Center for Transportation Research: Highlights

Foldable Cars The MIT Media Lab envisions Hiriko foldable cars finding a home in car-share programs where members drive available vehicles and park them at local charging stations. Read more: http://futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10252075-foldable-electric-car-debuts-in-europe Youtube clip

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Robert Harrison spoke to transportation leaders on the Panama Canal expansion at the recent Seventh Annual TxDOT Transportation Forum in San Antonio, Texas. Harrison is the Deputy Director of the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at The University of Texas at Austin. “ The new locks on the Panama Canal will offer shippers in Texas [...]

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Professor Kara Kockelman responds to the question “What in your field could make the world a better place?” With population and standards of living rising, associated transportation congestion, energy demands and environmental impacts are serious concerns. In terms of advances that will enhance our future, I am most excited about vehicle sharing, vehicle propulsion and [...]

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In the August 2, 2011 issue of the Federal Register (Vol. 76, No. 148) the FHWA issued a Request for Comments on proposed revisions to Sections 1A.09 and 1A.13 of the 2009 MUTCD. SUMMARY: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is incorporated in our regulations, approved by the Federal Highway Administration, and recognized [...]

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The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing “Making Our Roads Safer: Reauthorization of the Motor Carrier Safety Programs” will be held this afternoon at 2:30 Eastern/1:30 Central. The Witness Panel will include: The Honorable Anne Ferro, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration The Honorable Christopher Hart, Vice Chairman of the [...]

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Police in Syracuse and Hartford have given 20,000 tickets for illegal use of a phone while driving — either for texting or use of a handheld phone, while both cities have ratcheted up high-profile education campaigns on the dangers of such multitasking. It’s working. In Syracuse, handheld cellphone use and texting have each fallen by [...]

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Experts say they don’t know what level of marijuana impairs a driver, but statistics show that fatal crashes involving drugged drivers have jumped. Law enforcement puts much of the blame on the growth of medical marijuana use. “A lot of effort has gone into the study of drugged driving and marijuana, because that is the [...]

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- Are you & your colleagues interested in a user-friendly forecasting TOOLKIT to examine the BENEFITS AND COSTS of new congestion-abating transportation projects and policies? – Are you ready for a methodologically sound process to evaluate TRAVEL TIME, RELIABILITY, SAFETY, and EMISSIONS impacts of CAPACITY expansion and OPERATIONAL improvement projects? Please have your top planning [...]

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