The newly formed University Transportation Center for Mobility (UTCM) at the Texas Transportation Institute is opening new doors for researchers and educators to pursue projects for mobility enhancement. Congestion management and mitigation, nationwide mobility, rural public transportation and infrastructure financing have far-reaching implications in the lives of every American. For this reason the UTCM is […]
Archives for 2007
Step Lively
Award-winning research means safer ways to cross the street Why did the citizen cross the road? And more importantly, did he or she make it to the other side unscathed? Whether we’re after a cup of coffee and a croissant or sprinting for the bus, crossing busy streets is an everyday part of urban life. […]
The (Peer) Pressure Is On: TTI and PAHO Team Up for Teen Driving Safety
Week after week, the headlines read something like this: Four Teens Die after Collision with SUV, Nighttime Crash Kills Three Teenagers or Text Messaging Blamed for Deadly Crash. Despite the epidemic of teen deaths on the world’s roadways, a global approach to addressing the tragedy has not been pursued—until now. In April 2007, the World […]
Now Look Again…TTI Takes a Second Look at Motorcycle Safety
In 1969, a man and his motorcycle went in search of America. The classic film Easy Rider featured actor Peter Fonda, his “Captain America” chopper and more than a sprinkling of alternative culture. Years later, riders inspired by the film are facing challenges that neither cinema nor celebrities talked about much back then. Motorcycling has […]
Minimizing Train Delays Can Improve Mobility, Safety at Rail Grade Crossings
Everyone’s been delayed by a train at a roadway crossing. Usually, you’re in your car, tapping your fingers. But if you were standing at the crossing and the train was actually stopped, wouldn’t you be tempted to step between the cars and be on your way? If you said yes, you would not be alone. […]
High-Speed Testing
TTI’s research yields new models for vehicle emission rates Air pollution is a serious problem in the state of Texas. Children, the elderly, those with respiratory illness and those who work and exercise outdoors are at highest risk of developing medical complications—coughing, throat irritation and pain when breathing—often exacerbated by air pollution. An important source […]
Legislature Clarifies Reporting Requirements for Fatal Crashes
In 1948, the Texas Legislature recognized the need to keep records of motor vehicle fatalities when it passed a law requiring Texas coroners to report all traffic fatalities to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). But when Becky Davies, research scientist with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), began investigating alcohol-involved traffic fatalities in 1995, […]
Under the Influence
Multiple TTI efforts helping to curb impaired driving The statistics are sobering: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2005 there were 1,569 alcohol-related traffic deaths in Texas. Nearly half of all total traffic deaths in the state were alcohol-related. If eleven 737 passenger jets filled to capacity crashed with no survivors, […]
TTI Publications
Technical Reports “Establish Guidance for Soils Properties-Based Prediction of Meander Migration Rate,” by Jean-Louis Briaud, 0-4378-1, May 17, 2007. “System for the Evaluation of Moisture Damage Using Fundamental Material Properties,” by Jonathan Howson, 0-4524-1, May 25, 2007. “Implementation Plan for Use of Surface Energy Measurements to Select Materials Resistant to Moisture Damage,” by Eyad Masad, […]
Institute News
TTI Shines at ITE Annual Meeting The Texas Transportation Institute’s Brian Bochner, Scott Cooner and the Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) program were recognized with major honors at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 2007 Annual Meeting and Exhibit in August in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bochner, a senior research engineer with the Center for Air […]
Transportation Issues in Public Safety
Volume 43, Number 3 (2007) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: Institute News TTI Publications Public Safety Under the Influence Legislature Clarifies Reporting Requirements for Fatal Crashes High-Speed Testing Minimizing Train Delays Can Improve Mobility, Safety at Rail Grade Crossings Now Look Again…TTI Takes a Second Look at Motorcycle Safety The (Peer) Pressure Is On: […]
TTI Researchers Familiar with Mexican Truck Issue
Barring delays from anticipated legal challenges, Mexican trucks will soon be allowed into the U.S. interior to haul goods from and then back to Mexico. However, Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers who have worked along the Texas/Mexico border do not expect an inundation of Mexican trucks into the United States. “I was surprised to learn […]
Fighting Traffic Congestion with Teamwork
U.S. Representative Chet Edwards was in College Station at the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Aug. 27, announcing he has secured another $600,000 for a Transportation Management Center (TMC) that could become a model for other small to mid-size towns facing congestion and other traffic problems. Edwards made the announcement at TTI’s Translink® Laboratory, which might […]
TTI’s Erosion Control Lab Helps Protect Texans’ Water Supply
Protecting and preserving water quality is one of the primary goals of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The Texas Transportation Institute’s Environmental Management Program supports these agencies through research and testing, particularly in the area of erosion control. Ironically—due in part to record rainfall this summer—Texas […]
Statewide Motorcycle Safety Campaign Underway
Production for a statewide motorcycle safety campaign is underway by the Texas Transportation Institute. The Texas Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety project is set to begin in September and will include billboards like the one shown to the right, a safety video, logo, website and materials urging riders to attend a DPS […]
TTI’s Rain Tunnel Mimics Texas Weather
A research project designed to make drivers safer in rainy, night-time conditions is in its final stage, with a report due out this year. The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) project funded by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will determine what pavement marking systems perform best under adverse weather conditions. A 1,600 foot “rain tunnel” […]
Bridges Eyed During Texas Flooding
The recent rains in Texas have forced many lakes and rivers to flood stage, highlighting the importance of the bridge research the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) is conducting with funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Currently, 600 of the 40,000 bridges in Texas are on the ‘scour-critical list,’ which pinpoints those bridges that […]
Trejo Receives Barclay Fellow Award
David Trejo, TTI division head for constructed facilities and Texas A&M University associate professor in the Construction, Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Division, has been named a Charles H. Barclay ’45 Fellow. The honor was presented to Trejo during the spring meeting of the engineering faculty on May 3. Colleagues describe Trejo as “energetic, enthusiastic and […]
Truck Stop Electrification Project Enters New Phase
TTI researchers have completed the first phase of a 3-year, $3 million project for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that is designed to reduce the estimated 500 tons of nitrogen oxides released into the atmosphere each day by emissions from idling trucks. The project, headed up by Associate Research Engineer Joe Zietsman, has resulted […]
ROW goes WWW
Researchers test and implement online system for right-of-way (ROW) utility permits Try to think of an aspect of our lives that is not impacted by the Internet. The technology that brought us video on demand and faster-than-you-can-blink searches now offers an online system to benefit utility companies and transportation agencies. Researchers at the Texas Transportation […]