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.
Performance Measures
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.
Partnership Financing: Improving Transportation Infrastructure Through Public Private Partnerships (Eno Center for Transportation, 2014)
Eno’s P3 working group brought together industry leaders and experts to identify barriers to the increased use of P3s and to outline approaches for overcoming these barriers. This report identifies patterns in the challenges that localities have faced when using P3s and presents recommendations for federal, state, and local policy to enable greater use of P3s as an infrastructure delivery mechanism in the future.
Characteristics of Premium Transit Services that Affect Choice of Mode (TRB, 2014)
This report provides a concise presentation of the research on key factors—beyond travel time and cost—that affect travelers’ choice of premium transit services. The report is supported by 10 technical appendices that present the detailed research results.
Advancing Transportation and Health (National Center for Safe Routes to School, 2013)
Safe transportation and the health benefits of active travel are at the core of the Federal Safe Routes to School Program. This report reflects the approaches that the SRTS Program has used to advance transportation and …
A Performance-Based Approach to Addressing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Transportation Planning (FHWA, 2014)
This publication is a handbook designed to be a resource for State DOTs and MPOs engaged in performance-based planning and programming to integrate greenhouse gas performance measures into transportation decisionmaking. It discusses key approaches for integrating GHG emissions into a PBPP approach, considerations for selecting an appropriate GHG performance measure, and using GHG performance measures to support investment choices and to enhance decisionmaking.
Has motorization in the U.S. peaked? Part 5: Update through 2012 (Michael Sivak, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 2014)
Following on previous reports, this report updates driving and fule consumption trends through 2012. The author examines 11 trends in all, including less driving per capita, per licensed driver, per household, and total VMT. Fuel consumption has also declined, and is now lower than the rates in 1984. The main finding of the series of reports is that the respective rates all reached their maxima around 2004. The author argues that, because the onsets of the reductions in these rates preceded the onset of the recession (in 2008), the reductions in these rates likely reflect fundamental, non-economic changes in society. Therefore, these maxima have a reasonable chance of being long-term peaks as well. The present report provides a brief update on these measures through 2012.
Repair Priorities 2014 (Smart Growth America and Taxpayers for Common Sense, 2014)
How much would your state need to repair its roads? Most likely the answer to that question is “a lot.” In some cases, state DOTs could spend their entire annual budget on repair and maintenance and still have work left to do. So why are many states making the problem even worse by continuing to spend scarce transportation dollars expanding their road networks? This report, and update of the Repair Priorities 2011, includes ideas for how DOT officials as well as state and federal policymakers can prioritize repair spending, and help drivers and taxpayers at the same time.
APTA 2013 Ridership Report (American Public Transportation Association, 2014)
In 2013 Americans took 10.7 billion trips on public transportation, which is the highest annual public transit ridership number in 57 years, according to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association. This was the eighth year in a row that more than 10 billion trips were taken on public transportation systems nationwide. While driving miles were essentially flat or down, public transportation use in 2013 increased by 1.1 percent.
Civil rights guidance and equity analysis methods for regional transportation plans: a critical review of literature and practice (Journal of Transportation Geography, 2013)
In this critical review, the authors examine the law, regulatory guidance, academic research, and agency practice pertinent to equity analysis of MPO regional transportation plans. They find that equity recommendations are extensive but generally lack specificity and are rarely enforceable. The current methodology is not appropriate for the analysis of transportation investment benefits. Newer travel demand modeling paradigms are capable of sidestepping methodological problems, and legacy models can be adapted and improved.