Article originally published in Catalyst, February 6, 2023.
Supply chains aren’t normally at the top of the news, but pandemic-related disruptions and empty shelves have put them there. What does the future hold for freight and supply chain resilience? Speakers at the 25th Annual Freight and Logistics Symposium reviewed recent challenges and discussed how to make supply chains more cooperative, connected, and resilient.
Originally published inCatalyst, February 13, 2023.
Public transit services are vital for community health and connectivity, yet the transit solutions found in urban areas—such as frequent bus service and light rail—don’t exist in rural areas. As a result, mobility may be limited in rural communities because of the high costs and low availability of affordable, reliable transportation options.
This article was originally posted on Catalyst, January 2023.
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in both the US and the Twin Cities, and commuting trips are a major contributor to these emissions. To meet its emission-reduction mandates, Minnesota needs strategies to reduce auto trips—especially driver-only trips without passengers.
A recent U of M project aimed to leverage existing transportation infrastructure and systems to provide more flexible, multimodal transportation options for parking contract holders at Minneapolis’ ABC Ramps—thereby reducing the number of solo trips.
Complete Streets is a national initiative to encourage the design of safe, convenient transportation systems with access to users of all types, ages and abilities. MnDOT’s Complete Streets policy aims to provide a safe and functional transportation system for all users. Perceived and actual economic impacts of these road projects on small cities vary, but MnDOT has new strategies to work with local partners and evaluate economic benefits for smaller communities.
This post was originally posted on Catalyst, November 2022.
Zippy electric scooters—often called e-scooters—have quickly become a common sight on sidewalks, bike paths, and roads in most US urban areas. Americans took 38.5 million e-scooter rides in 2018 and 88.5 million rides in 2019—a 130 percent increase in a single year. However, the rapid rise of the e-scooter has come at a cost, and e-scooter injuries and crashes have become a serious public health concern.
This post was originally posted on Catalyst, November 2022.
It’s no secret that the transportation system is an uneven playing field. Understanding disparities related to race, income, and other factors is critical, and much more work is needed. Gender in particular is an under-researched yet important aspect of the design of vehicles, infrastructure, and amenities.
This article was originally published in Catalyst, August 2022.
Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology is moving forward, with three pilot shuttle projects on tap in Minnesota this year alone. Rapid developments are leaving little time for planners and policymakers to prepare for the mainstreaming of technology and the evolution of the current transportation system—all while ensuring that transportation equity has a seat in the vehicle.
This article was originally published in Catalyst, May 2022.
Transportation is a crucial contributor to health: It directly shapes the social and physical environments in myriad ways and determines the types of places where people can live, learn, work, and play in their everyday lives.
This article was originally published in Catalyst, May 2022.
Photos and stories about people biking and walking on packed trails were common during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Transportation researchers also reported surges in bicycling and walking during this time of social restrictions and widespread closures, but little was known about how those surges related to longer-term trends.
Transportation is a crucial contributor to health: it not only directly shapes the social and physical environments in myriad ways, but it also determines the types of places where people can live, learn, work, and play in their everyday life.
Crossroads 