Center for Transportation Research News

The October Research Digest highlights recent TxDOT Research Reports. The issue is available online as a PDF. Recent reports from CTR, TTI, and UTSA are included in the digest. Links to full-text PDFs for each report are provided in the digest.
The Research Digest is a monthly newsletter targeted towards TxDOT staff and researchers. The goal of [...]

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In a joint venture with the City of Austin, The Center for Transportation Research will be conducting research to improve the safety of cyclists utilizing some experimental roadway features, including shared lane markings, painted bicycle lanes, signs and bicycle boxes.
To cater to Austin’s large population of bicyclists, UT teamed up with the [...]

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National Geographic has posted an informative article on the history and evolution of “daylight savings time” in the U.S.
The Dawn of Daylight Saving Time
The U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., sets what is known as standard time in the country through its maintenance of atomic clocks. But the observatory has nothing to do with [...]

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Transit systems from New York to Taipei, and from Ames, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Mich., are adding hybrid buses at a rapid clip. New York, by far, has the nation’s biggest fleet of hybrid buses, which run on electricity and diesel fuel, with nearly 1,000 in all five boroughs, most in Manhattan.
Even though the initial [...]

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The LBJ School of Public Affairs, Office of Conferences and Training is pleased to announce that the 2009 Ethics is Government conference will be held in Austin on next week on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
This conference will feature:
The Opening Keynote:  Robert Hoyk, Ph.D., co-author of the book “The Ethical Executive:  Becoming Aware of the Root Causes of Unethical Behavior: [...]

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Joseph A. Yura, emeritus professor, was inducted as an honorary member into the Adademy of Distinguished Alumni. Although he did not attend UT-Austin, his outstanding service to the department as a faculty member is recognized.
Each of the new inductees received at least one degree from the department and are outstanding in their field, leaders in [...]

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Center for Transportation Research researchers are working with the City of Austin to test some new initiatives to make biking safer in Austin.
[As part of the study, the city has] set up colored bicycle lanes, to examine just how well they protect cyclists.
“Bike boxes allow cyclists to come up to a cue at [...]

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In 2006 Madison, Wisconsin won the distinction from the League of American Bicyclists of being named a gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community–one of only nine U.S. cities to earn this ranking. Any community interested in becoming more bike-friendly can learn from Madison’s example. Read full descriptions of these five tips.
#1: Set ambitious goals and involve the [...]

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Safety experts have convinced some hybrid car manufacturers that silence may not be golden, when it comes to pedestrian traffic.
lug-in hybrid and electric cars, it turns out, not only reduce air pollution, they cut noise pollution as well with their whisper-quiet motors. But that has created a different problem. They aren’t noisy enough.
So safety [...]

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BCBS Parking Garage, Detroit, MI
Photo: Fabrizio Costantini for USA TODAY
With the upswing in transit-oriented development, parking garages are the latest buildings to get an eco-makeover.
“Green” is the new black in planning, design and construction philosophy, and it’s no different for the parking industry. Parking designers are embracing practices such as using recycled materials, solar [...]

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