TTI Research Scientist Stacey Bricka presents at the Household Travel Survey Symposium.

The Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC) Household Travel Survey Symposium: From Tradition to Innovation was held in Dallas Nov. 8 and 9 and attended by more than 70 travel survey professionals from across the United States. Attendees represented an almost equal mix of agency, consultant and academic researchers.

The symposium started with a poster session, featuring research from 22 separate research efforts, followed by an opening session from Michael Morris, executive director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and a keynote speech from Dr. Kermit Wies of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Attendees were encouraged to think outside the box and consider all users of travel survey data as their customers.

Following the opening remarks, discussion groups focused on identifying lessons learned and opportunities to advance methods, sampling approaches and uses of the survey data. Attendees presented their versions of the “travel survey of the future,” incorporating new technologies, known and on the horizon. The symposium also identified what can be implemented now and established a research agenda to move us toward the newly identified survey designs.

“The Travel Survey Symposium was very timely in that our traditional methods of travel survey have relied too heavily on the telephone, which is failing us,” said attendee Lisa Aultman-Hall, a professor with the University of Vermont’s School of Engineering and Transportation Research Center. “But at the same time, technologies such as smart phones and GPS are in widespread use and have great potential for travel data collection.”

Guy Rousseau, travel surveys and transportation model development manager for the Atlanta Regional Commission in Georgia, agrees with Aultman-Hall’s assessment. “The travel survey world is quickly evolving. Posters and presentations, accompanied by break-out sessions, were the ideal forum in which to discuss the latest trends in travel surveys, and share experiences.”

The TTI team that planned and managed the symposium presented findings from the event at several Transportation Research Board (TRB) committee meetings at the 2013 Annual Meeting. The TRB Travel Survey Committee members incorporated several of the research ideas into the research needs process. The research ideas are part of a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) synthesis statement/idea, will be part of a proposal to the NCHRP quick response program, and will be used to support a full NCHRP problem statement.

The conference will address many of the critical issues and questions facing our decision makers such as:

• More than 37 million people are projected to live in Texas by 2030.
• $375 billion is needed to maintain the state’s transportation infrastructure and prevent worsening traffic congestion.
• With these conditions, how will Texas maintain its economic development edge?
• How will Texas lawmakers find the funding necessary to address these issues?

At the conference, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Phil Wilson, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, and other knowledgeable and respected leaders in industry, business and government will provide an understanding of the issues surrounding these questions.

For additional information and conference registration, visit the Texas Lyceum conference page.

So, law enforcement agencies have found that providing a high police presence in areas with both problems often lowers both crash and crime rates, sometimes dramatically.

This philosophy of fighting those problem areas is called Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety, or DDACTS as it’s known among law enforcement agencies.

“This philosophy of policing is really catching on with excellent results,” says Associate Research Scientist Troy Walden. He is overseeing a three-year Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) traffic safety grant awarded by TxDOT with funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “We’ve been conducting workshops for law enforcement agencies — teaching them how to find ‘hot spots,’ which are areas where crime and crashes are highest. The technique provides a high-profile police presence that is supported through high visibility traffic enforcement efforts.”

In the latest class, six south Texas police agencies attended the DDACTS workshop in February — Brownsville, Edinburg, Laredo, Mission, Harlingen and Pharr Police Departments.

For most agencies, DDACTS is a radically different approach to crime fighting. Criminal activity is usually the focus of most law enforcement agencies, however with DDACTS, traffic law enforcement is emphasized to address the hot spot locations.

“It’s not unusual for agencies to see a 30 to 40 percent drop in crime and crashes in any given community that utilizes this process,” Walden explains. “That’s a 30 to 40 percent reduction across the board, with some communities experiencing a 70 percent reduction.”

Walden says that cities often experience reductions in violent crimes, including homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft. At the same time, there are often fewer traffic fatalities and injury crashes, while the number of arrests increases.

“This is not ‘the flavor of the month’ kind of approach,” he says. “This is a long-term, data driven policing philosophy that departments continue to work on. Sometimes your high crime and crash areas will be migratory, so it’s important to reassess and evaluate crime and crash data to pinpoint those areas.”

Shannon Crum, TxDOT’s RTI director, conducts a Q&A with TTI employees.

“We have a goal to make sure that TxDOT’s research program maintains its place as the most-respected program in the country,” Crum said at the beginning of her presentation. “I think that TxDOT has a really strong program in place, and that’s due in large part to partnerships with TTI and the other universities around the state. But there is always room to make it better, and I think we can take it to the next level.”

Crum — who has been with TxDOT since 2004 and was the director of data management in the Transportation Planning and Programming Division — replaces Rick Collins, who retired after 29 years with the department.

