与周庄现阶段旅游发展特征,对居民感知态度的动力因子进行了探讨。     

长江常熟段排污口布置方案数值模拟论证研究

为合理确定常熟氟化工项目排污口布置方案，针对长江常熟段水环境特征，尤其是复杂的水地下形和水流流场，建立为较为准确和实用的平面二维水流水质耦合数学模型，应用剖开算子法模拟计算了3套排污方案对重点保护水域影响程序度和范围，并从水流场，水质影响评价，技术经济多角度对方案进行了比较论证，最终推荐污水江中排放的方案，为项目的工程设计和环境管理提供了科学依据。