Category Archives: Mode

Multimodal, Public transit, Research

Impact of Arterial Bus Rapid Transit on Traffic and Users

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Video and statistical analyses showed that arterial bus rapid transit (ABRT) along Snelling Avenue in Minneapolis-St. Paul had no significant impact on traffic volume and wait times at intersections. Survey results demonstrated that users prefer the A Line over local bus service and consider it roughly equivalent to express bus, light rail and commuter rail service. Though ABRT has not converted automobile drivers to transit riders, users enjoy its easy payment format, cleanliness, route service and convenience. This study also provided recommendations for future ABRT line design considerations.

“Arterial bus rapid transit is perceived positively by users. It’s much like light rail and commuter rail—people think of it as equally useful as light rail.” —Alireza Khani, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering

What Was the Need?

Bus rapid transit (BRT) entails dedicated lanes for buses and off-board payment for users who purchase fares before boarding the bus. In recent years, arterial BRT (ABRT) has developed as an alternative for metropolitan areas that lack roadway width for dedicated lanes. ABRT uses off-board payment but not dedicated lanes; instead, it uses existing roadway arterials and limited stops, offering a fast and efficient commute for users.

In 2016, the A Line opened on the Snelling Avenue corridor in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the area’s first ABRT line. It quickly gained popularity among transit customers as an alternative to local bus service, complementing the Twin Cities’ light rail system and commuter rail service from the suburbs.

Because the A Line operates within existing lanes of traffic and does not feature pullouts at its stops, it could slow corridor traffic when buses stop to load and unload. A preimplementation study of the corridor and A Line service suggested that traffic impacts would be minimal. The A Line’s actual impact on traffic, however, had not been determined, and user perceptions had not been assessed.

The A Line, Minnesota’s first ABRT line, has a positive reputation among riders and area residents, and has had no negative impact on automotive traffic along Snelling Avenue, according to a recent MnDOT study.
Passengers disembark from an A Line bus on Snelling Avenue.

What Was Our Goal?

MnDOT sought to examine the traffic impacts of the A Line in its first year of deployment, and to identify and quantify the A Line’s appeal to riders, including the service’s strengths and weaknesses, and how the transit experience of the A Line compares to local service. In addition, MnDOT needed to assess the characteristics of the service that could be used in new ABRT lines in the Twin Cities.

What Did We Do?

Researchers employed two strategies to evaluate A Line performance. First, the team conducted a traffic and transit capacity study. Investigators analyzed bus system data for ABRT and regular bus service capacity. In August 2017, researchers deployed four cameras each at two intersections: Snelling and University north of Interstate 94 (I-94), and Snelling and Dayton, south of the Interstate. Cameras collected video data for weeks before the 12-day Minnesota State Fair, which is held at the fairgrounds on Snelling Avenue, and additional video during the fair through its conclusion in September. Researchers analyzed recordings of four signal cycles before and after bus arrival at the intersections for traffic queues and volume.

Next, investigators studied the results of a 2016 Metro Transit survey of passengers on the A Line and four parallel standard bus lines. The study compared transit usage data from 2016 and 2017, before and after the A Line opened. The research team surveyed A Line passengers, station area residents, business workers and owners, automobile users, bicyclists and pedestrians. Team members also reviewed a recent study of Minneapolis-area real estate developers on transit facilities and options.

Traffic moves on northbound Snelling Avenue at Dayton in this image taken from the video analysis.
Researchers used video cameras at two key intersections along Snelling Avenue to evaluate the A Line’s impact on traffic.

What Did We Learn?

Video and data analyses revealed that the A Line increased overall transit capacity, and the time its buses spent not moving while passengers were loading and unloading during a green traffic signal had no significant impact on intersection queue length or traffic flow at the two intersections—during and outside State Fair dates. The A Line carries more riders than the local bus along the same route, and the greatest rider turnover occurs at the Snelling and University station, which connects with light rail service.

Surveys identified the five attributes most important to satisfactory transit service: easy fare payment format, hours of operation, complaint resolution, personal safety while riding and courteous transit drivers. A Line users were more satisfied with ABRT than with local bus service, and showed no significant difference in satisfaction with the A Line compared to express buses, light rail and commuter rail. For most individual service attributes such as payment procedures, travel time, shelter cleanliness, and route and bus signage, the A Line performed better than local buses, the same as light rail but not as well as commuter rail. Nonuser surveys indicated a positive perception of the ABRT, but mixed impact on pedestrian and bicycling activities and little impact on reducing preferences for using automobiles instead of transit.

What’s Next?

To improve A Line service, transit managers should focus on operating hours, the on-board safety of riders, reliability and total travel time. Researchers noted that rider satisfaction does not consider costs associated with improved service and recommended that future ABRT plans weigh improvements in the five key attributes of transit service against costs in planning new lines. The study findings and recommendations will be used in planning future ABRT lines.

“We will use this study to show MnDOT staff that arterial bus rapid transit should have minimal to no impact on existing traffic and signal operations.” —Carl Jensen, Transit Advantages Engineer, MnDOT Metro District

This Technical Summary pertains to Report 2018-35, “After Study of The Bus Rapid Transit A Line Impacts,” published December 2018. For more information, visit MnDOT’s Office of Research & Innovation project page.

