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 […]
COVID-19
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 […]