Browsing by Subject "transportation planning"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Five-County Minnesota Case Study: Rural Roadway Fatal Crash Characteristics and Select Safety Improvement Programs
    (Center for Excellence in Rural Safety, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2008-12) Patterson, Tyler M.; Munnich, Lee
    This second in a series of CERS research reports summarizes the characteristics of the fatal rural roadway crashes within five Minnesota counties and describes some of the safety improvement programs or campaigns being used in this five-county area. Past research has shown that some of the many characteristics of fatal rural roadway crashes include younger drivers, alcohol involvement, lack of seat belt use, and speeding. The crash data summarized in this report were generally obtained from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Several recommendations have been proposed as a result of this case study project that focus on improving rural roadway safety data and analyses. Evaluations of safety improvement programs/campaigns are also proposed. Recommendations include: • Examine more rural roadway crash factors and combinations of factors for additional clarification. • Improve the metrics used to describe or define rural roadways in the United States. • Use the primary characteristics of rural roadway crashes as the basis for safety improvement measures and programs implemented in rural areas. • Include measures and strategies that improve driver decision-making as one of the focus or emphasis areas of a comprehensive safety program. • Fund projects that continue to help upgrade and apply GIS tools to plot and evaluate safety data with respect to driver behavior and roadway conditions. • Scientifically evaluate the impacts of the safety improvement programs described in this report.
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    Nice Ride Minnesota Program Evaluation Bemidji Bike Rental System
    (2015-03) Levinson, David M; Schoner, Jessica; Lindsey, Greg
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    Nice Ride Minnesota Program Evaluation: Minneapolis-St. Paul Bike Share System
    (2015-05) Schoner, Jessica; Lindsey, Greg; Levinson, David M
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    SONG 2 - Simulator of Network Growth version 2
    (2016-07-13) Xie, Feng; Levinson, David M; dlevinson@umn.edu; Levinson, David M; University of Minnesota Nexus Research Group
    Software used in the project Beyond Business as Usual (MnDOT MN/RC-2006-36) This research, extending the Mn/DOT-funded project If They Come, Will You Build It, assesses the implications of existing trends on future network construction. It compares forecast networks (using models estimated on historical decisions developed with previous research) under alternative budget scenarios (trend, above trend, below trend), with networks constructed according to alternative sets of decision rules developed with Mn/DOT and Metropolitan Council staff. The comparison evaluates alternative futures using a set of performance measures to determine whether the network we would get in the absence of a change in policies (allowing historical policies to go forward) outperforms or underperforms the networks developed by applying suggested decision rules. This evaluation methodology enables new decision rules for network construction (building new links or widening existing links) to be tested. The research suggests a path beyond “business as usual”. This research incorporates results from the different scenarios tested. It presents the processes, approaches and development to encode historical decision rules. After analyzing flowcharts developed from the interviews of staff at different levels of government, if-then rules are generated for each jurisdiction. This research then describes the details and processes necessary to run the network forecasting models with various decision rules. Results for different scenarios are presented including adding additional constraints for the transportation network expansion and calibration process details. A comparison and analysis between scenarios is made in order to provide a final conclusion on what scenario will produce the greatest benefit for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Transportation Network.
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    SONIC - System of Network Incremental Connections
    (2016-07-13) Xie, Feng; Levinson, David M; dlevinson@umn.edu; Levinson, David M; University of Minnesota Nexus Research Group
    The software contains a network-growth simulation model. The logic is based on the strongest-link assumption (ie for a link to be constructed, it must be ranked the highest in terms of increasing accessibility between the two blocks it connects).