Maintenance Operations, Research, Trucking

New Tools to Optimize Truck Station Locations

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The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has 137 truck stations across the state. These stations house and allow maintenance of MnDOT highway equipment as well as provide office and work space for highway maintenance staff. Within 20 years, 80 of these stations will need to be replaced as they reach the end of their effective life spans. Researchers developed a geographic information system based modeling tool to determine the most effective locations for truck stations in the state. Using data from many sources, a new research study has determined that MnDOT could rebuild 123 stations, relocate 24 on land available to MnDOT and combine two. MnDOT would save millions of dollars using the location optimization alternatives over the 50-year life cycle of a typical truck station.

What Was the Need?

MnDOT operates 137 truck stations, 18 headquarter sites for maintenance operations and over 50 areas for materials delivery. Truck stations are used to house and maintain large highway equipment, and to provide office and work space for highway maintenance staff. Some stations also store materials. 

The average life span of a truck station is 50 years. Within the next 20 years, 80 of MnDOT’s truck stations will need to be replaced. With costly capital replacement imminent, MnDOT has considered measures to optimize truck station locations within its eight state districts, including possibilities of reducing the size of some, increasing others, or combining the facilities of some state and local agencies into new partnerships. Determining the best effective locations for new truck stations could reduce costs for both state and local partners.

MnDOT needed a means of selecting and collecting the most appropriate data for an investigation into optimizing truck station locations. The agency also needed tools such as a computer model to analyze the data. These resources would allow MnDOT to determine the most time- and cost-effective locations for future truck stations. 

What Was Our Goal?

The initial objective of this research project was to collect data about truck service areas, including the quantity of highway equipment and materials capacity, and the materials storage capacity of facilities. This information combined with service route data would allow MnDOT to optimize truck station locations by determining whether facilities should be closed, resized, combined or relocated, and whether other materials storage locations would be necessary. An economic benefit–cost analysis would compare alternatives. 

A map of Minnesota indicates the location of each of MnDOT’s 137 truck stations with a blue square and of major highway routes connecting the stations, also shown in blue.
This project will determine the future of more than half of MnDOT’s 137 truck stations in the next two decades.

What Did We Do?

To determine how other departments of transportation (DOTs) and related agencies have addressed choosing the best locations for facilities, researchers conducted a literature review that included reports from six state DOTs and Australia, Transportation Research Board publications and other research papers. In addition, they consulted the standards developed by MnDOT’s Truck Station Standards Committee. 

Researchers also conducted surveys and interviews of both MnDOT and outside agency stakeholders. 

With many data sets collected for each truck station site, researchers used a geographic information system (GIS) platform to solve a location-allocation problem and a multivehicle routing problem for the truck stations. The problems incorporated such factors as amount of equipment, equipment capacity, storage capacity, material demand for road segments and other information. Estimated costs of operation for each location alternative were compared to present costs of each truck station. 

“Using real-world data, we built GIS models of maintenance operations to determine optimal truck station locations. With expected life spans of around 50 years, truck stations that are optimally located will reduce operating costs and save money for MnDOT and Minnesota taxpayers.” —William Holik, Assistant Research Engineer, Texas Transportation Institute

MnDOT’s Maple Grove Truck Station and Maintenance Center is a new 108,000-square-foot facility. MnDOT’s truck stations range in size from Class 1 buildings of at least 25,000 square feet to smaller Class 3 facilities with four or fewer overhead doors.
MnDOT’s Maple Grove Truck Station and Maintenance Center is a new 108,000-square-foot facility. MnDOT’s truck stations range in size from Class 1 buildings of at least 25,000 square feet to smaller Class 3 facilities with four or fewer overhead doors.

What Did We Learn?

The literature review showed that optimizations of facility locations may require a second level of sites, such as strategically placed materials storage depots. Some research also showed that both transportation and facility costs must be considered and that after a certain point, consolidation of stations could cost more as vehicles and staff were required to drive farther to reach them. 

Reports of state DOT location optimization efforts were instructive. Iowa DOT noted the need to consider the slow highway speeds of snowplows. This was a critical element for researchers to include in their optimization models as it determines route travel times. Vermont Agency of Transportation highlighted the use of satellite materials depots. Generally, state DOT efforts were confined to small regional issues, unlike MnDOT’s statewide scope.

In interviews with MnDOT and local agency stakeholders, researchers learned about partnerships that already existed between MnDOT and city and county agencies. These partnerships primarily included the sharing of truck stations and sometimes of materials. These partnerships were included in the optimization development.

Researchers optimized the truck station location using a GIS optimization model and separate cost analyses. They developed alternatives for each truck station individually. Each alternative was then analyzed to determine costs and savings over a 50-year life cycle. 

