December '23 Newsletter

December 2023

TRB Presentations 2024

MTI Research Associates and affiliated researchers will be presenting at the 103rd annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board. The meeting program covers all transportation modes, with sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. We hope to see you there!

SJSU Student Spotlight

Diamon Tesfay
B.S. in Business Management

Congratulations to Diamon Tesfay on being awarded the Rosa Parks Scholarship from COMTO Northern California Chapter! Diamon is expected to graduate from SJSU in May with a B.S. in Business Management and plans to attend the MSTM program as the next step in his transportation career. Because his family operates a freight forwarding company in Oakland, Diamon has up-close experience with large-scale transportation of goods along with personal experience with transit. However, it wasn’t until he took a job at his family’s company working as a documents agent that he realized how much transportation affects our daily lives.

This experience, along with his experience and knowledge of the scarce transportation options in his family’s home country of Eritrea, have inspired him to pursue transportation as a career. “As the first member of my immediate family to pursue a college education, one of my lifelong goals is to serve as a role model for my younger siblings, cousins, and the broader Habesha community,” Diamon says. “My family remains my most significant source of mentorship and motivation, continually encouraging me to be the best I can be, not only academically but in all facets of my life.” Diamon plans to advocate for policy changes and funding that promote economic growth and expand transportation access. He is already on his way to making a difference!

New Research

Cycling Past 50: A Closer Look into the World of Older Cyclists, Year 4 Survey

This study documents approximately 5,000 responses to a North American survey of older adults who cycle. The survey, open from August 2021 through March 2022, included questions that captured a person’s cycling over their life course, as well as their current cycling styles, habits, and preferences. Responses reflect the impact of various factors on an older adult’s cycling habits with respect to their ability and agility and their expectation to continue cycling. 

Key takeaways include: many older adults can continue to cycle as they age by using a different bicycle, establishing a different expectation with regard to cycling, finding others to cycle with, and using safe and comfortable cycling facilities. Survey questions about e-bikes, adult trikes, and tandems show the variety of bicycle types available, but point to the need for higher-capacity bikeways and education about sharing bikeways safely. The population of older adults is growing, and examining the needs of this group ensures a community’s ability to create environments conducive to equitable mobility for all.

This study was conducted in accordance with California Senate Bill 1161 (2022), legislation that directed the Mineta Transportation Institute to develop a reliable, easy-to-use survey instrument for collecting information from public transit passengers about the extent, location, and characteristics of any street harassment they experience. Although the legislation is focused on large California transit agencies, the study findings are equally relevant to smaller agencies and agencies outside the state. To develop the recommended questionnaire, we reviewed literature about street harassment, analyzed transit passenger surveys to explore the questions asked about safety and harassment, received feedback on iterative drafts of the questionnaire from numerous transit riders and experts, and pilot-tested the survey with 329 bus and train riders. 

The survey instrument was produced in English, Spanish, and Chinese. It is translated into 11 AAPI languages with support from Stop AAPI Hate.  

Misconduct on Public Transit: An Exploratory Analysis Using the Comments Formerly Known as Tweets

This project developed a simple methodology for using Twitter data to explore public perceptions about misconduct on public transit in California. The methodology allows future researchers to analyze tweets to answer questions such as: How frequent are tweets related to assault, abuse, or other misconduct on public transit? What concerns arise most frequently? What are the types of behaviors discussed? The researchers collected and analyzed data from Twitter posts in California about various types of public transit misconduct from January 2020 to March 2023 to identify the nature and frequency of reported misconduct. Findings reveal that harassment, uncivil behavior, and assault are the commonly reported concerns. It appears that at times the victims had been targeted on the basis of their race, gender, or sexual identity, or because they were transit employees. The tweets indicate that both genders are victimized, though women were targeted more often than men (57.5% vs. 42.5%). As for the alleged perpetrators of transit misconduct, more than three-quarters were male (78%). 

#VisionZero2030 Essay Contest

Submit by January 29, 2024!

For the contest, students grades 6-9 will write a 500-word-limit essay while students grades 10-12 will write a 1000-word-limit essay as a response to ONE of the essay prompts of their choosing. The informational flyer is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Upcoming Events

*This event is co-sponsored by High Speed Rail Alliance.

Join City of San Jose and high-speed rail thought leaders for an insightful discussion of best practices and lessons learned from developing and running high-speed rail stations. Explore the intricacies of planning, designing, and developing mixed-use station areas and multimodal passenger facilities that enable a safe, comfortable, and seamless travel experience.

This webinar is a must for planners, policymakers, transit managers, and others passionate about shaping the future of HSR and station areas. This session offers invaluable insights and strategies about U.S. high-speed rail—don’t miss it!

Speakers:

• Eric Eidlin, Station Planning Manager, City of San Jose
• Ramses Madou, Division Manager of Planning, Policy, and Sustainability for the Department of Transportation, City of San Jose

Moderator: Karen Philbrick, PhD, Executive Director, MTI

*This event is co-sponsored by Stop AAPI Hate.

Harassment is keeping riders from using transit and feeling safe. Join a discussion with two transit operators and their community partners to discuss strategies for learning about what riders are facing and how to put an end to it. Taking on harassment on transit doesn't need to be a daunting task—it starts with data collection and setting up community partnerships to guide the process. Speakers will discuss both qualitative data gathering approaches and a new passenger survey tool. How can these be used to make a difference in making public transit safer for everyone? Be a part of the conversation about putting the brakes on rider harassment. 

WHO IS IT FOR:
This webinar is for transit riders, operators, community-based organizations, advocacy groups, government workers, researchers, and anyone who wants to be a part of sharing insights and strategies to address rider harassment and fostering a safer and more inclusive public transit experience for everyone.

Speakers:

• Chantal Hildebrand, Co-Executive Director, Alliance for Girls
• Meghna Khanna, Senior Director, Systemwide Team, Mobility Corridors, LA Metro
• Alicia Trost, Chief Communications Officer, BART

MTI Survey Presenter: Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD, National Transportation Finance Center Director, MTI

Moderator: Annie Lee, Esq., Managing Director of Policy, Chinese for Affirmative Action / Stop AAPI Hate