A provision of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Sec. 11205) requires USDOT to review existing travel demand models and, among other things, consider the potential implications of induced travel. Federal officials, committed to that mandate, were at the TRB annual meeting last week to learn from modeling experts and practitioners. This blog post offers one perspective on the issues and lays out several opportunities gleaned through discussions at TRB.
TRB
Removing curbs, lane markings, and signage to create a better street
In an effort to create a safer, more inviting environment for walkers and bicyclists, the City of Chicago is beginning construction on its first “shared street” project. The idea behind shared streets, also known as woonerfs or living streets, is to erase the boundaries between uses and question the hard and fast rules that govern driver behavior.
Researchers explore links between speed and safety
As states experiment with increasing and lowering speed limits on rural highways, questions still remain as to what effects those changes might have on safety. At this year’s annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board, researchers trying to answer some of those questions found that slower is safer.
Adoption of autonomous vehicles: Addressing the details
Although the mass media has been quick to tout the practicalities of switching to autonomous vehicles, many complexities are also apparent. At the recent TRB meeting the number of papers highlighting the opportunities and challenges associated with these vehicles made a clear statement about the enormity of the change DOTs, MPOs, and policy makers anticipate. And a recent paper from the University of Michigan lays out considerations that raise questions about whether autonomous vehicles will smoothly transition into mainstream usage.
New study provides insight into the permanence of changing driving trends
A recent study, presented at the TRB 2015 Annual Meeting looked at state-level driving and economic patterns from 1980 to 2011 and determined that in many states VMT peaked much earlier than the national trends have shown. The study contends that the downward trend in VMT in the U.S. is more permanent than previously thought. Additionally, the study finds a significant change in the traditional positive correlation between GDP per capita and VMT per capita in the majority of states between the 1980s and the 2000s.
Right-size parking calculator showcased at TRB annual meeting
How much parking is just the right amount? Developers and policymakers have mulled over this question for decades. King County Metro in Washington state has taken a big step toward better understanding this variability through a study conducted with the Center for Neighborhood Technology, which they presented at a session focused on parking impacts at this year’s annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, DC.
INVEST workshops to be offered at TRB 2014
SSTI is working with FHWA to provide assistance to DOTs and other transportation agencies on INVEST, a voluntary, web-based tool and collection of best sustainability practices. Attendees of the 2014 TRB annual meeting are invited to participate in brown bag sessions that will introduce INVEST and describe its use.
INVEST workshops to be offered at TRB 2014
SSTI is working with FHWA to provide assistance to DOTs and other transportation agencies on INVEST, a voluntary, web-based tool and collection of best sustainability practices. Attendees of the 2014 TRB annual meeting are invited to participate in brown bag sessions that will introduce INVEST and describe its use.
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.
Travel Time Reliability 2030: Innovations and Strategies for Today and Tomorrow (TRB, 2013)
Projects from the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) are exploring innovations and possible trends that can shape the future of travel time reliability. This brief provides an overview of two of those projects.