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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <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>
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      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Transit Priority Expectations – Cost-Effectiveness and Service Provision Impacts



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636146</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There are multiple methods to improve transit priority, however, there is no standardized method to measure or predict these benefits across transit agencies and project types nationwide. This research aims to evaluate the impacts of transit priority infrastructure on cost-effectiveness and service provision. Specifically, it will examine how investments in transit priority measures—such as dedicated bus lanes, signal priority, and stop consolidation—affect transit operating costs, service reliability, and overall efficiency.

Caltrans currently holds an archive of General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) and GTFS-Realtime derived transit speed and reliability data for most transit service across California, which the research team will be able to use in their analysis. To ensure the research results are applicable not just to one region or agency, researchers are also encouraged to pursue datasets from other agencies, including but not limited to the Chicago Transit Authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Through this research, transit agencies will be able to assess the potential benefits and trade-offs of implementing various transit priority strategies. State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and other local and regional stakeholders could then use an evidence-based approach to estimate the cost-effectiveness and service effects of potential transit priority measures based on existing data such as transit speed and reliability, land use, and road network characteristics. All of which can result in transit riders enjoying a faster, more frequent service through more efficient use of existing operating funds and increased investments in transit service are tied to transformative outcomes.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 19:58:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636146</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Comprehensive Evaluation of I-275 Bus-on-Shoulder (BOS) Pilot Project</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2256382</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of the research include: 
(1) Evaluate the effectiveness of BOS operation, including driver experience, ease of accessing the shoulders, adequacy of shoulder width, frequency of encountering obstacles on shoulders and how quickly they were cleared, passenger car drivers’ reaction, BOS motorist violations, etc. 
(2) Evaluate transit route system performance changes, including BOS transit operations ridership, schedule reliability, safety (motorist, transit, law enforcement, passenger), frequency of use of BOS, and other indicators of transit level of service (LOS). 
(3) Evaluate the effectiveness of BOSS installed in both the northbound and southbound directions at the 38th Avenue N and 54th Avenue N on-ramps. 
(4) Evaluate whether I-275 BOS project leads to traffic and safety impacts to I-275 project segment and parallel local streets due to spill-over of traffic from on-ramps of I-275 segment. 
(5) Provide recommendations that may improve the implementation and operation of BOS, such as training, marketing, structure modification, traffic operations and control, etc.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:52:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2256382</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 55-20. Traffic Capacity Level of Service Adaptations and Usage</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2190458</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this synthesis was to document practices of state DOTs use of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) Level of Service (LOS) framework for traffic capacity and multimodal analyses.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:43:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2190458</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices. Topic SB-42. Operational and Service Factors When Integrating/Consolidating ADA Paratransit and On-Demand Services
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2190447</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As public transit agencies continue to evolve in response to changing community needs, the integration of demand response transportation (DRT) services has emerged as one opportunity to expand access for customers. Among the most promising developments is the commingling of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit trips with general public trips using on-demand microtransit platforms. This novel approach offers the potential for greater efficiency, improved service delivery, and optimized use of public resources. However, commingling of services require a thoughtful balance of compliance, customer expectations, and operational realities.

The synthesis documents the current state of the practice in integrating or consolidating ADA paratransit and general public with on-demand microtransit service. Drawing from a literature review, a national survey of 26 transit providers, and in-depth case examples of five transit providers, the study presents an understanding of the service models, software platforms, policies, and practices that make integration possible. This report concludes with identifying key findings, barriers and challenges, and outlines areas for future research to inform and support the continued development of comingling transit services.

The study was led by Principal Investigator Todd Hansen with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Guided by a panel of subject matter experts, the team conducted the literature review, collected and synthesized data, and prepared the report. This synthesis offers timely insights into how transit agencies across the country are designing, managing, and refining commingled services. By capturing the current state of practice, this report contributes to a growing body of knowledge that will inform not only today's service planning decisions, but also tomorrow’s innovations in inclusive, flexible, and efficient transit systems.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2023 16:36:50 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2190447</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Performance Measures for Community-Centered Transportation Outcomes: A Guide</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2188141</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transportation and its infrastructure are not ends in themselves but means for providing mobility and accessibility to important destinations. State departments of transportation (DOTs) and other infrastructure owner-operators (IOOs) work to grow, manage, or maintain networks to facilitate mobility, travel choice, and access and to build public value. This work considers broader societal goals and improves the quality of life for individuals and communities alike. There is a growing demand that DOTs consider transportation outcome performance in a wider range of dimensions. Many DOTs continue evolving toward community-centered transportation by adopting more comprehensive and outcome-oriented goals. This requires identifying measures that more effectively capture the outcomes of the systems and services delivered by state DOTs and other IOOs.

