The hub and spoke system of the MBTA has produced record ridership, transit-oriented development patterns, and severe challenges for the system. The report focuses on the need to invest in public transit infrastructure so that the MBTA can serve its growing transit ridership, including future trips generated by the pipeline of planned developments in greater Boston.
Livability
Getting Around When You’re Just Getting By: The Travel Behavior and Transportation Expenditures of Low-Income Adults (Mineta Transportation Institute, 2011)
This report examines how rising transportation costs affect low-income families. The research used in-depth interviews with 73 adults to determine travel behavior and transportation spending patterns; the costs and benefits of alternative modes of travel; cost management strategies; and opinions about the effects of changing transportation prices on travel behavior.
Land Use and Transportation Scenario Analysis and Microsimulation (LUTSAM) Tool (SSTI and DelDOT, 2012)
With SSTI assistance, Delaware DOT has developed its four-step demand model for scenario planning, using off-the-shelf GIS and simulation software. The tool, called Land Use and Transportation Scenario Analysis and Microsimulation (LUTSAM), enables DelDOT to quickly model and display development scenarios, providing communities and developers with analysis on traffic, congestion, emissions and other outcomes. LUTSAM will dramatically demonstrate, in real-world cases, the cost and environmental advantages of well-connected, compact and mixed use development. It is currently being used in a variety of settings around the state. Because it is built around standard software, it is adaptable for other states, MPOs and cities seeking to improve their land use and transportation planning.
Community Design and the Incidence of Crashes Involving Pedestrians and Motorists Aged 75 and Older (Texas Transportation Institute, 2012)
Community design and transportation infrastructure can be problematic for both younger and older community residents. This study examines how community design specifically affects drivers and pedestrians aged 75 and older.
Walk this Way: The Economic Promise of Walkable Places in Metropolitan Washington, D.C. (Brookings, 2012)
An economic analysis of a sample of neighborhoods in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area using walkability measures, this study offer useful insights for a diverse set of interests, including lenders, developers, economic planning professionals, as well as those interested in the economic healthy of cities.
The Shifting Nature of U.S. Housing Demand (The Demand Institute, 2012)
The Demand Institute believes that a housing market recovery has begun, but this recovery will be different from previous ones because of new market conditions and expectations. These differences may impact transportation planning as commuting and non-work travel patterns change.
Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (Rails to Trails Conservancy, 2012)
Rails to Trails Conservancy issued a short synopsis of the results of the four-year Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program conducted in four communities across the U.S. It includes useful statistics such as change in bicycle and walking mode, number of miles of trails built, and number of pounds of CO2 saved.
Getting Results: SRTS Programs That Reduce Traffic (National Center for Safe Routes to School, 2011)
Heavy vehicle traffic in places with pedestrians and bicyclists increases the chance of a crash, and this increased risk can affect parent decisions on school travel. This brief looks at the problem of traffic congestion, provides an overview of local programs that successfully measured traffic reductions and outlines steps that programs can take to measure impacts of their activities.
Getting Results: SRTS Programs That Reduce Speeding and Distracted Driving (National Center for Safe Routes to School, 2012)
Speeding and distracted driving are two common safety risks for children traveling to school. This brief examines how the programs in five communities measured success in reducing the numbers of speeding cars and distracted drivers.
Ecodriving and Carbon Footprinting: Understanding How Public Education Can Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Use (Mineta Transportation Institute, 2012)
Ecodriving is a collection of changes to driving behavior and vehicle maintenance designed to impact fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in existing vehicles. Because of its promise to improve fuel economy within the …