May 18, 2023 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (ET) About the Webinar: The COVID-19 emergency declaration of March 2020 caused a significant decrease in travel. Whereas highway travel rebounded rather quickly in the United States, transit use has not fully returned and may not fully return in the short or medium term. This report discusses…
April 20, 2023 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (ET) About the Webinar: Traffic congestion is challenging to resolve at closely spaced oversaturated intersections. This condition leads to underutilization of green time at upstream intersections due to queue spillback from downstream traffic signals (green starvation). The research team developed a microsimulation model near Texas A&M University…
On March 29, 2023, the Tampa Bay Citizens’ Academy on Transportation (TB-CAT, funded through the National Institute of Congestion Reduction, housed at the Center for Urban Transportation Research) program hosted a successful event at Tampa’s Union Station, highlighting its efforts to engage and educate community members about transportation issues in the City of Tampa. The event,…
Principal Investigator David Florence Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Traffic congestion is challenging to resolve at closely spaced oversaturated intersections. This condition leads to underutilization of green time at upstream intersections due to queue spill back from downstream traffic signals (green starvation). Such…
April 20, 2023 8:20 AM – 12:00 PM AT Join the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) on April 20, 2023, from 8:20 AM – 12:00 PM Atlantic Time for “Congestion Reduction Strategies in Puerto Rico.” This symposium will showcase the main results from many of the NICR projects conducted by UPRM over…
Principal Investigator Michael Cassidy, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1737417 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract This project, a companion to Project 1-2 Supply Side Management of Auto Traffic, will entail synchronizing green phases across neighboring traffic signals to the backward waves that propagate through queues. The goal is…
Principal Investigator Jeff Kramer, AICP Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1885417 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are federally mandated transportation planning organizations comprised of representatives from local governments and transportation authorities. MPOs develop and maintain the required transportation plans and programs for a metropolitan planning…
Luz Gabriela Rivera Pérez is a student at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez studying civil engineering. Luz decided to focus on transportation engineering for her master’s degree after falling in the love with the topic during her undergraduate career. Luz has worked on NICR projects since 2020, and she has worked alongside faculty members…
Yu Zhang, Ph.D., NICR director and president of WTS Tampa Bay, was invited by several organizations to discuss research efforts. In late Februrary, Dr. Zhang was invited to talk about Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to Tampa Bay Leaders at Tampa International Airport. Dr. Zhang also invited by WSP to serve as a guest speaker for…
Recording March 22, 2023 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (ET) About the Webinar: Implementation of access management projects has historically caused conflict between practitioners who support the safety and mobility benefits of access management and business/property owners who are concerned about the potential negative impacts of reduced access to adjacent properties. Elected officials who are…
3-1: Influencing Travel Behavior via Open-Source Platform: Evaluating the Accuracy of Smartphone-Based Travel Behavior Data Principal Investigator Sean J. Barbeau, Ph.D.Michael Maness, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1737965 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Multimodal transportation such as transit, bike, walk, transportation network companies (TNCs) (e.g., Uber, Lyft), car…
Principal Investigator Susan Shaheen, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1885422 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Transportation network companies (TNCs) and microtransit are changing the way people travel by providing dynamic, on-demand mobility that can supplement public transit and personal-vehicle use. Early research suggests that TNCs can expand access…
On October 20, 2022, undergraduate student researchers at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) involved in the carpool-based parking assignment NICR policy project had the opportunity to present their research activities to representatives from L3 Harris Technologies. This presentation provided an excellent platform for the students to showcase their findings and share their…
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) presented three papers at the 2023 Transportation Research Board meeting in January. TRBAM-23-03246 Poster Session: Freeway Operation 2023 Paper: Protocol to Integrate the Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Freeway Traffic Monitoring Authors: Luz Gabriela Rivera Pérez, Dr. Ivette Cruzado, Dr. Alberto Figueroa-Medina, Dr. David González-Barreto, Bryan Ruiz-Hernández, and Dr. Didier Valdés;…
Keke Long presenting (University of Wisconsin) presenting at TRB 2023 The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) launched a pilot program for self-driving shuttles in Dunedin, Florida, from April 28, 2022, to June 12, 2022. The shuttles were electric and fare-free and the first autonomous vehicle fleet launched by a transit agency in the state…
In December 2022, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) participated in outreach projects for both high school and UPRM students, which have generated significant interest among students. This event exposed high school students to university-level coursework and research opportunities while providing college students with opportunities to serve as mentors and role models. The…
January 26, 2023 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (ET) About the Webinar: Citizen education is needed to guide the public toward a better understanding of how they can engage in the transportation decision-making process and how projects can and are being shaped to advance important issues. This webinar will explore how the Tampa-Bay Citizen’s Academy…
The Tampa Bay Citizens’ Academy on Transportation (TB-CAT) wrapped up its second year at the beginning of December 2022. The students completed eight weeks of learning and presentations. TB-CAT would like to thank Brandie Miklus with the City of Tampa for being an instrumental part of the TB-CAT program! Happy holidays from TB-CAT!