There is a foundation of strong infrastructure- and auto-oriented performance measures, such as travel time reliability, pavement quality, or bridge health. These measures have been promulgated into federal regulation, and reporting cycles have been established for DOTs. However, measuring less conventional outcomes closely tied to diverse societal goals is an emerging practice. Research is needed to develop emerging measures into mature practices for consideration by DOTs and other IOOs around the nation and to improve measurement, integration, and incorporation of important policy goals into investment decision-making. 

The objective of this research is to develop a guide to help state DOTs identify and implement nontraditional measures related to transportation performance with tactical strategies or methods for data collection and analysis.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2023 20:31:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2188141</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Ranking Public Transportation Services for Rural States in the Upper Midwest and Great Plains Region</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1986462</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this research is to compare the level of public transportation services provided in North Dakota to those of surrounding states. The study focuses on North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska (excluding the Omaha metro area), and Minnesota (excluding the Twin Cities metro area). The study is examining how well public transportation is serving the citizens in these mostly rural states. This involves an analysis of the level of service provided, measured in terms of geographic coverage, service availability, number of vehicles in use, and vehicle hours and miles of service; the amount of service consumed, measured in terms of ridership; the level of investment from different sources; and measures that evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of service. The analysis also considers the varying levels of need throughout the region.

The scope of the project includes all public transportation in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, as well as all transit in Minnesota and Nebraska excluding the Twins Cities and Omaha metro areas. This includes all rural agencies receiving section 5311 funding and small urban systems receiving section 5307 funds.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Jun 2022 08:45:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1986462</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices. Topic SB-37. Transit Agency Goals and Non-Traditional Performance Indicators Focused on Equity</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1957110</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This synthesis documents the current state of the practice of transit systems using non-traditional indicators to measure and improve equity as it relates to service planning and the customer experience. The study focused on understanding how transit agencies establish equity goals and the key equity performance indicators and targets they use to track their progress toward reaching their goals. First, a literature review was undertaken to identify non-traditional approaches to transit equity. Then, a three-phase survey approach was employed to gather data on innovative transit equity techniques. Additionally, five case examples of transit agencies with unique approaches to transit equity were highlighted. The findings were centered on three themes—capacity, process, and culture—for new approaches to transit equity.

