Research Projects | National Institute for Transportation and Communities

Do Travel Costs Matter For Persons With Lower Incomes? Using Psychological and Social Equity Perspectives to Evaluate the Effects of a Low-Income Transit Fare Program on Low-Income Riders

Principal Investigator: Liu-Qin Yang

Co-Investigators: Liming Wang , Aaron Golub

In recent years, there has been a nationwide push to move from using cars to using other modes of transportation. The benefits of active transportation (that is, walking, biking, and even using public transit) are widely known. Not only can these mod ... Read More

Examining the Impact of Transportation- Related Barriers on Self-Perceived Physical Health among Adults in the United States

Principal Investigator: Philip Baiden

Co-Investigators: Godfred Boateng , Stephen Mattingly

What is the relationship between access to transportation and our own perception of physical health? That's the question researchers explored in the latest report funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), "Examini ... Read More

E-Scooters and Public Health: Understanding the Implications of E-Scooters on Chronic Disease

Principal Investigator: Nicole Iroz-Elardo

E-scooters are an emerging micromobility transportation option with implications on transportation systems and public health. To date, most research on public health and E-Scooters has focused on safety implications. Health implications other than in ... Read More

Evaluating Mobility Impacts Of Construction Workzones On Utah Transportation System Using Machine Learning Techniques

Principal Investigator: Abbas Rashidi

Roadside construction – be it a detour, a closed lane, or a slow weave past workers and equipment – work zones impact traffic flow and travel times on a system-wide level. The ability to predict exactly what those impacts will be, and plan for th ... Read More

Is There a "Buy Local" Case for Lower Travel Speeds? Testing Differences in Driver Recognition of Local Versus National Retail at Different Travel Speeds

Principal Investigator: Jonathan Bean

Co-Investigators: Arlie Adkins , Tara Goddard

City officials and business leaders looking to increase economic performance and attract new residents recognize the benefits of having a strong local retail environment. Money spent at a local retail is more likely to stay in the community (Civic Ec ... Read More

The Impact of Ride Hail Services on the Accessibility of Nonprofit Services

Principal Investigator: Dyana Mason

Ride hailing services (such as Lyft and Uber) are frequently pointed to as a means of filling mobility gaps in a transportation system, especially in areas that are not well-served by transit. How might nonprofit organizations address the mobility ne ... Read More

Urban Transportation System Flood Vulnerability Assessment with Special Reference to Low Income and Minority Neighborhoods

Principal Investigator: Courtney Crosson

Short-term flooding from extreme storm events poses a serious transportation challenge in U.S. cities. This problem—which is anticipated to grow over the next century with our global climate crisis—is often hardest on vulnerable populations, incl ... Read More

Promoting Environmental Justice Populations’ Access to Opportunities within Suburban Boomtowns: An Interdisciplinary, Mixed-Methods Approach to Addressing Infrastructure Needs

Principal Investigator: Jandel Crutchfield

Co-Investigators: Courtney Cronley , Kate Hyun

In the last twenty years, the population increased over 100% in Collin County, Texas. The county is projected to have over 2.4 million residents by 2050 -- more than three times its population in 2010. When enough people flock to an area to call it a ... Read More

Visual Exploration of Utah Trajectory Data and their Applications in Transportation

Principal Investigator: Nikola Markovic

The University of Utah has a new data visualization service to offer to state DOTs and other agencies. Using Small Starts funding from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), researcher Nikola Markovic and his team have deve ... Read More

A Comprehensive Examination of Electronic Wayfinding Technology for Visually Impaired Travelers in an Urban Environment

Principal Investigator: Martin Swobodzinski

Co-Investigator: Amy Parker

Human wayfinding and navigation are key organizing activities that allow human beings to acquire knowledge about the environment and develop cognitive representations in support of such essential tasks as route planning and travel. These activities a ... Read More

How Will Autonomous Vehicles Change Local Government Budgeting and Finance? A Case Study of Solid Waste, Drop-off/Pick-up Zones, and Parking

Principal Investigator: Benjamin Clark

This project specifically seeks to study the secondary effects of AVs (not the innovation themselves but how innovations impact our lives), with a specific focus on local government fiscal impacts. The breadth of impacts are wide ranging and were out ... Read More

How Can Interdisciplinary Teams Leverage Emerging Technologies to Respond to Transportation Infrastructure Needs? A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Civil Engineers, Urban Planning, and Social Workers’ Perspectives

Principal Investigator: Noelle Fields

Co-Investigators: Courtney Cronley , Kate Hyun , Stephen Mattingly

This study explores strengthening collaboration between disciplines, to build a transportation system that better serves everyone. Transportation planners and engineers often struggle to serve at-risk communities and environmental justice (EJ) pop ... Read More

34 Results