Finally, researchers determined which alternatives could be most effectively executed and their optimum order. They also developed an implementation plan for station relocation and replacement. This modeling was an iterative process: Each optimal location replaced the existing location and became the baseline against which the next station alternative was compared. The result was a comprehensive set of location possibilities for each MnDOT district with multiple alternatives for every truck station, including benefit–cost analyses. Researchers’ optimization solutions determined that 123 truck stations could be rebuilt on-site, 24 could be relocated on land available to MnDOT, and two could be combined. 

“We successfully analyzed all of our truck station and loading locations, determined which were good candidates for potential relocation or consolidation, and developed a data-driven plan of action to save millions of dollars.” —Christopher Moates, Planning Director, MnDOT Building Services

What’s Next?

MnDOT now has the information it needs to effectively implement cost-saving changes in future truck station planning and construction. The agency could use the researchers’ initial recommendations or further employ the GIS modeling tool to examine variations on the results of the project. 

This post pertains to Report 2019-10, “Optimizing Truck Station Locations for Maintenance Operations,” published February 2019. For more information, visit MnDOT’s Office of Research & Innovation project page.

Multimodal, Public transit, Research

Bus–Highway Connections Make Transit More Competitive With Driving

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Researchers developed a method for associating travel times and travel costs with transit mobility. In an evaluation of bus–highway system interactions, investigators found that park-and-ride lots and managed lanes put suburban and walk-up urban transit options on equal footing. Bus–highway system interactions improve access to job locations and have improved transit access to job sites by about 20 percent compared to automobile access. When wage-related costs are included, the benefit of automobile use over transit use diminishes significantly.

What Was the Need?

Bus service in the Twin Cities relies on MnDOT-built park-and-ride (PNR) lots and managed lanes—lanes for buses on streets and highways, including high-occupancy lanes—to help transit users travel from the suburbs and urban locations to job, retail, service and entertainment sites. 

One measure of how a transit system of PNR lots and bus service works for users is job accessibility—the number of jobs that can be reached by a mode of transportation within a certain travel time period.

The type of lanes a bus uses impacts travel times via bus, and the differences in these travel times in turn impact the transit user’s ability to reach locations using walk-up transit service. The transit alternative to walk-up service is drive-to-transit service via PNR lots. The Twin Cities transit system intersects with over 100 PNR lots where transit users park their vehicles and take express and limited-stop services to business districts and job locations. 

Understanding the impact of managed lanes and PNR lots on transit effectiveness in terms of job access requires diving into transit and travel data; developing ways to measure accessibility for walk-up, drive-to-transit and automobile-only travel modes; and adjusting methods so the cost of travel and the time of travel can be reasonably compared between modes. 

A MnPASS lane on Interstate 394 at the General Mills Boulevard exit. The express lane is closest to the highway median, indicated by a white diamond-shaped marker on the pavement and separated from three other traffic lanes by a solid white line. A highway sign above the lane indicates the fees for lane use.
MnPASS lanes are managed lanes that offer buses quicker access to downtown.

What Was Our Goal?

MnDOT sought to evaluate how the bus and highway systems interact in terms of job accessibility. The research would consider how managed lanes and PNR lots affect job accessibility for walk-up and drive-to-transit users, compare these findings to automobile-only usage, and profile how well the transit system of the Twin Cities serves users in terms of cost to use and travel time. 

What Did We Do?

In the first stage of work, the research team focused on the managed lane network to determine how it contributes to walk-up transit accessibility. Investigators developed a computer program to modify transit schedule data to reflect how buses operate in different managed lane configurations and calculate walk-up access to jobs systemwide. 

In the second stage, the team developed a method for calculating accessibility via PNR use, and PNR accessibility in terms comparable to access via walk-up transit and automobile use. 

In the third stage, researchers developed a mixed-mode accessibility profile of the system. 

“The researchers did more than just measure mobility; they quantified access to employment in terms of travel time and travel cost, as well. Results put park-and-rides and suburban transit on equal footing with walk-up transit in urban environments.”

—Jim Henricksen, Traffic Forecaster, MnDOT Metro Traffic Forecasting and Analysis 

The research team incorporated a monetary dimension to travel time accessibility measures, associating costs of automobile use, parking fees, transit fare and travel time with travel modes in a value of time unit to compare accessibility between automotive and transit usage. 

What Did We Learn?

Study results showed that PNR lots and managed lanes offer greater access to job sites. The longer the trip to a job site, the more competitive transit becomes with driving for commuting to work. Bus–highway interactions via managed lanes and PNR lots improve transit job accessibility relative to automobile use by 3.8 percent in a 30-minute commute and by 19.1 percent in a 60-minute commute. For the 60-minute scenarios, transit accessibility from the suburbs to the central business district improves by 319,322 jobs for the average worker. 

For managed lanes, the greatest benefit is for suburban regions near express routes. On the I-94 corridor, where the greatest improvement by transit to accessibility is felt, every mile of MnPASS lanes offers an increase of 98 jobs accessible to average riders. 

With express bus service, travel times from PNR lots to destinations decrease by an average of 10.7 minutes for the system. Compared to walk-up transit travel, drive-to-transit from suburban areas offers accessibility values roughly three times greater than travel by walk-up transit, in part because time spent driving in suburbs gets users to more transit facilities than the same time spent walking.  

