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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Bike Infrastructure Planning Based On Mobile-Sourced Data and Anticipated Route Shifts</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2606556</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop tools to answer critical questions towards supporting bike lanes: if we build a new bike lane, how many bikers will use and benefit from it? How does the addition of bike lanes on specific roads affect transportation accessibility? Where should we build bike lanes to best improve equitable accessibility? In the past, it has been difficult to answer these questions due to limited data on biking travel patterns, but the recent NS616 MnDOT project that estimated bike volumes from mobile-sourced data has created new opportunities to quantify bike lane benefits.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 14:54:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2606556</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Envisioning Micromobility as Public Transit: Two intervention studies in the living lab of Davis, California</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2431628</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Mode share in public transit in the United States traditionally lags behind other developed countries. One promising strategy to encourage public transit use involves enhancing access and egress from transit stops. Given the potential of shared micromobility services to address the "last mile" challenge, there is growing interest in integrating these services into public transit services. However, achieving affordability and access in micromobility services poses challenges for operators in ensuring sustainable operations at appropriate pricing levels. The cost of using micromobility services has sharply increased in recent years, making it unaffordable for many people. Concurrently, the researchers’ recent research suggests there is consensus across private industry, government, and advocates that micromobility can best serve the public if it is viewed as a public transit option. To begin to envision micromobility as serving existing public transit and acting as public transportation itself, the researchers will examine the role of pricing on micromobility demand. In this project, the researchers will conduct two pricing-focused field experiments, partnered with the micromobility operator, SPIN, and a railway operator, Capitol Corridor. The first experiment will use the railway station of the Capitol Corridor in Davis, California as a living lab to assess the effectiveness of increasing rail usage by subsidizing micromobility services. The second experiment will focus on micromobility services operated by SPIN in Davis, aiming to understand the general price elasticity of demand for micromobility. Through these experiments, the researchers will analyze the causal effects of the interventions on increasing railway and micromobility use. The insights gained from this analysis will provide valuable guidance on the potential of micromobility and regional rail partnerships to enhance transit use in other corridors throughout the state as well as pricing mechanisms to understand the potential for micromobility services to satisfy the travel demand of communities. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2024 19:12:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2431628</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Research and Development: A Bike Equity iMap for the San Francisco Bay Area</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2343932</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Cites are growing their investment in urban bike systems to substitute driving for daily origin to destination commutes and multimodal access. These investments require accurate methods and dataset for equity assessments. This project directly addresses this need in the 9 counties of the San Francisco Bay Area region. In partnership with the community using an integrated Delphi-AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) method, the research team will define the indicators of bike-ability and a weighting matrix for the defined indicators to quantify bike-ability and bike equity assessments. Ultimately, the team will design and develop a interactive online user-interface to showcase the findings along with data for other non-auto transportation infrastructure (e.g., transit) to support local policy and planning for enhancing multi-modal mobility in the San Francisco Bay Area.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:20:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2343932</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Implementing and Evaluating Machine Learning Algorithms for Bikeshare System Demand Prediction
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2315311</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A bikeshare (public bicycle, or bicycle-sharing) system is a service in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a short-term basis for a price or free. Bikeshare systems have increased from operating in a few European cities to expanding in the United States at an increasing pace. Many bikeshare systems allow users to borrow a bike from a station and return it at another station belonging to the same system. The goal is to encourage cycling as a mode of transportation as well as recreation. Nevertheless, the flexibility to pick up and return bicycles at any station can lead to inventory imbalances in the system. To enhance the effectiveness of the system, bikeshare operators should implement suitable methods to realign resources, guided by precise forecasts of bicycle demand. This research endeavors to develop models for Houston bikeshare system demand prediction at the station level by leveraging data on station activities. Accurate prediction of bikeshare demand has the potential to transform the way these systems are managed and integrated into urban transportation networks, leading to improved efficiency, customer satisfaction, and sustainability.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 27 Dec 2023 17:50:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2315311</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>In Search of Simultaneous Benefits of Infrastructure Provisions on Freight and Bicycle Movements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2023815</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this project is to research rural roadway measures (e.g., wider shoulders, separated facilities) that could increase freight efficiency and safety (e.g., reduce run off the road incidents) while offering bicyclists simultaneous benefits (e.g., reduced traffic-related injuries and fatalities, reduced particulate matter inhalation). In addition to roadway measures, this project will also review vehicle characteristics (e.g., freight vehicle blind spot warnings) and related policy measures that could reduce freight-bicyclist conflicts on rural roadways. This project will primarily be comprised of a review of prior literature, including relevant federal, state, and local regulations, as well as a synthesis of case studies (e.g., implementation of new rural roadway standards in Boulder, Colorado after historic levels of flooding) to highlight practical solutions and best practices.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2022 17:32:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2023815</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigating the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak on Bike Share Usage and Ridership: A Case Study in Houston</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1881802</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Public bicycle share systems have increased from operating in a few European cities to expanding in the United States at an increasing pace. During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, people may opt to bike instead of riding transit to avoid exposure to the coronavirus.
