What's New in Public Transportation

Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) are the wave of the future, but when will be ready for them? As part of the process towards getting there, TRB will host a webinar on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 that will present findings from a national pooled fund study on planning level capacity impacts of CAVs. Presenters will evaluate CAVs’ impacts on freeways and arterials under varying market pene...

Technology-enabled transportation services – like ridehailing, delivery apps, automated vehicles, and e-scooters – have revolutionized the way we move. But changing how we get around also impacts our environment. How does ridehailing affect air pollution in our communities? What are the environmental impacts of having packages delivered to our front door? Mark your calendars to join us on July ...

On October 4-7, the National Academy of Engineering will host its 56th annual meeting, on Engineering for Pandemics: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery . Plenary speakers and technical forum panelists will offer their perspectives on past pandemics, their impacts, and the role of engineering in preparing for and addressing them. The event will be held entirely online. The public program will ...

The July-August 2020 issue of TR News —with a focus on stormwater—is available in hard copy and digital copy for subscribers. For those who are not subscribers, the table of contents is available. Feature articles in the issue include "Integrating Stormwater Infrastructure into State Department of Transportation Processes," "Transportation Perspective on Virginia’s Nonpoint Source Nutrient Cred...

Historically, certain individuals and communities, including those from minority, low-income, and limited English proficiency populations, have not benefited equitably from transportation investments and programs. Understanding the impacts of transportation investments on these individuals and communities and taking steps to address inequities are critical functions of transportation agencies. ...

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, which are our stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” centennial activity consists of a series of monthly questions that will help capture your stories. TRB welcomes all stories: small...

The AASHTO Highway Safety Manual (HSM) has become a key safety management and evaluation resource for state and local roadway agencies; metropolitan planning organizations; and the safety, design, and traffic engineering professional community. The HSM was developed largely through NCHRP research and the first edition was published in 2010. TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (N...

Careers in science, engineering, and medicine offer opportunities to advance knowledge, contribute to the well-being of communities, and support the security, prosperity, and health in the United States. But many women do not pursue or persist in these careers, or advance to leadership positions - not because they lack the talent or aspirations, but because they face barriers, including: implic...

The TRB Joint Subcommittee on Health and Transportation was created in 2011 to identify, advance and publish research and information to expand and improve current understanding and evaluation of the health impacts of federal, state, regional and local transportation policies, procedures and actions. The scope of this Subcommittee includes a wide array of topics designed to cover diverse impact...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has issued a request for proposalsto present key quantitative procedures for designing and operating scheduled and fixed-route ferry transit services and facilities that serve passengers-only and passengers and vehicles. Proposals are due October 13, 2020 at 5:00 PM Eastern.

You've heard the news that TRBAM is going virtual for 2021. In order to attend the meeting, be sure to create or update your MyTRB profile  now. MyTRB allows TRB volunteers, contributors, and participants to maintain their own contact information. You can identify your areas of interest, upload your bio, become a friend of a standing committee, update your address, and order print pub...

Issue 326 of TRB's magazine dives into details from the TRB 99th Annual Meeting, which had a record crowd of nearly 14,000 attendees gathered January 12–16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. The March–April 2020 TR News features photo highlights from the Annual Meeting along with more coverage of the conference. TR News is TRB's bimonthly magazine featuring timely articles on innovative and state-of-th...

All transportation researchers and students are invited to a TRB webinar on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET. The webinar will provide users of TRB's Research in Progress (RiP) Database with the latest information about RiP's search and data entry interfaces.  The RiP Database is a leading tool for transportation professionals to stay updated on current or recently...

Nathaniel P. Ford, Chief Executive Officer of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Jacksonville, Florida, will receive the Outstanding Public Transportation Manager Award from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Known as the “best of the best,” APTA award winners are outstanding role models of excellence, leadership, and innovation whose accomplishments have greatly a...

Supporting healthier lives and providing access to healthcare are among the transportation connections discussed on a new website from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Conversations on COVID-19: Impacts on Communities of Color includes conversations with experts on a variety of topics related to minority health and COVID-19, as well as information and resources fro...

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is establishing a Highly Automated Safety Systems Center of Excellence (HASS COE) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), and OST-R is seeking a Director to lead the Center. The Center will be charged with reviewing, assessing, and validating the safety of highly automated technologies in transportation. The new po...

City Planner Survey Reveals the Most Common Tools for Promoting Transit-Oriented Development , released by the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at the University of California, Davis

Carlos Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation and Chair of TRB's Executive Committee added his highlights to our rich history in celebration of TRB's Centennial.  Carlos says, “We are going to see tremendous technology changes and certainly the context of our communities is going to change, but the reason that TRB has been successful over the last 100 years will s...

Because the need for knowledge hasn’t changed. Check all the boxes and the value is obvious: Quality - Access to the same high-quality content that you’ve come to expect from TRB. Engagement - Attend open committee meetings, January 5-8 and January 11-15, 2021, without any scheduling conflicts from technical sessions. Convenience - Conflicting sessions? No problem! Access video recordings of an...

Registration fees for the Virtual 2021 TRB Annual Meeting will be significantly lower than the fees for last year’s in-person meeting. While announcing the fees, TRB also released an accompanying document called “Why Attend a virtual TRB Annual Meeting,” containing a detailed list of the specific benefits of attending the event virtually (e.g., if you miss a session, you can view a recording of...

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

Data governance can drive better decisions and be an integral part of an agency’s strategic planning. TRB will host a webinar on Thursday, October 1, 2020 from 1:00-3:00 PM Eastern that will identify thoughtful data governance through data systems, data collection, and strategies for communicating results. This webinar will also provide tools and methods to help secure an agency’s return on in...

National Review of Public Transit COVID-19 Delivery Programs , released by The Shared Use Mobility Center

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://...

There are issues, opportunities, and challenges related to technology-enabled mobility services, and lots of ways that transit can learn from, build upon, and interface with new ways of traveling. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Report 188: Shared Mobility and the Transformation of Public Transit examines the relationship of public transportation (including paratransit and d...

“Not on my bus. Not on my train. Not in my community.” Across the country, hundreds of participants in a recent TRB webinar stood up and said this mantra out loud during a presentation by Kristen Joyner, executive consultant and trainer at South West Transit Association. Joyner and Margo Hill, a tribal attorney and tribal court judge, presented on the human trafficking of, specifically, indige...

TRB is pleased to announce that we have selected  Community Brands to provide a high-functionality online interface for the all-virtual 2021 Annual Meeting. The platform will make it possible for TRB provide both live and recorded sessions, interactive chat texting between attendees and speakers, virtual exhibit booths, and online networking opportunities. As a reminder, the dates for the ...

The Fresno State Transportation Challenge , released by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University

TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has released its annual report, which provides background and an overview of the program, status of each of TCRP’s projects, and a summary of some of the program's accomplishments for the year. In FY 2019, TCRP produced 11 publications, including 5 research reports and 6 syntheses, bringing the total to more than 699 publications since the incep...

What are transit agencies doing to attract, retain, and advance women in the industry? TRB hosted a webinar on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM Eastern that identified the barriers and solutions to including more women in the transit industry. Presenters discussed strategies to support women in transit and shared examples of transit agencies that have effectively implement...