“We developed tools and methodologies, and applied them metrowide to bring new insights to the role of highway operations and planning on access to jobs through transit.”

—Andrew Owen, Director, Accessibility Observatory, University of Minnesota

Researchers found pockets in the Twin Cities where transit and PNR are more competitive with automotive travel per dollar of travel. These areas highlight urban locations where the transit network is the most robust and suburban areas where automobile travel times are long compared to express transit. When researchers applied wage value to time spent traveling, the benefit of driving rather than using PNR lots and transit dropped 89.6 percent. The relative value of transit may increase further if measures account for productivity on transit. 

What’s Next?

This research helps MnDOT plan future PNR and managed lane facilities to maximize benefit to transit services. Value of time models and comparisons offer a way to measure the relative value of transit to automobile use in accessing jobs. 

Future analysis may include long-term fixed costs associated with vehicle ownership and show further improvement in the comparative value of transit services to automobile use. Methods from this study may also be applied to other mixed-mode transit options, like biking, scooters or ride-sharing to transit access points.

This Technical Summary pertains to Report 2019-17, “Accessibility and Behavior Impacts of Bus-Highway System Interactions,” published April 2019. Visit the MnDOT research project page for more information.

Maintenance Operations, Policy and Planning, Trucking

Roadmap created for rollout of unified OSOW permitting

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The second phase is nearing completion for a project aimed at creating a Unified Permitting Process (UPP) for oversize/overweight (OSOW) vehicles in Minnesota. One outcome of this phase is a roadmap that will define steps for future phases, including statewide implementation.

Currently, haulers need to apply for OSOW permits with each individual roadway authority they will travel through. MnDOT, counties, townships, and cities all administer permits for their own roadways—so several different permit applications and processes can be required for a single haul.

“The streamlined permitting process is expected to increase efficiencies for the freight industry, which is good for our economy,” says Clark Moe, systems coordinator with MnDOT’s Operations Division, Office of Maintenance. “It will also enable more effective enforcement and help us preserve the quality of our road network.”

Through the UPP, agencies should have a better idea of what’s happening on their roads, says Rich Sanders, county engineer for Polk County. “Throughout the state, there are a lot of hauls we don’t even know about, let alone if they will use a restricted bridge or road.”

UPP Phases I and II

Phase I of the UPP project examined the feasibility of implementing a permitting platform. Completed in 2017, this phase included listening sessions across the state with the hauling industry, local agency engineers, law enforcement, state agencies, and MnDOT staff. Eighteen public and private entities collaborated to develop policies, processes, and plans for UPP technology. The final report concluded that a reference platform system for processing permit applications would be the best approach to explore.

Technical Schematic of a Reference Platform. The permitting platform will connect various software and data sources
The permitting platform will connect various software and data sources

Phase II was a proof-of-concept pilot project spanning St. Louis County, Polk County, the City of Duluth, and MnDOT Districts 1 and 2. The goal was to see if a permitting platform would work across jurisdictions connecting various permitting software and using multiple system processes. “The platform has to be usable in different ways and be able to channel payment back to MnDOT or a county or city,” Sanders says. “Phase II showed UPP could work.”

Phase II also underscored the complexity of the issues to come. “The vision is for haulers to enter their license data, and the required permit data would automatically populate the permit,” says Mitch Rasmussen, assistant commissioner with MnDOT State Aid. “But all kinds of software systems are now in use by local agencies, and MnDOT’s Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operation is preparing to replace the two online systems it’s been using for decades. All the systems will need to talk to the unified platform. It will take time and money to build. The roadmap from Phase II can help us get there.”

Policy and fee differences are another challenge. To gather context and ideas, MnDOT recently completed a Transportation Research Synthesis to explore the practices of other state transportation agencies in setting, collecting, and distributing permit fees for heavy commercial OSOW vehicles (see related article). Another MnDOT study is under way to gather basic data about the permit fee policies of counties in Minnesota and throughout the country, including authority for the fees, cost range, and fee types.

When Polk County switched from a paper system to an electronic one, industry started applying for permits more consistently, Sanders says. With the paper system, five or six permit applications would be faxed in each year, and approval could take two days. But with its online system, the county received 201 applications between January 1 and October 26, 2018. “Approval might take us 30 seconds,” he notes.

UPP work to date has been funded by MnDOT and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board. Others involved include the Federal Highway Administration, state agencies (Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota IT Services Geospatial Information Office), associations (Minnesota Association of Townships, Minnesota County Engineers Association, Associated General Contractors of America), private businesses (ProWest, SRF Consulting, Midstate Reclamation & Trucking, Tiller Corporation), and educational institutions (Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, NDSU; Alexandria Technical & Community College). UPP Phases I & II were a unique collaborative public-private partnership to resolve a long-standing problem.

Next phases and final outcome

Moving forward, Phase III will begin development of the unified system using real data from multiple road authorities and databases in MnDOT Districts 1 and 2. Phase IV will take the platform beyond Districts 1 and 2 and roll out the system for testing statewide. Estimated completion is two to three years.