The goal of this project is to investigating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on bicycling mode share. The research is developed based on the CAMMSE theme of addressing the FAST Act research priority area of “Improving Mobility of People and Goods.” The research is relevant to three CAMMSE research thrusts, “Innovations to improve multi-modal connections, system integration and security” and “Develop data modeling and analytical tools to optimize passenger and freight movements.” Specific project objectives include:
(a)	Identify potential attributes related to bike sharing demand,
(b)	Examine the trip distribution of bike share users throughout the four seasons of the year, and the different hour blocks of a day,
(c)	Model bike share station activity,
(d)	Examine and locate the dock stations in relation to potential demand, and
(e)	Investigate system users and impacts on the bike share.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 04 Oct 2021 12:12:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1881802</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of a Toolkit on Innovative Finance Strategies to Accelerate Bicycle and Pedestrian (Active Transportation) Project Delivery: "Diversifying DOT’s Build America Bureau (BAB) Portfolio to Include Underutilized Stakeholders."
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1758946</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will provide state of the practice information on implementing innovative finance strategies to accelerate active transportation project delivery, convene peer exchange among noteworthy implementers, and develop an innovative finance toolkit. The innovative finance toolkit is intended to help transportation agencies and practitioners identify strategies for accelerating delivery of active transportation infrastructure projects (bicycle, pedestrian, network connections to transit, and other active transportation modes). ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Dec 2020 15:54:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1758946</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Expanding Mobility Options for All: Optimizing and Extending the Biking Infrastructure to Generate Complete Street Networks in Atlanta</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1756014</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Complete Streets policy aims to transform streets to accommodate multiple modes of travel, including the active modes, such as walking and biking. The objective is to make streets safe and convenient for all persons, including children, the elderly, and the disabled. The proposed project will develop complete multimodal networks to identify potential complete streets using the bike network as a connective thread. It emphasizes the accessibility of all destinations by various modes of travel and recognizes that not all streets need to be “complete'' to provide safe and convenient access to most destinations for all persons, regardless of age and ability. The goal is to find optimal strategies for connecting isolated cycling infrastructure to form complete networks that improve active mobility and public transit ridership. By aligning the bike network with transit and activity locations, we develop an approach for completing multimodal networks and identify streets that are best suited to become “complete streets."

The objective of this study is to develop and implement an algorithm that would iteratively combine existing fragmented bike lanes, current and future transit hubs, and unmet demand for biking infrastructure into one integrated network. The criteria applied to connect the network fragments, and other significant locations mentioned above include transit access, activity location density, proximity to residential and commercial land uses, biking stress, street right-of-way and design, and terrain. The study will estimate the unmet demand for biking infrastructure and identify unserved locations by considering equity, need, and future transportation hubs. Also, street redesigns to accommodate bike lanes and transform rights-of-way to complete streets will be analyzed and validated with a high-fidelity microsimulation model using PTV VISSIM. The microsimulation process will generate 3D animation models for communication and dissemination. Finally, the current and potential streets that can be considered “complete" are identified and included in a mobility plan.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 05 Dec 2020 18:38:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1756014</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title> Creating a Situation-aware Sensing Environment for Cyclists: An Innovative and Cost-effective Smartphone-based Approach</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1756017</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a Biker Assistance System (BAS) in different roadway contexts using a prototype mobile application. The application would make use of smartphones’ onboard speaker and microphones to monitor potential hazards and help bicyclists avoid crashes. The application will detect potential hazards by emitting an imperceptible sound and interpreting its reverberations, thus becoming a “mini-sonar system.” When certain potential hazards are detected, the smartphone will alert bicyclists of the hazard. This new approach to preventing bicycle crashes has yet to be developed or tested to the researchers’ knowledge. 