Highlights • Vehicle trip rates grow over time. • TDM measures may decelerate the vehicle trip growth but cannot reverse the trend. • Distributing transit passes to employees is a preferred strategy. • Collective bargaining builds agreements and helps promote trip reduction. • Carpooling-related and guaranteed ride home measures should be applied with caution. Abstract…
Participate in transportation research at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) – the largest university-based transportation research institute in the country. Each student will be paired with a research mentor and will work on an ongoing research project under one of TTI’s University Transportation Centers: CARTEEH or NICR. APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 31, 2023 REQUIREMENTS…
February 9, 2023 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (ET) About the Webinar: Concepts of accessibility have always posed as an attractive alternative to historically used (and sometimes problematic) mobility measures. However, accessibility measures and the concept itself can be problematic on their own: the concept doesn’t include real behavior and is difficult to explain while…
CUTR Senior Research Associate Keke Long, Ph.D., and Qianwen Li, Ph.D., conducted research relating to a recent pilot program in which an autonomous vehicle was deployed in St. Petersburg, Florida. The researchers gained valuable feedback for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA). The group of researchers plan to develop a paper from their findings. View…
Austin Sibu is in his fifth year at Texas A&M University (TAMU), earning BS and MS degrees in statistics in a combined degree program. Previously, Austin worked as a research assistant at the EconomicStatecraft Program at the Bush School and helped build a COVID-19 dashboard in a joint project between the statistics and public health…
Daniel A. Rodriguez’s team had a paper published in Environmental and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, where they applied AI techniques to inventory marked crosswalks around all transit-oriented stations in the United States from 2007 to 2020. The team also presented at the International Association of China Planners (IACP) annual conference at the end of…
The Tampa Bay Citizens Academy on Transportation (TB-CAT) entered its second year this fall. Beginning October 12, 2022, this free eight-week virtual learning course teaches citizens about transportation in the city of Tampa including decision making, project funding, equity, and infrastructure. The course acts as an introduction to the Tampa Bay region’s projects and participants…
The authors would like to thank Skootel for providing their data and answering questions about their system. This work was supported by the National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR) and funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology University Transportation Centers Program under Grant No. 69A3551947136. A…
Principal Investigator Ipek Sener Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP Available Soon Abstract Transportation network companies (TNCs) and microtransit are changing the way people travel by providing dynamic, on-demand mobility that can supplement public transit and personal vehicle use. Early research suggests that TNCs can expand access…
Principal Investigator Mark Burris, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract COVID-19 has affected travel behavior in many ways. Changes include a predictable reduction in overall travel, and even larger reductions in transit travel, carpooling, and travel on toll facilities. What happens to…
MATCH PROJECT Available Soon Principal Investigator Allison Post, UCB Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1902073 Abstract In recent years, “smart city” technologies have emerged that allow cities, counties, and other agencies to manage their infrastructure assets more effectively, make their services more accessible to the public, and allow citizens to…
MATCH PROJECT Principal Investigator Susan Shaheen, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1849512 Abstract Evacuation and response plans require thoughtful strategies that build mandatory evacuation order compliance, reduce vehicular congestion, and increase social equity for disadvantaged populations. However, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic coincided with a series of devastating disasters…
TTI’s paper “Traffic Management and Resource Allocation for UAV-based Parcel Delivery in Low-Altitude Urban Space,” authored by Ang Li, Mark Hansen, Bo Zou, was accepted by Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies. TTI formed an advisory board representing a broad range of stakeholders to provide comments on their research. View publication
November 17, 2022 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (ET) About the Webinar: As new transportation alternatives emerge and existing services are redesigned, communities and decision makers are often required to identify transportation service areas within which the services can operate. The selection of service areas can have significant implications on the level of accessibility, economic…
Wednesday, October 19, 2022 | 12:30 – 1:30 PM (ET) About the Webinar: Transportation network companies (TNCs or ridehail) are changing the way people travel by providing dynamic, on-demand mobility that can supplement public transit and personal-vehicle use. Early research suggests that TNCs can expand access and mobility for underserved communities, including low-income individuals and…
View more project information For release: October 18, 2022 For more information: Bernie Fette, 979-317-2349 New study rates traffic signal workings in 101 cities Urban travelers in the United States are almost twice as likely to arrive at a traffic signal on green than on red, according to a new study by researchers at the…
This research was supported in part by the National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR) and by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant number CMMI-1663411. The financial support of NICR and NSF is gratefully acknowledged. Earlier versions of the paper were presented at 2020 and 2021INFORMS Annual Meetings, the third Symposium on Aviation Research, and…
