What's New in Planning and Forecasting

Paratransit services emerged as a distinct transportation mode in the late 1960s and 1970s. These services were implemented in a variety of communities, providing flexibly scheduled service to the general public. TRB recognized this new service with formation of a committee in 1974 to address the new mode—designated then as the “Urban Transport Service Innovations Committee.” Renaming came five...

Introduction of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will pose safety, economic, operational, regulatory, community, environmental, and infrastructure challenges to airports. These risks are further complicated by the dynamic nature of UAS technological development. Experiences and lessons learned from recent major aviation system changes demonstrate the critical importance of ensuring that airports...

Interested in having a TRB Centennial component as part of a 2020 meeting or event your organization is sponsor? The TRB Centennial Roaming Exhibit is designed to allow organizations to have a TRB Centennial exhibit booth as part of a meeting or event they are hosting during 2020. The booth can be configured for a table top exhibit or for a 10 x 10 to 10 x 20 square foot booth. The booth is not...

TRB turns 100 on November 11, 2020. You are invited to join your colleagues listed below who have contributed to the TRB Century Club to support activities that will mark the anniversary; promote the value of transportation research; and celebrate the achievements of TRB’s volunteers, sponsors, affiliates, and staff. Details on the Century Club and a link to contribute is available at https://t...

The accuracy of travel survey data regarding minority population representation is assessed in Developing Data, Models, and Tools to Enhance Transportation Equity , a report from Portland State University. Accurate data on the mobility patterns of minorities is essential to equitable transportation planning. This report is available for no fee after logging onto the site.

TRB officially turns 100 on November 11, 2020. To help celebrate, TRB is asking you to “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story.” The TRB “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story" centennial activity is designed to allow as many of you (TRB’s volunteers and friends) as possible to participate in the TRB Centennial Celebration through the submission of your stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” Centennial activity consists of a series of...

AM Online, the repository for TRB Annual Meeting content (a version of which was previously known as the “Compendium of Papers”) is going away, but it is being replaced by a new process that will provide material much more quickly and, ultimately, to a wider audience.  Read  mor e .

It is anticipated that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will increase in activity within the airport environment and will expand due to market demand, operational requirements, and changes in UAS specifications (such as size, weight, and payload). To date, the majority of small UAS, defined as less than 55 pounds, operate outside of the airport environment. However, some public airports are curr...

Those who finance transportation projects are invited to a TRB webinar on Monday, November 18, 2019, from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM ET.  This webinar will offer various perspectives on emerging finance issues related to transportation projects. Presenters represent both the public and private sectors, and will focus on various aspects of project finance. They include a transaction lead from the U...

Airport personnel are invited to a TRB webinar on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM ET. The webinar features research from the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Report 200: Using GIS for Collaborative Land Use Compatibility Planning Near Airports. To mitigate hazards, ensure safety and efficiency for aircraft operations, and uphold the quality of life in s...

Learn how five men from Iowa shaped TRB’s earliest decades with their expertise and commitment to research and how they succeeded in part because Iowa exemplified in the extreme the close relationships between universities and state highway departments during their earliest years. As part of the Centennial Celebration, TRB has initiated the History Highlights series that will regularly release ...

Have fun while you peruse TRB's online timeline with more than 200 milestones that encapsulate the events that shaped TRB as well as the people that purposely designed, carefully constructed, and devotedly maintained the entity that is now TRB. The timeline was developed as part of TRB's Centennial Celebration and produced in part with the help of contributions by individuals and organizations....

Major technological and security changes in the aviation industry over the past 20 years have forced airport leaders and aviation stakeholders to think of new research ideas that will improve the planning and development of policies and new models that foster growth of air service, incorporate new airport and customer technology, revise airport business models, and better interact with neighbor...

Act now to secure your exhibit space at the 2020 TRB Annual Meeting, January 12-16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. All indications are that attendance at the meeting will be the largest ever. Don't miss this opportunity to demonstrate your organization's support for transportation research and innovation, and to showcase your products and services to more than 13,000 transportation professionals. So...

Register and make hotel reservations today for the TRB 99th Annual Meeting, January 12-16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Registration is required for all Annual Meeting attendees, including session speakers, poster presenters, and those who attend the exhibit hall, career fair, or any workshops. As part of TRB's Centennial Celebration, all full registrants at the 99th Annual Meeting will be eligib...

