Research and Reports Brief

Developing Safety Plans: A Manual for Local Rural Road Owners
(69 page PDF)

In 2010, 56 % of the fatalities on our nation's roadway occur on rural roads and the fatality rate was 2.5 times higher than in urban areas. The Local Road Safety Plan helps communities take a proactive stance in reducing and preventing local road fatalities and injuries.

The Local Rural Road Owners' Manual is an addition to the three previously (Road Safety Information Analysis, Roadway Departure Safety and Intersection Safety) published documents. As with the previous three, this document is not a substitute for other documents with similar content but provide concise methodologies in developing Local Road Safety Plans. The manuals provide a framework that can be used to develop safety plans through a step-by-step process including data analysis, identifying emphasis areas and stakeholders. Also included are Case Studies and a template for the Local Road Safety Plan.

CD-ROMs and a limited number of hard copies will be available soon on their website by clicking here.

Report to the U.S. Congress on the Outcomes of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) (105 page PDF)

Over the span of 4 years, the NTPP provided roughly $25 million annually in contract authority allocated equally among four pilot communities (Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin) "to construct ... a network of nonmotorized transportation infrastructure facilities, including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian and bicycle trails, that connect directly with transit stations, schools, residences, businesses, recreation areas, and other community activity centers."

From its inception, the NTPP was designed as a demonstration program to gather statistical information on transportation mode share shifts before and after the implementation of nonmotorized transportation infrastructure and educational or promotional programs.

FEDERAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY

APRIL 2012 - TRANSIT RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY NEWS (22 page PDF)

This is the first inaugural issue of the FTA Research Digest. It contains information on research projects currently being conducted and sponsored by the FTA, as well as recent research reports.

Lastly, the digest contains news about Federal Government initiatives and emerging technologies related to reducing energy used in public transportation operations and coping with climate change, University Transportation Centers and transportation-related research at other universities, and research and technical assistance related to sustainable communities and effective asset management leading to a state of good repair.

For the inaugural issue, click HERE. Below is a table of contents.

FTA Research in Progress
Federal Research Publications
Energy and Climate Change
University Research
Asset Management/State of Good Repair
Sustainable Communities - Coordinated Transportation Services for Rural and Target Populations
Research News & Resources

FEDERAL RAIL ADMINISTRATION

Guidance On Pedestrian Crossing Safety At Or Near Passenger Stations (30 page PDF)

This report is to provide guidance to railroads on strategies and methods to prevent pedestrian accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities at or near passenger stations, including-

(1) providing audible warning of approaching trains to the pedestrians at railroad passenger stations;

(2) using signs, signals, or other visual devices to warn pedestrians of approaching trains;

(3) installing infrastructure at pedestrian crossings to improve the safety of pedestrians crossing railroad tracks;

(4) installing fences to prohibit access to railroad tracks; and
(5) other strategies and methods to enhance pedestrian safety.

MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS

Are We There Yet? Selling America on Transportation -
David R. Good National Transportation Policy Conference (62 page PDF)

This report proposes a set of practical, actionable recommendations grounded in the themes that consistently emerged over two days of conference discussions.

The communications strategy recommend has four key features or elements:

1. A positive, forward-looking tone that frames the transportation debate around issues of economic growth, jobs, and U.S. competitiveness, combined with quality of life. (Page 20)

2. A well-defined but flexible campaign plan that is keyed to the rhythms of an election year and to important events in the transportation calendar. (Page 21)

3. A focus on building broader engagement through effective, targeted use of traditional media and social media. (Page 24)

4. A concerted effort to link local transportation investment opportunities and benefits to national-level policy decisions.

Financing Surface Transportation in the United States - Forging a Sustainable Future-now! (76 page PDF) Transportation Research Board

Summary Of The Fourth International Conference from 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Transportation professionals gathered to participate in thought-provoking discussions, to explore revenue generation alternatives, and to help identify research topics to advance the knowledge and understanding of infrastructure needs.

The Impact Of Center City Economic And Cultural Vibrancy On Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Transportation (104 page PDF) Mineta Transportation Institute

This report pursues two main goals. First, it generates new econometric results using several new micro and macro data sets to examine how proximity to the city center affects a household's GHG production from driving, as well as its likelihood of using public transit. The payoff of this part of the project is new knowledge concerning the interrelationships among transportation, land-use, and the environment measured by GHG emissions.

Their second main goal is to examine the effect of downtown vibrancy on transportation and land-use. The vibrancy of downtown areas-where vibrancy is measured along multiple dimensions such as crime rate, jobs, and restaurants-affects GHG production both directly and indirectly.

Travel Demand Forecasting: Parameters And Techniques (170 page PDF) National Cooperative Highway Research Program

This report is an update to NCHRP Report 365: Travel Estimation Techniques for Urban Planning and provides guidelines on travel demand forecasting procedures and their application for solving common transportation problems. The report presents a range of approaches that allow users to determine the level of detail and sophistication in selecting modeling and analysis techniques most appropriate to their situations and addresses straight-forward techniques, optional use of default parameters, and appropriate references to other more sophisticated techniques.

Marta Elena Perales

MPO Statewide Coordinator

Illinois MPO Advisory Council
233 S Wacker Suite 800
Chicago IL 60606
marta@ilmpo.org
www.ilmpo.org