Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Dear JTS Readers,

With this issue, we complete our fifth volume of publication. We are (as academic journals are sometimes apt to do) a little behind in our publication schedule, but we are working hard at returning to a regular thrice-yearly publication frequency. We have had some turnover in the position of Editor-in-Chief, first with the departure of David Banks and then the regrettably brief tenure of Mary Lynn Tischer. I have now been responsible for the Journal for most of the past year, and I am enjoying the intellectual stimulation of working with an excellent staff, a first-rate Editorial Board, and creative, diligent contributors. Peg Young is doing yeoman work as Associate Editor, Marsha Fenn continues to be the glue that holds the staff (and the Journal) together as Managing Editor, and Alpha Glass has joined us very helpfully as Editorial Assistant. My research analyst, Jennifer Brady, also now assists with the Journal's work. Finally, there would be no printed document without the proofreading and editing skills of Martha Courtney and Darcy Herman and the accomplished desktop publishing team of Dorinda Edmondson and Lorisa Smith.

I want to mention especially two members of our Editorial Board who were honored recently. Genevieve Giuliano earlier this year became the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board, and Marty Wachs received the W.N. Carey, Jr., Distinguished Service Award at TRB's meetings in January. Our congratulations to them both.

I would like to call your attention to the enclosed Call for Papers for a special JTS issue on forecasting, which is scheduled for publication in mid-2004. Keith Ord and Peg Young will be co-editors. Articles are due by August 1. Initial responses have been excellent, and I expect the issue will be packed with good articles.

We are also updating our subscribers list, so please return the enclosed card asking you to reaffirm your interest in continuing to receive the Journal. Please ask your colleagues who would like to receive the Journal to contact us.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics continues to pursue its mission of making the best possible transportation data available to improve the quality of transportation decisionmaking. JTS authors play a key role in this process by providing high-quality statistical analysis applied to transportation issues. We are particularly interested in bringing our readers original ideas and articles that contribute to the field of transportation statistics, and we hope this issue's articles provide valuable information that you can use in your work.

JOHN V. WELLS

Editor-in-Chief