COVID-19 safety measures forced people to reconsider how they travel and seek out safer alternatives, like bicycling and walking, to reduce viral exposure by social distancing. The question is, as the world opens back up and vaccines become more readily available, will we continue to see active transportation becoming more popular compared to traditional modes […]
COVID-19
Viral Spread Magnified at U.S.–Mexico Gateways
By Rafael Aldrete and Okan Gurbuz With hope growing that COVID-19 vaccines will soon be widely available, the answer to one of life’s most torturous questions — when will the pandemic end? — may soon be clearer. It will likely be a while longer, however, before we can thoroughly sort out how the disease spread so […]
Will Our Transportation System Support a Post-COVID World?
The coronavirus changed our working and shopping patterns, and the changes could be permanent. By Ginger Goodin As the COVID-19 vaccines are distributed, we’re one step closer to addressing how we can avoid falling victim to one of the most destructive diseases ever. What’s gotten less attention are the questions of how and where we […]
Despite Challenges, 2020 Transportation Short Course Sees Record Attendance
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) hosted the Ninety Fourth Annual Transportation Short Course Oct. 12–14, 2020. Traditionally held in person at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, travel restrictions and concerns for personal health in the era of COVID-19 forced planners to hold the event online for the first time in its near-century […]
TTI Advisory Council Meeting Goes Virtual
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Advisory Council held its first ever virtual annual meeting Sept. 22. The meeting is normally a two-day, in-person affair and was originally scheduled for the spring timeframe, but due to continued COVID-related restrictions, TTI leadership decided to host the meeting virtually. The meeting commenced with a welcome and introductions […]
COVID-19 Spotlights Patient Transport Delays At the Border, But We Can Slash Wait Times
By David Salgado and Rafael Aldrete There aren’t many worse places to be than in the back of an ambulance. But being in the back of an ambulance in critical condition at a congested U.S.-Mexico border crossing is surely one of those places. Worse yet, being in a car instead of an ambulance – by […]
Our Streets May Never Be the Same. And That’s a Good Thing.
By Joan Hudson and Ipek Sener Not long after the coronavirus pandemic compelled widespread stay-at-home directives, many cities from coast to coast took steps to restrict motor vehicle traffic on selected streets. With sidewalks too narrow to allow for six-foot personal buffer zones, those moves opened thoroughfares for walking and biking, and aimed to give […]
Texas Roads Less Crowded, but No Less Dangerous
Reformation Austin News highlights the COVID-19 traffic trend of fewer vehicles on Texas roadways but the lack of a commensurate reduction in fatal crashes. TTI’s Center for Transportation Safety Director Robert Wunderlich discusses his analysis of the data behind those findings. Read the Reformation Austin News story
For Post-COVID Transportation, We Really Can’t Settle for “Normal”
By Gregory Winfree and Joe Zietsman, Texas A&M Transportation Institute No sooner did America begin to crave a return to normal than did many of us start thinking that maybe normal wasn’t the best we could do. And that is certainly true when it comes to the issue of how best to move people and […]
Post-COVID Transportation Planning Demands the Right Data, Not Guesswork
By Johanna Zmud When will people start vacationing? How many will stick with work-from-home routines? Will online grocery shopping be a fading fad or an enduring trend? The answers to these and other related questions have big implications not only for how Americans live and work after the current crisis, but also for how they […]
The Last Stop with Greg Winfree: More than Meets the Eye — Expanding How We See Transportation Safety in a World with Pandemics
Historically, transportation research has focused on avoiding dangers we can see. The first traffic light troubleshot human errors in judgment by better regulating traffic flow. As the 20th century unfolded, our focus shifted to innovations like seat belts and air bags to help us survive crashes we couldn’t avoid. Nowadays, sensors and cameras — high-tech […]
Teleworking – The New Normal?
By Melissa Tooley When companies across the country recently announced new work-from-home policies in response to COVID-19, the news sent employees and companies alike into a tailspin, creating hardships for many. Workers scrambled to retrieve computers, files and supplies from their workplace and identify a space at home to work; IT departments hustled to assist […]
Truck Drivers Are Essential Workers, Too
By Allan Rutter When the Oxford Dictionary chooses its word of the year for 2020, “essential” will be a strong contender, as the label for these service providers we couldn’t function without during the COVID-19 pandemic: First responders, nurses, doctors, and other hospital workers. Grocery store stockers, cashiers, and baggers. And of course, truck drivers. […]
The Paradox of Public Transit in a Pandemic
By Michael Walk During a pandemic, public transit may illustrate the ultimate Catch 22, even as dire conditions underscore the vital need for transit services in many communities. In the widening battle against COVID-19, we’ve been admonished to distance ourselves from each other to lower our risk of contracting the disease or spreading it to […]
Are You Currently “Home” Schooling? Add Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety to Your Child’s Schoolwork
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has closed schools statewide and left a lot of parents “home schooling” their children. If you have an elementary-age child, this is a great time to incorporate pedestrian and bicycle safety into their schoolwork. Teaching your children pedestrian and bicycle safety will help them be safer as they explore your neighborhood. […]
Car Crashes Are Down. Working From Home Keeps Us Safe On the Road
By Gregory Winfree No one yet knows how many Americans will die this year from COVID-19. But here’s a pretty safe bet on the number who will die in car crashes: Likely not as many as last year. Call it an unintended benefit of widespread stay-at-home orders designed to fight the spread of the coronavirus. […]
Coronavirus Is Forcing Americans to Develop Work-From-Home Habits That Could Benefit Us for a Long Time
Suppressed traffic makes travel easier for emergency vehicles and supplies and offers long-term benefits, too. By Bill Eisele America’s answer to our public health crisis is, naturally, all about preserving human life. Working from home will surely help limit the spread of the coronavirus and save many lives. But this new workday normal is serving […]
Winfree Column in March/April 2020 Traffic Technology International Now Available
In the March/April 2020 edition of Traffic Technology International, Texas A&M Transportation Institute Director Greg Winfree outlines the rise of COVID-19 in the world and the impact our global transportation system plays in the spread of the virus. “Transportation tech infrastructure and policy can help prevent–rather than promote–the spread of the disease,” notes Winfree in […]
If Coronavirus Hits the U.S. Hard, Expect Public Transportation To Be Afflicted
By Eva Shipp As the coronavirus outbreak accelerated, the U.S. State Department on January 30th issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory warning (the highest) instructing Americans to not travel to China. Noteworthy as that is, the China travel ban will affect the lives of very few Americans. The almost certain impact on public transportation in […]
The Last Stop with Greg Winfree — Transportation as a Disease Vector: Our Research Must Focus on Mitigating the Spread of Infectious Diseases
In engineering, the term vector generally identifies a quantity that has magnitude and direction commonly represented by a directed line segment (i.e., an element of a vector space). Traditionally in medicine, however, a vector is an organism that doesn’t cause disease itself but spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another. Inanimate objects […]