Texas A&M Transportation Institute Assistant Research Scientist Ipek Sener co-authored an article recently published in TR News, the Transportation Research Board’s bimonthly magazine. The article, Why Public Health and Transportation: Setting the Stage, examines the impacts of transportation on public health in terms of safety, air quality, physical activity, equitable access to opportunities and noise. The article also explores potential societal […]
Archives for 2015
TTI Organizes Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Conference
Held every other year, about 120 highway-rail grade crossing safety professionals attended the 2015 National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference in Arlington, Texas, Nov. 1-4. Organized by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), the conference is attended by state agencies, railroad employees and vendors concerned with improving safety at railroad crossings. About 250 fatalities […]
Carlson One of Five Experts Asked to Contribute at FHWA Workshop on Visibility
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently published a summary report, Breakthroughs in Vision and Visibility for Highway Safety. The report documents the workshop, held August 13-14, 2014, at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia. Sponsored by FHWA’s Office of Safety Research and Development and the Office of Safety—with support from the Exploratory Advanced Research […]
Latest Issue of Safetynet Now Available
The newest issue of the Center for Transportation Safety’s newsletter is available. View the newsletter. Sign up to receive Safetynet via email. In this issue: 2015 Traffic Safety Conference Ignites Passions, Examines New Ways to Save Lives Driver Stress Detection May Result in Safer Roadways Gunnels Presents Keynote Address at Traffic Safety Conference The Traffic Safety Challenges […]
As Federal Officials Update Driverless Car Policy, TTI Continues Research for Automated/Connected Vehicles
In discussions about the emergence of automated and connected vehicle travel, it’s the technology that tends to attract most of the attention and fascination, but that technology also presents significant implications for policy makers. The TTI Transportation Policy Research Center (PRC) is working to better understand those implications and inform the decision making that will […]
Who’s Driving the Revolution?
Volume 51, Number 4 (2015) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: Roping Revolution: CV/AV Deployment and Public Policy Technology, New Concepts Drive Future Freight Movement Investments A Look into Tomorrow: What-If Scenarios and Planning the Future of Transportation Reinventing Transportation: Change Is Coming. Are We Ready? Next-Level Trucking: Autonomous Truck Platooning a Game Changer for […]
Roping Revolution: CV/AV Deployment and Public Policy
Transportation research often focuses on the technological side of things: how a process is done, what materials are used, and what minimum standards should be applied to promote our transportation system’s safety and sustainability. That’s certainly the case when it comes to implementing connected and automated vehicle (CV/AV) technologies on our nation’s roadways. Although transportation […]
Technology, New Concepts Drive Future Freight Movement Investments
Although we often take the safe, efficient movement of freight for granted, our local and global economies depend on it. Whatever the path — highways, railways, waterways, airports, ports of entry, pipelines — reliably getting goods to market drives the heartbeat of our economy. Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers are at the forefront of […]
A Look into Tomorrow: What-If Scenarios and Planning the Future of Transportation
Researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) recently formulated scenarios for how CV/AV technologies might be deployed. Using the scenarios as context, the research team interviewed state and local transportation agency personnel and then created flexible strategies to prepare for potential issues arising from implementation. As Senior Research Scientist Johanna Zmud explains, “The goal […]
Reinventing Transportation: Change Is Coming. Are We Ready?
The transportation revolution is on its way. In fact, it’s already here. Partially automated vehicles (AVs) are on the nation’s roadways right now, connected vehicles (CVs) are just around the corner, and autonomous vehicles may not be far behind. Standards and policies are evolving as well. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is […]
Next Level Trucking: Autonomous Truck Platooning a Game Changer for Fuel Efficiency, Safety
It’s a technique that’s been used for years in the trucking industry, but now drafting, or truck platooning, is about to enter the world of autonomous driving known as level 2 truck platooning. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is beginning phase one of a project to test the feasibility of level 2 truck platooning […]
TTI Researchers Aid TxDOT in Future Freight Planning
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) recently completed a wide-reaching effort to help expand the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) freight transportation planning into the second half of the 21st century. The TxDOT-sponsored project partnered TTI with the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at the University of Texas at Austin. TTI Research Scientist Jolanda Prozzi […]
TTI National Geotechnical Experimentation Site Has Long History of Problem Solving, Education
In 1978, Jean-Louis Briaud, a recent arrival at Texas A&M University, heeded the advice of Dr. Karl Terzaghi. Considered the father of soil mechanics, Terzaghi said that the action in geotechnical engineering occurs in the field. With the assistance of Texas A&M researchers Harry Coyle and Richard Bartoskewitz, Briaud began conducting full-scale testing of how […]
TTI Advisory Council Holds Annual Meeting in Waco
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Advisory Council meeting in Waco, Texas, in October provided updates on TTI research initiatives, a panel discussion on connected and automated vehicle research, a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) update, and Council discussion on post-legislative session transportation priorities. Council member Drayton McLane, chairman of the McLane Group, hosted the […]
TTI News
Hudson Awarded Grant to Study the Unintended Highway Pedestrian The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has selected TTI to conduct a one-year project on reducing the number of motor-vehicle-related pedestrian fatalities in Texas. Project manager and TTI Associate Researcher Joan Hudson has been awarded the one-year project titled The Unintended Highway Pedestrian — What Would […]
TTI Publications
Research Videos Access the research topics listed below via the URLs shown. TTI Selects Strategy Lead for CV/AV Transportation Research: https://vimeo.com/147641712 Research & Implementation Program – El Paso: https://vimeo.com/143167340 Researching Critical Solutions to Critical Border Issues: https://vimeo.com/130477644 TTI Enhances Its Proving Ground with New Research Facilities: https://vimeo.com/131557369 Connected Transportation Is Just Up the Road: https://vimeo.com/97270483 […]
National Safety Council Provides Safe Driving Tips This Busy Holiday Season
A hallmark of Thanksgiving is traveling to be with family and friends, but whether it involves a short drive or a long road trip, the same risks apply. According to Deborah A.P. Hersman, NSC president and CEO, sensible precautions can make the difference between a safe visit home or an unwelcome trip to the emergency room. […]
TTI Takes a Second Look at Rapid-Flash Beacons for Pedestrian Crossings
Researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) are studying the effectiveness of rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFB) in improving pedestrian crossing safety. Previous research has showed that the RRFBs increase the number of drivers yielding to crossing pedestrians, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has asked TTI to investigate modifications to the RRFB before adding […]
TTI Issues RFI for Connected and Automated Transportation Pilot Projects
As a nationally recognized leader in transportation technology research, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has issued an Request for Information (RFI) to conduct pilot demonstrations and proofs of concept for connected and automated transportation technology and services that are readily deployable. The purpose of the RFI, which was issued through TTI’s Accelerate Texas Center, […]
Poe Selected as Strategy Lead for TTI’s CV/AV Transportation Research
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has chosen Dr. Christopher Poe, P.E., senior research engineer and assistant agency director, as its Connected and Automated (CV/AV) Transportation Strategy Lead. Poe comes to this new position with more than 30 years of experience in transportation system operations and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) research and in leading and […]