Wednesday, September 25, 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the business environment have led to a decline in intercity bus service in recent years. But with ridership projected to rebound and soon surpass pre-pandemic levels, state DOTs can play a role in expanding intercity bus service, a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation than solo vehicle travel that can provide enhanced mobility and connection between rural and urban areas.
webinar
States can reimagine highway corridors as conduits for power and communications
Because state highways are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, some state DOTs are looking for ways to decarbonize within their existing highway systems. Expanding renewable energy and decarbonizing requires increased transmission to meet the new capacity. Although DOTs have space to carry power and other utilities along their highways (in what is called the right-of-way, or ROW), these opportunities remain underutilized due to the technical coordination and expertise needed to implement them. By electrifying state-owned highways, state DOTs and the energy sector can work together to reduce carbon emissions.
Measuring Accessibility: National Evaluation, Local Application
Thursday October 5, 2023
Continuing a multi-part series, SSTI talks with researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Accessibility Observatory about their collaborative effort to document access to opportunity at a national scale.
Measuring Accessibility: Expanding the Practice
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
As agencies continue to integrate accessibility analysis into policy and planning, new research can guide the expansion of current and best practices. In this session we will talk with Louis Merlin from Florida Atlantic University and Dana Rowangould from the University of Vermont about their research into pedestrian and other accessibility metrics, and the practitioners who use them.
Accessibility analysis may be at a pivotal moment for widespread adoption
Accessibility analysis, measuring the ease with which people can reach destinations, could shift the paradigm in the fields of land use and transportation planning. Where traffic speeds once reigned supreme, momentum is building behind the adoption of a more comprehensive metric. While uptake has thus far been somewhat diffuse among cities, metropolitan planning organizations, and states, those who have the capacity and resources to implement accessibility analysis find it a powerful tool for leveling the playing field between modes, focusing on the movement of people over vehicles, and centering the needs of under-resourced communities.
Webinar recap: Parking reform for 21st century communities
Parking reform is a growing priority for cities and towns across the U.S. This has important implications for transportation professionals, outlined in a recent webinar from SSTI, the Form-Based Code Institute, and Smart Growth America.
April webinar recap: Intercity buses and state DOTs
The April 24 SSTI webinar on intercity buses and the role of state DOTs yielded exciting ideas about how states can facilitate improved connections and service. We were joined in the webinar by MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle and MassDOT staff member Kyle Emge, who runs the MassDOT BusPlus program, to talk about this important transportation option for longer-distance travel.
Housing and Transportation Affordability Index (CNT, n.d.)
Website demonstrating that when transportation costs are included, exurban areas are very expensive to live in, even though real estate is cheap. Go to website
FHWA planning and environment linkages training webinar
The Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) Program, a joint effort of FHWA’s Office of Planning and Office of Project Development and Environmental Review, is offering a training webcast titled “PEL 101: The Tools for Adopting …
Achieving a state of good repair
Dr. Michael Meyer from Georgia Tech University (and an expert panel member for several SSTI reports) made a presentation (available here) to USDOT officials about the importance of performance management in improving U.S. highway and …