This project has four components. First, the project team proposes to analyze existing crash data sources to understand the types of crashes that can be prevented or mitigated with BAS. Second, the team proposes the development of the BAS for at least two hazardous scenarios – right turning vehicle detection and front/overtaking vehicle nearing. Additional scenarios may be added based on the crash data assessment. Third, a bike simulator study will be conducted to determine effective alerts for selected hazards. Based on the simulator study outcomes, a list of multi-modular alerts will be recommended which can be easily understood and interpreted by cyclists under both day and night lights. These alerts will be included in the BAS prototype. Finally, the project team proposes testing the efficacy of BAS in these scenarios via physical testing and naturalistic observation using an instrumented bicycle. This naturalistic database will be used to identify the critical cyclists-vehicle interaction regions and scenarios. Future research will expand the sensing capacity to function in different crash scenarios, investigate cyclists’ interactions with different road users, and provide cyclists with feedback to avoid different types of on-road hazards.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 05 Dec 2020 18:16:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1756017</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of Transportation Network Infrastructure, Safety, and Travel Route Characteristics of Bike Share, Electric-Powered Pedal-Assist Bike Share, and Electric Scooter System Operation (Project F3)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1682038</link>
      <description><![CDATA[An emerging trend in U.S. cities is wide-scale availability of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) trip making options for a variety of trip purposes. MaaS is revolutionizing urban trip making and is credited with travel that is more convenient, more sustainable, more tech-savvy and more customer service oriented. MaaS includes rapidly expanding bike share, electric-powered pedal-assist bicycles (e-bikes) and electric powered scooters (e-scooters) systems. Individual rideshare MaaS systems are proliferating across U.S. cities in response to unmet demand for convenient mobility in short distance (3-mile, or less) urban trip making and first-mile/last-mile options for public transit travel. Using global positioning system (GPS) tracking data, user demographic information, transportation network conditions, and traffic operations data, a comparative Geographic Information System (GIS) research investigation will be conducted, in cooperation with private mobility as a service (MaaS) partners, focusing on the following objectives: (1) establish a better understanding of these travel modes to accommodate shared mobility demand; (2) identify operational patterns of use of the transportation network infrastructure; (3)  catalogue critical elements of system implementation to be addressed by local jurisdictions; and (4) evaluate potential for serving as an effective countermeasure to urban network congestion for mid-size cities.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2020 17:15:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1682038</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>E-bike sharing and  the infrastructure implications and environmental impacts of new technology in transportation systems</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1676641</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Electric bicycles (E-bikes), and in particular electric bicycle sharing programs, represent a new technology in the transportation system. E-bike sharing programs have the potential to replace current modes of transportation, while also improving the mobility of disadvantaged populations. This work will use a survey approach to gather data as to who the users of the e-bike share are and the types of trips which they are making with the e-bikes. This will be utilized to build a mode choice model which includes e-bike sharing. The environmental and economic impacts of e-bike sharing programs will be evaluated in order to generate insight into this mode of transportation. As will the expansion of access to populations not well served by current transit systems. The environmental impacts of the current docking station will be assessed and compared to other options such as charging the e-bikes in place at their docks. The work proposed here, presents a framework towards quantitatively assessing the impact of adopting an emerging transportation mode, from an environmental and operational perspective. Specifically, for electric bicycles, the proposed work will pave the way towards smart adoption of electric bicycles informed by real data, predictive analytics and policy impacts. With the promising and evolving technology of electric bicycles, smart adoption of this technology in cities can result in a revolution of intracity travel and transportation sustainability.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2020 15:39:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1676641</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Bicycle Network Connectivity and Accessibility: A Study on the Effects of Bike Infrastructures on Bicycle Sharing System Demand</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1669762</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A bicycle-sharing system (public bicycle system, or bike-share scheme) is a service in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a short term basis for a price or free. Many bike share systems allow users to borrow a bike from a station and return it at another station belonging to the same system. The goal is to encourage cycling as a mode of transportation as well as recreation. As a result, the bicycle infrastructure investments grow with more cyclists on the road. The proposed project is a longitudinal analysis to study the effects of bike infrastructures, particularly bike lanes and bike paths, on bicycle sharing system demand.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Dec 2019 22:26:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1669762</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessing Potential of Bike Share Networks and Active Transportation to Improve Urban Mobility, Physical Activity and Public Health Outcomes in South Carolina</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1578216</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Description: There is need for evidence-based research about how, when, where, and why people undertake active travel, like bicycling and walking, and about how the built environment and infrastructure may or may not accommodate active travel. As stated in the National Physical Activity Plan, transportation and public health entities should collaborate to “improve and expand existing data collection sources to assess active transportation patterns and trends that include local-area data.” Charleston, South Carolina has the conditions necessary to promote active travel, such as supportive stakeholders and a walkable built environment, as well as the tools to study the conditions under which active travel may thrive. This research will conduct a case study on active travel in Charleston, focusing on issues such as route conditions and the use of bike share programs to better understand how Charleston’s built environment is meeting the health, physical activity, and transportation needs of the community. 

