Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Survey Of Viva Callesj Participants: San Jose, California 2016, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Hilary Nixon

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

This report presents the findings from a self-complete paper survey of participants at the Viva CalleSJ open streets event held on September 18, 2016. The survey was designed to provide information that would help the City of San Jose assess the success of the event, guide the planning for future Viva CalleSJ events, and inform potential funders and community partners about the benefits of Viva CalleSJ. A total of 318 people completed the one-page paper survey while at the event. Survey findings provide detail about how people learned about the event, how they traveled to the event, what they did …

The Impact Of Transit-Oriented Development On Social Capital, Robert B. Noland, Orin T. Puniello, Stephanie Dipetrillo

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

This paper focuses on the ability of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) to improve social capital and interactions within a community. The expectation is that TOD has a positive impact on the lifestyle and activities of individuals who reside, work, and frequent these locations, and that this can include increases in social capital. Using data from a survey of transit station locations in New Jersey, the authors examine how proximity to the station and various built environment variables are associated with different measures of social capital, derived from responses to survey questions. These questions inquire about respondents’ perceptions of their neighborhood …

The Us Transit Bus Manufacturing Industry, David Czerwinski, Xu (Cissy) Hartling, Jing Zhang

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Manufacturing buses for the US transit market has been a challenging business over the last several decades. It is a small market with volatile demand. Many manufacturers have gone bankrupt, left the market, or been acquired by competitors. Manufacturers of transit buses in the US must comply with a wide range of operational and design regulations. The most salient policy areas include regulating emissions, disabled access, procurement, alternative fuels, the Altoona Test, pooled purchases and piggybacking, spare ratios, workforce training, minimum useful life, Buy America, and research & development (R&D). The purpose of this report is to provide policy makers …

Safety Of Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide Battery Packs In Transit Bus Applications, Timothy Cleary, Marc Serra Bosch, Jim Kreibick, Joel Anstrom

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

The future of mass transportation is clearly moving toward the increased efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction of hybrid and electric vehicles. With the introduction of high-power/high-energy storage devices such as lithium ion battery systems serving as a key element in the system, valid safety and security concerns emerge. This is especially true when the attractive high-specific-energy and power-chemistry lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) is used. This chemistry provides great performance but presents a safety and security risk when used in large quantities, such as for a large passenger bus. If triggered, the cell can completely fuel its own fire, …

Bus Transit Operational Efficiency Resulting From Passenger Boardings At Park-And-Ride Facilities, John S. Niles, J. M. Pogodzinski

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

In order to save time and money by not driving to an ultimate destination, some urban commuters drive themselves a few miles to specially designated parking lots built for transit customers and located where trains or buses stop. The focus of this paper is the effect Park-and-Ride (P&R) lots have on the efficiency of bus transit as measured in five bus transit systems in the western U.S. This study describes a series of probes with models and data to find objective P&R influence measures that, when combined with other readily-available data, permit a quantitative assessment of the significance of P&R …

Experimental Modeling Of Nox And Pm Generation From Combustion Of Various Biodiesel Blends For Urban Transport Buses, Ashok Kumar, Dong-Shik Kim, Hamid Omidvarborna, Manideep Yarlagadda, Sudheer Kumar Kuppili, Nader Sawtarie

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Biodiesel has diverse sources of feedstock and the amount and composition of its emissions vary significantly depending on combustion conditions. Results of laboratory and field tests reveal that nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from biodiesel are influenced more by combustion conditions than emissions from regular diesel. Therefore, NOx and PM emissions documented through experiments and modeling studies are the primary focus of this investigation. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the feedstock-related combustion characteristics and pollutants are investigated. Research findings verify that the oxygen contents, the degree of unsaturation, and the size of the fatty acids in …

Benefit-Cost Analysis For Transportation Planning And Public Policy: Towards Multimodal Demand Modeling, Matthew Holian, Ralph Mclaughlin

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

This report examines existing methods of benefit-cost analysis (BCA) in two areas, transportation policy and transportation planning, and suggests ways of modifying these methods to account for travel within a multimodal system. Although the planning and policy contexts differ substantially, this report shows how important multimodal impacts can be incorporated into both by using basic econometric techniques and even simpler rule-of-thumb methods. Case studies in transportation planning focus on the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), but benchmark California’s competencies by exploring methods used by other states and local governments. The report concludes with a list and discussion of recommendations for …

Improving Pathways To Transit For Persons With Disabilities, Stephanie Dipetrillo, Andrea Lubin, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Carla Salehian, Stephen Gibson, Kristen William, Theodore Trent Green

