Engineering Commons^™

Transportation Sustainability, Eleni Christofa

Sustainability Education Resources

An overview of sustainable transportation planning practices and management strategies and policies; current transportation trends; environmental and energy policies; nonmotorized modes (mainly bicycles and pedestrians); public transportation; life-cycle assessment for transportation infrastructure; alternative fuel vehicles; vehicle emission estimation models; demand management strategies (including parking policies, pricing strategies).

Over-Citing Or Under-Citing? A Gis-Based Analysis Of The Relationship Between Crashes And Citations, Mitchell Page

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

In July of 2017, the Boston Globe published an article titled “Driving Through These Towns in Mass.? Watch Your Speed” [1] that among other elements, included a series of maps and a brief summary identifying Massachusetts municipalities that had the most traffic violations issued between 2010 and 2016. The article stated that the Massachusetts State Police issued the most citations of any police agency in the state, and that many citations were given along major highways, especially Interstate 90 and major highways and routes that intersect it, such as Interstate 84 and Route 20. Despite the public attention-grabbing nature of …

Modelling The Surrogate Safety Of Various Left-Turn Phase Sequences, Rohith Prakash Panthangi

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Left-turns are the most complex maneuvers in a signalized intersection. Based on the flow of the traffic volume through a given intersection, the left-turn phasing may be controlled in various fashions such as: protected only, permissive only, and protected/permissive. Following the introduction of the flashing yellow arrow (FYA) to the 2009 Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), many state agencies have implemented these indications for their left-turn permissive movements. Similar to the existing circular green (CG) permissive indication, the FYA requires drivers to yield to oncoming vehicles before making their left-turn. However, given the novelty of …

Driver Performance Due To Unmanned Aerial System Applications In The Vicinity Of Surface Transportation, Alyssa M. Ryan

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, have become increasingly utilized for a myriad of applications in the vicinity of the roadway and can offer a low-cost alternative to many labor-intensive data collection techniques, including infrastructure inspection, roadway marking data collection, and more. To collect much of this data with a desired degree of accuracy, UAS must be flown near moving vehicles, pedestrians, and/or bicyclists. However, UAS, and their pilot/crew, have the potential to be a distraction to drivers. A study by Hurwitz et al. suggests that UAS operations are more distracting to drivers as the UAS traverses closer to the …

Driver Behaviour And Performances On In-Vehicle Display Based Speed Compliance, Aamani Ramanathan Parthasarthy

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Traffic Control Devices (TCDs) are integral to driver-to-infrastructure (D2I) and vehicleto- infrastructure (V2I) interactions. The non-conformation (or non-perception) with signage on the part of the driver leads to several compounded safety problems. The need exists for a more robust, low-cost, and user-centric mechanism of delivering information to the driver that can directly bear on the safety of the driver. Technology has now advanced to the point where we can deliver information from a real-world physical environment to the driver in a non-invasive manner using holographic display [1]. With this rapid advancement in-vehicle display (IVD) technology, the transportation industry must undergo …

Dissecting The Safety Benefits Of Protected Intersection Design Features, Nicholas Campelll

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Protected intersections are an integral component of Complete Street networks and are used to facilitate and delineate the route cyclists should take while traveling along a protected network. The separation from the travel lane of automobiles, however, causes a decrease in driver attentiveness to cyclists. Rates of incidents of cyclists, specifically with right turning vehicles, have increased in recent years, leading to a desire to improve the safety benefits of existing protected intersections to increase the visibility of cyclists and driver awareness. This research used a simulated environment to test the effectiveness of different pavement markings and intersection radii on …

Zero-Emission Transit Bus And Refueling Technologies And Deployment Status: A Review Across U.S. Transit Agencies, Aikaterini Deliali

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Globally there have been considerable efforts of decarbonizing the transportation sector, as it has been found to be largely responsible for greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. One strategy to achieving this is the implementation of zero-emission buses in transit fleets. This paper summarizes the characteristics of three zero-emission bus technologies: 1) battery electric buses; 2) fuel cell battery electric buses; and 3) fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric buses. All of these technologies do not produce tailpipe emission and can potentially be emission-free in a well-to-wheel content, depending on the fuel source. This study aims in gathering the needed information …

Passenger Detection Though Video Processing And Signal Sensors In The Boston Subway To Address Left-Behind Passengers, Andronikos Keklikoglou

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Crowding is one the most common problems for public transportation systems worldwide. It has been proven to cause anxiety to commuters and create reliability problems when commuters are not able to board on the first train or bus that arrives. These commuters are referred as left-behind passengers, and their number is directly related to various basic performance measures of public transportation systems that represent the user’s experience. Among these measures the most significant are ridership, service quality and, more importantly, travel time. Identifying left behind passengers is a tool to address crowding in stations and respond appropriately, by applying various …

A Safety And Emissions Analysis Of Continuous Flow Intersections, Joshua Wolfgram

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Increasing travel demand, and challenges associated with high percentages of left-turning vehicles, have encouraged the introduction of significant infrastructure advancements. Certain alternative intersection designs, such as continuous flow intersections, median U-turns, and jughandles, eliminate the traditional protected left-turn, increasing the intersection's optional efficiency. While the design and operations of these intersection types have been studied to varying degrees, their safety and emissions-related impacts are not well-understood.