The National Institute for Congestion Reduction at the Center for Urban Transportation Research was proud to participate in the 2022 Tampa Bay Transportation Supersession. Hosted by WTS International Tampa Bay (Yu Zhang, Ph.D., NICR director, serves as the president), over 500 industry partners networked and participated in an interactive panel with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor,…
In early August, the University of California, Berkeley, hosted the Future of Aviation Conference. With an emphasis on sustainability, this conference attracted public-sector organizations, private companies, non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions. Presentations and sessions focused on items such as equity, governing on-demand air mobility, workforce and economic development, and many others. With more than 240…
The University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program’s Annual Outstanding Student of the Year award is awarded to a student for their achievements and promise for future contributions to the transportation field. Students are selected based on their accomplishments in the areas of technical merit and research capability, academic performance, and leadership. The National Institute for Congestion…
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the National Institute for Congestion Reduction and funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology University Transportation Centers Program (Grant No. 69A3551947136). Ridepooling service…
Examining the intersection between engineering, outreach, planning, and science, the Out of My Lane podcast explores transportation from the perspective of researchers and how projects fuel improvements forall users. The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida (USF) began production in late 2021. The first season explores the National Institute…
The National Institute for Congestion Reduction at the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation Research has named Yu Zhang, Ph.D., as its new director. Dr. Zhang joins NICR with 18 years of experience in transportation research and project development. “I am excited and grateful for this opportunity to lead the consortium comprised of some of…
Thursday, September 22, 2022 @ 12:00 PM (ET) About this Webinar Transit ridership across the US has experienced a continued decline. Researchers, policy-makers and advocates have suggested that transportation and land use policies be modified to encourage transit-friendly environments. Using several novel longitudinal station-level datasets generated from Google Street View and other sources, this presentation…
Principal Investigator Yu Zhang, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide a platform that can carry cameras and sensors for collecting real-time traffic information, especially for corridors under congested conditions, when the traditional loop detectors do not work…
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation Grant No. 1760971 and by the National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR), a University Transportation Center. We thank Associate Editor Michael Zhang for his helpful comments in readying the paper for publication. Two new synchronization strategies are developed for signalized grids of two-directional streets. Both strategies are found to reduce…
Tampa Bay Citizens Academy on Transportation – YEAR TWO October 12, 2022 – December 7, 2022 Live *class sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 5 pm to 7 pm ET. Sessions will be recorded and available for registered students only. The Tampa Bay Citizens Academy on Transportation is a free eight-week virtual e-learning course…
Thursday, July 14 @ 12:00 PM (ET) About the Webinar The Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute have been involved in mobility performance measurement for over forty years. These efforts have evolved from estimates of traffic congestion at the urban area level in the 1980s to measured congestion statistics at a…
3-1.1: Influencing Travel Behavior via Open-Source Platform: Implementation of OneBusAway in Mayagüez Principal Investigator Didier M. Valdés-Díaz, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP Available Soon Abstract This project will use the open-source platform OneBusAway developed at USF to explore how travelers choose between public transit, transportation network companies…
Marianna Defendini-Torres is a research assistant for the NICR project “Predicting Travel and Congestion in a Post-Pandemic America” from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She is a senior studying economics with minors in comparative literature and international relations. As part of her participation in NICR, Marianna has worked on the concept and design…
Influenced by NICR research, two new articles were recently published by researchers at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. “Travel patterns and spatial access in a dockless e-scooter service in Puerto Rico” is now available. UPRM researchers: Daniel Rodriguez-Romana, Andrés G.Camacho Bonet, Gabriela Yáñez Gonzáleza, Fernando A. Acosta Pérez, Carlos A. del Valle González, Benjamín…
NICR Director and Susan A. Bracken Faculty Fellow Xiaopeng Li, Ph.D., and four graduate students (Zhaohui Liang, Peng Zhang, Ke Ma, and Keke Long) attended the 7th Annual UTC Conference, March 24–25, 2022, in Boca Raton, FL. Dr. Li introduced the NICR program during the session “Introduction of Sponsoring Transportation Centers” and demonstrated the USF…
On April 11, 2022, UPRM hosted the public launch of the OneBusAway application for the rural bus system. The event was held at the Yagüez Theater with the participation of Eng. Jorge Ramos, acting Mayor of the Municipality of Mayaguez and Eileen Vélez, Secretary of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico. Dr. Didier Valdés,…
NICR selected its year 3 projects this spring. The projects include – 3 short-term projects covering topics including equity, micromobility – 2 education projects – 2 research projects For a list of projects, please visit the NICR website.
