The Role of Universities in

Advancing Advanced Transit

Alain L. Kornhauser

Chairman, Advanced Transit Association (ATRA)

Professor, Operations Research & Financial EngineeringDirector, Program in Transportation

Founder, ALK Technologies, Inc.and

Vice Chairman, New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology

Presented at US-Sweden Livability Workshop

Washington, DCNovember 30, 2011

40 years ago…• Universities played a significant role in advancing

Advanced Transit (implementation of automation into mass transportation)

– Automated Rail Systems @ Berkeley & MIT– PRT focus at U of Minn., U of Wash & Princeton– Focus on Airport Systems @ CMU & Texas– GRT implementation @ WVU (Morgantown)

• Much of the effort was motivated by R&D funding from UMTA, plus..– Transpo 72 (Major exposition at Dulles)

• DPMs, GRT@DFW, Morgantown

• Possible university contributions may include: • training the next generation of planners • visualisations • image processing for object detection or other components • low-weight designs • SP and RP studies • demand modelling • integration with other modes • demonstrations on campus • implementation strategies • assessment • CBA and social economy ... Research cooperation with some Swedish University. Visiting PhD students... You can offer to be a special advisor to DOT. Cooperation with Volpe?

• RITA

Connected Vehicles ApplicationsVehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) Communications for Safety

Intelligent Transportation Systems for Transit

Appendix B: Potential Transit Research TopicsSafetySafety culture and trainingSafety incident reportingEngineering and testing of vehicles, equipment, and infrastructureApplications of safety management systems to public transportationState of Good RepairAsset managementPerformance metricsTransit infrastructure data collection and analysisTransit maintenance - best and new practicesEngineering of vehicles and equipmentImpacts of system reliability on ridershipCapital maintenance funding balance and relationship to service levelsEconomic CompetitivenessWorkforce development and training/human resourcesTransit and job creationTransit system operations and service planning - best and new practicesTransit system management, administration, and financeTransit and economic development/value captureService availability levels and impacts on public benefits and ridership levelsOperations and funding issuesLivable CommunitiesTransit-Oriented Development (TOD)Bike/pedestrian research — first mile, last mileRural/tribal/parks/paratransit researchAffordable housing and transitTransit access, social equity, and mobilityTransit and High Speed Rail (HSR) interconnectivityEnvironmental SustainabilityLand use planningClimate change mitigation and adaptationMetropolitan planningAlternative energy and transit.

• University Transportation Centers Program - 2011 Grants Solicitation Nothing about Advanced Transit, but about livable communities

Livable CommunitiesLand use planning and multi-modal transportation research that might address:

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and consideration of social equity, mobility, and accessibility issues; orCongestion management for livability using real-time transportation information; orOptimization of multimodal systems to address environmental, health or congestion impacts on communities; orImpact of mixed-use/joint transit development on household transportation costs; orMethods to integrate and analyze the large amounts of passenger transportation data generated by vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, GPS, and other data capture and delivery systems for statistical purposes; orThe development of community-based data visualization tools to support transportation decision makers and their localities to enhance livability and sustainability.Bicycle and pedestrian research that might address:Economic and/or health benefits of bicycle and pedestrian lanes and paths; orWillingness-to-pay valuations for non-motorized transportation facilities (bike-pedestrian facilities, Complete Streets); orDevelopment of non-motorized transportation benefit-cost values applicable to a general benefit-cost analysis framework.Rural transportation research that might address:Institutional needs and intergovernmental coordination; or Access and mobility.Development of livability performance measures that might address:Measuring the linkage between transportation and land use (through economic development, jobs creation, environmental outcomes, etc.); orSpecific data needs required for effective performance measures; orEffectiveness of data sets and performance measurement systems; orCurrent local/state capabilities in performance measures management.