Cellphone data is helping to improve travel demand modeling

The Moore County Transportation Committee, working with the North Carolina DOT, has significantly increased the accuracy of its data collection for its long-range transportation plan thanks to the cutting edge technology of aggregated cell phone data developed by AirSage . Using the technology, the county was able to determine that a bypass would not help relieve congestion on U.S. 1.

SSTI Report on State and Local Transportation Revenue Sources (SSTI, 2013)

This SSTI report examines innovative, sustainable transportation funding models to assist decision-makers in identifying policies and practices to augment the current fuel tax revenue system. The report provides a broad account of these funding methods, where they have been implemented or proposed, and identifies state laws, policies, and practices that permit state DOTs and local governments to pursue a more sustainable funding model. The report, completed with the participation of North Carolina DOT, as well as Arizona, Illinois,Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington DOTs, suggests ways multiple revenue sources might be packaged to support and maintain transportation systems.

Climate impacts on transportation a hot topic during a hot summer

Amid this summer’s wildfires, drought and heat wave, many news articles and scholarly reports have focused on the changing climate’s effects on transportation. Reports include New York City’s subway leaking, buckling roads in Wisconsin, permafrost melting in Alaska, and predicted sea level rises along the East Coast. According to a new report from TRB, DOTs may have to adapt to new climate patterns.

Strategies for using value capture to fund transit

Recent work documents the results from communities utilizing value capture mechanisms shows the increased popularity of value capture strategies for funding the nation’s growing transit systems. Seventy-five percent of transit funding comes from state and local sources, pointing to a clear need to develop diverse revenue sources to support transit service. As vehicle miles traveled (VMT) continue to decline while transit use increases, the need for new revenues grows in importance

SSTI’s scenario analysis tool unveiled; will allow DOTs to better engage with land use authorities

Transportation agencies traditionally have to chase land use development, spending scarce funds to provide new roadway capacity, when better land-use patterns could have greatly reduced travel demand. SSTI’s new scenario analysis tool, developed for DelDOT, provides a way for transportation providers to influence land use development for the better.