What's New in Public Transportation

Commuter rail services bring travelers from the rural and suburban fringes to the inner neighborhoods and central business districts of many large metropolitan areas in the U.S. The isolated nature of these rural and suburban commuter rail parking lots makes it difficult and expensive to secure and safely operate these transit assets. Further, as the more than two dozen commuter rail systems in...

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...

The Transportation Research Board thanks its 2020 TRB 99th Annual Meeting Patrons who are showing their support for transportation research and innovation, and aiding TRB in its mission to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange. TRB 99th Annual Meeting will be held January 12-16, 2020, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center,...

TRB officially turns 100 on November 11, 2020. To help celebrate the centennial 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, which are our stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” cente...

In a letter from the Editorial Board of TR News, the many changes and updates that TRB's official magazine is undergoing are detailed. The magazine is starting now to be available digitally to subscribers and members of TRB committees and panels. A free year-long subscription will also be available to people who submit articles that get published. So email us now to become a subscriber . And do...

The deployments of automated vehicles, shared mobility services, and other transformational transportation technologies have the potential to dramatically increase safety, reduce congestion, improve access, enhance sustainability, and spur economic development. However, success in meeting these goals is not assured, and there are significant risks that these deployments could cause unintended c...

In 1863 the National Academy of Sciences, TRB's parent organization, took on two studies on ironclad ships.  The Academies' presence in the marine industry remains strong to this day as detailed in part by TRB's Marine Group Centennial Paper - Advancing Knowledge of the Marine Transportation System.  As part of TRB's Centennial Celebration, the Technical Activities Council invited all...

Research from TRB volunteer Nancy McGuckin shows women are less likely to use micromobility devices, whereas "younger males are more willing to give up safety considerations on account of speed."

State transportation departments appear to have sufficient authority to take public-use property for their highway and other transportation projects. However, there are some kinds of public-use property, such as parks and recreational areas, for which a transportation department may need specific statutory authority or legislative approval and/or must comply with statutory conditions and requir...

Self-driving cars, rising temperatures and sea levels, increasingly strong weather events, changing citizen preferences, and innovations in technologies that are revolutionizing purchasing behavior, social interaction, financial transactions, communications, and travel—the transportation world is changing very rapidly. Transportation Research Circular E-C256: Managing Transportation Systems in ...

Turning failing malls into transit corridors is explored in Transit Oriented Development Opportunities Among Failing Malls , a report from the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at the University of California at Davis. This report provides ways to turn failing malls into mixed-use housing and provide or enhance transit along such redevelopments. The report is available for no fee a...

Evacuation via transit options is explored in Development of a Mode Choice Model to Estimate Evacuation Transit Demand , a report from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The goal of this report is to develop a model that can predict what mode of travel people will choose when they evacuate from a hurricane.

Recent studies show that organizations with the most diverse workforces realize better decision-making and more efficiency, innovation, and profitability than do their less-diverse peers. This article in TR News Issue 323 (September/October 2019) details demographic trends shaping the nation’s workforce—the large millennial population, the rise of neurodiverse workers, and dramatically increase...

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://...

Be a part of TRB history! All 2020 Annual Meeting attendees are invited to participate in a group photo to celebrate TRB’s centennial. Come to Ballroom C in the convention center on Sunday, at 1:00 p.m., and the photo will be taken promptly at 1:15 p.m. Space in the ballroom is limited to about 2,000 and attendees will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Register and make hotel res...

States and localities are beginning to recognize and act on the connection between health and transportation. A growing number of entities have produced a number of resources, guidance documents, and strategic plans on the topic. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's pre-publication draft of NCHRP Research Report 932: A Research Roadmap for Transportation and Public Health bui...

The Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center has released its latest issue of Transfers Magazine , which features peer-reviewed research articles that cover a wide range of transportation topics. This issue provides information about: Whether ride-hailing results in equitable car access Transit for the twenty-first century Measuring curbside congestion The carless and mobility ...

TRB is hosting the Transit Safety and Security Peer Conference from November 16-18, 2020 in Washington, D.C. The goal of the conference is to provide an opportunity for transit agencies to present research, demonstration outcomes, and associated lessons learned related to transit safety and security policy. The conference will also allow agencies to discuss procedure modifications, technology d...

Before the mid-1970s, publicly-supported transportation services open to the general public were rarely available in rural communities. In TRB's Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee's Centennial Paper, learn how over the last five decades, TRB’s Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee and its members have helped document, research, and share through regular co...

A sustainable transit agency provides environmental, social, and economic benefits to the communities it serves. Transit agency efforts to quantify these benefits have focused primarily on environmental sustainability. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has developed guidance for transit agencies on how to use performance measures to quantify transit’s impact on environmenta...

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 monthly questions that will help capture your stories. According to Vesa Mannisto, Senior Advisor, Finnish Tr...

The U.S. transportation system is developed, operated, and managed by private and public enterprises and, as of 2012, employs approximately 4.3 million people. This number is even larger when it accounts for people whose jobs are entirely dependent on the transportation system, from delivering fresh lettuce year-round to a fast response to a fire alarm to the reliable delivery of children to sc...

Although joining TRB only in 1999, today’s Marine Board has its roots in the late 1940s, and it builds on a legacy of maritime research that dates back to 1863 and the founding of the National Academy of Sciences. As part of the Centennial Celebration, TRB has initiated the History Highlights series that will regularly release stories that highlight the events and people that helped shape TRB d...

Transportation solutions emanating from the global south are highlighted in Transport Innovations from the Global South: Case Studies, Insights, Recommendations , a report from the International Transport Forum. This report presents case studies that focus on public transportation, shared mobility services, and other ideas that increase the accessibility, connectivity, and sustainability of tra...

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. Discounted registration fees end November 30, 2019. As part of TRB's Centennial Celebration, all full r...

TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) is soliciting nominations for members of panels who will oversee individual TCRP research projects as part of its Fiscal Year 2020 activities. Nominees should have expertise directly relevant to the issues being addressed by the project. The nomination of women and minority candidates is encouraged. Panels for the new research projects are sched...

How does our profession engage the affected community in the decision-making process for their transportation system in a comprehensive, equitable, and accessible manner and provide meaningful input that informs transportation decision-making? Read about past, present, and future efforts by the Technical Committee on Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making to address this question ...

"Getting transit plans off the shelf and implementing them." That's the latest hot way to make transit better for everyone, faster, according to TRB author Tony Garcia of Miami-based Street Plans. He was interviewed by Streetsblog Talking Headways host Jeff Wood in a 40-minute podcast. Listen to the full podcast here . The pre-publication of the report from the Transit Cooperative Research Prog...

Transit ridership across the United States has declined for six straight years. Bus ridership, which has declined more than other transit services, is now at the lowest point since 1965. Rail ridership, with the exception of commuter rail, has also declined, and commuter rail ridership has recently leveled off. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Research Report 209: Analysis of...

Development outcomes over time with respect to fixed route transit (FRT) system proximity are explored in The Link between Transit Station Proximity and Real Estate Rents, Jobs, People and Housing with Transit and Land Use Planning Implications , a report from The University of Arizona. This report seeks to identify whether desired outcomes of FRTs -- expanding economic development, promoting j...