October '24 Newsletter

MTI NEWS

October 2024

We are excited to launch Mineta Transportation Institute’s annual essay contest! This year’s theme, " Get Going, Go Green ," encourages students to propose innovative solutions for a more sustainable transportation future.
 

In the United States, transportation is one of the major contributors to climate change, mostly due to our use of fossil fuels. The world is shifting toward sustainable transportation, but like any major change, this one comes with challenges.
 

There are just a few days before the November 5th general election. How will you get your vote in?
 

Millions of Americans ( 35 and 60 percent of eligible voters in any given election) do not turn up to vote for even major elections—but public transit helps. In addition to the well-known benefits of public transportation—like saving money, benefiting health, and helping the environment—public buses and trains play a crucial role in voting accessibility by providing a means for people to reach polling places, especially for 8.3 percent of Americans without private vehicles.
 

Yet, approximately 45 percent of Americans—mostly those in rural areas or areas with car-dependent design—do not have access to public transportation. Even with public transportation, further barriers occur in person, with some waiting upwards of six hours to cast their votes and others facing barriers due to strict identification requirements.
 

As election day approaches, make a plan to vote. Public transit helps ensure everyone can participate in democracy. Misinformation is widespread, so do your research and vote for leaders and legislation that uplift your community. Walk, ride, or drive—but make sure you show up. Your vote matters.

Since 2017, Railway Age   has been celebrating distinguished women leaders who serve the community by driving the industry forward and paving the way for the next generation. This year, MTI Executive Director Dr. Karen Philbrick is among one of 25 railroaders recognized by the magazine’s Women in Rail awards. The honorees were selected for their outstanding leadership and innovation, community service involvement, and accomplishments in the freight, passenger, government, and supply sectors. In an industry traditionally dominated by men, these trailblazers continuously break down barriers to provide more opportunities for women and other underrepresented individuals. Congratulations, Dr. Philbrick, and thank you for your tremendous contributions to our industry!

Near-Miss Collisions are events that, with a slight change in position or timing, could have resulted in a collision, which could have caused severe injury. Understanding these events can help identify risks and potentially improve road safety. In this project, the MTI research team developed an effective end-to-end system based on advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models and computer vision algorithms to detect and report near-miss collisions as an essential indicator to identify and measure safety risks, especially in specific circumstances such as right turn on a red light.

The goal is to improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists by automatically  identifying accident risks. The developed system includes algorithms for detecting and tracking all traffic objects, including pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as algorithms for estimating collision risks and detecting near misses. The researchers also evaluated the developed system on real videos captured by actual traffic cameras in the city of Los Angeles. Despite the low quality of some of the videos, the results demonstrate high accuracy of the developed models in identifying traffic collision risks and detecting near-misses. The information generated by the developed system provides opportunities to enhance safety measures for pedestrians and bicyclists while simultaneously optimizing traffic flow.

This study explores challenges faced by underrepresented construction contractors in California’s zero-emission transportation sector, aiming to improve the bonding process. Through surveys and focus groups, it identifies key barriers, including funding shortages, redundant retention requirements, resource limitations, unconscious bias, delayed payments, high bonding percentages, and inconsistent statewide funding support. Contractors also report limited information and trust in current programs. The study suggests legislative changes to enhance resource access, transparency, prompt payments, and mentor support. It also recommends reorganizing the current support systems, such as by implementing an online forum to assist underrepresented contractors, enabling them to compete and cooperate more effectively and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable zero-emission transportation sector in California.

WTS-SF Bay Area and the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) of San José State invite you to join us for a free virtual event " Connect for Your Career: An Introduction to Professional Associations in Transportation." It will introduce university students and emerging professionals to transportation organizations that offer networking, professional development opportunities, and/or scholarship opportunities.

Participating organizations include:

• American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)
• American Planning Association (APA) 
• American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• Asian American Leadership in Mobility (AALM)
• Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT)
• Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP)
• Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO)
• Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
• Intelligent Transportation Society of California (ITS California)
• Latinos in Transit (LiT)
• National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
• Transportation Research Board (TRB)
• Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS)
• Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT)

2024 “Research to Practice” Transit Symposium
*The Symposium was convened by a partnership between APTA, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), University of Florida Transportation Institute, the T-SCORE University Transportation Center, and the Mineta Transportation Institute. 

As the transit industry is poised to take advantage of the largest transit and rail investment in our lifetimes, the 2024 “Research to Practice” Transit Symposium provided a platform where transit experts share insights on how evidence-based research is being, or can be, used to make the most of these opportunities in a changing environment. This year’s symposium focused on the following topics:

• Transit leaders’ perspectives on the future of transit
• Practical applications of transit data
• Transit fare policy
• Transit equity
• Women in transit
• Transit infrastructure costs
• Transit research implementation

View Day 1 Recording

View Day 2 Recording

View Day 3 Recording
 

Southern Colorado Transportation Conference 2024
*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.
 

The Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology hosted the 2024 Southern Colorado Transportation Conference (SCTC) in Pueblo, Colorado, on October 24th. The inaugural event focused on Climate Resiliency for Railroad Infrastructure, addressing the critical issue of safeguarding transportation systems and our communities against climate-related hazards. The half-day event featured an opening address from MTI’s Deputy Executive Director Dr. Hilary Nixon, a welcome from CSU Pueblo President Armando Valdez, talks by Director of Region 2 at the Colorado Department of Transportation Shane Ferguson, and Director of Research & Development at the Federal Railroad Administration Dr. Maryam Allahyar, among others. Research from the Climate Change and Extreme Events Training and Research (CCEETR) consortium was featured in a poster exhibition, with work from MTI and Colorado State University-Pueblo, Michigan State University, Northeastern University, Oregon State University, and the University of Hawaii. Participants from all over the nation networked and collaborated on future plans to tackle the growing risks posed by climate change.