Transportation Commons^™

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

Mineta Transportation Institute

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 …

The Effects Of Using Natural Gas In Light-Duty Vehicle Fleet Of The United States On Its Energy Dependency And Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Nurullah Ayyilmaz

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Shale boom has changed the track of discussions on the future of the U.S. energy politics. A new opportunity emerged to meet domestic demand of the U.S. by using secure sources. Transportation accounts for a quarter of energy consumption in the U.S. Increasing the share of natural gas in the transport sector bolsters the U.S. energy security because of shifting from insecure sources (imported oil) to secure sources (shale gas reserves). Using natural gas instead of oil in light-duty vehicles (LDVs) contributes to the efforts of decreasing dependence on insecure sources and also decreases anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused …

Patrol Scheduling In An Urban Rail Network, Hoong Chuin Lau, Zhi Yuan, Aldy Gunawan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper presents the problem of scheduling security teams to patrol a mass rapid transit rail network of a large urban city. The main objective of patrol scheduling is to deploy security teams to stations of the network at varying time periods subject to rostering as well as security-related constraints. We present several mathematical programming models for different variants of this problem. To generate randomized schedules on a regular basis, we propose injecting randomness by varying the start time and break time for each team as well as varying the visit frequency and visit time for each station according to …

Disseminating The Sustainable City Year Program (Scyp) Education Model, Nico Larco, Marc Schlossberg

TREC Final Reports

The University of Oregon has developed a catalytic learning model that simultaneously meets the needs of both the next generation’s transportation workforce and cities looking for innovative and catalytic ways to advance a new era of transportation goals. Named the Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP), the model links local community priorities (as expressed through local plans and city council goals) with courses from a range of disciplines at a nearby university. The UO program engages 500+ multidisciplinary students annually in providing 60,000+ hours of work to city-identified projects using the existing administrative systems of both universities and local communities.

This …

Measuring And Modeling Cyclists’ Comfort And Stress Levels, Miguel Figliozzi

PSU Transportation Seminars

Some researchers have tried to categorize cyclists’ levels of traffic stress utilizing facility or traffic data that can be readily measured in the field, such as motorized travel lanes, travel speeds, and type of bicycle infrastructure.

This seminar will present data and modeling results utilizing two novel data sources:

(a) real-world, on-road measurements of physiological stress as cyclists travel across different types of facilities and

(b) data collected utilizing a smartphone app called ORcycle (http://www.pdx.edu/transportation-lab/orcycle).

This presentation will discuss key findings and potential policy implications.

Cyclist Path Choices Through Shared Space Intersections In England, Allison Boyce Duncan

Dissertations and Theses

In the last several years, there has been growing worldwide interest in making streets safer for all users--pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. One approach, shared space, is a traffic calming technique as well as urban design concept. This technique strives to fully integrate the roadway into the urban fabric by removing elements such as lane markings, curbs, and traffic signs. By removing these elements and creating a more plaza-like space, these sites become ambiguous and no user group as priority. The technique is relatively new, and the majority of existing research concerns pedestrians only. This mixed methods research focused on six …

Edged Out: Location Efficient Housing And Low Income Households In The Portland Region, Andrée Tremoulet, Ryan Dann

PSU Transportation Seminars

Transportation costs are typically a household’s second largest expense after housing. Low income households are especially burdened by transportation costs, with low income households spending up to two times as much of their income on transportation than higher income households (Litman, 2013).

Thus, access to location efficient housing is especially important to low income households, including those who use a housing voucher to help pay for housing costs.

This seminar presents the results of a two-year project supported by the Portland region's four public housing authorities to design and test tools to help people with housing vouchers find location efficient …

Διεθνες Και Ευρωπαϊκο Θεσμικο Πλαισιο Ασφαλειας Του Θαλασσιου Περιβαλλοντος Και Συναφη Συστη- Ματα Ελεγχου, Dimitrios Dalaklis, Georgios Chrysochou

Books

The key characteristic of the contemporary world is the interconnectedness among societies and people across the national boundaries of nation-states. It is also necessary to note that nearly four fifths of international trade is being conducted by sea; only via the availability of commercial vessels, massive transport of goods in a society is made technically and financially possible. Among the several problems that can be encountered in short-distance navigation and in ocean-going navigation one must consider the potential for maritime accidents, sea and coastal pollution. Safety at sea is a key element of maritime transport policy with a view to …

A Taste For Transit? Analyzing Public Transit Use Trends Among Youth, Anne E. Brown, Evelyn Blumenberg, Brian D. Taylor, Kelcie Ralph, Carole Turley Voulgaris

Journal of Public Transportation

In the past decade, there has been much talk about a decline in driving among youth. This study examined whether this decline is associated with an increased reliance on public transit. To address this issue, 2001 and 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data were used to analyze the relationship between age and transit use. Findings indicate that although young adults are more likely to ride transit than older adults, transit use among youth can be explained largely by (1) life cycle factors common among young people but unlikely to persist as they age, (2) higher levels of transit use …

Trends, Causal Analysis, And Recommendations From 14 Years Of Ferry Accidents, Abigail S. Golden, Roberta E. Weisbrod

