Xiaoqiang “Jack” Kong, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) graduate research assistant, published the article “Work from Home in the Post-COVID World” in Case Studies on Transport Policy. The transport policy field blends engineering, economics, sociology and law to develop key solutions. Case Studies on Transport Policy pairs theoretical analyses with case studies to better inform […]
COVID-19
Texas Traffic Gets a Pandemic Pause
Traffic congestion receded in spring 2020, then bounced back in fall Roadway bottlenecks were back to near pre-pandemic levels in Texas in late 2020 after overall hours wasted in traffic dropped by more than half in the early part of that year, according to a new traffic study performed by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute […]
Shipping Stranglehold: Pandemic Hampered Business Operations and Supply Chains in Texas
The COVID-19 pandemic rattled industries and crippled supply chains worldwide. The results were also evident in the Lone Star State, as research by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) illustrates. Institute experts conducted research studying the impacts of COVID-19 at the Texas–Mexico border and found that the effects of the viral outbreak were felt almost […]
A Tale of Two Problems: 2021 Virtual Traffic Safety Conference Addresses COVID-19’s Impact on Traffic Safety Fatalities
For the second year in a row, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) hosted the virtual Traffic Safety Conference, held July 14–16, 2021. Supported by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the event focused on high-priority safety issues and innovative solutions to end the streak of daily fatal crashes in Texas. This year’s conference also […]
Now You See It; Now You Don’t: The Traffic Hiatus from COVID-19 Was Historic…and Brief
America’s worst public health crisis in a century flattened roadway congestion to levels not seen in 40 years, but the respite was short lived, according to the 2021 Urban Mobility Report (UMR) from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). In the pandemic shutdown of spring 2020, daily commuter traffic dropped by almost half compared to […]
TTI Publishes 2021 Urban Mobility Report
COVID-19 Gave Us an Historic Traffic Hiatus, But the Pause Didn’t Last Long America’s worst public health crisis in a century flattened roadway congestion to levels not seen in 40 years, but the respite was short-lived, according to the 2021 Urban Mobility Report (UMR) from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). In the pandemic shutdown […]
Wunderlich Featured in Washington Post Article
Texas A&M Transportation Institute Senior Research Engineer and the Director of the Center for Transportation Safety Robert Wunderlich was recently quoted in an article in The Washington Post. The story, Think the pandemic made you forget how to drive and park? Experts explain what’s going on, focuses on how some people are reporting that they’ve […]
TTI-Led Research Team Assessing Impacts of COVID-19-Induced Active Transportation Demand
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 […]
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 […]
What We’re Thinking: Teleworking — The New Normal?
By Melissa Tooley This article was originally published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 3, 2020. 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 […]
YTS Program Adapts Young Driver Outreach for Online Learning
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) program — part of the Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety — is active in schools and communities across the country. The program supports peer-led road safety education and outreach to encourage young drivers to practice safe driving behaviors. When schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
Texas Impaired Driving Task Force Encourages Virtual Happy Hour Drinkers to Stay Home
SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted people to get creative with the ways they socialize with friends and family. With alcohol sales on the rise and more people staying at home, virtual happy hours were born. One option for holding a virtual happy hour: having a meetup from the comfort of your home […]