Pedestrian safety and the effects of environmental features are important considerations in cities everywhere. But studying pedestrians via street audits and volume counts can be time consuming and costly. Researchers at Columbia University suggest a way to overcome this challenge by using readily available information from Google Street View and Walk Score.
technology
Researchers suggest using Google Street View and Walk Score to conduct pedestrian safety studies
Pedestrian safety and the effects of environmental features are important considerations in cities everywhere. But studying pedestrians via street audits and volume counts can be time consuming and costly. Researchers at Columbia University suggest a way to overcome this challenge by using readily available information from Google Street View and Walk Score.
Uber offers slugging and fixed-route service
The distinction between transit and transportation network companies got smaller in early December, as Uber rolled out a version of “slugging” and fixed-route services.
Hands-free operation no cure for driver distraction
In a report released last month by the non-profit AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, researchers at the University of Utah found that using even the least distracting voice-activated in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) generates a greater cognitive distraction than a typical cell phone conversation, and that the use of these systems continues to distract drivers for nearly 30 seconds after they have finished interacting with the system.
Frankenbike assessing the state of Seattle’s bike trails
Alta Planning + Design is now using a modified bicycle, termed the “Frankenbike,” to assess bike trail conditions. While vans equipped with specialized measurement devices are used extensively by transportation agencies to assess roadway pavement conditions, the condition of bike trails has not generally received the same level of attention.
Drones could inspect bridges in Florida, saving divers from snakes and currents
Florida DOT is working with a team at Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering and Computer Science to develop autonomous, waterborne drone vehicles to aid in bridge inspections. Successful development of this technology could improve bridge inspection practice. Using drones to identify problem areas and conduct initial checks on the bridge means increased safety and efficiency for divers and less time in the water.
Internet-connected vehicles may put hackers in the driver’s seat
A pair of researchers remotely attacked a Jeep Cherokee and disabled the accelerator on the Interstate outside St. Louis to demonstrate that increasingly-wired cars need better security. Although connection to the internet is becoming a sought-after feature on cars, it may also allow hackers a portal into the car’s onboard computer and its controls.
Crowdsourced data gives DOTs added insight on road conditions
The Oregon DOT recently announced a new partnership with Waze—a navigational app that collects crowdsourced traffic information from its users and employs the data in real time. Florida was among the first states to sign an agreement with Waze in May 2014, granting them access to the company’s data in exchange for information about road closures and other incidents in the state. Approximately 30 agencies around the world have partnered with the company, including cities, regional agencies and a handful of states.
Real-time transit data in demand
A recent study has shown that real-time arrival data for buses does indeed boost transit usage. And several cities have discovered that they don’t have to do all the work of getting the information into riders’ hands.
Oregon DOT uses TransitMix Pro to help improve statewide network
Transit fans, amateur transportation planners, and advocates for multimodal transportation loved the original TransitMix, the easy online tool that allowed anyone to create a new transit route, alter an existing one, or change schedules in their city, at least on their computer. Now TransitMix has gone pro, and Oregon DOT is one of the first agencies to use it.