“Under current plans for the unified system, Minnesota road authorities will continue to set their own fees and may be able to connect their existing software, although some interoperable adaptations will be needed,” Moe says. “The new permitting process will focus on education for haulers, permitting agencies, and the public, as well as engineering decisions by agencies. This, in turn, will lead to increased enforcement effectiveness to help preserve road quality while boosting the economy.”

“Many decisions are still on tap,” Rasmussen adds. “There’s no decision yet of who’s going to own it and manage it, for example, or what fees might be recommended. There are a million moving parts, and many agencies and interests are involved. But we’re taking big strides toward our central goal: putting the right load on the right road, the right way, right away.”

This article by Pam Snopl originally appeared in the December issue of the Minnesota LTAP Technology Exchange newsletter.

Bicycling, Traffic and Safety

New Project: Guidance for Separated/Buffered Bike Lanes With Delineators

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New research has started that will provide needed guidance for the design of separated bike lanes, which are rapidly growing in popularity. The two-year Minnesota Local Research Board-funded study, which is being performed by the University of Minnesota, will identify the safety, cost and accessibility attributes of different lane designs and produce a technical memorandum with design guidance for transportation planners.

Background

Separated bicycle lanes (SBLs) are a bicycle facility that employs both a paint and vertical element as a buffer between vehicle traffic and bicycle traffic.

In 2016, the City of Minneapolis increased the total mileage of separated bike lanes in the city from 5.4 to 9.4 miles with plans to increase that to 30 miles by 2020. While many other cities around the U.S. are in the process of installing separated bike lanes as part of their non-motorized transportation networks, research about them has not kept pace.

The Federal Highway Administration’s Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide  identified several gaps in existing research, including the effects of SBLs on vehicle traffic, the preferred speed and volume thresholds to recommend SBLs, and the differences in safety between one- and two-way SBLs.

Despite safety being a major concern with SBLs, the guide states that “there are no existing studies that have satisfied best practices for analyzing the safety of SBLs.” The guide goes on to caution that even in cases where research on the safety or operational effects of SBLs does exist, “much of the highest quality research comes from outside the U.S.” The FHWA guide also lists cost as a gap in knowledge about SBLs, saying “few benchmarks exist for separated bike lane costs, which vary extensively due to the wide variety of treatments and materials used.”

This research project will provide a thorough synthesis of current research and guidelines and a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of different midblock bike lane designs to help Minnesota-based agencies make data-driven design and planning decisions. Design variables include delineator type and spacing, land and buffer widths, and one- vs two-way bike lanes. Impacts that would be evaluated include installation, maintenance, and user costs as well as safety and facility usage.

Two lane road with bicycle lanes on both sides of the road with cars on the road and cyclists in the bike lanes.

Objective

When considering installing SBLs, many aspects including impacts on both bicycle traffic and other types of traffic (pedestrians, passenger cars, delivery trucks, etc.) must all be considered. However, much of this information is unavailable. By providing a comprehensive repository for the relevant data on the numerous SBL design options, this project will allow engineers and policy-makers to make more informed decisions regarding bicycle infrastructure installations and improvements. Access to this sort of hard data will aid in the process of performing will aid in the prioritization of options for bike facilities thereby reducing the waste of funds on unneeded or unaffordable projects.

Scope

The tasks of the research project include:

  • Conduct a thorough literature review to identify any gaps in the current research.  Examples of this might include the effects of SBLs on all road users, frequency of bicycle and vehicle violations for various SBL designs, recommended speed and volume thresholds for installation, the costs associated with SBLs, or the differences in safety between one- and two-way SBLs.
  • Conduct research such as observational field studies, crash record analysis, synthesis of the results of other studies, road user surveys, review of previous project budgets, bicycle facility repair record analysis, municipal records of complaints and violations, or some combination thereof.
  • Develop a list of options for the design of multi-modal facilities and the respective impacts of those options based on findings from the field studies. This could include maintenance costs, user costs and safety impacts.

By providing transportation planners, engineers, and other practitioners new information on the impacts likely to be associated with different designs, the practitioners will be in a better position to both choose among designs and mitigate potential adverse effects of those designs. The list of design options and associated impacts will be summarized in a technical memorandum with a more thorough presentation in the project final report.

Watch for new developments on this project.  Other Minnesota transportation research can be found at MnDOT.gov/research.

Education, Pedestrian, Traffic and Safety

More Saint Paul drivers stopping for pedestrians, thanks to pilot study

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A two-year research project underway in the City of St. Paul is already improving pedestrian safety and driver behavior by applying lessons learned from a national award-winning pedestrian traffic study. The city began using the practices last fall with the “Stop for Me” campaign, and driver yield rates have already gone up by 9 percent.

Background

Each year, dozens of Saint Paul pedestrians legally crossing the street are struck by vehicles driven by motorists who fail to stop. In 2015, 40 pedestrians died in Minnesota after being hit by a motor vehicle; 900 were injured. In 2017, there were 192 vehicle-pedestrian crashes in Saint Paul, three of which proved deadly.

