OTREC Newsletter Summer 2011

Even with uncertainty clouding the future of university transportation research, more than 150 people from around the country showed their dedication to providing the most useful transportation research at the Council of University Transportation Centers’ 2011 summer meeting. OTREC hosted the conference June 13-15 at Portland State University.

University transportation researchers and staff, along with federal and state transportation officials, convened for three days of work sessions, meetings and exploring. OTREC-organized tours gave a Portland flavor to the proceedings, letting visitors explore the city by every available transportation mode. The 4T trail took participants on a light-rail train, a trail, an aerial tram and a streetcar (or trolley). The bike tour showed off the bicycle infrastructure that is making Portland nationally known. An architecture walking tour highlighted downtown Portland’s buildings and parks. And the food-and-beer tour explored the city’s burgeoning food-cart scene and copious microbreweries. Read more...
 
Need a bike lane? There's an app for that
Fixing pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure soon could be as simple as turning on a smart phone, thanks to OTREC researchers at the University of Oregon. An OTREC report, Transportation Planning Through Mobile Mapping (Read The Full Report Here), details the Fix This Tool, a smart phone application that lets pedestrians and cyclists actively participate in improving their means of transportation. Read more...
 
Leadership from elected officials and access to federal and state funding are crucial components for successful transportation and land use planning in urban areas, according to a report from Portland State University’s National Policy Consensus Center. The study, part of an OTREC project led by Rich Margerum of the University of Oregon, (Read The Full Report Here) looked at efforts by four regional agencies to coordinate land use and transportation. Read more...
 
OTREC research shows business, environmental effects of congestion
Freight traffic in the Portland area has become increasingly congested and unreliable, leading to longer travel times, fewer goods distributed and more greenhouse gases emitted. OTREC researchers worked to understand the impact of urban congestion on commercial vehicle fleets and what can be done to reduce congestion. Miguel Figliozzi and his team attempted to measure the impacts of congestion on freight from a business and environmental perspective. Read more...
 
OTREC-crafted testimony goes to House of Representatives
The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation heard testimony crafted by OTREC regarding continued funding for transportation research and University Transportation Centers. Lynn Peterson, Sustainable Communities and Transportation Policy Advisor to Governor John Kitzhaber, delivered testimony prepared by OTREC and others on how transportation research can maximize the return on investment of taxpayer dollars for transportation projects. Read more...
 
PSU students complete Cascadia high-speed rail report
Students from Portland State University and the University of Washington explored in depth the high-speed rail network that could connect their regions. Their findings form a fascinating report, Ecolopolis 5.0: High Speed Rail in Cascadia (Read The Full Report Here). “We looked at the impacts (of High Speed Rail) in a broader range than most Departments of Transportation would look at,” said Daniel Carson of the University of Washington. Read more...
 
OTREC director talks bikes in Canada
OTREC Director Jennifer Dill joined leading international transportation experts to discuss bicycle-car safety at the Changing Lanes conference in Vancouver, B.C. Dill presented research on the reactions of cyclists, motorists and pedestrians to new bike facilities, with a cycle track near PSU’s campus serving as the primary study area. “Overall, Portland’s reactions (to the new bike facilities) are generally positive,” Dill said. Read more...
 
OTREC expert speaks at earthquake symposium
With a major seismic event predicted to hit the Oregon coast any year now, OTREC seismic expert and Portland State University Associate Professor Peter Dusicka spoke at a symposium titled "Next Big Earthquake In Oregon: Are We Ready?" Dusicka’s talk focused on the effects of a major quake on Oregon’s bridges. “There is no doubt that … there will be issues,” he said. Read more...
 
Director's Jennifer Dill's Message
Even before OTREC was established, we have been preparing ourselves to compete – anticipating the day we would be required to do so for continued federal funding. That day came one Friday afternoon in June, when Peter Appel, head of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, sent an email to university transportation center directors informing us that every center would need to compete. There are currently 59 centers and the email indicated that at the end of the competition there would be 20, most likely consortia of several universities. Read more...