Researchers at the University of Minnesota released a new report ranking major metropolitan areas in terms of their accessibility to jobs by transit. The new Access Across America report complements the group’s 2013 release, which measured job accessibility by automobile, and builds upon their ongoing efforts to develop tools for assessing transportation performance in terms other than mobility and congestion.
Focus Areas
Who’s on Board: The 2014 Mobility Attitudes Survey (Transit Center and RSG, 2014)
This study reveals that Americans from regions across the country think about and use public transit in remarkably similar ways. The report is the first to compare rider and non-rider attitudes by age, income, education, family status and ethnicity, and to examine both cities and suburban areas across various regions of the U.S. The work documents the unmet need for reliable, quality transit. This preference is true across age groups and geographic regions.
Performance Measures for Nonmotorized Transportation (SSTI, 2014)
At the May 2013 SSTI Community of Practice, participants requested guidance on performance measures for biking and walking projects. After surveying state DOTs, city and MPO staff, national organizations, and the research literature, this draft report outlines strategies used to assess the success of state and local projects.
Recommended Bicycle Lane Widths for Various Roadway Characteristics (NCHRP, 2014)
This report presents recommendations for bicycle lane widths for various roadway and traffic characteristics, including traffic volume, vehicle mix (i.e., percent trucks), lane width and/or total roadway width, and presence/absence of on-street parking. It examines narrow and wide un-protected bike lanes as well as lanes protected with barriers. The report provides guidance on the safety of each lane option for bicyclists.
Lessons from the Green Lanes: Evaluating Protected Bike Lanes in the U.S. (National Institute for Transportation and Communities, 2014)
This report presents finding from research evaluating U.S. protected bicycle lanes (cycle tracks) in terms of their use, perception, benefits, and impacts. It finds that separated bike lanes both encourage new cyclists to ride and make motorists feel that cyclists were safer and more predictable.
Transportation Technical Reference Manual: Guide to Characterize the Savings, Benefits, and Costs of Transportation Efficiency Measures (NASEO and VEIC, 2014)
While using standardized methodologies to measure the energy impacts and cost-effectiveness of efficiency programs is common practice in the electric and thermal energy sectors, this is not the case for transportation. National Association of State Energy Officials and Vermont Energy Investment Coprtation have developed the following Transportation technical reference manual to characterize energy savings, environmental benefits, and financial costs of selected transportation efficiency measures and establish a framework for comprehensive and informed decision-making.
Advancing a Sustainable Highway System: Highlights of FHWA Sustainability Activities (FHWA and Volpe Center, 2014)
This report from FHWA illustrates how sustainability has been incorporated into a wide variety of FHWA programs, projects, policies, processes, and partnerships. It is intended to be used by a diverse audience of transportation agency professionals at the Federal, State, and local level as well as the general public.
Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros (George Washington School of Business, 2014)
This report, issued by the George Washington University Business School, examines the growing preference for walkable urbanism and what that means for infrastructure, economic development, housing, etc. The authors rank the 30 largest metros on walkable urbanism, identifying a future demand for tens of millions of square feet of walkable urban development. This demand would provide an economic foundation for the U.S. economy, similar to the building of drivable suburbs in the mid to late 20th century.
Lessons from the Green Lanes: Evaluating Protected Bike Lanes in the U.S. (National Institute for Transportation and Communities, 2014)
This report presents finding from research evaluating U.S. protected bicycle lanes (cycle tracks) in terms of their use, perception, benefits, and impacts. Behavior of bicyclists, motorists, and pedestrians was assessed to determine how well each users understands the facility and to identify potential conflicts. Residents and bicyclists indicated that any type of buffer shows a considerable increase in self-reported comfort levels over a striped bike lane, and support for protected bike lanes was high among all users.
Statewide Transportation Planning for Healthy Communities (Volpe Center, 2014)
This report, the second in a series from FHWA, presents insights and a flexible model for state DOTs that choose to integrate public health considerations into their transportation planning and decision-making. It draws from five case studies of innovative DOTs and their partners, and builds on the project team’s previous white paper.