Addressing the rumors swirling around changes to the research program, Crum addressed the criteria for research project selection. She said expert panels will replace Research Management Committees so that the panel members can be more focused in reviewing each of the problem statements. All project statements should answer the questions: “Is it a problem? Is it doable? Can it be accomplished and has the research already been done?” She added that the titles of project director and research engineer have been eliminated, saying that the new system will create more accountability for each individual project. In other major changes, Crum announced that:

• TxDOT will speed up the cycle on deliverables, with the final report due before the contract expires.
• Only those projects that support agency goals and priorities will be selected (maintain a safe system, address congestion, connect Texas communities and help TxDOT become a best-in-class state agency).
• One administrative project manager will be assigned to each project from RTI.

As part of her TTI visit, Shannon Crum tours TTI’s Environmental & Emissions Research Facility

Crum said that a big part of the research project selection process will involve the potential return on investment, making sure that the project will save Texas money in the long run.

“We spend $20 million a year on research and $4 million on implementation activities,” she said. “I want to get that $20 million figure up to $25 million next [legislative] session. We have to convince the legislature that we are delivering value for every dollar we spend.”

As part of her visit, Crum toured various Institute facilities and was treated to a TTI overview presentation by Agency Director Dennis Christiansen.

Michael Saenz donates to the TTI Blood Drive.

Purposely held close to Valentine’s Day, TTI’s first blood drive of 2013 could be responsible for saving 102 lives. A total of 34 blood products were donated by TTI employees and other donors February 12. Usually a 3 to 1 return is estimated for blood donations.

“We wanted to make it fun, so we played ‘I Love Lucy’ episodes the entire day,” said Nancy Stratta, TTI Blood Drive organizer. “We also gave away a TTI red-fleece blanket in a random drawing of donors.”

That blanket was won by Michael Saenz, husband of Abbe Saenz.

The next TTI Blood Drive is scheduled for June.

The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) I-35 Mobility Initiative lets motorists and business owners along the interstate know what improvements are coming, what the impacts will be during construction, and what can be done to mitigate delay and access issues. Keeping the public informed is one way to help lessen the negative impact of the construction project as it occurs.

The TRB poster, “Communications and Outreach for the I-35 Mobility Initiative,” details the TxDOT/TTI outreach project for the I-35 Expansion Project (click to enlarge).

“Communications and Outreach for the I-35 Mobility Initiative” was the title of a poster developed for the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13-17. In fact, it was the only poster to highlight public outreach covering all phases of a construction project displayed at TRB, the largest gathering of transportation practitioners and researchers in the world. The poster highlights the project’s mobility coordination goals and how TxDOT is using technology and social media to keep travelers informed of lane closures and travel conditions. It also describes future plans of the project.

For the past two years and continuing through 2016, TxDOT’s Waco District has made a comprehensive effort to keep the public and businesses along I-35 in Central Texas informed about the state’s massive, $2.1 billion I-35 Expansion Project. The effort coordinates 17 separate projects spanning McLennan, Belton, Falls and Hill counties.

As part of the outreach effort, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is currently deploying a first-of-its-kind traveler information system to alert commuters about construction activities and delays before and during their trips along I-35. Additionally, staff from TxDOT and TTI are getting the word out via face-to-face visits, a monthly newsletter, awareness campaigns, community meetings, electronic roadside signs, and real-time social media-based traveler updates. The effort is evolving into a prototype for TxDOT to use as it adapts its approach to conducting construction projects. The new model involves greater outreach to the public to answer citizens’ questions, resolving mobility issues in a more timely fashion, and keeping the public informed as construction progresses.

“The poster we developed was unique,” TTI Assistant Agency Director Christopher Poe explains. Poe coordinates all of TTI’s efforts on the project. “It outlines the extensive campaign throughout the construction of the multiple projects along a single interstate highway. I think the work that TxDOT and TTI have done on this project will become a model for other DOTs.”

Charley Wootan Award winners Erik Sabina and Stacey Bricka pose with TTI’s Katie Turnbull. (Photo courtesy TRB)

Lead authors Stacey Bricka, Nauman Sheikh and Adam Pike were the respective winners of the Charley V. Wootan, K.B. Woods and Young Professional awards.

Established in 2004, the Charley V. Wootan Award is presented to the outstanding paper in the field of policy and organization. Wootan, who served as TTI’s director from 1976 to 1993, was active in TRB and served as its director in 1983. Bricka is the first TTI employee to receive the Wootan Award.

“This is the first paper award I’ve won and the first paper I submitted as a TTI employee,” Bricka, manager of the Mobility Management Program, says. “The fact that we won out of hundreds of submissions is a real honor, and the fact that it’s named after one of the early leaders of TTI is especially rewarding.” Bricka, who joined TTI in 2010, co-wrote Evaluation of Key Design Elements of Long-Distance Survey of Front Range Travel Counts with Erik Sabina of the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

The K. B. Woods Award, which this year was presented to Associate Research Engineer Nauman Sheikh and co-author and Program Manager Roger Bligh—both of TTI’s Roadside Safety Program—was established in 1971 for the outstanding paper published in the field of design and construction of transportation facilities. Woods was the 19th chairman of the Highway Research Board.