Zachary Elgart, Todd Hansen, Jarrod Butts, and Nishita Sinha of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute collected and synthesized the information and wrote the report. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on page iv. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 May 2022 10:40:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1957110</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>WSDOT Maintenance Performance Measure Algorithm</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1928908</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The principal objective of this quick response research is to develop an algorithm(s) to predict the performance condition of six highway assets. The algorithm(s) will use a data-driven approach, utilizing historical performance measures. Developing the algorithm(s) gives Washington State DOT Maintenance Division the ability to predict LOS performance data in order to predict trends under differing funding conditions. The six highway assets are: (1) MAP Activity 1A3- Shoulder Maintenance; (2) MAP Activity 2A2- Culverts; (3) MAP Activity 6A7- Barrier Maintenance/Guardrail; (4) MAP Activity 2A1- Ditches; (5) MAP Activity 2A5- Slope Repair; and (6) MAP Activity 6B1- Traffic Signal Systems.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Mar 2022 14:02:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1928908</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Improve Traffic Analysis and Mobility Modeling Using Information and Communication Technologies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1879854</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The omnipresence of information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as smartphones, global positioning system (GPS), Bluetooth, and tablets, is inevitably influencing travel behaviors. ICT popularity presents opportunities to advance accessibility for all users. More than 96 percent of all U.S. adults own a cellphone and about 81 percent have a smartphone. These devices gather data on a continual basis, with the potential to collect mobility patterns at a fine, individualized human scale. ICTs have already led to changes in data collection capabilities and the analysis of human mobility patterns. 
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) can harness these capabilities and adjust analysis approaches to maintain a good level of service throughout the state transportation system. Accordingly, the research team will investigate two issues: (1) How can ICT-based travel data collection aid in the capture of human and traffic mobility patterns more efficiently and effectively than traditional travel data collection programs alone? (2) How is ICT use changing individuals’ activity accessibility options and impacting their travel behavior? In addressing these questions, research team will use a multiple-step approach, with each task building upon earlier ones.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 23 Sep 2021 11:42:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1879854</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>	A Comprehensive Evaluation of I-275 Bus-on-Shoulder (BOS) Pilot Project</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1867584</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of the research include: (1) Evaluate the effectiveness of bus-on-shoulder (BOS) operation, including driver experience, ease of accessing the shoulders, adequacy of shoulder width, frequency of encountering obstacles on shoulders and how quickly they were cleared, passenger car drivers’ reaction, BOS motorist violations, etc. (2) Evaluate transit route system performance changes, including BOS transit operations ridership, schedule reliability, safety (motorist, transit, law enforcement, passenger), frequency of use of BOS, and other indicators of transit level of service (LOS). (3) Evaluate the effectiveness of BOS installed in both the northbound and southbound directions at the 38th Avenue N and 54th Avenue N on-ramps. (4) Evaluate whether I-275 BOS project leads to traffic and safety impacts to I-275 project segment and parallel local streets due to spill-over of traffic from on-ramps of I-275 segment. (5) Provide recommendations that may improve the implementation and operation of BOS, such as training, marketing, structure modification, traffic operations and control, etc.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jul 2021 12:54:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1867584</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Urban Applications of Innovative Intersection Designs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1844080</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary objective is to discover the pros and cons of Alternative Intersections (AIs)  in urban settings, and communicate both the good and bad effectively to North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and subsequent stakeholders. The effort will result in highly detailed 2D/3D graphical depictions of corridors with AI designs such as Quadrants, Bowties, Thru-Turns, RCUTs, MUTs, and One-Way Split Intersections, accentuating their full “place-making” potential. The research team will compare them to each other not only visually, but also numerically in terms of overall footprint, traffic level of service (LOS) performance, maximum 1-hour entering capacity, expected speed and safety effects, and expected cost ranges. The research will also attempt to depict more traditional corridor designs, such as “double-left” intersection designs, both as they typically exist now, and as they might exist with “equally ambitious” place-making features, so the overall footprint and acreage of space dedicated to pavement vs non-pavement uses can be compared “apples to apples.”]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Mar 2021 08:26:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1844080</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Winter Maintenance Levels of Service and Performance Measures</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1844015</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Winter maintenance is one of the most important activities performed by the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT). SDDOT’s Snow and Ice Control Performance Standard defines priorities and operational procedures for plowing, sanding, and chemical application needed to provide a safe and reliable highway system. An important element of the performance standard is “level of service”, which defines how well the condition of highways is or should be maintained and restored during and immediately after winter events. Transportation agencies define winter levels of service in various ways, including: recovery time (time from end of storm to restoration of pavement surface to a defined condition), maintenance frequency, surface condition, traffic speed, or pavement friction maintained, frequency or duration of highway closures, travel time reliability, and others. SDDOT currently defines level of service in terms of maintenance frequency and recovery time “to 80% clear of ice and snow”. If possible, priority routes are to be treated every two hours and recovered within 18 hours and non-priority routes are to be treated every four hours and recovered within 36 hours.

SDDOT’s current level of service definitions exhibit some significant limitations, because they may not: be objectively measurable; relate to highway users’ needs and expectations for safety and mobility; communicate expectations to SDDOT staff and highway users; be interpreted or applied consistently by maintenance staff; align to unwritten expectations to do as much as possible with available resources; 	accommodate the full range of storm severity, duration, and characteristics; 	distinguish among highway locale, use, and traffic levels; consider resource costs and constraints; support creation of objective performance measures and tracking to gauge SDDOT’s winter maintenance performance; support strategic and tactical winter maintenance decisions; or translate into physical criteria that can be applied by SDDOT’s Maintenance Decision Support System.

SDDOT needs to establish measurable levels of service that better meet the needs of maintenance staff and managers and highway users. The objectives of this research are to: (1) Assess purposes for which level of service definitions are and could be used by SDDOT and highway users; (2)	Develop winter maintenance level of service definitions that address the needs of SDDOT and highway users; (3) Define and calculate winter maintenance performance measures based upon the level of service definitions; and (4) Update the SDDOT Snow and Ice Control performance standard to address department capabilities and customer expectations.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Mar 2021 10:47:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1844015</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quick-Response Research on Long-Term Strategic Issues. Task 42. Transportation for People with Disabilities and Older Adults during COVID-19: Lessons for Emergency Response</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1753484</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transportation services for people with disabilities and older adults are provided, in most communities, by a complex, and often fragile, agglomeration of public, private, and non-profit fixed-route, paratransit, and demand-responsive services that are essential to the well-being of their customers.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of being prepared and nimble to serve people with disabilities and older adults was evident. 
 