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Persons with disabilities can achieve a greater degree of freedom when they have full access to a variety of transit modes, but this can only be achieved when the pathways to transit – the infrastructure and conditions in the built environment – allow full access to transit stops, stations, and vehicles. Since passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, many transit agencies and governmental jurisdictions have made significant progress in this area. Policy initiatives, incremental enhancements, modifications, and other measures undertaken by transit agencies and their partners have significantly improved access to transit for persons with disabilities, …

Emergency Management Training For Transportation Agencies, Frances Edwards, Daniel Goodrich, James Griffith

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

State transportation agencies have a variety of responsibilities related to emergency management. Field personnel manage events--from day-to-day emergencies to disasters--using the Incident Command System (ICS) as their organizational basis. At the headquarters level, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) coordinates the use of resources across the department and its districts, with other state departments and agencies, and through the federal Emergency Support Function 1. District-level EOCs coordinate with the department. In extreme events, the transportation department may only be able to deliver limited essential services in austere conditions, so a continuity of operations/ continuity of government plan (COOP/COG) is essential. This …

What Do Americans Think About Federal Tax Options To Support Public Transit, Highways, And Local Streets And Roads? Results From Year Seven Of A National Survey, Asha W. Agrawal, Hilary Nixon

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

This report summarizes the results of year seven of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll asking 1,503 respondents if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, with a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. Ten specific tax options tested were variations on raising the federal gas tax rate, creating a new mileage tax, and creating a new federal sales tax. Other questions probed perceptions related to public transit, including knowledge and opinions about federal taxes to support transit. In addition, the survey collected data on standard sociodemographic factors, travel behavior (public …

Exploring Bicycle And Public Transit Use By Low-Income Latino Immigrants: A Mixed-Methods Study In The San Francisco Bay Area, Jesus M. Barajas, Daniel G. Chatman, Asha W. Agrawal

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Latin American immigrants will continue to make up a large share of transit ridership, bicycling and walking in the United States for the foreseeable future, but there is relatively little research about them. This mixed-methods study compares the travel patterns of low-income immigrants living in the San Francisco Bay Area with that of other groups and investigates the barriers and constraints faced by low-income immigrants when taking transit and bicycling. Much of the previous work on immigrant travel has relied on national surveys and qualitative analysis, which underrepresent disadvantaged population groups and slower modes of travel, or are unable to …

Advances In Repurposing And Recycling Of Post-Vehicle-Application Lithium-Ion Batteries, Charles R. Standridge, Lindsay Corneal, Nicholas Baine

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Increased electrification of vehicles has increased the use of lithium-ion batteries for energy storage, and raised the issue of what to do with post-vehicle-application batteries. Three possibilities have been identified: 1) remanufacturing for intended reuse in vehicles; 2) repurposing for non-vehicle, stationary storage applications; and 3) recycling, extracting the precious metals, chemicals and other byproducts. Advances in repurposing and recycling are presented, along with a mathematical model that forecasts the manufacturing capacity needed for remanufacturing, repurposing, and recycling. Results obtained by simulating the model show that up to a 25% reduction in the need for new batteries can be achieved …

International Lessons For Promoting Transit Connections To High-Speed Rail Systems, Stan Feinsod, Eduardo Romo Urroz, Peter J. Haas, James Griffith

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

As the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) project becomes reality, many communities involved in, or affected by, the California HSR project have considered how to connect the new HSR passenger services to local urban transportation systems – such as bus and light rail systems – and how they can take advantage of HSR accessibility and speed throughout the state. European and other overseas systems have decades of experience in forging connections between HSR and various transportation options. This study examines international HSR stations and identifies patterns in transit connections associated with stations on the basis of size, population levels, and other …

Transit Performance Measures In California, Caroline Rodier, Emily Issac

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

This research is the result of a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) request to assess the most commonly available transit performance measures in California. Caltrans wanted to understand performance measures and data used by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and transit agencies to help it develop statewide measures. This report serves as a summary reference guide to help Caltrans understand the numerous and diverse performance measures used by MPOs and transit agencies in California. First, investigators review the available literature to identify a complete transit performance framework for the purposes of organizing agency measures, metrics, and data sources. Next, they review …

