It all began with one researcher in a donated cubicle. But ten years later—thanks to innovative research, recognition from colleagues across the country, and an increasing number of local projects—TTI’s Research and Implementation Office in El Paso and its Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research (CIITR) has become one of the most vital research centers […]
Archives for March 2016
Former TTI Agency Director Named TAMU Distinguished Alumnus
Dr. Charley V. Wootan, former TTI Agency Director, was named a distinguished alumnus of Texas A&M University today by the Association of Former Students. Wootan joined TTI in 1956 as an Associate Research Economist. He served as Associate Director from 1966 to 1976 and as Director from 1976 to 1993. Under his leadership, TTI grew […]
TTI’s Zmud Talks Consumer Acceptance of Automated Vehicles at SXSW®
In the past, the South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference held few sessions related to transportation. This year conference planners created the Intelligent Future event track that features a variety of experts on connected and automated vehicles (CV/AV). One of those experts is Johanna Zmud, senior research scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). Zmud […]
Teens in the Driver Seat® to Encourage Safe Interactions for Texas Teens and Large Trucks
In the past three years, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes have increased in Texas by 29 percent in the Permian Basin and 55 percent in the Eagle Ford Shale regions. Between 2011 and 2012, such crashes involved an estimated 2,006 drivers under the age of 26. In response to the increase in crashes concurrent with […]
TTI’s Katie Turnbull Named Regents Fellow
Katie Turnbull, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) executive associate director, was honored with the Regents Fellow Service Award during The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Reception and Dinner Feb. 10. Turnbull’s vast professional accomplishments, combined with her unique blend of management skills and volunteer efforts, made her TTI’s top candidate for the award, […]
Registration Open For 2016 Traffic Safety Conference
Planning is underway for the 2016 Statewide Traffic Safety Conference in College Station. No matter what your area of expertise may be or what specific approaches to solving traffic safety problems you take, we’re all working toward a common goal: significant and permanent reductions in the deaths and injuries on our streets and highways. Don’t […]
Getting Our Transportation System Back on Its Feet
Volume 52, Number 1 (2016) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: Everything Is Connected: Research to Bring Public Health and Transportation Together TTI Researchers Investigate Reasons Impaired Drivers Choose Transportation Network Companies to Provide Safe Rides New Rapid-Flashing Beacon Shows Great Promise in Improving Pedestrian Safety Building Sustainability into Our Transportation System Walk, Don’t Drive: […]
Everything Is Connected: Research to Bring Public Health and Transportation Together
Traditionally, transportation research has focused its agenda on building the system to improve access to markets and, more recently, meet the demands of a world economy. With the highway system mostly in place, transportation research is now focusing on enhancing system performance and minimizing detrimental side effects. Some of those side effects have reached the […]
TTI Researchers Investigate Reasons Impaired Drivers Choose Transportation Network Companies to Provide Safe Rides
For years transportation safety officials have encouraged impaired drivers to find a sober ride home — be it designating a driver, catching a cab or riding the bus. Another option became available in 2009, when transportation network companies (TNCs) first appeared. TNCs provide on-demand taxi-like transportation via self-dispatched independent drivers. Riders summon drivers through a […]
New Rapid-Flashing Beacon Shows Great Promise in Improving Pedestrian Safety
For many pedestrians, crossing a busy multilane roadway without the protection of a traffic signal is a nerve-wracking, sometimes dangerous proposition, even when using a marked crosswalk. As a means of improving safety at uncontrolled pedestrian crosswalks, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has sponsored research on a variety of traffic control devices intended to increase […]
Building Sustainability into Our Transportation System
Vital to economic growth, transportation can also be a detriment to human health and the natural environment. That’s among the reasons why the concept of sustainable transportation is emerging in countries around the globe, among most state departments of transportation in the United States and, in increasing cases, as part of transportation engineering curricula. “Sustainable […]
Walk, Don’t Drive: Active Transportation May Provide More than Health Benefits
In the United States, more people live in suburbs than in central cities, and suburbanites drive automobiles or rely on mass transit to get to and from work. The construction of highways with multiple lanes and faster speed limits has been a common response to meet the growth of sprawling cities and the widespread ownership […]
The Freight Shuttle System: Clearing the Air on Sustainable Freight Movement
Doing more with less: that’s the mantra of transportation agencies everywhere these days. We need to achieve greater mobility on our roadways, but we can’t afford to build our way out of congestion. We need to clean the air around urban areas to improve public health, but policies enforcing clean air are difficult to pass […]
Visualizing a Safer Transportation Community
From automated cruise control to Google self-driving cars to trucks platooning, the world of connected, automated and autonomous vehicles is rapidly evolving. A research project sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is examining connected and automated vehicle applications to improve transit, bicyclist and pedestrian […]
Encouraging Safe Interactions Between Teens and Large Trucks
In the past three years, commercial motor vehicle crashes have increased 29 percent in the Permian Basin and 55 percent in the Eagle Ford Shale regions of Texas. Between 2011 and 2012, such crashes involved an estimated 2,006 drivers under the age of 26. In response to the increase in crashes concurrent with the oil […]
Aging Drivers Expected to Impact Transportation Landscape
TTI, TAMHSC Lead Global Research Effort It’s no secret that we are living longer, healthier lives. But, does that also mean we are driving longer and traveling more? If so, it could have a dramatic impact on congestion, safety, public transportation and numerous other transportation issues — not only in the United States, but around […]
TTI-Led Research Seeks to Expedite Emergency Care for Patients Crossing the Border
Led by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), a team of public agencies including the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) Department of Neurology, the El Paso Fire Department (EPFD) and Mexican ambulance companies are conducting research to speed up cross-border transportation for heart attack and stroke victims. Mortality rates […]
Former TTI Agency Director Named Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus
Charley V. Wootan, former Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) agency director, was named a distinguished alumnus of Texas A&M University March 11 by the Association of Former Students. Wootan joined TTI in 1956 as an associate research economist and served as the Institute’s associate director (1966–1976) and director (1976–1993). Under his leadership, TTI grew to […]
TTI at TRB
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) made an impressive showing during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 94th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Jan. 10–14. The meeting hosted 12,000 researchers, policy makers, practitioners and transportation professionals from around the world. Turnbull Appointed to TRB’s Executive Committee TTI Executive Associate Director Katie Turnbull was appointed to the […]
TTI News
TTI’s Katie Turnbull Named Texas A&M Regents Fellow TTI Executive Associate Director Katie Turnbull was honored with the Regents Fellow Service Award during The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Reception and Dinner Feb. 10. The Regents Fellow Service Award Program began in 1998 to recognize research professionals whose exemplary professional service has contributed […]