Intellectual Merit: Qualitative, quantitative, and geospatial methods will be used to evaluate active transportation, physical activity, and health outcomes in Charleston, South Carolina.
Broader Impacts: Research results will be beneficial to communities which are undertaking active transportation and bike share initiatives to improve mobility, reduce congestion, promote sustainability, increase levels of physical activity, and bring about desirable public health outcomes.
Technology Transfer: The research team will engage local officials, decision makers, and community stakeholders by communicating its data analysis and results, for example through infographics, formal meetings, and a guidebook. Findings will also be published and presented in national engineering and city planning forums, and will be disseminated to municipalities and other stakeholders via strategic technology transfer channels.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 11 Jan 2019 14:32:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1578216</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Bicycle Justice or Just Bicycles: Analyzing Equitable Access to Baltimore's Bike Sharing Program</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1482479</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Baltimore recently launched the Baltimore Bikeshare Program (BBSP) by installing fifty docking stations at strategic locations around the city. BBSP administrators and advocates anticipate expanding the program in the near future after they gain knowledge of system usage patterns. To ensure that BBSP makes efficient use of its limited financial resources and provides all city residents with equitable access to low-carbon mobility, this research will evaluate BBSP trip data alongside land use to determine whether diverse populations, defined by socio-economic and racial demographics, are afforded access to the new system. The results of the analysis will inform policy and land use planning recommendations for the future expansion of BBSP and the city’s bicycle infrastructure. When she announced BBSP, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called it a critical part of the city’s “network of sustainable transportation options (Campbell, 2016).” Beyond BBSP’s environmental and economic benefits, sustainable urban transportation infrastructure must also promote just outcomes by providing equitable access to all residents and users (Mercier, 2009). Equity is a frequently overlooked criteria in urban sustainability efforts, and this research will spotlight justice as a core urban land use and design principle (Agyeman, 2013). It can be difficult for decision-makers to conceptualize the justice-related impacts of land use and transportation programs, so the goal of this research project is to inform and enhance the sustainability of BBSP from an equity perspective (Wheeler, 2013). Several obtainable objectives will help reach that goal. First, the research will identify best practice examples of bikeshare programs from other cities where the program design and implementation delivered equitable outcomes. The research will also develop and execute a novel justice-centered methodological framework to analyze BBSP outcomes using Big Data from individual bike trips and system user demographics. Following the Big Data analysis, the research will identify locations in Baltimore where future phases of BBSP could expand and offer improved access to underrepresented populations. Another outcome is a policy analysis that will evaluate the tradeoffs between station locations and public policy alternatives to improve the equity of BBSP. The results of the policy analysis will be useful for land use planners and decision-makers as they use the city’s limited financial resources to grow BBSP and associated on-street infrastructure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2017 17:16:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1482479</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Transit Oriented Development and Commercial Gentrification: Exploring the Linkages</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1441938</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As communities across California invest in more transit-oriented development (TOD), they are becoming increasingly cognizant of potential gentrification impacts. These impacts could potentially jeopardize local economic development, safety and greenhouse gas reduction goals. The research team's ongoing research on residential displacement associated with TOD investments has unearthed growing concerns about commercial environments. Although researchers have begun to establish the complicated relationship between residential and commercial change, surprisingly little is known about TODs and commercial gentrification. This research will fill this gap by examining the impacts of TOD investments on commercial gentrification, transit ridership and pedestrian/cyclist accidents. The first stage of the research will take advantage of the multi-level database the research team will have compiled to better characterize and model the impacts of TOD investments on commercial gentrification and displacement. In the second stage, the research team will explore the relationship between commercial gentrification in TODs with changes in transit ridership and auto-pedestrian/cyclist crashes. Finally, the team will ground-truth their findings and deepen their understanding of these relationships through four case studies in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. The project team anticipates that the results of this research will influence local and regional decision-making around TOD and street design policy as well as local revitalization strategies, responding directly to Caltrans Priority Goal 3: Sustainability, Livability, and Economy.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2017 10:57:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1441938</guid>
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