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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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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>
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      <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>Refining the Understanding of Parking Space Requirements and Its Impact on Vehicle Miles Traveled</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2487321</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In 2023, the Minnesota legislature passed H.F. No. 2887 which implemented several policies to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) in transportation. One of the key areas identified to reduce GHGs was through the reduction of vehicle miles traveled (VMT), which reduces GHG emissions by reducing the total distance travelled by cars in the state. Many VMT reduction strategies hold additional benefits such as increasing accessibility, safety, and reducing congestion. Parking space requirements have been highlighted as a specific element associated with driver modal choice, but little documented information is available on the established requirements or long-term benefits and challenges associated with modifying or removing these requirements. The goal of this project will be to explore, document, and broaden the collective understanding of mandated parking minimums within Minnesota and the region. Specifically, this project will examine the long-term benefits and challenges presented by reducing and/or removing currently established parking space requirements with new or redevelopment projects, and opportunities for parking space reallocation with existing uses.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:55:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2487321</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Estimating Likely Mode Shift and Vehicle-Miles-Travelled-Reduction Potential Using Transportation Business Intelligence Data and AI Algorithms</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2487334</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The new Minnesota state legislation -- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Impact Assessment – will require highway projects to conform with State GHG and Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) reduction targets. Metropolitan planning organizations and local agencies must adhere to these goals in their project decision-making, requiring suitable data and tools to assess transit/bicycle use potentials and subsequent VMT reduction prior to designing projects and programs. This research seeks to understand the likelihood of these interventions changing behavior and to help validate the assumptions and scoring that will be used to determine if the highway projects are adequately offset.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:23:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2487334</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Determine Land Use Patterns, Travel, Regional Development, Population Trends, and Technology Change Impacts on Texas Energy Use and Carbon Emissions</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2593190</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Travel demand modelers and policymakers detailed forecasts of local and regional land use patterns and travel demands, both local and long distance, for freight and passengers, to anticipate Texas' evolving energy demands and their associated costs, emissions, safety, and other quality-of-life implications. To this end, the research team will (1) highlight the various energy, cost, and environmental impacts of different land-development settings across Texas, along with the integrated nature of travel, the built environment, energy, water, health, and natural systems; (2) quantify the infrastructure differences, travel differences, emissions, and energy differences of different land use settings, to accommodate the same number of persons and jobs in different built environments; and (3) use those findings to develop tools for strategic energy- and emissions-related forecasting, reflecting various policy and practice options across Texas settings, including, for example, changes in vehicle and building technologies and incentives, transport fuels and energy policies, zoning practices and building codes, transport system investments and operations, and energy-supply decisions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:39:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2593190</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Greenhouse Gas Reductions Due to VT Clean Transporation Incentive Programs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2440048</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There is an urgent need to evaluate and refine Vermont’s electric vehicle (EV) incentive programs to ensure that they deliver efficient, equitable, and effective greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions while supporting the state’s economic and fiscal health and residents’ mobility and wellbeing. Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act requires GHG reductions of 26% below 2005 levels by 2025 for all sectors, ramping up to 80% by 2050. Transportation GHGs account for 40% of Vermont’s emissions, and 70% of vehicle travel in Vermont occurs in rural areas. Achieving GHG reductions from transportation in Vermont’s largely rural context is particularly challenging because of the limited transportation options in rural settings and the long distances between where people live and their essential destinations. Decarbonizing the transportation sector in Vermont will require continuing to implement a range of strategies designed to affect how much people drive and the emissions intensity of their travel.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Oct 2024 14:17:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2440048</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessing Electric Vehicle Benefits in a Rural, Cold, and Mountainous Region</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2425460</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There is a pressing need to develop a place-specific understanding of the factors that affect the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impacts of vehicle electrification. Prior research indicates that the GHG benefits of vehicle electrification depend on the composition of vehicles in a household, vehicle attributes, how they are used, how they are charged, the share of miles that are electric (utility factor), and the efficiency of vehicles. While limited evidence suggests that electric vehicle use, charging, and GHG benefits may differ in rural contexts, cold climates, and mountainous regions, little is known about how their use and performance differs in these contexts, or how to modify vehicle electrification policies and programs to ensure greater GHG benefits of vehicle electrification. This study will collect
