Rick Krochalis, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Region X Administrator, recently kicked off the Center for Transportation Seminar Series on January 8th with a presentation on the Regional Implications of the Federal Livability Initiative. The presentation touched on the federal interagency partnership in addition to FTA’s involvement in the effort. Smart growth and transit-oriented development are not new concepts. With growing congestion, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, needs for maintaining a state of good repair on existing transportation systems in addition to a growing and aging and population in the United States; transit is playing a key role in helping address these issues.The seminar was followed with with a roundtable group discussion with TriMet and local partners; and meeting with faculty and students highlighting transit-related research. You can download the podcast or view the seminar if you missed the presentation. Livability is also the theme for the winter transportation seminar series.
Miguel Figliozzi, OTREC researcher, has been selected to chair a study group that will assist DEQ in developing a report, including recommendations for legislation regarding truck efficiency, reduced idling, and emissions. This report will be submitted to interim environment and natural resource committees of the Oregon Legislature by October 2010 for their consideration and any possible action during the 2011 legislative session. The 2009 Oregon Legislature adopted House Bill 2186, which directed DEQ to study potential requirements regarding the maintenance or retrofitting of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in order to reduce aerodynamic drag and otherwise reduce greenhouse gas emissions. DEQ also plans to study potential restrictions on engine use by parked commercial vehicles, including but not limited to medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Study group members will work with DEQ staff to report findings and recommendations for legislation to the interim legislative committees on environment and natural resources by October 1, 2010.
OTREC has released its latest newsletter as well as its 2008-2009 Annual Report. The Reportís new format emphasizes achievements in each of the three theme areas: integration of transportation and land use, advanced technology and healthy communities. There is also an Education section that presents OTRECís Outstanding Student of the Year, alumni highlights, the Visiting Scholars Program, and the student group activities on each of OTRECís four campuses. The Report includes an Executive Summary with a ìYear in Reviewî and highlights from the 2009 Oregon Transportation Summit.
Please join the Portland State University Intelligent Transportation Lab and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium as we host a Transportation Research Board webinar on climate change mitigation and adaptation, followed by an informal discussion on climate change transportation impacts and planning in the Pacific Northwest. This webinar will explore the findings of Transportation Research Board Special Report 299: A Transportation Research Program for Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change and Conserving Energy. Committee chair, Michael Meyer, will provide an overview of the research programs recommended by the committee that can be used to develop guidance to policy makers. When: Wednesday, December 2, 2009 Where: Portland State University Intelligent Transportation System Lab 1930 SW 4th Ave, Room 315 Time: 11 am - 12:45 pm
Portland State University faculty and students presented their work at the National Urban Freight Conference (NUFC) in Long Beach, CA October 21-23, 2009. Dr. Miguel Figliozzi presented "Emissions & Energy Minimization Vehicle Routing Problem" and "A Study of Transportation Disruption Causes and Cost in Containerized Maritime Transportation." Also, graduate research assistants Ryan Conrad and Nikki Wheeler presented research projects sponsored by OTREC. Ryan presented "Algorithms and Methodologies to Analyze and Quantify the Impacts of Congestion on Urban Distribution Systems Using Real-world Urban Network Data" and Nikki presented "Analysis of the Impacts of Congestion on Freight Movements in the Portland Metropolitan Area." NUFC brings together researchers and practitioners in the public and private sectors from many disciplines within freight transportation. This conference is the only one of its kind in the US, and brought attendees and presenters from across the US, Canada and Europe.
OTREC Director Jennifer Dill participated in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) conference in Crystal City, Virginia from October 1-4, 2009. She moderated a session on Understanding the Motivations for Travel Choice: Public Transit, Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and Walking. She also made two presentations: Individualized Marketing Programs for TDM: Long-Term Effects and the Role of Psychological Theories and Land Use Policy Innovation: Jurisdictional Experiences in Adoption and Implementation. While in DC, she took the opportunity to meet with every office in the Oregon congressional delegation.
OTREC hosted the first annual Oregon Transportation Summit. Over 200 transportation faculty, professionals, and students participated in the day long event to discuss relevant and pressing transportation research issues for Oregon. It was an opportunity to also show appreciation for partners and faculty that have helped to shape OTREC. Recipients of the inaugural Peter DeFazio Hall of Fame award included: Dick Feeney (Person of the Year), ODOT (Partner of the Year), and B. Starr McMullen (Researcher of the Year). The Oregon Transportation Summit was sponsored by the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC), the Portland chapter of WTS, the Oregon chapter of APA, and the Oregon section of ITE. Thank you to our partners and Mayor Sam Adams, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Congressman Peter DeFazio, Wim Wiewel, and Tom Vanderbilt for making this a memorable and successful event.
OTREC recently co-sponsored the National Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Conference in Seaside, OR August 23-27. Prof. Roger Lindgren (OTREC Associate Director from OIT) presented his research Butte Creek Ice Detection and Advanced Warning System Evaluation. Prof. Andrew Nichols (OTREC affiliate faculty from Marshall University) presented Extracting Freight Corridor Performance from Weigh-In-Motion Data. Prof. Chris Monsere was the principal investigator on this project.
Dr. Kristen Tufte led a debriefing of the PSU ITS Lab on August 26 for Shelley Row, ITS Joint Program Office Director. Students Huan Li (Detection of Bottleneck Activation Historically and in Real-Time), Alex Bigazzi (“Greening” PORTAL), Heba Alwakiel (Developing Corridor-Level Truck Travel Time Estimates and Other Freight Performance Measures from Archived ITS Data), and Ryan Conrad (Algorithms and Methodologies to Analyze the Impacts of Congestion on Time-dependent Real-world Urban Networks) gave presentations on their OTREC-supported work. TransPort representatives Deena Platman (METRO), Dennis Mitchell (ODOT), and Jim Gelhar (City of Gresham) also provided an overview of their work. The debriefing was followed by a reception that was co-sponsored by WTS and OTREC.
The Second Safe Routes to School National Conference (SRTS) National Conference convened on August 19-21 in Portland, OR. Sylvan Cambier (UO student) presented a poster on designBridge - Student Led Community Design Build. Dr. Marc Schlossberg (OTREC Associate Director and UO Associate Professor) and Dr. Lynn Weigand, (Director of the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation and OTREC-Affiliate faculty) were part of the SRTS Steering Committee. SRTS research and activities relate to the intersection of OTREC’s theme of healthy communities and integration of land use and transportation.