Thursday, July 28, 2022 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (ET) ABOUT THE WEBINAR: No matter where they form and why, queues are impactful to traffic, causing delay and increased accident potential. The overall goal of this effort is to explore methodologies for automatically detecting the development of queues in a street network. Additional objectives would…
Principal Investigator Kristine Wiliams Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Extensive research has been conducted on the topic of roadway access management and smart land use planning, documenting many benefits of these integrated practices to safety, congestion reduction, and livability. Consequently, many agencies across…
Principal Investigator Jason Jackman Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Public involvement in local transportation decision-making is key to achieving a safe, equitable and sustainable transportation system that meets the needs of all system users. Meaningful participation in the transportation decision-making process is best…
Principal Investigator Mark Burris, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP Abstract Many travelers use Google Maps to select the route for their trip and the Google recommendation can have a significant impact on traffic congestion. Google recently added a new route option: the most fuel-efficient…
Principal Investigator Yu Zhang, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract In the last two phases of the project, the collaborative UPRM and USF research team (the research team hereafter) designed traffic data collection experiments on freeways with unmanned aerial systems (UAV with RGB…
Principal Investigator Pei-Sung Lin, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Despite decades of research and efforts, congestion has been a growing traffic concern across the world and in the U.S. This phenomenon, characterized by the disruption of transportation networks due to traffic interference,…
Principal Investigator Yu Zhang, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Taxi and Transportation Network Company (TNC) are important to the urban transportation system. An accurate short-term forecasting of passenger demand can help operators better allocate taxi or TNC services to achieve supply-demand balance…
Principal Investigator Ipek Sener Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Innovative technologies have entered our lives, promising a safer, greener, and more affordable future of transportation, with electrification at the heart of this transformation. While increasing electrification is vital, further steps are needed to…
Principal Investigator Sean Barbeau, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Multimodal transportation, such as transit, bike, walk, ride-hailing (e.g., Uber, Lyft), car-share, and bike-share, are vital to supporting livable communities. However, activity data of travelers using these modes have been difficult to acquire.…
Principal Investigator Carlos A. del Valle – González Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract A way of mitigating congestion is the reduction of vehicle-miles traveled per capita (VMTpc). VMTpc serves as an indicator for resource allocation, budgeting, planning, policymaking, and decision making. The reduction…
Principal Investigator Daniel Chatman Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract This project will benefit current practice by being the first study to explore the influence of ride-hailing services on vehicle use across levels of transit access through a population comprehensive analysis of changes occurring…
Principal Investigator Susan Shaheen, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Transportation network companies (TNCs) and microtransit services are changing the way people travel by providing dynamic, on-demand mobility that can supplement public transit and personal-vehicle use. Shared-ride services may offer congestion relief, particularly…
Principal Investigator Luca Quadrifoglio Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abtract Large and growing urban areas are dealing with an escalation of traffic congestion and all its consequences in terms of overall delay experienced by travelers. Ridesharing is intuitively a practical solution to improve the…
Principal Investigator Mario Monsreal Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Traffic congestion is largely impacted by commercial vehicle trips. Therefore, reducing commercial heavy vehicle trips will improve mobility because commercial heavy vehicles, with their reduced acceleration and deceleration capacities compared to passenger cars, impact…
Principal Investigator Daniel Rodríguez Román, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract A new travel demand management (TDM) strategy is proposed that integrates ride-matching and parking management to tackle traffic congestion and air pollution problems that arise when the demand for parking spaces exceeds…
Principal Investigator Debbie Albert, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Implementation of access management projects has historically caused conflict between practitioners who support the safety and mobility benefits of access management and business/property owners who are concerned about the potential negative impacts of…
Principal Investigator Yu Zhang, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP Available Soon Abstract Simulation experiments are expected to unveil a set of rules for drawing a cordon around a city’s congested neighborhood, so that traffic signals can be used to meter neighborhood inflows more effectively during the…
Principal Investigator Mark Burris, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract COVID-19 has affected travel behavior in many ways. Changes include a predictable reduction in overall travel, and even larger reductions in transit travel, carpooling, and travel on toll facilities. Now, two years into…
SHORT TERM PROJECT Principal Investigator Tia Boyd Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Social equity has come to the forefront in recent years as a hot topic and essential aspect of transportation planning. Technological advancements are allowing planners to collect more precise data…
Thursday, May 12, 2022 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: Advances in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) technology make possible their use in monitoring traffic conditions along a freeway segment and detecting congestion due to traffic incidents or recurring congestion. Different from existing fixed sensors, UAS are mobile sensors that can be deployed flexibly along roadway…
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) hosted an outreach initiative called “Transportation Student Leadership.” URPM students created presentations on their NICR research projects to promote STEM careers for high school students. The students discussed their research, their relationship to transportation, and their college experience with two schools. A few students selected their previous…
Thursday, April 14, 2022 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: The Urban Mobility Report (UMR) has been providing information on urban congestion levels in the U.S. for more than three decades. The UMR uses private-sector crowdsourced speed data combined with traditional public-agency roadway inventory data to measure mobility conditions. The current UMR statistics describe overall…
NICR’s Xiaowei “Tom” Shi was named as the 2022 ITS Florida Anne Brewer Scholarship recipient. Xiaowei received the Neville A. Parker – Science & Technology Award for his paper “Trajectory Planning for an Autonomous Vehicle with Conflict Moving Objects over a Fixed Path” in 2021.