real-world driving data in the mountainous and largely rural northern state of Vermont to determine how plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) use and performance differ across these contexts and for different vehicle types. A household survey and on-board Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring devices will be used to evaluate vehicle use, vehicle and household utility factors, electric range, and efficiency, as well as implications for use and utility factors of future electric vehicle adopters. Findings from this research are critical to informing vehicle incentive programs and public charging investments to ensure that PEV adoption reduces GHGs in a broader range of contexts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 07 Sep 2024 11:56:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2425460</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Framework to Minimize Society’s Exposure to Primary Road Emissions</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2425220</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Traffic-related air pollution is caused by increased concentrations of pollutants from motor vehicle use, with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from connected freight trucks being particularly concerning. Despite representing only 5% of traffic, these trucks are estimated to contribute 25% of GHG emissions, affecting socio-economic conditions and public health. These impacts can be evaluated using Social Life Cycle Assessment throughout the roadway's life cycle, augmenting existing methods like Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost Analysis. The main objective of this study is to develop a framework to assess and quantify the exposure to primary road emissions by: (1) conducting geospatial analysis to identify disadvantaged or environmental justice communities residing in close proximity to roadways; (2) correlating emissions and exposure with distance or proximity to roads; (3) proposing an exposure metric or index considering the Human–Technical–Environmental system framework; and iv) developing a case study to explore the impacts of both conventional trucking and connected platoon operations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:00:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2425220</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>ITAG (Illinois TrAnsit GHG): A User-Friendly Tool to Estimate and Compare Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transit Operations in Illinois</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417477</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In 2022, the transportation sector was responsible for 29% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. Within that sector, public transportation is responsible for a significant share of GHG emissions. The State of Illinois is committed to lowering its GHG emission footprint to meet the goal of 46% GHG emissions reduction from 2005 to 2030 set by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. The main research objective of this project is to develop ITAG (Illinois TrAnsit GHG), a user-friendly, Excel-based tool to help transit agencies in Illinois estimate the following items: (1) current GHG emissions from transit operations; (2) potential GHG emission savings of transitioning to a cleaner fleet (e.g., electric or hydrogen); (3) GHG benefits from incentivizing drivers to switch to transit; (4) carbon footprint from transit operations; and (5) comparison of the carbon footprint between agencies across Illinois.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 16 Aug 2024 12:02:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417477</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Calculators</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417306</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research consists of reviewing relevant key performance Indicators (KPI) and past research, primarily through a literature review, and examining how they could be applied by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Also of interest is an analysis of TDM Calculators used by other agencies, to assist CDOT in developing their own. Benefits are to understand and better use state-managed funds and demonstrate the effectiveness of transportation demand management (TDM) to manage congestion and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The goal is to provide a consistent, accurate standard of assessment for TDM projects.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:16:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417306</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding the Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Connected Vehicles (CVs)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417294</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Connected vehicles (CVs) are becoming more prevalent on Colorado roads, offering the
potential to alert motorists and other road users of time-critical safety information. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is investing in CV infrastructure by installing 1,400 miles of fiber optic cabling and deploying roadside units (RSUs) across 400 miles of roadways. CVs have the potential to improve safety and travel times by providing time-critical safety messages to motorists and road users regarding travel incidents, impacts, delays and other roadway events. However, little is known about how timely information provided by CVs can lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. CDOT would like to evaluate a study reviewing existing literature and create a tool to quantify GHG emissions from CVs and validate the tool with an on-road study.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Aug 2024 18:38:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417294</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Social Life Cycle Analysis of Zero Emission Heavy-duty Trucks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2414311</link>
      <description><![CDATA[California has implemented ambitious policies to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air toxins from the transport sector for both passenger vehicles and trucks. Most recently, the Advanced Clean Fleet and Advanced Clean Truck rules mandate a transition to zero emission trucks by 2042 for the entire state. These regulations are based on tailpipe emissions. While reducing tailpipe emissions is critical for reducing the health impacts of emissions on local populations, the operation/use phase is only one phase of the truck life cycle that produces emissions. From a climate change perspective, the emissions generated over the entire life of the truck is a more appropriate measure for GHG reduction.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been developed for this purpose. There are two types of LCA: environmental LCA (E-LCA) and social LCA (S-LCA). E-LCA looks at inputs (water, electricity, energy) and outputs (GHGs, other emissions/toxins) to calculate a normalized environmental footprint over a product's life. S-LCA analyzes a product's social and socio-economic aspects to identify site-specific supply chain impacts (where the activities occur), both positive and negative, for each phase (material acquisition, transformation, distribution, etc.). Impact categories include health, safety, and working conditions for various stakeholder groups. Taken together, these tools can provide a comprehensive assessment of both environmental and social impacts.
 
Building on their previous research on E-LCA for heavy-duty trucks, the researchers will conduct a S-LCA analysis to assess the social impacts of battery-electric and fuel cell trucks. This S-LCA research will include all materials and life cycle phases for hypothetical battery-electric and hydrogen electric fuel cell trucks, focusing on the materials required for large batteries and fuel cells. S-LCA will pinpoint “hot spots” of harm across the supply chain. The combined LCA (environmental plus social) will provide a more comprehensive assessment of these alternative fuel trucks and a more informed basis for designing zero emission vehicle policies. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:32:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2414311</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Advancing Methods to Evaluate Greenhouse Gas Emissions During Transportation Decision Making and Performance Management</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381725</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2024 16:48:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381725</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>How Actionable are Climate Action Plans?
