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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>Evaluation of Change and Clearance Intervals to Address Safety and Operational Performance of Signalized Intersections </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2100906</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The goal of the Traffic Signal Change and Clearance Interval Pooled Fund Study is to ensure the application of traffic signal change and clearance intervals maximize the safe transfer or right of way at signalized intersections.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2023 11:17:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2100906</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Y3R5 - Fathoming the Maximum Potential for Freight Sensitive Intersection Control (parallel project with the other one PI-ed by Zhang)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1868905</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project parallels the other one submitted at TAMU PI-ed by Professor Zhang that deals
with the freight significant corridor traffic control. This one instead fathoms the potential of
an individual intersection when freight traffic is present. Freight vehicles have significantly
different attributes in kinetic movement, economic values (e.g. value of time) and
environmental effect. The two projects enhance each other by deepening understanding of
the point and network benefits of intersections, respectively. At a general intersection, how
to appropriately and optimally consider freight and passenger vehicles is a problem that has
not been addressed well in literature. Current video cameras popularly used for actuated
traffic control have the potential to easily differentiate freight vehicles from passenger cars
with today’s technology. Video camera can also obtain much real time vehicular
information. In such an information driven environment, how to conduct signal control by
considering relevant factors such as economic values is an interesting and significant
problem. This study will examine the optimal mechanism of the general intersection signal
control when a mix of freight and passenger traffic is present. A model and according
algorithms will be developed to apply to the general urban intersections. Numerical test via
simulation will be conducted to show the benefits of the developed model and algorithms.
Discussion with industry will be taken place for inputs and potential application.
The goal of this study is to deepen the understanding of the tradeoffs for right of way
between the different groups of vehicles and to provide an according mechanism to optimize
the signal control]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2021 16:04:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1868905</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Reasonable Alternatives for Grade-Separated Intersection</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1472678</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Grade-separated intersections increase the capacity of two non-freeway roads by elevating two or more approaches, thereby removing conflict points. Despite not including a freeway, most of the grade-separated intersections are designed using freeway-level concepts such as loop ramps. While sometimes efficient, this results in excessive right-of-way needs, increased instances of pedestrians crossing free-flow movements, and over design.
This project will develop renderings of each of the left turning options including general guidance on median placement, lane assignments, and right-of-way needs. General determination of cost as well as vehicular and pedestrian safety impacts will be detailed in the guidance for planning and design professionals. Because some innovative intersections have been patented, a patent landscape analysis will investigate the existing patents in grade-separated intersection designs. Finally, both deterministic and stochastic operational analysis will be conducted, with a micro-simulation analysis for the designs with the greatest potential for implementation in North Carolina. With this guidance on cost, safety, and operations, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) planners and engineers will be able to more appropriately select a grade-separated intersection design for various vehicular and pedestrian volume levels. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 30 Jun 2017 15:37:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1472678</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Field Operational Tests of Vehicle-Assist and Automation (VAA) System Using Full-size Public Transit Buses</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1441790</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The magnetic guidance technology developed in the past years has been successful and has displayed its maturity through various demonstrations throughout the world. Vehicle-assist and Automation (VAA) technologies have shown significant promise to provide benefits to transit agencies in terms of more efficient operations, cost savings (such as reduced right-of-way cost and travel times, smoother rider, reduce bus maintenance and repairs, and rail-like services) and safety. However, the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) felt that in most cases, full technical feasibility and the benefits have not been quantified. Therefore, they decided that it is necessary to initiate a pilot program to demonstrate the benefits of VAA applications for full-size public transit buses in revenue service.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2017 10:52:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1441790</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Compliance Crash Testing of a MASH 2009 Test Level 4 Side Mounted Bridge Rail</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1440844</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There is a need for a Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) 2009 Test Level 4 (TL-4) side mounted bridge rail in the State of California.  The Highway Safety Features New Products Committee recognizes that crash testing of the side mounted TL-4 rated rail has a high priority because of the demand from various stake holders.  California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) frequently encounter Right-of-Way issues or similar limitations which makes it impossible to place a regular bridge rail.  Situations like this will required a side mounted bridge rail.  This barrier will be used in areas where the posted speed limit will be more than 70 km/hr (45 mph).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2016 11:39:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1440844</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Paths to ADA-Compliance: The Performance and Cost Efficiency of Measurement Technologies that Support ADA-Mandated, Self-Evaluations of Pedestrian Rights of Way</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1421442</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a civil rights statute that prohibits discrimination against people who have disabilities. As a necessary step to providing accessibility under the ADA, local public entities are required to perform inventories of their current facilities. The information developed through the inventory (or self-evaluation) process must be quantified and presented as a baseline so that progress can be monitored and measured. While the incentives for completing an ADA transition plan are many--e.g., they act as valid defenses in ADA-related legal actions and work toward fostering more walkable, attractive, and livable communities, overall--completing an inventory of physical barriers can be a daunting task given municipal budget and staffing constraints. The proposed research would carry out both performance-based and cost efficiency analyses of existing and emerging technologies that are (or can be) used to measure physical barriers in public rights-of-way. By identifying and comparing key factors including the potential risks and gains of various measurement approaches would provide a useful starting point for public entities to assess efficacy of implementation and encourage broader compliance with ADA guidelines. This research is expected to address issues and challenges that municipalities face in developing their self-evaluation results for ADA transition plan. Students in this project will learn about various sensing and mobile technologies and their application in the transportation and infrastructure domain.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 02 Sep 2016 11:02:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1421442</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Remote, Wireless Camera Systems for Environmental Monitoring of Transportation Corridors
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1370005</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Wildlife movement across, under, and adjacent to highway rights-of-way and crossing structures is of critical concern for environmental protection, regulatory, and public safety reasons. Using low-powered/self-powered camera networks communicating via wireless, wired, or cell technologies with Web-informatics could provide information for short-term project and mitigation needs and long-term monitoring needs. The goal of this research is to develop the technology to support the evolution of wildlife monitoring associated with transportation corridors from manually maintained cameras to wired and wireless camera systems employing a variety of communication technologies. Further, these systems are fully integrated and usable with Web-informatics systems, making data collection and sharing more consistent and easier. This new approach is both feasible and attractive to transportation planning and environmental assessment because it makes the cost and benefits of these systems more predictable and the outputs more continuous. The proposed system also resembles current traffic flow monitoring systems, which are increasingly familiar to transportation staff and the public. Finally, the system will reduce risk to staff accessing wildlife cameras from the right-of-way because camera system maintenance will be occasional.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2015 16:27:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1370005</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>West Palm Beach Trespass Prevention Study
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1367332</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Demonstrating trespassing countermeasures  on a 7-mile stretch of South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) right-of-way in West Palm Beach, FL.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:36:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1367332</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Operational and Safety Considerations in Making Lane Width Decisions on Urban and Suburban Arterials</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1331125</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In an era of multimodal design and expensive right-of-way, agencies must make decisions on how to best accommodate users of the roadway system within limited budgets. One of the driving decisions is how wide the travel lanes should be while balancing these interests and operational and safety perspectives.
