We know crash and volume data are not enough, but what other perspectives can we take to learn more? While we continue to build counting stations and improve crash data collection and quality, this session will explore the hidden insights that arise when we look beyond the volume counts in various ways: near-misses that are never reported, trajectories of people crossing mid-block or at an intersection that were thought to be rare, building smart corridors with machine learning to analyze the data, automating pedestrian safety elements, and more are budding methods to assess safety risk for vulnerable road users. LiDAR, AI, 5G, radar are just a few of these technologies that are being tested and refined year after year. These speakers will explain how they are using the data to build safer streets alongside their partners.
Dr. Mina Sartipi is the Founding Director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) and a Guerry Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department.
Dr. Daniel Work is a Vanderbilt University Chancellor Faculty Fellow and professor in civil and environmental engineering, computer science, and the Institute for Software Integrated Systems at Vanderbilt University.
Anna Dearman is the Walking and Biking Manager at the Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure.
Trevor Whitley is CEO/Co-Founder of LiDAR Matrix and a Research Scientist at the University of Nevada, Reno
Setting up a Pedestrian and Bicycle volume data collection system is a massive challenge. Choosing the right technology, identifying locations for permanent vs. short duration counts, installing, calibrating, and validating equipment, developing correction and extrapolation factors, and eventually publishing and using the actual data. But what happens next? What does an ongoing program look like? What new challenges arise with sustaining a long-term data collection program? Budgets, maintenance, state of good repair, evolving technology, and staffing turnover are just a few of the challenges.
This session features Cassidy Boulan from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Josh Clark from the San Diego Association of Governments, and David Patton from Arlington County VA, who will share their insights into the challenges of establishing and maintaining a fleet of automated counters over not just years, but decades.
Martin Guttenplan with CDM Smith and Lisa Austin with the Minnesota Department of Transportation share their perspectives on research priorities for advancing our field and challenges in producing research that is relevant to the needs of practitioners. Both Martin and Lisa have years of experience conducting research and collaborating with researchers. We had a lively conversation that will help shape our efforts to increase the effectiveness of our research agenda!
TRB Research Highlights
Many local and state transportation agencies have established bicycle and pedestrian traffic monitoring programs, but the majority of state DOTs and local transportation have not done so. Experts writing about the challenges of establishing programs cite the need for “data wranglers” – individuals who take on responsibilities of advocating for monitoring; engaging stakeholders at relevant agencies; securing resources; coordinating program implementation, including site selection, equipment installation, and quality assurance; reporting results; and integration with motorized traffic monitoring. Join colleagues to discuss the need for specialists in analyses of nonmotorized traffic data, brainstorm skills needed to be successful, and identify strategies and opportunities for education and training.
Presented by:
Amanda Glazer & Sirisha Kothuri, PhD
Public transportation agencies are working with private vendors and researchers on data fusions – strategies for integrating big data with traditional traffic counts to improve traffic volume and flow estimates. For bicycle, pedestrian, and other modes of micromobility, questions remain about the validity of estimates in different contexts and how to overcome bias in crowdsourced data associated with access to and use of smartphones. In this conversation, we share progress in data fusion and ask questions about strategies for using big data with bike and pedestrian counts.
Presented by:
Steven Jessberg
Presented by:
Tara Tolford, Jessica Schoner, Robert Stickney and Rachel Finfer
Presented by:
John Lower and Amanda Pushka, MicroTraffic
Open Discussion
Open Discussion
Presented by:
Sean Co, Streetlight Data
Bahar Dadashova, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Presented by:
Michael Petesch, Minnesota DOT
Sarah Searcy, North Carolina State University
Presented by:
Nathan Hicks, CDM Smith
Shawn Turner, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Huyen Le, Virginia Tech University
Presented by:
Sirisha Kothuri, Portland State University
Greg Lindsey, University of Minnesota
Michael Petesch, Minnesota Department of Transportation
Simon Blenski, City of Minneapolis
Presented by:
Sirisha Kothuri, Portland State University
Blythe Carter, North Carolina State University
Nathan Hicks, CDM Smith
Peter Ohlms, Virginia Transportation Research Council
Jordan Whisler, Ohio DOT
Edward Potter, Michigan DOT
Kenneth Brubaker, Colorado DOT
Presented by:
Krista Nordback, UNC Highway Safety Research Center
Frank Proulx, Toole Design Group
Greg Griffin, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Presented by:
Nathan Hicks, CDM Smith
Bernardo Pires, Carnegie Mellon University
Tarek Sayed, University of British Columbia
Presented by:
Krista Nordback, UNC Highway Safety Research Center
Steven Jessberger, FHWA Office of Highway Policy Information
Scott Brady, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Presented by:
Nathan Hicks, CDM Smith
Peter Ohlms, Virginia Transportation Research Council
Frank Proulx, Toole Design Group
Bernardo Pires, Carnegie Mellon University
Presented by:
Greg Lindsey, University of Minnesota
Scott Brady, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Sarah O'Brien, North Carolina State University