Journal of Public Transportation

Ferries and other passenger vessels provide a crucial mode of transportation for many in the developing world, especially in archipelagic nations like Indonesia and in river delta nations like Bangladesh. However, this dependence on passenger vessels coincides with a high rate of accidents and fatalities in many countries, linked to purchase of old, substandard, and/or inappropriate vessels in low-income nations; overcrowding; inadequate training; and sudden hazardous weather. Any serious attempt to decrease the number and fatality count of ferry accidents in the developing world must have a complete record of past incidents on which to draw. This report compiles detailed …

Exploring Diversified Performance Indicators For Evaluating Non-Urbanized Transit Program Outcomes, Eunice V. Akoto

Journal of Public Transportation

Non-urbanized (rural) transit goals include the ability to use available government funds to provide adequate and efficient transportation services while increasing mobility and accessibility. However, outcomes of these goals cannot be examined exclusively with the “traditional” transit performance indicators that are more conducive to urban systems. This study explores diversified indicators—namely, efficiency, effectiveness, and mobility constructs for evaluating program outcomes of non-urbanized transit systems—using Mississippi’s Section 5311 program as the case. The study examined how Section 5311 providers met their program goals during the implementation of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) using …

A General Framework For Price Regulation Of Airports, Sock Yong Phang

Research Collection School Of Economics

Price cap regulation (PCR) was first implemented for privatized utilities in the UK in the 1980s. It has since been adopted by numerous countries as a regulatory regime in several sectors. This paper focuses on the development of different forms of price regulation of airports of which PCR is one variant. In countries where airport privatization is still in the early stages, the spectrum of airports and varied nature of regulatory regimes can be confusing and the lack of a general framework can itself become an obstacle to privatization. This paper proposes a general framework comprising decisions to be made …

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

Mineta Transportation Institute

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 …

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

Mineta Transportation Institute

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 …

Trend Analysis Of Long Tunnels Worldwide, Jae-Ho Pyeon

Mineta Transportation Institute

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

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 …

Detection Of Bird Nests In Overhead Catenary System Images For High-Speed Rail, Xiao Wu, Ping Yuan, Qiang Peng, Chong-Wah Ngo, Jun-Yan He

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The high-speed rail system provides a fast, reliable and comfortable means to transport large number of travelers over long distances. The existence of bird nests in overhead catenary system (OCS) can hazard to the safety of the high-speed rails, which will potentially result in long time delays and expensive damages. A vision-based intelligent inspection system capable of automatic detection of bird nests built on overhead catenary would avoid the damages and increase the reliability and punctuality, and therefore is attractive for a high-speed railway system. However, OCS images exhibit great variations with lighting changes, illumination conditions and complex backgrounds, which …

Parking Infrastructure: A Constraint On Or Opportunity For Urban Redevelopment?, Mikhail Chester

PSU Transportation Seminars

Many cities have adopted minimum parking requirements, but we have relatively poor information about how parking infrastructure has grown.

In this research, using building and roadway growth models, we estimate how parking has grown in Los Angeles County from 1900 to 2010, and how parking infrastructure evolves, affects urban form, and relates to changes in automobile travel.

We find that since 1975, the ratio of residential offstreet parking spaces to automobiles in Los Angeles County is close to 1.0 and the greatest density of parking spaces is in the urban core. Most new growth in parking occurs outside of the …

Travel Mode Choice Framework Incorporating Realistic Bike And Walk Routes, Joseph Broach

Dissertations and Theses

For a number of reasons--congestion, public health, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, demographic shifts, and community livability to name a few--the importance of walking and bicycling as transportation options will only continue to increase. Currently, policy interest and infrastructure funding for nonmotorized modes far outstrip our ability to model bike and walk travel. To ensure scarce resources are used most effectively, accurate models sensitive to key policy variables are needed to support long-range planning and project evaluation, and to continue adding to our growing understanding of key factors driving walk and bike behavior. This research attempts to synthesize and advance …

Consistent Estimation Of Route Choice Models For Dynamic Transit Assignment, Jeff Hood

PSU Transportation Seminars

Dynamic transit assignment models have the potential to improve local transportation agencies’ capability to forecast the demand for public transit facilities under conditions of limited capacity or varying reliability. In order to be useful in practice, the simulated route choices of passengers in these models need to reflect the behavior of actual residents observed in local travel surveys. Most analysis methods of revealed route choice preferences developed to date have either (1) not been proven to provide consistent estimates or (2) required an untenable computation time for practical applications. Furthermore, no model of transit route choice has accounted for variability …

Pilot Perceptions On Impact Of Crew Rest Regulations On Safety And Fatigue, Lukas Rudari, Mary E. Johnson, Robert C. Geske, Lauren A. Sperlak

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The risk of fatigue on pilot performance and safety is well recognized in aviation. In response to increased safety concerns, the Federal Aviation Administration addressed fatigue risk for passenger airline pilots in Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 117, which included accommodations to address fatigue related risk-factors such as circadian rhythm and the phenomenon commonly described as jet-lag. The rule became effective in January 2014. A survey was conducted in March and April of 2014 to better understand pilot perceptions of the new Part 117 rule. This study analyzed survey responses from 92 self-identified pilots to determine the effect …

Webinar: Development Of A Pedestrian Demand Estimation Tool, Kelly Clifton

TREC Webinar Series

Why model pedestrians?