CHICAGO – Kristine Williams of the University of South Florida (USF) has achieved the planning profession’s highest honor by being named to the prestigious American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) College of Fellows for her outstanding achievements in urban planning. Fellowship is granted to planners who have achieved certification through the American Planning Association’s professional institute,…
MATCH PROJECT Principal Investigator Ibrahim Itani, Ph.D., Michael J. Cassidy, Ph.D., Carlos F. Daganzo, Ph.D Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1869936 Abstract An agent-based, multichannel simulation of a downtown area reveals the impacts of both redistributing traffic demand with time-dependent congestion pricing, and supplying extra capacity by banning left…
As of January 17, 2022, the publication of the Journal of Public Transportation has been taken over by Elsevier. Since its launch in 1996 by CUTR, we are pleased to report that the journal has established itself as an important resource in its field with 450,000 downloads from its more than 600 articles. The Journal of Public Transportation (JPT)…
Ang Li is a Ph.D. candidate studying transportation engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Her main areas of interest include unmanned aircraft systems, traffic management, regional air traffic management, urban parcel delivery, mechanism design, operations research, and machine learning. Ang initially became interested in transportation because of its importance in the disaster recovery plan…
Real-time transit information has many benefits to transit riders and agencies, including shorter perceived and actual wait times, a lower learning curve for new riders, an increased feeling of safety, and increased ridership. While many agencies are sharing real-time arrival predictions and vehicle positions with apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, and the Transit App,…
NICR was well represented at the 2022 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. During January, NICR researchers presented their research and networked with other members from the consortium. ITS Berkeley’s Wesley Darling presented NICR Y1 research. Darling and his colleagues won the William Millar Award (Public Transportation) for their paper “Comparison of Reduced Fare…
4-2.1: Proactive Congestion Management – Decision Matrix and Guidance Document Principal Investigator Beverly Kuhn Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1737415 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Utilizing the congestion detection algorithm being developed by the University of South Florida research team in “Proactive Congestion Management,” this project will develop a decision matrix which could be used to…
Principal Investigator Ipek Sener Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP Abstract Transportation network companies (TNCs) and microtransit are changing the way people travel by providing dynamic, on-demand mobility that can supplement public transit and personal-vehicle use. Well-designed policy strategies are needed to fully leverage the potential…
Thursday, December 16, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: The objective of this NICR project was to develop a decision matrix to help an operating agency identify possible operational strategies to mitigate or delay the onset of recurrent and non-recurrent congestion and to identify anticipated benefits, enabling technologies, and CAV data that can enhance…
Meiqing Li is a PhD candidate studying city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley. Her focus areas include sustainable transportation, travel behavio r modeling, and urban spatial analytics, and her research explores the intersection between sustainable transportation, travel behavior, and the built environment in the United States and Asia. Working with professor…
The NICR I-Corps workshop guides participants through the process of conducting unbiased interviews with real-world stakeholders. Stakeholders can be end users of planned research or potential customers of a tool or product that is being developed. These interviews allow researchers to test the hypothesis of their problem statement and usability of the product to ensure…
Freeway Incident Detection and Management Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems Virtual Summit Thursday, December 9, 2021 9 AM AST – 12 PM AST This summit will present new technologies and innovations applicable to congestion mitigation and to assist towards 2030 Vision for the Transportation System in Puerto Rico and Tackle Freeway Congestion. Innovations…
Thursday, December 2, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: This project explores the distribution of a new micro-mobility service, as well as the factors driving the demand, or lack thereof, of this service in heterogeneous neighborhoods in the Municipality of Mayaguez in Puerto Rico. This project focus on electric scooter (e-scooter) sharing services. The…
On November 19, NICR invited submissions for the 2022 Request for Proposals. For Year 3, NICR is soliciting proposals for planned and continuing research and new congestion reduction research ideas, new short-duration projects, and education/workforce development projects that support USDOT research priorities and the NICR mission and strategic plan. RFP Framework For Year 3, NICR…
Thursday, November 4, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: Urban parcel delivery has emerged as a high growth market, fueled by burgeoning e-commerce. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in March 2020, many regions in the United States experienced rapid changes in travel patterns, which led to an increase in the use of retail…
NICR students participated in the Tampa Bay Transportation Supersession on September 23, 2021, organized by the Greater Tampa Section ITE (Institute of Transportation Engineers). The students assisted with setup for the session, networked with agencies, and listened to speakers. The event offered students the opportunity to expand their networks and speak with transportation leaders.
NICR students attended the 24th Annual IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems – ITSC2021 from September 19 to September 22, 2021, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The students presented their research, listened to speakers, and discussed state-of-the-art intelligent transportation systems. The students also participated in a workshop led by NICR Director Xiaopeng Li, Ph.D., “Global Advances…
In early September 2019, NICR’s Benjamín Colucci-Ríos, Ph.D., PE, F.ASCE was selected as the 2021 Region 5 Wall of Fame Award recipient. Due to his dedication to the profession throughout his career, Dr. Colucci-Ríos will be honored at an upcoming American Society of Civil Engineers meeting. Congratulations!
