Transport Modelling for a Complete Beginner Paperback – 18 Dec. 2016

This book by Dr Yaron Hollander is extremely good as an Introduction to Transport Modelling concepts, terms, and procedures. It gives a good general easy to understand overview of the modelling process and has some very nice graphical cartoon type drawings to help visually explain the various steps involved in modelling. Its clear, logical, simple style makes it an easy going and enjoyable read. As such it is an invaluable resource for Apprentices, Students and Young Professionals involved in the Transport Planning industry. Highly recommended. Dr F.

Yaron Hollander is an experienced transport modeller, previously at Transport for London and now an independent consultant. He has written and published a book for beginners, which I warmly recommend. The style is accessible, jokey even, with cute hand-drawn illustrations. I learned a lot both from the the main expository text, and also from Part II, which discusses critically the culture of transport modelling.Yaron argues that models work best for short term predictions of small scale interventions, such as fine-tuning traffic signal timings. But in practice models are mostly used to support investments in long lived infrastructure: here the modellers may understand the shortcomings, which their clients may prefer not to recognise provided the model outputs justify the planned investment.For me, this book both illuminates and disillusions at the same time, but no less valuable for that.

This is a very interesting book to read, especially if you are someone new to Transport Modelling. For Transport Modellers this book will help in getting brushed on key concepts and theories in a very simple way. Though this book do not have any mathematics, it has got some nice examples which will help us to relate to the concepts easily. I had been waiting to grab this book and I appreciate Yaron Hollander for writing this book.

Delivered on time and as advertised

I was fortunate to be able to read a draft version of this book and I offered to write an introduction. What follows are extracts from it:A book like this should have been written 25 years ago; the fact that it only comes out now is a peculiar reflection on our profession. Yaron has managed to explain some of the most advanced concepts in transport modelling, and adds new insights, in a down-to-earth manner without using a single mathematical equation.This is a good guide for beginners, but not only for them. It should be read by students, planners and economists, or those just interested in modelling; but also by most modelling practitioners and academics. The book dissects the transport modelling process with forensic detachment and sheds light on many gaps in our knowledge, misuses of technical concepts, and the sometimes unrealistic nature of the assumptions underpinning our practice.The first part of the book is devoted to “the rules of transport modelling” whilst recognising that, in fact, there are none. This section takes most of the volume of this book and is particularly useful to the beginner, but experienced practitioners too will find in it some deep insights on topics they thought were straightforward. These include, for example, “segmentation”, “model validation” and handling difficult issues with taxis, walking and cycling. The treatment of mode choice, dealing with junctions, the challenge of modelling parking, and the handling of multi-mode trips are particularly helpful for both complete beginners and skilled practitioners.The second part of the book will be the most controversial and also the most valuable. Yaron deals with the culture of transport modelling, which is rarely mentioned in any book or guidance document. The review of the reasons behind the use of transport models, and the arguments about the accuracy of models outputs, deserve some serious reflection whether or not you agree with all of it.Professional ethics are at the centre of this important book. This is a topic only sometimes discussed in project meetings, but recent litigation cases against modelling consultancies, as well as challenging books by Bain and Flyvbjerg, bring this topic to the fore. Despite pressures from clients, the public and other stakeholders, we must accept that two modellers will make different assumptions, use different approaches and reach different results. Recognising the subjective nature of modelling is a first step towards adopting a more rigorous view on the accuracy of model outputs and a more watchful stance when these pressures arise.

Not very detailed

What a wonderful introduction to transport modeling! In clear language, with great examples and colorful graphics, the book introduces the main considerations and constraints involved in transport planning projects. A great primer to those of us who use transportation (=all of us) and want to have a sense of how decisions get made about something so fundamental to our daily lives. The novelty is in that there's no math involved, no equations, no jargon (beyond the essentials) and the explanations are illuminating. And, as a bonus, there's some fun humor!

A very thoughtful, well written book that I would recommend both to the "complete beginner" and also to others of any other level! I have been testing this on my graduates (One loves that there are NO equations in the book!) and they find the book illuminates many ideas for them that I could not get across to them. The consideration on the ethical considerations associated with transport modelling is also particularly welcome. Well done Yaron! - Richard Isted