TRB is sponsoring the 17th National Tools of the Trade Transportation Planning Conference from August 26-28, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. The conference will share research and best professional practices in the planning, development, and implementation of multimodal transportation for small- and medium-sized communities. The conference will also discuss future research and implementation needs relate...

TRB is hosting a committee meeting for the Mobility Management Study on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. The meeting will include highlights from U.S. transit agencies who have significantly improved their service and/or taken steps toward integrating regional mobility options. It will also discuss some of the technical and legal challenges of integrating traditional and new mobility services.  ...

Travel time on urban arterials is examined in Understanding Factors Affecting Arterial Reliability Performance Metrics , a report from Portland State University. The goal of this report is to identify factors that affect reliability metrics when assessing urban arterials. The report is available for no fee after logging onto the site.

Wayfinding technology is explored in A Comprehensive Examination of Electronic Wayfinding Technology for Visually Impaired Travelers in an Urban Environment , a report from Portland State University. The goal of this report is to develop integrated route planning and a guidance application that addresses the distinct information needs and expectations of individuals with a vision impairment. Th...

TRB is cosponsoring the 2020 Joint Rail Conference: Railroad Engineering Technology from April 20-22, 2020 in St. Louis, Missouri. Sessions will focus on railroad topics, including: Railroad Infrastructure Engineering Rail Equipment Engineering Signal and Train Control Engineering Service Quality and Operations Planning and Development Safety and Security Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Ur...

Learn about the history of traffic signal systems, and of the shifting interests of the community of researchers interested in them in the Standing Technical Committee on Traffic Signal Systems' Centennial Paper. Over the years, the committee has served as one of the principal forums on signal control and has stimulated many currents in research that have had transformative impact on the indust...

Dr. Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, has approved appointments for the TRB Executive Committee. Carlos Braceras, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Transportation, will become Chair of the Executive Committee at the completion of the TRB Annual Meeting on January 16, 2020. At the same time, Susan Shaheen, a Professor from the University of California, Berk...

The current status of transportation modeling systems employed by the New Zealand government is examined in a report from the New Zealand Transport Agency. This report also summarizes the results of the Household Travel Survey.

The Cucaracha Slide had first bedeviled the builders of the Panama Canal in 1907. It appeared along the Gaillard (Culebra) Cut that carried the canal through the mountains and over the Continental Divide. A huge break in January 1913 pushed back the canal’s opening to August 1914. Slides continued and dredging struggled to keep pace. A fast-growing island appeared in the canal, eventually forci...

New Zealand cyclists’ perception of levels of service is explored in a report from the New Zealand Transport Agency. The goal of this report is to provide a user-centered approach to assess existing and proposed facilities that would enable better-informed decisions about cycling levels of service to plan and design bicycle facilities in New Zealand.

Mobility barriers and challenges that women face are identifies in a report from LA Metro. The goal of this report is to make informed decisions about transit planning and ensure that applicable departments at Metro are utilizing gender specific data to implement service changes and improvements.

The current level of coordination and cooperation between Florida Metropolitan Planning Organizations and transit agencies is evaluated in a report from the Florida Department of Transportation. The goal of this report is to identify strategic issues for long-range transportation plans and transit development plans in Florida.

How do we bring governance into the era of digitization so it can manage demand and supply digitally? At the same time, it is necessary to correct for the existing inequities in our system, working closer with public- and private-sector partners and developing the infrastructure needed to ensure that the transition to shared and autonomous vehicles (SAVs) minimizes the potential challenges and ...

Asa Vagland, Head of Unit at the Swedish Transport Administration, is a featured volunteer in the TR News . In this role, Ms. Vagland is responsible for the development and digitalisation of the future rail traffic management system and rail capacity planning system in Sweden. Prior to this role, she served as the deputy director of the Swedish Ministry of Infrastructure responsible for em...

Please visit TRB's Centennial website today.   Key parts of the site include the following: • Centennial Papers – Discover TRB’s standing committees’ past accomplishments and contributions to transportation, as well as current relevancy and activities, and consider the committees’ roles in meeting future challenges and opportunities. • History Highlights –Read short articles on major ...