The first session for the Tampa Bay Citizens Academy on Transportation (TB-CAT) was held on Wednesday, October 13, 2021. Each week students will learn about an area of transportation and apply their knowledge to a class project. This 8-week “virtual” course targeted toward City of Tampa residents interested in transportation kicked off with great enthusiasm…
Kristine Williams was appointed to serve on the panel of NCHRP Project 20-123(13) Transportation Planning Strategic Planning and Research Roadmap Development—a project to support activities of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO) Committee on Planning. Learn more about the project
Thursday, October 7, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: OneBusAway is an open-source mobile app that provides real-time transit information. Previous research by USF added the ability to passively collect (via opt-in process) multimodal travel behavior data directly from OneBusAway users. Over the past year, USF and TTI collaborated on evaluating the temporal and…
Overview The National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR) invites qualified candidates whose research reflects excellence to apply for a 2021 Graduate/Undergraduate Research Fellowship or Doctoral Dissertation Research Award. The goal of these awards is to support careers in transportation research and promote greater interaction between academia and industry by encouraging students to conduct innovative research…
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is launching a new Guest Speaker Series in partnership with the University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program. This Guest Speaker Series will connect transportation leaders and innovators with university and college students. If you are a student who is interested in a career in transportation, please join us Thursday, October…
Congestion Reduction in the Smart Mobility Era NICR Workshop Wednesday, September 15, 2021 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM EST The first annual National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR) Student Council Workshop was held on September 15, 2021, on Microsoft Teams. “Congestion Reduction in the Smart Mobility Era” invited international speakers to discuss their research with…
Thursday, September 23, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: This project will use the open-source platform OneBusAway developed at USF to explore how travelers choose between public transit, transportation network companies (TNC), and other modes (e.g., micro-mobility) and how to influence this behavior. The project will focus on first and last-mile connections and filling…
Tampa Bay Citizens Academy on Transportation – YEAR ONE Course Agenda October 13, 2021 – December 8, 2021 Classes will be held on Wednesdays starting October 13, 2021 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM EST The Tampa Bay Citizens Academy on Transportation is a free eight-week virtual e-learning course to familiarize citizens with transportation in the City…
Thursday, August 26, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: Transportation network companies (TNCs) and microtransit are changing the way people travel by providing dynamic, on-demand mobility that can supplement public transit and personal vehicle use. Well-designed policy strategies are needed to fully leverage the potential of pooling to lessen congestion, energy use, and emissions…
Thursday, August 12, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: Two common means of pricing Managed Lanes (MLs) are to vary lane-usage tolls based on time of day, or to vary them dynamically based on real-time congestion measurements. Which of the two tolling options is more effective in regulating ML-usage is unclear. Large datasets on…
Thursday, July 29, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: This presentation highlights the findings of the latest edition of the Urban Mobility Report (UMR). The 2021 UMR provides congestion data trends from 1982 to 2020 for the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., including the impacts of the pandemic on traffic levels in 2020.…
Hi, my name is Wesley Darling, and I am an entering PhD student in transportation engineering at the. I just completed my MS in transportation at Berkeley in the spring of 2021. Before Berkeley, I studied civil engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to my time at UTK, I studied business administration (with…
Thursday, June 17, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide a platform that can carry cameras and sensors for collecting real-time traffic information, especially for corridors under congested conditions, when the traditional loop detectors do not work properly and where there is a lack of other means of traffic monitoring.…
Thursday, May 20, 2021 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: The State of California has over 350 transit providers, covering a wide range of services and administrative capabilities. To elevate the transit passenger experience state-wide, the California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) is tasked with ensuring that every agency produces complete and accurate GTFS information. A…
Principal Investigator David Schrank Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 2026129 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract The Urban Mobility Report (UMR) has been providing information on urban congestion levels in the U.S. for more than three decades. The UMR uses private-sector crowdsourced speed data combined with traditional public-agency roadway…
Principal Investigator Mark Burris, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract COVID-19 has affected travel behavior in many ways. Changes include a predictable reduction in overall travel, and even larger reductions in transit travel, carpooling, and travel on toll facilities. What happens to…
MATCH PROJECT Principal Investigator Bill Eisele, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1862637 Abstract It is not yet clear what the lasting effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic will be on U.S. urban transportation systems. The mix of strategies that are deployed in urban America will be different for each region…
MATCH PROJECT Principal Investigator Susan Shaheen, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1902074 The COVID-19 pandemic brought about dramatic shifts in travel, including shopping trips. The authors investigated changes in e-shopping for food and non-food items by supplementing an April to May 2018 household travel survey (n=3,956 households) conducted by…
Principal Investigator Xiaopeng Li, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract The research will develop simple but effective schemes to: (i) coordinate all traffic signals residing on most any two-dimensional (e.g. grid) street network; and (ii) optimize signal settings and tailor preferential treatments to…
Principal Investigator Jeff Kramer, AICP Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon RIP Available Soon Abstract Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Governing Board members are responsible for establishing a long-range transportation vision for their metropolitan area and for making a variety of other significant transportation planning and programming decisions. These decisions have noteworthy and long-lasting…