In-depth Analysis through an Integrated Policy Mix Framework</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2359164</link>
      <description><![CDATA[More than 190 local governments in the U.S have recognized the urgent need for action and have issued emergency declarations in their respected cities. However, a 2020 Brookings report shows that about two-thirds of the top 100 cities have made very little progress in implementation and are lagging their short-term emission targets, having even more challenges meeting their longer-term targets. This is mainly due to very limited knowledge and evidence on transportation-related climate mitigation policies and their impacts. Some studies highlight effectiveness of pricing policies such as New York Congestion Pricing policy which may be effective in reducing VMT and its GHG emissions but lack general support and accessibility. Other studies emphasize planning policies such as public transit improvement which likely have general acceptability but lacks financial recourses for execution particularly with recent trends of decline in transit ridership. The missing component of these studies and one key reason behind cities’ challenges on implementing climate mitigation strategies is the lack of integrated policy mixes that are complement to each other, and as a whole could offer an effective mitigation and general acceptability while addressing negative externalities such as potential equity and environmental justice challenges.

This study addresses these gaps in the literature by conducting one of the first and most comprehensive analysis on transportation-related climate mitigation policies. This study conducts (1) a systematic review of existing/implemented transportation related mitigation policies internationally, (2) the PIs will design a policy matrix with performance measures to evaluate effectiveness and externalities of mitigation policies, (3) research team will employ the policy matrix to evaluate policies obtained from Step 1, (4) PIs will review and conduct content analysis of Climate Action Plans for the top 100 major cities in the US. More specifically, researchers will derive transportation-related mitigation policies and policy mixes (if exists), (5) Research team will assess climate action plans based on the integrated policy mix framework to investigate the extent to which cities’ climate mitigation efforts correspond to the matrix performance indicators, (6) The policy analysis will be coupled with a quantitative analysis that link performance indicators in policy matrix to cities progress toward meeting GHG emission reduction targets]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 19:45:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2359164</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Deploying Autonomous Robot Delivery System to Replace Truck Delivery and Reduce GHG Emission in Austin, TX</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2359160</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Being fully electric-powered, Autonomous Delivery Robots (ADR) present a promising avenue for substantial reductions in energy utilization and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within urban areas. However, existing robot delivery systems have been predominantly tested on small scales such as university campuses, and for specific delivery purposes. The potential environmental benefits of these systems remain largely uncharted, necessitating further exploration and validation. To fill this gap, this research aims to deploy a robot delivery system in an Austin neighborhood to test the performance of ADR in terms of delivery efficiency and GHG emissions reduction, then a citywide robot delivery system deployment strategy will be developed. This study employs a Short to Medium Range Autonomous Delivery System (SMADS) to deliver packages in Georgian Acres Community in Austin, TX. The SMADS which was funded by the UT Good Systems Grand Challenge, is designed to deliver food in the UT campus using robots that will cross complex terrain, navigating around people, cars, and other obstacles typical to campus roadways. The study has two objectives. The first objective aims to deploy a robot delivery system in a real neighborhood to satisfy last-mile delivery demands in residents’ daily lives. PIs will also test and analyze the efficiency and GHG emission reduction of this system. The second objective is to Formulate a comprehensive robotic delivery system deployment strategy for the city of Austin, Texas, drawing upon the findings and analyses from the first objective. The result of this study will instruct autonomous robot delivery system designation and provide local governments with deployment strategies to expand environmental benefits. This research in the Austin case will serve as a focal point for generating insights and solutions pertinent to analogous challenges faced by autonomous robot delivery systems across the U.S.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 19:15:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2359160</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The Impacts of Mixed-Use Development (MXD) on Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and GHG Emissions.</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2350707</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To help reach goals of improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recent legislation in California has required that the impacts of new developments are measured in vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Existing planning tools are focused on pre-existing targets, principally level of service. The proposed research will address this mismatch between requirements and existing methods by establishing a predictive model of VMT for mixed-use developments (MXDs). The analysis will be based on an expanded dataset of MXDs from 38 metropolitan regions. Model parameters will be used to create tools for use by planners and engineers, facilitating the assessment of development impacts, and providing a base to accelerate the adoption of these standard in other regions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2024 21:25:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2350707</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>
National Investigation of the Environmental, Safety and Livability Impacts of Travel Lane Width: Evidence from 10 American Cities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2331768</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project is one of the most comprehensive efforts to date to address a long overdue built environmental and transportation challenge to health: unnecessarily wide travel lanes that are designed to accommodate fast and convenient driving. There has been a constant competition for space in roadways’ right-of-way. In most American cities, the automobile is the winner of this competition, making it a challenge to find space for bike lanes and sidewalks. One of the easiest and most cost-efficient way to make space for cyclists and pedestrian is to narrow travel lanes and parking lanes to an optimal width. The main drawback is safety concerns. Are wider lanes safer? A recent study in seven US Cities by the PI found that narrower lanes do not have a higher number of crashes than their wider counterparts, after controlling for 21 functional and design street characteristics. This study builds on the earlier effort by (1) expanding sample to more than 1,500 street sections with three additional cities and measuring a comprehensive set of 21 micro-scale street design features for these streets; (2) quantifying the impact of narrow travel lane on traffic fatalities, pedestrian safety, and bicycle safety indicators; and (3) measuring the impact of narrow lane width on pedestrian volume and activities. Finally, from the national sample of ten cities, the PIs will select one lane width reduction project for further longitudinal analysis of traffic speed, roadway capacity (traffic volume), roadway safety (crash severity and frequency) and GHG emission impacts before and after the lane width reduction.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Feb 2024 10:04:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2331768</guid>
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