Both highway exits and light rail transit stations appear to generate similar impacts on single-family home values. These results are in keeping with the researchers’ hypothesis that the negative disamenity effect around transport nodes is relatively small and fades quickly with increasing distance, while the positive accessibility effect is larger and declines more gradually with distance.
research
Hand-held cell phone bans miss the mark
According to recently published research, California’s ban on driving while using hand-held cellphones, implemented in 2008, appears to have had no impact on crash rates. Despite the dubious effectiveness, 14 states currently prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cellphones. This focus on hand-held devices, while largely ignoring the risks associated with hands-free phones, is misguided. A literature review conducted by researchers at Dalhousie University in Canada in 2009 concluded that, based on available research, the use of hands-free cellphones is no safer than using hand-held phones while driving.
Which transportation sustainability rating system works for your state?
States are using transportation sustainability rating systems (TSRSs) to assess the impacts of their planning, project development, operations, and maintenance decisions and actions. A recent Mountain-Plains Consortium report looks at which of the many available TSRSs would be appropriate in the four western states they studied.
Children killed in DUI crashes likely to be in car with drunk driver
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children under 15 years of age, and drunk driving is involved in about one-fifth of these crashes. However, contrary to common perception, the child is likely to be riding in the same car as the drunk driver, and the rate of these crashes varies considerably across the country. A new study in Pediatrics looks at the variation by state.
BYU researchers predict high crash sites to help UDOT target improvements
Researchers at Brigham Young University have developed one of the most advanced traffic safety models in the country, and Utah DOT will be using it to target allocation of scarce funds to the most crucial locations to save lives and prevent serious injuries. The model uses more variables than just crash numbers and traffic volume to get a clearer picture of the problem. It also takes into account all of the conditions of a segment of roadway and determines how many crashes are expected to occur there, then it compares that number with the actual number of crashes that happen.
SSTI researcher: 'Parking requirements transform cities, cost millions in tax revenues'
Researchers from the University of Connecticut and SSTI recently completed a pair of studies examining the long-term, citywide impacts of parking facilities and minimum parking requirements. The research shows how parking minimums can physically transform urban centers, stifle development, and cost cities millions of dollars in annual tax revenues.
Notice any suspicious people while you were driving today?
A recent study by researchers at the University of Surrey, England, finds that people traveling through urban areas by car have more extreme positive and negative perceptions of their surroundings and people in the area than those traveling by foot, with the views of transit riders and cyclists falling in between.
CDOT study tests methodology for systematic bicycle traffic measurement
As bicycling and walking have become more popular methods of transportation, cities and states are searching for better techniques for estimating traffic from these non-motorized modes. Both on individual corridors and throughout transportation systems, traffic volumes are essential for planning and performance measures. But measuring non-motorized traffic can be more difficult than counting cars and trucks, so new techniques are needed to estimate traffic patterns. Colorado DOT worked with researchers at the University of Colorado-Denver to establish Colorado-specific methodologies for estimating bicycle and pedestrian volumes via a limited sample of existing counts.
Motor vehicle pollution a major contributor to American deaths
Last year, following six years of decline, the number of traffic fatalities in the U.S. rose 5 percent—to 34,000—continuing the position of motor vehicle crashes as one of the leading causes of death, particularly among young people. It is the top cause of death for ages 5 to 24. Two recent independent studies now suggest that simply living near major roadways and breathing harmful emissions from motor vehicles might be an even greater threat to U.S. health, making the death toll from traffic far worse.
Development of Tools for Assessing Wider Economic Benefits of Transportation (TRB, 2013)
A new study by SHRP2 details the development of tools to help assess the wider economic benefits of transportation projects. In addition to the study, four sets of spreadsheet tools that can aid in transportation project impact assessment are provided.