Reprinted from Catalyst, June 11, 2024
During the past century, a person’s average lifespan has increased dramatically. However, this significant “longevity bonus” has also led to challenges, including how to maintain mobility for an aging population.
Continue reading Transportation challenges for aging rural populationsWednesday, July 17, 2024
10:00 – 11:15 a.m. CDT
This free virtual event will highlight the Traffic Safety Culture Research Roadmap, recently released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Wes Kumfer, who led the creation of the roadmap, will review its development and contents. Jay Otto will share example projects and show how they fit into research on traffic safety culture. Join us to learn how you can identify traffic safety culture research needs and get insights to take back to your own organizational cultures!
Dr. Wes Kumfer is an engineering research associate at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) with a focus on crash analysis and workforce development. His primary research interest is traffic safety management through a systems-oriented approach. While at HSRC, Kumfer has worked on pedestrian crash modeling, Safe System implementation, and engineering evaluation. He uses this experience as a member of the Road to Zero Coalition steering group and as an instructor for HSRC’s Road Safety Academy.
Jay Otto is a researcher and co-director for the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering and is fascinated by human behavior, how mindsets and systems influence behavior, and ways of growing cultures within communities and organizations that foster improved health and safety.
The webinar is free to attend, but registration is required. Once you have registered, you will receive an email confirmation with a Zoom link. The link should not be shared with others; it is unique to you.
Attendees are eligible for 1.25 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). Download the PDH credit form (PDF) for your records.
Contact Linda Dolan at ldolan@umn.edu.
This event is offered by the Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths Program and the Minnesota Departments of Health, Public Safety, and Transportation, with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It is hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies.
Reprinted from MnLTAP News May 30, 2024
The Cook County Highway Department has been on a mission to combat chloride pollution infiltrating Minnesota’s pristine wilderness. To that end, the department has set a goal for chloride-free winter maintenance, starting from annual road salt use that averages 300 tons. Staff experimented with liquid-treated sand to reduce the use of granular road salt while maintaining road safety.
Continue reading OPERA project: Benefits and limitations of liquid-treated sandMonday, May 13, 2024, 9:00–11:30 am, In Person
Join CTS for their annual all councils meeting to explore topics related to CTS’s 2024 theme of Rural Needs, Statewide Answers: Improving Transportation for All Communities.
The event is free to attend, but registration is required. Please register by Friday, April 26.
Continue reading Rural Needs, Statewide Answers: Demographics, Health Care Access, and Community EngagementMark your calendar for our annual conference! The event convenes researchers and practitioners from Minnesota and the Upper Midwest to highlight new learning, emerging ideas, and the latest innovations in transportation. Attendees learn about research findings, implementation efforts, and engagement activities related to a variety of transportation topics.
Continue reading 2024 CTS Transportation Research ConferenceReprinted from CTS News; March 5, 2024
—Pam Snopl, CTS senior editor
The fuel tax is the backbone of our roadway funding system, but its ability to generate revenue is under pressure: more vehicles are using less fuel—or no fuel at all. In response, many states are turning to alternative revenue mechanisms to help bridge the funding gap.
Continue reading States Explore Fee Alternatives to Fund Roadway InfrastructureReprinted from CTS News, December 7, 2023
—Sophie Koch, contributing writer
Reliable transportation has a huge impact on quality of life. Many Americans, however, are unable to travel where and when they need to go, and policymakers lack tools to measure the extent of the problem.
Continue reading ‘Transportation Insecurity’: A New Metric to Evaluate Programs and Guide Decision MakingReprinted from CTS News, October 9, 2023
Patterns of movement in cities, especially office job commutes, were substantially altered in 2021 by telework, economic change, and other responses to COVID-19, according to new research from the Accessibility Observatory at the University of Minnesota. While the immediate effects of these behavioral changes, such as reduced congestion and lower transit ridership, have been well documented, new data reveals deeper impacts that differ by the three modes studied: auto, transit, and biking.
Continue reading COVID-19 pandemic substantially changed commuting patterns, job accessThe goods that continuously move through Minnesota by road, rail, air, water, and pipelines drive the state’s economy, making efficient freight transit—and excellent freight infrastructure—a high priority for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).
Continue reading Researchers Identify Freight Data Sources, Create Guidance to Aid Infrastructure PlanningAn influx of electric trucks is expected on our highways, but where will they charge? Few public stations today can serve large freight vehicles. The challenge? Fast chargers are expensive, and new ones need to be placed strategically to keep pace with growing demand.
Continue reading Model Helps Identify Strategic Sites for Truck Charging Stations
Crossroads 