A few recent research projects have examined the relationship between lane width and safety on urban and suburban arterials. These studies found no general indication (with a few exceptions) that the use of lanes narrower than 12 feet increased crash frequencies. While the research provided excellent insight into lane width/safety relationships, it did not address speed, volume, transit, heavy vehicles, on- and off-street neighboring spaces (e.g., turn lane, bike lane, on-street parking, shoulder width, curb and gutter, another lane next to lane of interest, or the proximity of objects such as utility poles, trees, or street furniture on the roadside), bicycle and pedestrian use, and shared versus exclusive lane use. Therefore, additional research is needed to better answer these questions.
 
The objectives of this research were (1) to investigate the effects of urban and suburban arterial lane widths on operations and safety for all users, (2) produce guidelines for practitioners to determine lane configuration for reconstruction and new construction projects, and (3) propose appropriate revisions to the AASHTO Green Book.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 01:00:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1331125</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Effects of Urban Greenway Construction on Pedestrian and Cyclist Injury Rates, Travel Patterns, and Estimated Vehicular Emissions</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232995</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In the United States, pedestrians and cyclists face significantly higher fatal injury rates than motor vehicle occupants. (Pucher, &amp; Lewis, 2003) Per kilometer traveled, pedestrians are 23 times more likely and cyclists 12 times more likely to die from roadway crashes than car occupants. As such, pedestrians and cyclists can be considered vulnerable populations when forced to share roadways with motor vehicles. (Gardner, 2004) Most of the fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists on the roadway are associated with three factors. (Bergman, Gray, Moffat, Simpson, &amp; Rivara, 2002) First, roadways have not been designed to handle the ever rising number of vehicles, causing unsafe conditions for the alternative road user, pedestrians and cyclists. Secondly, roadways are almost exclusively designed to serve motor vehicles rather than the alternative road user. Third, the lack of separate pathways for pedestrians and cyclists forces them to come into direct contact with motor vehicles. These three conditions require pedestrians and cyclists to share the right-of-way with fast moving traffic, creating a situation clearly associated with the higher rate of pedestrian/cyclist injury rates. (Gardner, 2004, 5) Therefore, pedestrians/cyclists may be safest when they are separated from motor vehicles. (Bergman, Gray, Moffat, Simpson, &amp; Rivara, 2002) By developing a separate right-of-way for pedestrians and cyclists, several potential outcomes have been proposed in the injury prevention and planning literature, including: 1) lower injury and fatality rates among pedestrians and cyclists (Bergman, Gray, Moffat, Simpson, &amp; Rivara, 2002), 2) reduced fear and anxiety associated with a person's physical, or built, environment which may reduce perceived barriers to walking/cycling (Loukaitou-Sideris, 2006), and 3) increased physical activity among people, both children and adults, living in impacted neighborhoods. In spite of these positive health and quality-of-life outcomes, policymakers and planners face significant challenges to constructing separate transportation corridors for pedestrians and cyclists such as acquiring right-of-way and, perhaps most importantly, financial cost. (Bergman, Gray, Moffat, Simpson, &amp; Rivara, 2002)]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:48:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1232995</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Studying the Bottleneck Issue at Work Zones and Assessing the Effectiveness of a Portable Dynamic Lane Merging System in Promoting Zip Merging Behavior</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1231908</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed study examines the vehicle bottleneck issue at work zones, test and evaluate the ability of a portable dynamic lane merging system to facilitate "zip merge" behavior at lane-reduced work zones. Increased travel time, queue length, number of aggressive behaviors, and roadway accidents are commonly at work zones. Effective management on bottlenecks at work zones could help enhance the safety in driving and ease the traffic merging effects. One strategy called "zip merging" was employed by several states to encourage drivers to take turns when merging into reduced lanes at work zones. It is considered an effective tactic for merging traffic from several to fewer lanes with the least road rage. However, operational difficulties are often experienced by transportation authorities since most motorists in open lanes would not give up their right-of-way at the merge point. As a result, heavy congestion or "bottlenecks" are formed in closed lanes and thus increases the accident potential and road rage among drivers. Collaborating with a Czech Republic research team that developed a portable Dynamic Lane Merging System, this project will assess the effectiveness and usefulness of this system in managing traffic flow in work zones with lane reductions on Rhode Island Highways]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:28:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1231908</guid>
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