Trend Analysis Of Long Tunnels Worldwide, Jae-Ho Pyeon

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

High-speed rail construction projects have frequently required long tunnels to reduce travel time and distance. The California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) authority is considering a tunnel up to 16 miles long for a direct route from Palmdale to Burbank. With advances in tunneling technology, the many long tunnels in use around the world today hold valuable lessons for CHSR, particularly with respect to minimization of ground disturbance and improved passenger and operator safety. The primary objective of this project is to determine the state of the art for construction and operation of long tunnels used for high-speed rail. With an abundance …

Estimating Uncertainty Of Bus Arrival Times And Passenger Occupancies, Vikash V. Gayah, Zhengyao Yu, Jonathan S. Wood

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Travel time reliability and the availability of seating and boarding space are important indicators of bus service quality and strongly influence users’ satisfaction and attitudes towards bus transit systems. With Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) and Automated Passenger Counter (APC) units becoming common on buses, some agencies have begun to provide real-time bus location and passenger occupancy information as a means to improve perceived transit reliability. Travel time prediction models have also been established based on AVL and APC data. However, existing travel time prediction models fail to provide an indication of the uncertainty associated with these estimates. This can cause …

Bikesharing And Bicycle Safety, Elliot Martin, Adam Cohen, Jan L. Botha, Susan Shaheen

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

The growth of bikesharing in the United States has had a transformative impact on urban transportation. Major cities have established large bikesharing systems, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, New York City, Salt Lake City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Washington DC, and others. These systems began operating as early as 2010, and no fatalities have occurred within the US as of this writing. However, three have happened in North America—two in Canada and one in Mexico. Bikesharing has some qualities that appear inherently unsafe for bicyclists. Most prominently, helmet usage is documented to be quite low in most …

Remedial Actions To Prevent Suicides On Commuter And Metro Rail Systems, Patrick Sherry

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

The present study reviewed current efforts of commuter railroads to reduce or prevent suicide on railways and discussed preventative activities affecting rail related suicides. Primary preventative methods have included erecting physical barriers, posting warning signs with telephone numbers for hotline crisis counseling, using video surveillance on platforms, and training key personnel to identify and intervene with at-risk individuals. However, little or no evidence has been reported to demonstrate the efficacy of these methods.

The present study also sought to provide information about community awareness and attitudes toward suicide on the railroads and survey data collected from 498 respondents demonstrate that …

Funding Resilient Infrastructure In New Jersey: Attitudes Following A Natural Disaster, Robert B. Noland, Marc D. Weiner, Michael R. Greenberg

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

Recent major natural disasters in New Jersey have demonstrated the need to increase the resilience of transportation infrastructure. This research examines public attitudes toward revenue sources that can be dedicated to protecting vulnerable areas, most notably the transportation linkages on which the state depends. A statewide survey was conducted to gather data approximately four months following Superstorm Sandy, the costliest natural disaster in the state’s history. The authors’ objective was to sample public attitudes while the impacts of the disaster were still fresh. They found little support for temporary tax increases to improve resiliency, with the most positive support for …

Impact On Bus Ridership From Changes In A Route’S Span Of Service, Jacob Simmons, Peter Haas

Faculty Publications

Ridership response to changes in a bus route’s span of service—the start time of the first trip to the end time of the last trip each day—was examined specifically for hours that were not altered by a change in the span of service. Data were obtained for 39 routes from nine transit agencies in the western United States that experienced changes in the span of service without any other types of changes to enable the largest known analysis of such data from American transit systems. Results demonstrated that bus routes receiving an increase in the span of service experienced a …

A Survey Of Viva Callesj Participants: San Jose, California 2015, Asha W. Agrawal, Hilary Nixon

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

This report presents the findings from a survey of participants at the Viva CalleSJ open streets event held on October 11, 2015. The survey was designed to provide information that would help the City of San Jose assess the success of the event, guide the planning for future Viva CalleSJ events, and inform potential funders and community partners about the benefits of Viva CalleSJ. A total of 618 people completed the one-page paper survey while at the event. Survey findings provide detail on how people learned about the event, how they traveled to the event, what they did at the …

An Overview Of System Design Issues Related To Safety Aspects Of Bicycle Infrastructure, Jan L. Botha

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

The purpose of this report is to provide a critical review of the current practices and policies regarding infrastructure design for bicycling. The infrastructure is discussed primarily from a system perspective.

The wide range of bicyclists’ physical characteristics (such as size, power, skill, response to road and traffic conditions) makes it challenging for the designer to design bicycle facilities with the same sophistication and safety as facilities for motor vehicles. An attempt should be made to integrate the design standards for motor vehicles and bicycles into common design manuals. Incompatibility of the standards may make it clear when separate facilities …