Ginger Goodin, Director of TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center, on June 22 helped to lead a broad discussion of policy issues that may be central in shaping the federal government’s role in the development of automated and connected vehicles. The event – “The road ahead: Developing policies to make connected and automated vehicles a reality” […]
transportation policy research center
Austin, TX and the Smart Cities Challenge: Improving Transportation, Creating Ladders of Opportunity
Research is about more than just studying a problem in search of a solution. Sometimes, research is about realizing a vision. Imagine, for instance, a city with a robust downtown, vibrant neighborhoods, and bustling suburbs. It’s a city of the future, in which people circulate freely, but not by routinely using their own cars. Oh, […]
Study Suggests Austin Residents are Evenly Split on Using Self-driving Cars
How likely might Austin-area residents be to use a self-driving vehicle, which could be on Texas roadways within several years? In a recent TTI study sponsored by the Transportation Policy Research Center, 50 percent of those interviewed said yes to the idea, and 50 percent said no, each group offering a variety of reasons for […]
As Federal Officials Update Driverless Car Policy, TTI Continues Research for Automated/Connected Vehicles
In discussions about the emergence of automated and connected vehicle travel, it’s the technology that tends to attract most of the attention and fascination, but that technology also presents significant implications for policy makers. The TTI Transportation Policy Research Center (PRC) is working to better understand those implications and inform the decision making that will […]
New Findings: More New Oil and Gas Wells, More Crashes and Injury Costs
A new study from TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center shows a correlation between increased oil and gas drilling activity and crashes in energy-rich areas of the state. The findings are based on a comparison of two timeframes: 2006-2009 and 2010-2013 in the Permian Basin, Barnett Shale, and Eagle Ford Shale regions. In both the Permian […]
Texas Freight Survey Assesses How Well the Transportation System is Serving Businesses
Researchers at TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center recently completed the Texas Freight Pilot Survey, in which more than 500 respondents were presented with 12 transportation-related factors and were asked to rank how well the current transportation system is performing across four transportation infrastructures: highways, rail, ports, and border crossings. Results from the first-time survey identified “infrastructure […]
TTI Researchers Provide Testimony to Legislative Leaders on System Funding Needs
Transportation policy leaders in the Texas State Capitol met on September 10 to discuss future funding needs for the state’s transportation system. Ginger Goodin, Director of TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center, and Brianne Glover, Assistant Research Scientist with the Infrastructure Investment Analysis Program, testified before the House Transportation Committee, Subcommittee on Long-term Infrastructure Planning. Their testimony featured estimates of […]
Researchers Study Traffic Make Up on Texas’ I-35 & SH 130
In the Austin area, more than 220,000 vehicles travel on I-35 on a daily basis. In contrast, SH 130, the tolled bypass around Austin only carries 40,000 vehicles daily. Why do more vehicles choose the I-35 route? What would make travelers, particularly big trucks, more likely to use SH 130? Associate Research Scientist Tina Geiselbrecht […]
Research Explores Online Communities to Help Build Effective Transportation Policy
Online communities are virtual gathering places where members interact with other members and administrators of that community through the Internet. As technology has progressed, online communities have evolved to now include features such as surveying, crowd sourcing, voting on or prioritizing concepts or ideas, and participating in live chat sessions. Many online communities are considered […]
More Analysis Follows 2014 Texas Transportation Poll, Provides Insight Into Public Sentiment
As a follow-up to the 2014 Texas Transportation Poll conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), researchers have conducted additional analysis that provides more insight into public sentiment on transportation issues in Texas. Researchers found that Texans most frequently identified the following issues as being important to them:congestion, gas prices, construction, public transportation, road maintenance, […]
Road User Charges For Transportation Funding: Right for Texas?
Tune in as Trey Baker, Associate Research Scientist at TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center, will be interviewed tomorrow morning, Thursday May 21st, at 7:15 a.m. on news radio station 740 KTRH regarding Oregon’s Road Usage Charge (RUC) Program and whether RUCs could work for Texas. TTI researchers are working to find solutions to Texas’ long-term […]
U.S. DOT’s Texas Transportation by the Numbers Profile
The US Department of Transportation’s (US DOT’s) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released its State Transportation by the Numbers Profiles 2014 – two-page collections of transportation statistics for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Highlights from US DOT’s Texas Transportation by the Numbers two-pager point to several efforts recently completed […]
Looking for Lessons Learned: TTI Examines Strategies Other States Use to Cope with Energy Development
One way or the other, the oil and gas industry seems to be ever-present in the minds of Texans. Through last summer, oil prices over $100 per barrel were fueling a boom in drilling activity across the state, especially in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale formations. Texas was supporting 48 percent of all […]
Texans Want More Information, Share Strong Feelings about Transportation
As a result of focus groups conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), researchers learned that Texans know very little about how transportation is funded. For example, although most participants knew that taxes pay for transportation, few mentioned fuel taxes, or knew that the Texas fuel tax has not been raised since 1991. They […]
Most Texans Support More Funding for Transportation, New Poll Shows
Traffic congestion in Texas continues to worsen each year, but that’s not changing how the vast majority of Texans feel about their cars and trucks. This and a variety of other insights come from the first Texas Transportation Poll, which was conducted by the Transportation Policy Research Center of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. The […]