by Innovative Mobility Research | Dec 9, 2021 |
To Pool or Not to Pool Author: Jessica Lazarus and Susan Shaheen Date: December 2021 Over the past decade, on-demand mobility services have changed the way people travel. These services include app-based ride-hailing companies (also known as transportation network companies or TNCs), such as Lyft and Uber. TNCs offer flexible, on-demand rides that can supplement public transit and personal vehicles, and can lower the barriers to living car-free or car-light. However, TNCs also contribute to increasing vehicle mileage, traffic congestion, and greenhouse gas emissions, in part due to the time the vehicles spend driving without a passenger, which is known as “deadheading.” Pooling — multiple travelers sharing a ride in the same vehicle — can mitigate some of these negative impacts. … Read the full article...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Sep 30, 2021 |
Research teams from the University of California Davis and Berkeley campuses have developed a menu of options to set California on a path toward automated vehicle safety, social equity, mobility, and sustainability. Read the full article...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Aug 30, 2021 |
Author: Alissa Walker Date: August 26, 2021 When Governor Kathy Hochul was sworn in Tuesday just after midnight, water was still pooled in the subway stations from the MTA’s second catastrophic flooding in as many months. It was emblematic in so many ways of the transportation crisis she was inheriting. Hochul (via either acting head Janno Lieber or whomever else she names to run the MTA) will have to not only futureproof the agency against the next inevitable superstorm but also do so with ridership way down (and perhaps staying that way for a while, as return-to-the-office plans once again grow uncertain). … Read the full article...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Aug 6, 2021 |
Authors: Elliot Martin, PhD, Adam Cohen, Evan Magsig, Susan Shaheen, PhD Date: July 2020 Abstract: This report evaluates the TriMet OpenTripPlanner (OTP) project, part of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) MOD Sandbox Program. The TriMet OTP project was designed to enhance the existing TriMet trip planner to include shared-use mobility (SUM) options, real-time information on transit vehicle arrivals, pedestrian routing in consideration of sidewalks, and other interface enhancements. The evaluation explored the technical function of the TriMet OTP, including geocoding, routing, and data veracity. It also evaluated user response to the TriMet OTP through a survey and an unscripted test of its trip planning and routing capabilities. Finally, expert (stakeholder/project partner) interviews with project participants were conducted to assess lessons learned from the project operation. Overall, the results found that the TriMet OTP was an enhancement over the existing TriMet trip planner and provided some features that were superior to other leading trip planners. The results of the evaluation supported the hypotheses that the design interfaces were improved, the shared mobility and real-time information was useful, and the new design would facilitate better access and egress to transit. Some challenges were uncovered with respect to the capacity of the Pelias geocoder to handle misspellings or unusual inputs relative to other geocoders. The pedestrian routing also displayed a few limitations but performed well overall. Most hypotheses in this evaluation were supported, and, overall, the project was found to perform very well. View...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Aug 6, 2021 |
Authors: Elliot Martin, PhD, Adam Cohen, Evan Magsig, Susan Shaheen, PhD Date: July 2020 Abstract: This report evaluates the TriMet OpenTripPlanner (OTP) project, part of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) MOD Sandbox Program. The TriMet OTP project was designed to enhance the existing TriMet trip planner to include shared-use mobility (SUM) options, real-time information on transit vehicle arrivals, pedestrian routing in consideration of sidewalks, and other interface enhancements. The evaluation explored the technical function of the TriMet OTP, including geocoding, routing, and data veracity. It also evaluated user response to the TriMet OTP through a survey and an unscripted test of its trip planning and routing capabilities. Finally, expert (stakeholder/project partner) interviews with project participants were conducted to assess lessons learned from the project operation. Overall, the results found that the TriMet OTP was an enhancement over the existing TriMet trip planner and provided some features that were superior to other leading trip planners. The results of the evaluation supported the hypotheses that the design interfaces were improved, the shared mobility and real-time information was useful, and the new design would facilitate better access and egress to transit. Some challenges were uncovered with respect to the capacity of the Pelias geocoder to handle misspellings or unusual inputs relative to other geocoders. The pedestrian routing also displayed a few limitations but performed well overall. Most hypotheses in this evaluation were supported, and, overall, the project was found to perform very well. View...