This project develops a series of microsimulation models for two continuous flow intersections (CFI) located in Missouri and Colorado, and uses the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) to determine the impact of those designs …

Investigation Of Safety At Toll Plazas Through Microsimulation And Driving Simulation Approaches, Foroogh Sadat Hajiseyedjavadi

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Toll plazas are one of the critical components of a roadway system for capital financing, infrastructure maintenance revenue, or traffic maintenance and congestion control strategies. At the same time, they are among the most complex road structures, as drivers are exposed to a large amount of information and have a short amount of time to make a decision. Since the advent of electronic toll collection (ETC) technology, the complexity of toll plazas has greatly increased. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of toll plaza design and traffic conditions on drivers’ behavior and level of safety. This …

River And Stream Power Assessment Report Including Culvert And Bridge Vulnerability Analysis: Deerfield River Basin, Massachusetts And Vermont, James G. Macbroom, Roy Schiff, Jessica Louisos

Water Reports

This geomorphic assessment of Deerfield River in western Massachusetts and southern Vermont has been prepared by Milone & MacBroom, Inc. (MMI) on behalf of the University of Massachusetts as part of its "Farms, Floods, and FGM" project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture National Integrated Water Quality Program(USDA – NIFA NIWQP) program. This project is a broad-based geomorphic assessment of the Deerfield River and its adjacent riparian corridor to define its characteristics, processes, and management issues. The river channel is used extensively for hydroelectric power generation and recreation, with agricultural …

Evaluating Roadway Cross-Sectional Design Elements And Its Impact On Driver Behavior Using A Driving Simulator, Bhavana Gongalla

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

This research explores the relationship between the cross-sectional design elements and the impact on selected driver attributes such as speed profiles and lateral positioning. In this experiment a traditional collector type base roadway of 1.5 miles with 14 ft travel lane and 8 ft shoulder was modeled using a fixed base driving simulator. The base scenario was subsequently reconfigured with four different cross-sectional design with various elements within the same physical right-of-way. Specific design elements included, narrower lanes, bicycle lanes, raised center median and a curvilinear roadway profile. A within subject’s design of twenty participants who drove each of the …

Socioeconomic Assessment Of The Epic Sustainable Road Infrastructure Program In Nepal, Maria Fernandez, Trista Ristvedt

School of Public Policy Capstones

Roads are being constructed in rural Nepal at a rapid pace. Due to a number of factors many of these roads are poorly built, often without any oversight or planning provided by an engineer; this causes a multitude of problems including roads that are not safe to travel in the rainy season, and damages to property and agricultural lands due to risk of landslide and increased erosion. IUCN's EPIC project in Nepal is intended to showcase an attainable option for local communities to construct and repair roads in such a way to improve their reliability and safety, while also decreasing …

Older Driver Simulator Based Intersection Training: The Evaluation Of Training Effectiveness And Simulator Sickness, Craig Schneider

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Older drivers are over involved in intersection crashes. The evidence to date suggests that this is primarily because they fail to look for potential threat vehicles after they enter a stop-controlled intersection. These secondary glances are absolutely critical when the built or natural environment obscures such vehicles while the driver is stopped before entering the intersection. Simulator-based older driver training programs exist which double the frequency of secondary glances that older drivers take up to two years after training. However, almost 40% of those who participate in such training never finish because of Simulator Adaptation Syndrome (SAS, or “simulator sickness”). …

Syllabus: Transportation Sustainability, Eleni Christofa

Sustainability Education Resources

An overview of sustainable transportation planning practices and management strategies and policies; current transportation trends; environmental and energy policies; non-motorized modes (mainly bicycles and pedestrians); public transportation; life-cycle assessment for transportation infrastructure; alternative fuel vehicles; vehicle emission estimation models; demand management strategies (including parking policies, pricing strategies).

Campus-Wide Parking Vision Plan, Dennis Swinford, Niels P. La Cour, Vhb

Campus Planning Master Plans

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Parking Vision Plan is a key component of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus Master Plan 2012. With the campus in the midst of a $1 billion capital improvement program, the Campus Master Plan looks 40 years into the future, matching academic vision with upgraded facilities to strengthen the sense of community and enhance the campus's beauty. The Parking Vision Plan articulates a parking system vision and guiding principles that support the vision of the Master Plan; it institutes a blueprint for parking-related decisions and policies on the UMass Amherst campus. The report discusses …

University Of Massachusetts Amherst 2012-2021 Capital Improvement Projects, Douglas Vigneau, Juanita Holler, University Of Massachusetts Building Authority, John Mathews, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Ezra Small

Campus Planning Master Plans

In 2013 the University of Massachusetts, on behalf of the University of Massachusetts Building Authority and Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), submitted an Expanded Environmental Notification Form for the University's 2012 - 2021 Capital Improvement Plan to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA).

Taken individually, the majority of the Projects, comprising of 13 building/space, 7 site/landscape, and 5 facility/ utility scale improvement projects, do not require MEPA review as most of the Project sites are confined to infill areas on campus that are currently or …

Umass Amherst Cmp Transportation And Parking Appendix A, Joseph Wanat, Dennis Swinford, Niels La Cour

Campus Planning Master Plans

The University of Massachusetts Transportation Study is a key component of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus Master Plan 2012. Produced by Vanesse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), this study focuses on the transportation component of the Master Plan. The purpose of the Transportation Study is to describe existing conditions, project future conditions with development proposed in the Master Plan, identify existing and future transportation deficiencies, and recommend enhancements and improvements to improve safety and system operations. The Transportation Study includes traffic operations (traffic counts, turning movements, intersection performance, etc.), pedestrian and bicycle accommodations and transit services. The study is …