While facing many challenges, numerous transportation providers that serve people with disabilities and older adults demonstrated laudable responses to the pandemic and other emergencies they faced, while others struggled to adapt.   The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of enhancing resilience and assuring that community-wide mobility and other critical needs are met during emergencies. Given this, research is needed to help ensure that the positive and negative lessons learned regarding transportation services for people with disabilities and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic are documented and understood.

The objective of this research is to present strategies for public transportation agencies, paratransit providers, human service transportation providers, emergency planners, and their partners to prepare for and be ready to operate transportation services for people with disabilities and older adults during major service disruptions such as a pandemic, natural disasters, and other emergencies. This research should draw on the lessons learned from diverse communities during the COVID-19 pandemic; provide examples of successful strategies; and present implementation methods that can be emulated.  
 ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2020 20:01:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1753484</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Minutes Matter: A Guide to Bus Transit Service Reliability</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1747283</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM) lists the following factors as influencing reliability: traffic conditions and road construction; vehicle and maintenance quality; vehicle and staff availability; transit preferential treatments; schedule achievability; evenness of passenger demand; variations in bus operator experience; wheelchair lift and ramp usage; route length and the number of stops; and operations control strategies. Weather—particularly snow and extreme temperatures—also plays a role. These factors have been addressed individually by research to some degree—for example, operations control strategies, scheduling, bus operator experience, route length, and applications of Automatic Vehicle Location and other technologies—but there is no comprehensive research that addresses all these factors in combination. Bus service reliability is a key quality-of-service issue for passengers, an important driver of bus operations costs for transit agencies, and a health and safety issue for bus operators. From the passenger point of view, unreliable service means that customers must allow extra time for their trip to make sure they arrive at their destination by a particular time—minimizing lost time that could otherwise have been used more productively. Although a typical rule of thumb is that passengers perceive wait time as being twice as onerous as in-vehicle time, recent research indicates that transit passengers perceive unexpected wait time as being 3 to 5 times as onerous as in-vehicle time. In contrast, automobile travelers value travel time unreliability (i.e., unexpected delay) at approximately the same level that they value travel time, suggesting that transit service is at a competitive disadvantage with the automobile with respect to unreliable travel times. From the transit agency point of view, travel time variability impacts a route’s cycle time and, ultimately, operating cost. Poor reliability (or unreliability) can increase labor costs. In a best-case scenario, reduced cycle time resulting from reduced travel time variability allows a bus to be removed from a route while maintaining scheduled headways. Conversely, if reliability issues are not addressed, a transit agency eventually needs to add buses to a route (increasing costs) or decrease bus frequency. From the bus operator point of view, unreliable service can lead to adverse effects such as increased assaults, operator fatigue, and fewer opportunities to use facilities. This condition may result in lost time, directly affecting operator availability and, ultimately, service reliability. Research is needed to develop guidance on measuring and valuing (a) reliability from the passenger, operator, and agency points of view; (b) the effects of potential operational, technological, and physical measures to improve reliability in particular situations; and (c) the potential benefits and costs of those actions. Accurately estimating the benefits of reliability-improvement measures is necessary for transit agencies, both to gain the acceptance of roadway-owning agencies to implement certain treatments (e.g., bus stop relocation or removal, traffic signal priority, queue jumps, street maintenance) and to compete for scarce transportation funds to implement improvements on a large scale (e.g., along an entire route or throughout a city). A guide on improving bus transit reliability would identify cost-effective techniques for improving bus reliability, thereby helping to improve ridership and provide more cost-efficient bus service.
 
OBJECTIVE
 
The objective of this research is to develop a guide to bus transit service reliability. The guide will include a toolbox of resources that may be used to diagnose and manage bus transit service reliability and will describe benefits, costs, and outcomes of potential policies, strategies, and actions.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2020 20:12:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1747283</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices. Topic SA-52. Assessing Equity and Identifying Impacts Associated with Bus Network Redesigns</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1708340</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This TCRP synthesis will document the current practice of how transit agencies are assessing and addressing the equity impacts of bus network redesigns, including and beyond Title VI analyses.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2020 11:02:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1708340</guid>
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