Pedestrian fatalities and injuries represent a growing percentage of traffic fatalities and injuries nationwide. For example, pedestrian fatalities comprised 10.9% of all traffic deaths nationwide in 2004, but 14.5% in 2013.

A recent study supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demonstrated that driver behavior can be changed on a city-wide basis. The introduction of highly-visible pedestrian right-of-way enforcement in Gainesville, Florida increased driver yield rates for pedestrians by 22% to 30%.

Objective

University of Minnesota researchers are charged with reviewing the City of St. Paul’s efforts to improve pedestrian safety and investigate whether a program similar to the one in Gainesville can change driver yielding for pedestrians and speed compliance. The activities in St. Paul are being planned together with city traffic engineers and enforcement officers and will include various educational, engineering and enforcement countermeasures and media campaigns.

Last fall, St. Paul began the “Stop for Me” campaign, which enforces pedestrian laws, increases driver and pedestrian education and works towards enhanced signage and other changes to crosswalks around the city.

A group of people holding signs with traffic safety messages
Stop For Me is a campaign to improve safety for people who use St. Paul’s sidewalks and cross its  streets.

On June 25, the St. Paul Police Department began the second phase of the campaign by ticketing drivers who fail to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks.

Additionally, police officers are ticketing drivers for “endangerment” if they pass a vehicle that is stopped for a pedestrian at a crosswalk. This citation leads to a mandatory court appearance for the driver.

Weekly stopping percentages can be viewed at eight intersections across the city from now until the end of fall.

Watch for new developments on this project (expected end date of August 2019) here.  Another MnDOT study is looking at pedestrian traffic safety in rural and tribal communities. Other Minnesota research on pedestrian travel can be found at MnDOT.gov/research.

 

 

Mode, Multimodal, Trucking

MnDOT Explores the Use of a Unified Permitting Process for Oversize/Overweight Loads

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Researchers produced a proof-of-concept for developing a one-stop permitting process that would allow commercial haulers to plan a travel route and secure all required permits from a single source. MnDOT is working to develop a first-of-its-kind, unified permitting process to consolidate the requirements of every jurisdiction in the state into a single, quick-response platform that meets the needs of haulers.

“From a hauler’s perspective, the permitting process can be very cumbersome. Each agency’s application is different as are the general provisions that haulers need to follow,” said Renae Kuehl, Senior Associate, SRF Consulting Group, Inc.

“As carriers, we’re trying to do our due diligence in getting permits. But the current process can lead to significant safety and legal risks,” said Richard Johnson, Transportation Manager, Tiller Corporation.

What Was the Need?

Hauling oversize or overweight freight on Minnesota’s roadway system—highways, county roads, township roads and city streets—requires approval by each governing authority along the route. Roadway managers must review hauler travel plans to make sure size and weight limits for vehicles and loads will not endanger roadway facilities, hauler equipment and personnel before issuing the over-size or overweight permit.

Any single hauling route may require permits from multiple roadway authorities, each with different application procedures and response times. Some governing bodies, MnDOT among them, issue these permits online and can turn them around in minutes. Other agencies issue permits by mail, fax or email, which can take several days.

Haulers, however, may not have time to wait for a permit. If equipment breaks down at a loading site, for example, replacement equipment is needed immediately to meet contract deadlines and avoid paying labor costs for idle workers. A construction emergency may also demand large equipment be towed to a site. In situations like these, haulers often make the trip without appropriate permitting, accepting the legal and safety risks.

What Was Our Goal?

To simplify the permitting process, Minnesota local agencies would like to develop an online permitting application process that would allow permit-seekers to determine routes based on their vehicle and load size, and secure all necessary permits at one time. This research, the first phase of a multiphase study, aimed to determine the feasibility of a one-stop, unified permitting process by studying its technological and operational needs and gathering input from various stakeholders.

What Did We Do?

Investigators worked with the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) and a group of policy experts from county and state agencies, commercial haulers and consultants to identify audiences with a stake in a unified permitting process. During meetings in northern Minnesota and in the Twin Cities area, investigators and TAP members met with key stakeholders: haulers and representatives from industry organizations; seven MnDOT offices (including Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations, Information Technology, Maintenance and Geospatial Information); Minnesota counties; the City of Duluth; the Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council; Minnesota State Patrol; the State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Section; and a county sheriff’s office.

The research team identified the challenges and needs of each stakeholder and organized the concerns according to policy, process and technology. Then they explored solutions that would allow the development of a one-stop permitting process.

What Did We Learn?

Researchers determined that a unified permitting process is feasible. Policy issues include the need to standardize general provisions statewide, such as travel hours, insurance requirements and warning devices such as flagging needs. For example, currently the color of flags and lettering on banners vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; well-framed general provisions could make these requirements more uniform to serve multiple jurisdictions. The information required by each governing authority in its permit applications could also be normalized.

Process issues were about workflow. More than 80 percent of hauler requests are repeat-able: A commercial haul may be run on the same route with the same-size load three times a month for four months and may not require a full reapplication each time. Some agencies rely on paper, fax or emails to receive permit requests; others purchase permit-ting software; still others build their own software. These systems could be made more uniform so they could interact and share information among agencies.