A new predictive tool for estimating pedestrian demand has potential applications for improving walkability. By forecasting the number, location and characteristics of walking trips, this tool allows for policy-sensitive mode shifts away from automobile travel.

There is growing support to improve the quality of the walking environment and make investments to promote pedestrian travel. Despite this interest and need, current forecasting tools, particularly regional travel demand models, often fall short. To address this gap, Oregon Metro and NITC researcher Kelly Clifton worked together to develop this pedestrian demand estimation tool which can allow planners to allocate infrastructure …

An Analysis Of Cyclist Path Choices Through Shared Space Intersections In England, Allison Boyce Duncan

PSU Transportation Seminars

Shared space is a traffic calming technique as well as urban design concept. Also known as ‘Naked Streets’, this technique strives to fully integrate the roadway into the urban fabric by removing elements such as lane markings, curbs, and traffic signs. By removing these elements and creating a more plaza-like space, these spaces become ambiguous and no user group has priority. The technique is relatively new, and the majority of existing research concerns pedestrians only.

This study focused on intersections in England with the goal of understanding how bicycle riders perceive and travel through shared space intersections.

Using video observations, …

Towards Effective Design Treatment For Right Turns At Intersections With Bicycle Traffic, David Hurwitz, Christopher Monsere

PSU Transportation Seminars

The overall goal of this research was to quantify the safety performance of alternative traffic control strategies to mitigate right-turning-vehicle/bicycle collisions, often called "right-hook" crashes, at signalized intersections in Oregon.

A two stage experiment was developed in the OSU high-fidelity driving simulator to investigate the causal factors of right-hook crashes at signalized intersections with a striped bike lane and no right-turn lane, and to then identify and evaluate alternative design treatments that could mitigate the occurrence of right-hook crashes.

Experiment 1 investigated motorist and environmental related causal factors of right-hook crashes, using three different motorist performance measures: (1) visual attention, …

Tls Newsletter. February 2016, Unf Transportation And Logistics Society

Transportation & Logistics Society Newsletter

Inside the Newsletter: Mark Your Calendars for T & L Career Day on March 25. President's Corner. Get to Know Emily Millspaw, Newsletter Editor. T & L Flagship Tour to Total Quality Logistics. What's Happening in the Industry. Life after Graduation with Valerie Seaman

Quantity Discounts And Capital Misallocation In Vertical Relationships, Ken Onishi

Research Collection School Of Economics

I study transactions between aircraft manufacturers and airlines as well as airlines' utilization of their fleet. Aircraft production is characterized by economies of scale via learning-by-doing, which creates a trade-off between current profit and future competitive advantage in the aircraft market. The latter consideration makes large buyers more attractive than small buyers and induces quantity discounts. The resulting nonlinear pricing strategy may distort both production and allocation in favor of large buyers. In the data, there is a negative correlation between the size of aircraft orders and the per-unit price, and a positive correlation between the price paid and the …

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

Mineta Transportation Institute

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 …

Efficient Collective Spatial Keyword Query Processing On Road Networks, Yunjun Gao, Jingwen Zhao, Baihua Zheng, Gang Chen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The collective spatial keyword query (CSKQ), an important variant of spatial keyword queries, aims to find a set of the objects that collectively cover users' queried keywords, and those objects are close to the query location and have small inter-object distances. Existing works only focus on the CSKQ problem in the Euclidean space, although we observe that, in many real-life applications, the closeness of two spatial objects is measured by their road network distance. Thus, existing methods cannot solve the problem of network-based CSKQ efficiently. In this paper, we study the problem of collective spatial keyword query processing on road …

Ict-Travel: Mobile Public Transport Companion For The Visually Impaired, Linting Cui, Kenny Ngo, Benjamin Kok Siew Gan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The smartphone application widespread adoption has brought about many conveniences to the general population. Unfortunately, like most technology adoption, the focus lacks behind for people with disabilities. Yet, the potential for IT to personalize the mobile application for these groups is high. In our capstone project at Singapore Management University, we developed an iOS application for the visually impaired to use the public transport in Singapore. Beyond meeting the initial requirements, we tested with the visually impaired in order to empathize and cater to their specific needs. This software engineering project is a lesson in iterative software development with changing …

Online Spatio-Temporal Matching In Stochastic And Dynamic Domains, Meghna Lowalekar, Pradeep Varakantham, Patrick Jaillet

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Spatio-temporal matching of services to customers online is a problem that arises on a large scale in many domains associated with shared transportation (ex: taxis, ride sharing, super shuttles, etc.) and delivery services (ex: food, equipment, clothing, home fuel, etc.). A key characteristic of these problems is that matching of services to customers in one round has a direct impact on the matching of services to customers in the next round. For instance, in the case of taxis, in the second round taxis can only pick up customers closer to the drop off point of the customer from the first …