Cities around the U.S. are seeing a new style of transit that is a cross between the (in)famous Google buses, smartphone-driven Uber and Lyft, and standard city transit systems. Neither exclusive to one company nor attempting to cover the city, these “pop-up bus services” are geared to those who live in certain neighborhoods and work downtown, have smartphones and a few extra dollars, and desire a direct commute and pleasant atmosphere.
technology
Urban Engines offers innovative congestion relief tools for transit
A unique approach to collecting and distributing transit data was recently unveiled. Publicly launched on May 15, Urban Engines uses spatial analytics and behavioral economics theory to improve city planning and operations. Urban Engines uses the concept of “crowd sensing,” a method of using technology to understand where people congregate and how they move.
Building the market: Putting Zero-Emission Vehicles on the road
It took decades for the current gasoline and diesel service station infrastructure to be built out, enabling longer- distance travel. As we enter an era where more drivers are considering adopting electric vehicles, infrastructure to “fuel” these zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) is lacking in a similar way to the early automobile period’s gas station shortage. In particular, the market has been slow to respond to the need for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. A new coalition of eight states on both coasts has released a plan to speed the adoption of ZEV technology and address this infrastructure gap.
Guest post: CDOT meeting looks to the future
Colorado Executive Director of Transportation Don Hunt had a feeling some pretty forward-thinking ideas could come out of the Futurist Forum the agency held earlier this month with senior CDOT management. While some of the topics seemed science-fiction, the effort was grounded by the main issue: how does the industry predict and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow, when those challenges (and the tools and technology to address them) are likely dramatically different than the ones of today? While it’s valuable to consider these questions for the decades ahead, the forum also highlighted the need to evaluate and realign some thinking in the shorter-term as well.
Multiple mode switch – transportation’s digital revolution
There is a growing consensus that transportation agencies, especially transit agencies, should make schedule and arrival data more publically available to support the shift to a more seamless multimodal transportation system. This new system would offer multimodal travel options using a single platform, allowing the traveler to select a mode that best suits his or her needs on the spur of the moment. In addition, developing ways to make this data widely available to the public will make the system more efficient, as well as increase equity and accessibility across the socioeconomic spectrum.
What’s stopping automated speed enforcement?
Automated speed enforcement systems have proven effective in U.S. cities, but despite the proven safety benefits of ASE and its prevalence internationally, it has been adopted in only 14 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. A recent case study of Washington, DC’s experience provides strong evidence for the safety benefits of speed enforcement cameras. A 2012 survey in Minnesota found that a slight majority of respondents supported the concept of ASE and over 80 percent supported the use of ASE in construction and survey zones. So what’s stopping increased adoption?
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the drive: An update on autonomous vehicles
Since we last wrote about driverless cars in December, several states have taken a detailed look at legislation to phase in operation of this new type of vehicle. These new laws focus on testing, safety, and operations. Conversations addressing the thorny issues around liability are only just beginning. To address these and other regulatory considerations during the legislative process, the Council of State Governments issued a report providing assistance in developing policies and legislation.
Ann Arbor could become testing ground for network of driverless cars
While driverless cars seem to be a technological reality thanks to innovative leaders at Google, questions still remain as to their implementation and practicality. Researchers at University of Michigan hope to answer these questions by launching a citywide network of shared driverless cars in Ann Arbor in less than eight years.
What do video games and transportation planning have in common?
A new approach to the idea of visualization is using the real-time 3D tools that are normally reserved for interactive video games. A new tool developed by Spencer Boomhower of Cupola Media builds upon many of the technical tools that transportation planners traditionally use such as design criteria, flexible design techniques, and walkability analyses to build a visual model that can be understood and manipulated by the general public.
MBTA uses ABC technique to replace bridge
On November 8, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority used an Accelerated Bridge Construction technique to replace a 102-year-old bridge that carries the Red Line trains over Clayton Street in Dorchester. Using a Self-Propelled Modular Transporter, a new bridge was moved into place within 24 hours of the old bridge being demolished. MassDOT is at the forefront of ABC technology that prefabricates major bridge components in one location and transports them to the construction site where they will be quickly installed using heavy lifting equipment such as cranes, gantry systems, or SPMTs. The replacement of the Clayton Street Bridge was the first time this technology has been used to replace a bridge in the MBTA system, and one of the few on a transit project.