Technology issues called for an interoperable system that could bring together geographic information system (GIS) capabilities and regulatory data that could be both received and shared. Mapping data could identify each permit required along a route being developed, and a portal could allow agencies to share information as well as allow permit-seekers to enter information and retrieve permits themselves. A portal could also integrate different software packages while offering information like Minnesota’s Gopher State One Call digging hotline.

What’s Next?

In Phase II of this project, which has already begun, researchers will develop a pilot portal that allows users to create route plans, identify permits needed and apply for all permits in one action. Investigators will test the platform with a three-county group. If this effort is successful, researchers will build a unified permitting process for use within all jurisdictions in Minnesota.

MnDOT is also enhancing its software for handling oversize/overweight permits and carrier credentials. Transportation Research Synthesis 1704 surveyed state agencies about current offerings.

This post pertains to the LRRB-produced Report 2017-26, “Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Unified Permitting Process (UPP) Phase I,” published August 2017. 

Mode, Multimodal, Public transit, Research

MnDOT Chooses EasyMile for Autonomous Shuttle Bus Project

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation chose EasyMile, a France-based company specializing in driverless technology, to lead its autonomous shuttle bus pilot project. MnDOT announced in June it will begin testing the use of an autonomous shuttle bus in a cold weather climate.

“We’re excited to partner with EasyMile to help MnDOT test autonomous technology,” said Jay Hietpas, MnDOT state traffic engineer and project manager. “Their expertise will help us learn how these vehicles operate in a winter weather environment so we can advance this technology and position MnDOT and Minnesota as a leader.”

EasyMile, which has a location in Colorado, has conducted driverless technology cold weather tests in Finland and Norway. Minnesota will be their first cold weather test site in the U.S. EasyMile will use its EZ10 electric shuttle bus that has already transported 160,000 people more than 60,000 miles in 14 countries. The shuttle was tested in various environments and traffic conditions. During these tests, the shuttle operated crash-free.

The shuttle operates autonomously at low speeds on pre-mapped routes. It can transport between six and 12 people.

Initially, it will be tested at MnROAD, which is MnDOT’s pavement test facility. Testing will include how the shuttle operates in snow and ice conditions, at low temperatures and on roads where salt is used.

Testing is scheduled to start in November and go through February 2018. The shuttle will also be showcased during the week of the 2018 Super Bowl.

Hietpas said 3M will also be a partner in the project so the company can research various connected vehicle concepts including sensor enhancement and advanced roadway safety materials. When optimized, these materials would aid in safe human and machine road navigation.

Read more about the autonomous shuttle bus pilot project:

Related MnDOT research:

Bicycling, Multimodal

Clearly Marked Bicycle Lanes Enhance Safety and Traffic Flow

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Researchers evaluated bicycle and motor vehicle interactions at nine locations in Duluth, Mankato, Minneapolis and St. Paul,in a study sponsored by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board to better understand how bicycle facilities affect traffic. Results show that on shared roadways without clearly marked bicycle facilities, drivers are more inclined to pass bicyclists, encroach on other traffic lanes or line up behind bicyclists than on roadways with clearly striped or buffered facilities.

“This project gave us qualitative information and some quantitative information. The observations made provide something we can build on,” said James Rosenow, Design Flexibility Engineer, MnDOT Office of Project Management & Technical Support.

“The solid line makes the absolute difference in bicycle facilities— something that we haven’t seen in any other study. We found that the presence of a clearly marked or buffered bicycle lane makes a large difference in the way drivers behave around bicyclists,” said John Hourdos, Director, Minnesota Traffic Observatory, University of Minnesota.

What Was the Need?

The availability of multimodal traffic facilities encourages travelers to use a range of transportation methods, from driving to riding on public transit and bicycling. Although bicycle use is low compared to motor vehicle and public transit use, MnDOT’s Complete Streets program encourages cities and counties to dedicate roadway space to bicycle facilities to expand transportation options and “maximize the health of our people, economy and environment.”

Planners and engineers typically consider bicycle facilities from the bicyclist’s perspective. It is less common to design and plan for bicycle use from the driver’s perspective. However, effective multimodal planning requires an understanding of how bicycles affect traffic if congestion-causing interactions are to be avoided, particularly on high-volume roads. Bicycle facilities must invite use, ensure safety for all road users and at the same time not slow traffic.

What Was Our Goal?

This project aimed to investigate interactions between drivers and bicyclists on urban roadways that employ various bicycle facility designs, and to determine how different bicycle facilities affect traffic. Researchers sought to look at bicycle facilities from the driver’s point of view.

What Did We Do?

Pavement markings with directional arrows and a bicycle icon, called sharrows.
Sharrows can be marked with or without stripes. By themselves, sharrows seem to have no more impact on traffic than do no bicycle facilities at all.

The investigation team reviewed 44 bicycle facility design manuals and guidance documents, 31 research papers on implementation or assessment of facility designs, and design manuals used by seven other Complete Streets programs from around the United States to identify facility designs that warranted further study.

