What's New in Planning and Forecasting

Recycling is a concept that most of society supports as a practice that can benefit the environment and overall well-being, as well as reduce the needs and costs associated with raw materials. However, the conversation needs to shift from just recycling to responsible recycling. This is the focus of a feature article in the November-December 2020 issue of TRB's magazine, TR News (Issue 330). TR...

A new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides comprehensive recommendations for improving the U.S. electric power system so that it can adequately provide electricity to the nation in a safe, reliable, clean, resilient, and equitable way, especially as the U.S. pursues decarbonization of the energy supply. The report also recom...

Fundamental shifts in preparedness planning are needed to ensure health, safety, and smooth operations during emergencies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To prepare for emergency events requiring evacuation, it is necessary to revise shelter planning and mass care operations, shelter staffing, and shelter design and operations with a focus on reducing virus transmission and ensuring sa...

Airport collaborative decision making (ACDM) is a process in which the stakeholders of operations—airport operators, the air traffic control tower staff, flight operators, ground handlers, fixed-base operators, and others—share information to improve policies, planning, real-time coordination, and decisions regarding operations. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Repor...

Investing in the resilience of our transportation networks and systems is a practice of continuity of operations through daily and extreme hazard conditions. TRB will host a webinar on Thursday, March 18, 2021 from 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern that will provide ways to accurately assess the value of resilience in future infrastructure investments. To achieve this, all stakeholders need to be able to u...

It’s become common to hear that “one-in-100-year events” are occurring in five-, 10-, and 15-year periods. Scientists identify these extreme weather events based on the historical record of weather in a particular region. A “return time” is a commonly used metric of probability; for example, a 100-year return time means that in any given year, there is a 1-in-100 chance of the threshold being r...

How can public transportation agencies respond efficiently and effectively to a pandemic? TRB will host a webinar on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 from 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern that will identify ways to do so. Presenters will discuss the Pandemic Playbook , a practical guide for managing a public transportation agency’s response to a pandemic, concentrating on what needs to be done when and by whom. Th...

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently hosted workshops on sustainable and resilient supply chains. The discussions explored the feasibility of introducing advanced manufacturing, logistics and decision-making under alternative supply chain scenarios in different sectors, with a view of strengthening the resilience of communities and adopting far more environmen...

In the latest episode of TRB's Transportation Explorers podcast, BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost discusses where San Francisco is in the vaccination effort and how communications plays a crucial role in getting people to and from vaccine sites. Listen to the podcast here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. It is now available on all major podcast providers.

TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a product or products that general aviation airports of various categories and sizes can use to enhance their resilience. The product(s) should guide airports in preparing to respond, adapt, and sustain itself to all varieties of stressors or shocks including economic, social, political, environmenta...

The Bigger Picture: Seven Ideas for Downtown San José , released by SPUR

Developing Strategic Approaches to Infrastructure Planning , released by the International Transport Forum

The first episode of a webinar series on equity and the Black experience in transportation is now available to view online . TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen moderated the event, which was hosted by the Council of University Transportation Centers - CUTC and included speakers Dorval Carter, Jr., President, Chicago Transit Authority; Jackie Grimshaw, Vice President, Government Affairs, Cente...

Bimonthly newsletter released by the Institute of Transport Studies at Monash University

Asset management is necessary to keep transportation moving. Generally, it’s a process of maintaining, upgrading, and expanding physical assets. And we are on the verge of using technology to make it even more exciting. With limited staff and budgets, advanced technology appeals to managers in airports, sea ports, rail systems, transit agencies, and state departments of transportation alike. U...

Convened by TRB, the 2021 Automated Road Transportation Symposium (ARTS2021) will be held July 12-15, 2021 online. ARTS2021 is the continuation of the highly successful series of Automated Vehicle Symposia that TRB has convened since 2012. This Symposium will continue to build on the previous symposia with discussions on the topics of shared mobility; cybersecurity; urban mobility planning; saf...

Procedures about highway capacity are ever changing. Therefore, TRB will host a webinar on Tuesday, March 25, 2021 from 2:00-3:30 PM Eastern that will describe new methods developed for the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) that evaluate spillback for freeways and urban streets. Presenters will present the proposed new HCM chapter and will provide case studies to illustrate the new methods. This w...

Public transit, ridehailing, and airport employees are risking their health during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Even before the pandemic, transportation operators experienced more health and safety problems than the general workforce, primarily as a result of a combination of physical demands, environmental factors, and stresses related to their jobs. Decision-makers in the ind...

British–Hungarian Nobel Prize physicist Dennis Gabor wrote: “The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented." Considering in a reasonable and logical way what the implications of new technologies may be and acting on our conclusions is how the future is invented. This is the focus of a feature article in the November-December 2020 issue of TRB's magazine, TR News (Issue 330). TR Ne...

Dorval Carter, Jr. and Marcia McNutt's featured sessions are topping the list so far of most viewed/attended events during the TRB Annual Meeting , which took place in January. The sessions are all still available online to attendees through March 18.

With the increase in occurrence and severity of natural disasters including wild fires, flooding, heat waves, and hurricanes, managed retreat has gained the attention of risk managers and public officials in high-hazard areas. What social and economic changes will affect the community or region where the relocated infrastructure, housing, and people move? TRB in collaboration with the National...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) is seeking potential synthesis study topics for the 2021 TCRP Synthesis Program. TCRP will fund seven (7) new synthesis topics. Anyone may propose topics. A synthesis study documents current practice and experience for specific public transportation topics.   The following factors are considered in the selection process for new topics. The ...

In the latest episode of TRB's Transportation Explorers podcast, Chris Hendrickson discusses how transportation, still dependent on petroleum, is now the single-largest sector for greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Dr. Hendrickson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Listen to the podc...

The nation is facing several serious challenges that the Biden administration has identified as top priorities — the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate change. A new series of articles explores how the National Academies are providing timely, actionable advice to inform the new administration’s efforts on these multiple crises. https://www.nationalacademies.o...

Session and workshop recordings for the 2021 TRB Annual Meeting are still available . Full registrants can view the recordings and access the Poster Sessions and Exhibit Hall through March 18, 2021.

Issue 328 of TRB's magazine, TR News , is dedicated to water and the role of transportation agencies in the stewardship of this vital resource, particularly as the way humans use water is changing dramatically. Authors explore the evolution of stormwater regulation; how departments of transportation manage water in planning, design, construction, and operations; and more. TR News  is TRB's...

The nation is facing several serious challenges that the Biden administration has identified as top priorities — the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate change. A new series of articles explores how the National Academies are providing timely, actionable advice to inform the new administration’s efforts on these multiple crises. https://www.nationalacademies.o...

Incorporating Tourism Data in Traffic Estimation on Wyoming Low-Volume Roads , released by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University

Environmental Reviews Fail to Accurately Analyze Induced Vehicle Travel from Highway Expansion Projects , released by the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at the University of California, Davis

Issue 327 of TRB's magazine is a special edition illuminating the many hidden aspects of tunnels as well as the benefits of tunnel technology to modern transportation systems. Articles highlight the contribution of tunnels to the economy and how transportation operators use the best technology to keep tunnels efficient and safe. TR News  is TRB's bimonthly magazine featuring timely article...