Principal Investigator Sara Hendricks Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract MAP-21’s focus on performance measurement ushered in a shift in emphasis from moving vehicles to moving people, measured as passenger throughput. This recognizes the underutilized capacity of empty seats in buses, vanpools, and single-occupant…
Principal Investigator Peng Chen, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Different from Transportation Network Companies (taxicabs, i.e., Uber) and shared-car providers (rental cars, i.e., Zipcar), social carpooling is personalized incentives-based and smartphone-enabled peer-to-peer ridesharing. Social carpooling emerges as a community-based strategy to reduce…
Principal Investigator Didier Valdés, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract This project will use the open-source platform OneBusAway (OBA) developed at USF to explore how travelers choose between public transit, transportation network companies (TNC), and other methods (e.g., micro-mobility) and how to influence…
2-3.2: Optimizing Service Areas to Reduce Congestion and Enhance Equity in Access to Transportation Systems Principal Investigator Daniel Rodríguez Román, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract As new transportation alternatives emerge and existing services are redesigned, communities and their planning agencies…
Principal Investigator Ivette Cruzado, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract Automatic freeway incident detection is expected to reduce the response time and improve the efficiency of incident management. UAV platforms have been used to obtain video data and develop methodologies for incident…
Principal Investigator Mark Hansen, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract The explosive growth in e-commerce, the increasing urgency of de-carbonization, the rapid advances in UAV technology, and the continuous disruptive development of the gig economy create needs and opportunities for dramatic improvements in…
Principal Investigator Phil Lasley, Ph.D., AICP, PMP Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract The goal of integrating accessibility into transportation planning is to ensure that congestion mitigation measures encourage transportation equity and urban space livability. Traditional methods of estimating travel time, travel time reliability,…
Learn more about this projectUSF Carpool Study Agreement to ParticipateLearn more about the USF Carpool StudyIt is expected that as policymakers look to deploy congestion pricing and road use charges in the future, accurate vehicle occupant counting will be an increasingly important tool to incentivize carpooling and vanpooling to reduce traffic congestion. This NICR pilot…
Tampa Bay Citizens Academy on Transportation Principal Investigator Jason Jackman, PI Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1850069 Policy Brief View policy brief SOW Y2 TBCAT Abstract Public involvement in local transportation decision making is key to achieving a safe, equitable and sustainable transportation system that meets the needs of…
This webinar is co-sponsored by the Transportation Demand Management Institute. Thursday, April 22 @ 12:00PM (EDT) About the Webinar: In 2020, COVID-19 forced a rapid increase in telework for Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) employees. This tragic pandemic tested employees’ adaptability, strained people and resources, and illustrated the vast potential of telework. While the…
Friday, April 23, 2021 12 PM EDT – 1 PM EDT ABOUT THE WEBINAR: Driving intelligence test is critical to the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles. The prevailing approach tests autonomous vehicles in life-like simulations of the naturalistic driving environment. However, due to the high dimensionality of the environment and the rareness of safety-critical…
Congratulations to Didier Valdés-Díaz, Ph.D. for earning the 2019-2020 Outstanding Civil Engineering Professor Award from the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying of the UPRM School of Engineering. This award is given to faculty members with outstanding performance in education, research, administrative, or service activities thru the past academic year. The award is selected by…
Friday, April 9, 2021 ABOUT THE WEBINAR: The Multi Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System (MMITSS) was designed to utilize emerging v2x data for intelligent traffic control, priority for emergency vehicles, transit, and trucks, and a pedestrian smart phone application. MMITSS is based on a mixed integer-linear programming model that captures the ring-barrier structure of commercial…
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) begins the 8th year of its internship program this summer. The National Institute of Congestion Reduction is a proud partner of the 2021 program. TTI has held internship programs with the Safe-D, CARTEEH, ATLAS (2014-2016), and other University Transportation Centers with a focus on health, safety, and transportation. Funding…
Congratulations to Benjamín Colucci-Ríos, Ph.D., director of the Puerto Rico LTAP Transportation Technology Transportation Center and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez Outstanding Civil Engineering Professor, on being selected as the 2021 ASCE Wilbur S. Smith Award recipient for his unending leadership and dedication to action for the improvement of road safety in Puerto…
Thursday, March 25 @ 12:00 PM EST/4:00 PM GMT About the Webinar: Commute trip reduction (CTR) programs have been implemented for decades in the US, while a systematic evaluation of CTR’s performance is missing. To smartly mitigate road congestion, this study assesses the effectiveness of CTR tools using Washington State as an example. Among various…
Thursday, March 11 @ 12:15PM About the Webinar: Managed lanes (MLs) offer travelers a congestion-free alternative for a price. The two most common pricing mechanisms are variable tolls (based on time of day) and dynamic pricing (based on congestion). In theory, dynamic tolls should be able to regulate demand for MLs more effectively than variable…
Friday, March 19 @ 12:00 PM EST This webinar is part of the Friday Transportation Seminar Series. About the Webinar: Investigating Autonomous Vehicle Impacts on Individual Activity-Travel Behavior (Research undertaken with graduate students Katherine Dannemiller, Aupal Mondal, and Katherine Asmussen) There is considerable literature on the potential effects of autonomous vehicle (AV) availability on AV…
Thursday, February 25, 2021 @ 12PM About the Webcast: The National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR), including University of South Florida; Texas A&M University and its affiliated Texas A&M Transportation Institute; University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, is the unique national university transportation center dedicated for congestion mitigation, one…
CUTR held a NICR student activity meeting on Monday, January 11, 2021 to discuss upcoming projects and activities including community involvement, field trips, and research opportunities. CUTR looks forward to student collaboration!