With help from the MnDOT Technical Advisory Panel and local planners, the team selected nine sites in Duluth, Mankato, Minneapolis and St. Paul that offered a range of facilities—buffered bicycle lanes, striped bicycle lanes, sharrows (shared-use arrows), signed shared lanes and shoulders of various widths.

At each site, they set up one to three cameras and videotaped during daylight hours for five to 51 days. Researchers then trimmed the video data into relevant car-and-bicycle-interaction time frames. This yielded from 16 to 307 hours of video from each site for detailed analysis.

The research team then reviewed the video and analyzed how drivers behaved when encountering bicyclists on roads with and without bicycling facilities. Researchers grouped driver behavior into five categories: no change in trajectory, deviation within lane, encroachment on adjacent lane, completion of full passing maneuver and queuing behind bicyclists. Researchers confirmed their observations with statistical modeling. After analyzing the results of behavior as it correlated with facility type, researchers presented the traffic flow implications of different bicycle facility designs.

What Did We Learn?

  • Literature Review. Almost all design guidance drew heavily on directives from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials or the National Association of City Transportation Officials. Of the 62 bicycle facility design elements identified in bicycle guidance documents, fewer than half have been studied in any way for efficacy, safety or traffic impact.
  • Video Analysis. On roadways with sharrows, signs for shared lanes or no bicycle facilities, drivers were more likely to encroach on adjacent lanes than were drivers on road-ways with buffered or striped bicycle lanes. Queuing, or lining up behind bicyclists, showed the greatest potential to impact traffic flows. The highest rates of lining up occurred on roads without bicycle facilities and roads with shared facilities but no marked lanes.
  • Implications. Sharrows may alert drivers to the presence of bicyclists, but in the impact they make on traffic, sharrows differ little from no bicycle facilities. Roadways with signs indicating shared lanes also show little difference in driver behavior from roadways with no facilities. Therefore, where space allows, buffered or striped bicycle lanes should be used instead of sharrows or signs to increase the predictability of driver behavior and reduce queuing impacts on traffic.

What’s Next?

This study provides enough data to support the recommendation of dedicated, striped or buffered bicycle facilities where demand or interest exists. However, the detailed video analysis conducted for this project provides only part of a three-dimensional study of the efficacy and value of various bicycle facility designs. Further study will be needed to quantify facility and vehicle-bicycle interaction in terms of other traffic impacts like speed and traffic flow coefficients, and to quantify crash rates and other safety impacts. Research is also needed to investigate bicycle facility demand and bicycle use on road-ways that do not currently have bicycle facilities.

This post pertains to the LRRB-produced Report 2017-23, “Traffic Impacts of Bicycle Facilities,” published June 2017.

Bicycling, Pedestrian, Research

New manual helps agencies count bike, pedestrian traffic

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As part of an ongoing effort to institutionalize bicycle and pedestrian counting in Minnesota, MnDOT has published a new manual designed to help city, county, state, and other transportation practitioners in their counting efforts.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Data Collection Manual, developed by University of Minnesota researchers and SRF Consulting Group, provides guidance and methods for collecting bicycle and pedestrian traffic data in Minnesota. The manual is an introductory guide to nonmotorized traffic monitoring designed to help local jurisdictions, nonprofit organizations, and consultants design their own programs.Bicycle and Pedestrian Data Collection Manual

Topics covered in the manual include general traffic-monitoring principles, bicycle and pedestrian data collection sensors, how to perform counts using several types of technologies, data management and analysis, and next steps for nonmotorized traffic monitoring in Minnesota. Several case studies illustrate how bicycle and pedestrian traffic data can be used to support transportation planning and engineering.

The manual was completed as part of the third in a series of MnDOT-funded projects related to the Minnesota Bicycle and Pedestrian Counting Initiative, a collaborative effort launched by MnDOT in 2011 to encourage nonmotorized traffic monitoring across the state. U of M researchers, led by professor Greg Lindsey at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, have been key partners in the initiative since its inception.

In addition to the manual, U of M researchers have published a final report outlining their work with MnDOT on this project. Key accomplishments include:

  • A new statewide bicycle and pedestrian traffic-monitoring network with 25 permanent monitoring locations
  • A district-based portable counting equipment loan program to support MnDOT districts and local jurisdictions interested in nonmotorized traffic monitoring
  • Minnesota’s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Annual Traffic Monitoring Report
  • A MnDOT website for reporting annual and short-duration counts that allows local planners and engineers to download data for analysis
  • Provisions added to MnDOT equipment vendor agreements that enable local governments to purchase bicycle and monitoring equipment
  • Annual training programs for bicycle and pedestrian monitoring
  • Provisions in the Statewide Bicycle System Plan and Minnesota Walks that call for bicycle and pedestrian traffic monitoring and creation of performance measures based on counts

“This is an excellent resource that steps through all aspects of managing a count program, and I think it will be very helpful to other states and organizations that want to implement their own programs,” says Lisa Austin, MnDOT bicycle and pedestrian planning coordinator. “Since Minnesota is a leader in counting bicycle and pedestrian traffic, it also fulfills what I think is an obligation to share our story with others.”