TTI researchers were selected to present papers at the annual Transportation Research Board meeting this month on multiple topics, ranging from infrastructure and safety, to economics and the environment.
TTI at TRB
Transit Group Tour of TTI Could Lead to New Research
More than 40 representatives from transit agencies across the state toured the Environmental and Emissions Research Facility (EERF) on Friday, December 16. For many of the transit agency representatives, it was an introduction to TTI’s one-year-old facility. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Maintenance Vice President Michael Hubble said the EERF could help his agency accurately […]
High Crash Rates Among Hispanics and Military Prompts Study
The Texas Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) is investigating the reasons why two distinct population groups — Hispanics and U.S. military personnel — are experiencing above-average crash rates. Each is a separate research initiative, and both projects are just getting underway as researchers gather crash data and begin looking for clues. “We have […]
Fighting Congestion with Technology: The New Frontier
A technological revolution is underway that has transportation leaders, government officials and even attorneys abuzz with questions and hope about what it could mean in solving a growing and costly concern — congestion. Since the early 1980s, TTI has estimated congestion in hundreds of urban regions across the country. Published annually, the resulting Urban Mobility […]
TTI Focuses on Improving Motorcycle Safety
Motorcycle fatalities in Texas declined in 2009, halting an 11-year trend of steady increases, but there is no complacency among state officials. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Traffic Safety Program funded several projects to keep the momentum going and continue statewide efforts to improve motorcycle safety. Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) Research Scientist Patricia […]
New Guidebook Helps Agencies Develop Effective Sustainability Measures
Sustainability has become a key component in transportation planning at all levels of government, but until now few tools were available to help planners develop meaningful ways to measure the effectiveness of these efforts. A Guidebook for Sustainability Performance Measurement for Transportation Agencies, created by Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers and published this week by […]
Rail Conference Examines Safety Issues
Thanks to 180 participants from across the country, TTI organizers say the 2011 National Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Training Conference, held in Galveston Nov. 6-9, was a success. Held every other year, the grade crossing conference examines the current issues in the highway and railroad industries and serves as an information sharing and education program. […]
Researchers Identify the Nation’s Most Congested Corridors
Holiday travelers will have a better idea of exactly where to expect traffic delays, as well as some help in planning for them, thanks to a report released today by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), a Texas A&M University System agency. The 2011 Congested Corridors Report is the first nationwide effort to identify reliability problems […]
TTI Welcomes Back Denner
Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Safety Coordinator Stuart Denner was welcomed home from a Navy Reserves deployment in a reception at the TTI State Headquarters Building on November 8. Denner, a 15-year veteran in the Reserves, recently returned from a one-year deployment that included a six-month mission aboard the U.S.N.S. Comfort. The humanitarian mission known as […]
TTI’s Tom Scullion Receives Regents Fellow Service Award
Internationally known pavement innovator and Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior Research Engineer Tom Scullion was honored with a Regents Fellow Service Award by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Nov. 3. The award is the highest honor given by the regents recognizing employees who have made exemplary contributions to their agency and Texans. […]
Teens in the Driver Seat Honored With GHSA Award
The Texas Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Teens in the Driver Seat program has been honored with a 2011 highway safety award from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the Peter K. O’Rourke Special Achievement Award. The Peter K. O’Rourke Special Achievement Awards “recognize notable achievements in the field of highway safety by individuals, coalitions, organizations, nonprofit […]
Transportation Leader Inducted into Hall of Honor
Jon Lindsay, a strong political leader and advocate for transportation for over 30 years, was inducted into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor at a luncheon ceremony in Houston on Tuesday, October 18. The luncheon was co-sponsored by the North Houston Association and the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). “Jon was a key member of the […]
Houston TranStar Wins National Award
Houston TranStar has received the “2011 Digital Government Achievement Award” from the Center for Digital Government. The award is for TranStar’s cutting-edge Anonymous Wireless Address Matching travel time information system. The new deployment, extending north more than 200 miles along the I-45 North corridor to Dallas, gives Houston TranStar the capability to monitor and manage […]
National Teen Driver Safety Week-New Information Released on Teen Drivers
Washington, D.C.— According to a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teen drivers are approximately 50 percent more likely to crash in the first month of driving than they are after a full year of experience driving on their own, and are nearly twice as likely to crash as they are after […]
Partnership, Change Are Themes at Transportation Short Course
With a new executive director, chancellor, chairman and commissioner sharing the same stage, change was the dominant feature of the 85th Annual Transportation Short Course’s opening session. Short Course was held at the Brazos County Expo Complex October 11-12. Hosted by TTI, the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) yearly gathering began with a 10-minute video […]
TTI and PAHO to Collaborate on Roadway Safety Research
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) have partnered to collaborate on roadway safety research. TTI’s discussions with PAHO first began in 2007, when the organization expressed an interest in the Teens in the Driver Seat program. In April of that […]
New Study Says Texting Doubles a Driver’s Reaction Time
Researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute have determined that a driver’s reaction time is doubled when distracted by reading or sending a text message. The study reveals how the texting impairment is even greater than many experts believed, and demonstrates how texting drivers are less able to react to sudden roadway hazards. The study — the first […]
TTI Receives Prestigious ARTBA Glass Hammer Award
TTI has been recognized nationally with the Glass Hammer Award for its promotion of women leaders within the Institute and the transportation industry. The award was presented September 7 at a Gala Dinner honoring the 2011 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Transportation Development Hall of Fame and the inaugural Women Leaders in Transportation […]
Our Growing Rural Areas—Facing the Challenges That Lie Ahead
As the population of Americans increase, so do the demographics of the areas in which they reside. This is particularly true in Texas, where the population boom of the past 10 years has resulted in a rapid urbanization of rural areas. This trend has become a hot topic for transportation planners seeking to find proactive […]
Traffic Problems Tied to the Economy, Study Says
While traffic problems have stagnated along with the economy, an annual study suggests that too little progress is being made toward ensuring that the nation’s transportation system will be able to keep up with job growth when the economy does return. The 2011 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M […]