Nominated by the National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR), two graduate students received national student awards from the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC). Zhiwei (Nicklaus) Chen received the Charley Wootan Memorial – Masters Award for his thesis “Exploring the Equity Performance of Bike-Sharing Systems with Disaggregated Data: A Story of Southern Tampa.” This thesis…
NICR faculty met with FDOT on Monday, January 11 to discuss current research initiatives and future collaborations between the organizations. Thank you to everyone who participated in the meeting! We look forward to working with you in the future.
1-1: Demand-Side Management of Auto Traffic Principal Investigator Joan Walker, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1946742 Policy Brief View policy brief Abstract Fueled by burgeoning e-commerce, urban parcel delivery has emerged as a high growth market that is undergoing rapid technological change, particularly in the business-to-consumer segment. New classes…
Principal Investigator Srinivasa Sunkari, P.E., PMP Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1737418 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Many traffic signals frequently experience oversaturated conditions. Such conditions cause significant delay and queue backups. When traffic signals are closely spaced, queues from downstream signals can back up to upstream signals. Such…
1-4: Transit Priority Principal Investigator Xiaopeng Li, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) Available Soon TRID Available Soon Policy Brief Available Soon RIP View RIP entry Abstract We will explore how to lure travelers from their cars by improving transit operations. Our initial focus will be conditional signal priority, where green lights are granted to buses arriving…
Principal Investigator Susan A. Shaheen Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1737963 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Transportation network companies (TNCs) and microtransit are changing the way people travel by providing dynamic, on-demand mobility that can supplement public transit and personal-vehicle use. Well-designed policy strategies are needed to fully leverage the potential…
Principal Investigator Daniel Rodríguez Román, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1909029 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract This project will explore the distribution of new micro-mobility services, as well as the factors driving the demand, or lack thereof, of these services in heterogeneous neighborhoods. This project will focus…
3-3: Targeting Transit Incentives to Congestion Sources Principal Investigator Daniel Rodriguez, Ph.D., Daniel Chatman, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID TRID – 1716831 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Traffic congestion is a recurring problem with temporal and spatial aspects that affect our lives daily. Providing choices such as increasing transit ridership is…
Principal Investigator Mark Burris, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1864491 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Two common means of pricing Managed Lanes (MLs) are to vary tolls based on time of day, or to vary them dynamically based on real-time congestion measurements. Which of the two tolling…
4-2: Proactive Congestion Management Principal Investigator Sisinnio Concas, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID View TRID – 1716840 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract This project is applicable to corridors, both with and without managed lanes. The research team intends to combine data from conventional sources, such as loop detectors and traditional probe-based data,…
4-3: Corridor-Wide Surveillance Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems Principal Investigator Benjamín Colucci-Ríos, Ph.D. Final Report (DOI) View Final Report TRID TRID – 1910668 Policy Brief View Policy Brief Abstract Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide a platform that can carry cameras and sensors for collecting real-time traffic information, especially for corridors under congested conditions, when the…
The National Institute for Congestion Reduction virtually met on Thursday, November 19, 2020, to discuss year two projects and ideas. The universities are focused on collaboration and incorporating students into their research.
For the past eighteen years, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has designed and developed the TBEST transit planning software to support transit service and strategic planning with data driven analysis of transit service, markets, and ridership demand. On Friday, October 30, 2020, NICR staff met with Rodney Bunner, President of ServiceEdge Solutions to demonstrate…
For the past few years, MetroPlan Orlando has worked with metropolitan planning organizations in the I-4 corridor to promote the application of Transportation Management and Operations (TSMO) strategies. NICR Director Xiaopeng Li and Senior Program Manager Kristine Williams met with Eric Hill, Director of Transportation System Management and Operations for MetroPlan Orlando, to discuss how…
CUTR was pleased to connect with our friends at TBARTA on Monday, October 12, 2020 to discuss future projects and collaboration with the National Institute for Congestion Reduction – NICR!
Taylor Dinehart has always been interested in public service and in improving the lives of others. After serving in the military, she earned a Master of Urban and Regional Planning and is now pursuing a Master in Public Health as USF. Her goal is to complete her degree and begin a career at the intersection…
CUTR was pleased to welcome Congressman Daniel Webster to the autonomous vehicle lab! Congressman Webster learned more about CUTR’s initiatives with connected/autonomous vehicles and the technology behind the car itself. Thank you for visiting! To learn more, visit http://pos.li/2duips + View more photographs from the visit
On August 21, 2019 Congressman Ross Spano visited CUTR to discuss the future of transportation including autonomous vehicles, safety, and technologies. Congresswoman Kathy Castor and Congressman Spano were both integral to the UTC grant being awarded to CUTR, and we are extremely grateful for their support. We are excited to work alongside government officials as…
CUTR was honored to welcome U.S. Representative Kathy Castor to CUTR for an informational meeting on research and NICR. “With the vision of expanded transit in Hillsborough County and a recent $7.5 million federal grant to establish a national University Transportation Center right here in Tampa Bay, our region has an opportunity to lead the…
USF awarded $7.5 million to establish new national University Transportation Research initiative TAMPA, Fla. (June 5, 2019) – The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) today announced the University of South Florida will receive a $7.5 million grant to establish a national university transportation center (UTC) aimed at advancing research and education programs that address the nation’s critical transportation…