K.B. Woods Award winners John Holt, Nauman Sheikh, Roger Bligh pose with Katie Turnbull.

Their paper, Minimum Rail Height and Design Impact Load for Longitudinal Barriers That Meet Test Level 4 of Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware was part of a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) research project and co-authored by John Holt of TxDOT’s Bridge Division.

“I feel blessed to receive the award,” Sheikh says. “I think it’s an acknowledgement that the research was worthy of being published and recognized. I feel very fortunate.” Sheikh is no stranger to paper awards. Since beginning his professional career at TTI as a student employee, he’s received three other TRB paper awards, including his first K.B. Woods Award in 2007. Bligh has received three other major paper awards. This is his third K.B. Woods Award.

TRB officials say a total of 4,800 papers were submitted for seven awards named for pioneers in transportation research.

Adam Pike, assistant research engineer in TTI’s Signs and Markings Program, received a 2012 Young Professional Best Paper Award after being one of four that were nominated from the Maintenance and Preservation Section. The paper was entitled Evaluation of ASTM Standard Test Method E2177: Retroreflectivity of Pavement Markings in a Condition of Wetness. This award was the first Young Professional Award conferred under the Maintenance and Preservation Section.

TRB’s Annual Meeting attracted 11,700 transportation professionals from around the world and covered all transportation modes. More than 40 sessions and workshops addressed this year’s theme: Deploying Transportation Research — Doing Things Smarter, Better, Faster.

TTI is responsible for one of the nation’s most extensive texting-while-driving studies – one that demonstrated how texting behind the wheel doubles a driver’s reaction time.

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) has contracted with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to conduct an extensive study on the use of cell phones by Texas drivers, and distracted driving in general. The effort is the first involving TTI and USAA, one of the nation’s most respected insurance companies offering insurance protection and financial services to the U.S. military and their families for more than 90 years.

A survey of roughly 3,000 people will be conducted in driver’s license stations operated by the Texas Department of Public Safety in several regions around the state. The sample size will allow researchers to examine which demographic groups are most affected by the distracted driving issue and what their attitudes and self-reported behaviors are, according to TTI Senior Research Scientist Katie Womack, who will lead the study.

“Focus groups will also be conducted to explain in greater detail the thought processes and behavior motivations underlying texting, cell phone use, and other distractions while driving,” Womack says. “The two approaches combined will lead to recommendations for consideration of the most appropriate intervention and/or education strategies.”

USAA visited TTI in 2012 for a discussion that focused on USAA’s interests in current and emerging roadway safety issues, along with a review of TTI’s capabilities and current research activities. TTI is responsible for one of the nation’s most extensive texting-while-driving studies – one that demonstrated how texting behind the wheel doubles a driver’s reaction time.

USAA, a longtime advocate for safe driving, hosted Distracted Driving Summits last year in Texas and Florida, in conjunction with each state’s Department of Transportation, Shriners Hospitals and the Distraction Advocate Network. The objective was to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and compel people to personally change their driving behaviors; you can watch highlights on YouTube (keyword: Florida Distracted Driving Summit, presented by USAA).

“USAA is clearly focused on some of the most pressing roadway safety problems that our society now faces, and TTI is focused on pursuing solutions to those problems,” says TTI Director Dennis Christiansen. “We’re confident that together we’re going to make a very strong and effective team.”

“We are committed to promoting vehicle and driver safety for the protection of our military members and their families,” says USAA Executive Director Joel Camarano. “USAA is excited to form this relationship with TTI, a leader in roadway safety research for over 60 years.”

• The motivation for speeding, KUHF Radio, Jan. 10
• Port of Tampa gets new shipping line, Tampa Bay Times, Jan. 10
• Eliminating Virginia’s gas tax?, CNN, Jan.  9
• Message signs for gun shows, Houston Chronicle, Jan. 3
• Texas public funding issues, San Antonio Express-News, Dec. 30
• Ports spared from longshoremen’s strike, Tampa Bay Times, Dec. 29
• Vehicle-Miles-Traveled pilot program near complete, Governing, Dec. 27
• Freight Shuttle and border bridges, El Paso Inc., Dec. 23
• Aggie Expressway moving forward, The Villager, Dec. 19
• I-35 corridor survey, Landmine Magazine, Dec. 19
• Panama Canal expansion and Texas natural gas exports, Houston Chronicle, Dec. 18
• Barge transport of shale wastewater, Transportation Nation, Dec. 18