Due to rising fuel costs and environmental impact, consumers are increasingly aware of fuel efficiency (MPG) in the vehicles they purchase, which is reflected in increasing hybrid and electric vehicle sales. A major source of fuel consumption is acceleration and deceleration cycles caused by stopping at red lights—acceleration from a full stop requires significant power.
Continue reading New Project: Cost/Benefit Analysis of Fuel Efficient Speed Control Using Signal Phasing and Timing DataThe Center for Transportation Studies’ fall webinars highlighted a wide range of ongoing University of Minnesota research, including a couple projects sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Continue reading CTS Transportation Research Fall Webinars AvailableA recent study determined the effectiveness of a two-cell iron-enhanced stormwater filtration basin to remove phosphorus from highway stormwater runoff collected from 2012 to 2018. Researchers recommended design changes that would allow for more accurate monitoring of these filter basins.
Continue reading Monitoring Performance of an Iron-Enhanced Stormwater Filtration SystemComplete streets is an approach to road planning and design that considers and balances the needs of all transportation users.
Richfield, Minnesota, located south of Minneapolis, began a Complete Streets redesign in 2013. So how did it turn out? A retrospective study has found that while construction impacts remain on the minds of business owners and residents, Richfield’s program has improved community life and traffic times citywide. Safety and multimodal use are expected to improve.
Continue reading Richfield “Sweet Streets” Improve Quality of Life, Traffic Times CitywideMinnesota is experiencing warmer winters and an increase in freeze-thaw events may negatively impact pavement systems. However, the impacts of these recent climate changes on freeze-thaw cycles have not been well studied.
Continue reading New Project: Have Minnesota’s Warmer Winters Increased the Number of Freeze Thaw Cycles?Roundabouts reduce the severity of crashes at intersections, but transportation agencies have received some feedback from pedestrians indicating that roundabouts, especially larger multi-lane roundabouts, can be difficult to navigate.
Continue reading New Project: Pedestrian User Experience at RoundaboutsHow well do the stop lines at stop-controlled intersections actually work as a safety feature? Through an extensive safety study and a before-after field observation, a recent Minnesota Local Road Research Board study showed that the assumed safety effects of stop lines as a means of influencing driver behavior are not well supported by the evidence.
Continue reading How Well Do Stop Lines Work as a Safety Feature?The availability of hybrid electric utility vehicles expands the field of choices for a fleet manager looking to replace or expand fleets. In order to justify new vehicle purchases, fleet managers of local agencies need to determine how choices impact budgets and operations.
Continue reading Evaluating the Use of Hybrid Vehicles in Municipal FleetsThis article was originally published in Catalyst, August 2020.
On August 1, 2007, the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. Its replacement, open to traffic just over a year later, was instrumented with more than 500 sensors to record the new structure’s behavior and evaluate the effectiveness of different monitoring strategies. A 10-year review of the bridge’s monitoring system is now available from U of M researchers.
Continue reading Monitoring System Provides Decade of Data From I-35W BridgeThis article was originally published in Catalyst, August 2020.
More than five years ago, U of M researchers studied a group of new teen drivers to gauge the effects of real-time, in-vehicle coaching with their innovative Teen Driver Support System (TDSS) smartphone application. Now, a follow-up study offers new understanding about the system’s long-term effectiveness in reducing risky driving behavior.
Continue reading Smartphone-Based Coaching for New Teen Drivers May Offer Long-Term Benefits
