Real-time travel information on digital screens placed in popular gathering areas allows for more efficient time management by transportation users of all modes. Tysons Corner Center, a shopping center in northern Virginia, uses Traveler Information Displays that provide traffic conditions and transit schedules to help customers plan their departures from the mall. Virginia DOT recently surveyed customers to evaluate the success of the TIDs with the goal of improving the system.
technology
Google’s Street View cars are measuring and mapping air pollution
Last week, Google and the Environmental Defense Fund published the first in a series of maps with data on pollution levels collected using Google Street View vehicles. The initiative, a partnership between EDF, Google Earth Outreach, and San Francisco-based company Aclima, will make it possible to assess air pollution at a level of detail that was nearly impossible previously. The project team hopes the body of data created will help regulators and local and state officials develop a greater understanding of pollution levels on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, making it possible to target investments and other interventions to the populations facing the greatest health risks.
Seattle may have a bikesharing system after all
Despite the fact that the city pulled funding for the Pronto bikeshare system this spring, leading the system to shut down, Seattle might not have to wait long to once again have bikesharing. Several companies have expressed interest in moving into the city, but this time, the systems will be “dockless,” i.e. there won’t be fixed stations where bikes will be picked up and returned. The new systems also will be privately funded and run.
Big data shines light on bike and pedestrian trips
New applications in big data could soon let us understand precisely how people move around by bike and on foot, for all types of trips, almost anywhere in the country. SSTI has worked with several providers to better understand the available trip data and its useful applications. We recently tested preliminary pedestrian data, provided by StreetLight Data, with promising results.
Automated vehicles will bring big highway capacity increases
As the transportation field grapples with the impending impacts of automated vehicles, one AV-related outcome seems clear: Highway capacity will dramatically expand. Because automatic braking systems react much faster than human drivers do, safe spacing on freeways can be reduced by about half. As a result, the current rule of thumb that a freeway lane can handle a flow of 2,000 vehicles per hour will be radically changed.
Automated vehicles will bring big highway capacity increases
As the transportation field grapples with the impending impacts of automated vehicles, one AV-related outcome seems clear: Highway capacity will dramatically expand. Because automatic braking systems react much faster than human drivers do, safe spacing on freeways can be reduced by about half. As a result, the current rule of thumb that a freeway lane can handle a flow of 2,000 vehicles per hour will be radically changed.
New research on the benefits of ignition interlock devices
New research finds that states that have passed laws requiring ignition-interlock devices (IIDs) for all drivers convicted of drunk driving have seen a collective 15 percent drop in deaths from drunk-driving crashes compared with rates in states without this requirement. Other studies show that IIDs alone are not sufficient to curb drunk driving. To be most effective, states should adopt IID laws that kick in on the first offense and provide sufficient oversight to monitor continued use of the IIDs.
Mobile apps gaining ground in trucking
Rapid growth in the use of mobile apps is changing the trucking business and could bring congestion reduction benefits as well as efficiency gains. The way truckers with empty trailers find available loads has come a long way from notes on truck stop bulletin boards. The flexibility brought by these applications also provides a backup when scheduled movements are disrupted.
Better timing for seasonal load restrictions with connected sensors
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, have developed a new way to monitor the underground sensors that help states determine when seasonal load restrictions should begin and end.
Conductive concrete melts ice
A new type of pavement developed at the University of Nebraska could keep bridges and other surfaces clear during inclement weather without using heavy equipment or chemicals. The product is a concrete mixture that conducts just enough electrical current to melt ice and snow, while being safe to touch. The material is composed of 20 percent carbon and steel byproducts from industrial processes.