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.
Continue reading Uncovering Connections Between Gender and Transportation SafetyIn Minnesota, one challenge with installing safety countermeasures for people walking and ensuring year-round access to pedestrian infrastructure is winter maintenance.
Continue reading New Project: Designing and Implementing Maintainable Pedestrian Safety CountermeasuresThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in fewer drivers on Minnesota’s roads in 2020 than in the previous year. Emptier roadways seem like they should be safer, but many states measured increases in speeding. For example, California issued twice as many speeding tickets, Iowa reported a 65% increase in driving 25 mph or more over the speed limit, and Ohio experienced the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2007. Clearly, some drivers were taking advantage of empty streets to speed. The pandemic also strained police forces, resulting in less enforcement.
Continue reading How Did COVID-19 Affect Driver Safety?While commercially available self-driving vehicles may still be decades away, an increasing number of vehicles on the market offer advance driver assistance systems (ADAS). For example, ADAS features include adaptive cruise control, steering automation, and hands-free steering.
Continue reading New Project: Tool to Estimate the Safety Impact of Vehicle Levels of Automation on Minnesota RoadsIt’s often more difficult for motorists to see road edge-lines and centerlines on rainy nights, especially in rural areas with limited lighting.
Continue reading Pavement Marking Standard Project Earns National RecognitionIn recent years, many U.S. cities have been installing separated bicycle lanes (SBLs) as part of their nonmotorized transportation networks. SBLs are bicycle pathways that employ paint and a vertical element as a buffer to separate motor vehicle traffic from bicycle traffic. They reduce crash risk, increase safety and comfort, and encourage more people to use bicycles as transportation.
Continue reading Separated Bike Lanes: Filling the Gaps in Design GuidanceTransit ridership dropped significantly last year in Minneapolis, Duluth and other cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue reading New Project: Understanding Post-COVID Safety Concerns, Perceptions and Preferences of Transit and Shared Mobility Users in MinnesotaIn a recent study of inspection reports, design documents and other data to evaluate the safety performance of bridge barriers, investigators found that the most commonly used barrier designs meet newer safety requirements and keep Minnesota drivers safe.
Continue reading Assessing Bridge Barriers for Today’s Vehicle NeedsHow 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?A new guidebook published by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board offers a uniform approach and practical methods for selecting locations and the right treatment for uncontrolled pedestrian crosswalks in Minnesota.
Continue reading Selecting Uncontrolled Pedestrian Crosswalk Treatments
Crossroads 