February '25 Newsletter

MTI NEWS

Februrary 2025

Elementary Poster Contest
 

We are thrilled to announce the winners of our annual poster contest, co-sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)! This nationwide competition engages students in grades 1-6, encouraging them to raise awareness about critical transportation issues while inspiring their communities.

For 2024, the theme "Get Going, Go Green" challenged participants to showcase their creativity by incorporating the theme as a motto or catchphrase. Entries were judged on their artistic expression, originality, and alignment with the theme. Each winner received a prize, and their outstanding posters will be presented to transportation leaders at MTI’s Annual Banquet in June 2025. Congratulations to our talented young artists!

Emma Varela is on track to make an impact. Studying Physics at California State University, Long Beach, Emma recently served as a research assistant to Dr. Amr Morsy and his California State University Transportation Consortium ( CSUTC) study Evaluation of Long-Term Performance of Transportation Earthworks Prone to Weather- Driven Deterioration Under Changing Climate. Emma—who was charged with collecting weather data on minimum and maximum temperature, precipitation, windspeed, and solar radiation from the years 1954 to 2100 for the study—will co-author a conference paper based on the project. She also serves as a peer mentor through her CSU Long Beach Honors Program, of which she said, “The role gave me the chance to support incoming freshmen and help make their transition into higher education a little easier through sharing my own experience and encouraging them to take opportunities that would allow them to explore personal interests.” Emma plans to pursue her PhD after graduation and continue her research with an interdisciplinary approach. We look forward to seeing more outstanding work from Emma in the future!

Blind intersections in suburban and rural areas present significant safety challenges due to limited visibility and poor infrastructure. This project enhances safety by leveraging the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs). A specialized Road-Side Unit (RSU) system, featuring a Virtual Traffic Light Algorithm implemented on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), is developed to improve intersection management. The system integrates RSU communication via software-defined radios and incorporates a solar-powered design for sustainability. Findings confirm the RSU's feasibility and effectiveness in mitigating visibility challenges. The successful implementation of the Virtual Traffic Light Algorithm on FPGA demonstrates its potential for real-world deployment. This research advances transportation safety infrastructure and offers valuable insights for future urban planning and policy development.

Nationwide, the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is projected to constitute 11 percent of people 65 years and older in the United States by 2050 (He et al., 2005). AAPI older adults face a variety of challenges—including language and cultural barriers, anti-Asian hate, accessibility, and traffic safety—that might limit mobility and thus quality of life. This project conducted an extensive literature review and a preliminary multi-language survey in Southern California to better understand mobility-related challenges for AAPI older adults. To improve transportation for all communities, it is essential to understand the diverse challenges different groups face. The study found that crime was the most common concern (cited by 53% of participants), followed by pedestrian safety, physical ability, traffic safety, language barriers, and lack of awareness about low-cost transportation options like Medi-Cal services, Paratransit, and ACCESS. 

This research underscores the profound impact of increased mobility, social connections, and access to community services on the quality of life among older adults, effectively mitigating social isolation and loneliness. Public transportation plays a vital role in fostering independence, and these findings can inform policy and program improvements to better serve AAPI older adults and promote equitable transportation solutions.

Wednesday, March 5, 2025
12:00-1:00p.m. (PT) | Link to register

Join us for the final installment of our webinar series On the Right Track: The Transformative Potential of Rail! This session features expert insights from Heidi Sokolowsky (Urban Field Studio), Kristopher Takács (AECOM), and Eric Eidlin (City of San José). All three have decades of experience in station planning, both in the U.S. and globally. In this session, the three panelists will summarize key takeaways from the past three webinars in the series and reflect upon how global insights from world-class station design and project delivery can influence the future of multimodal transit in California, the U.S., and beyond. They will also consider how recent federal policy shifts could influence the trajectory of high-speed rail projects in the U.S. Don’t miss this opportunity to join the conversation shaping the future of rail!

Tuesday, March 11, 2025
12:00-12:30p.m. (PT) | Link to register

Major challenges leave agencies and transit bus manufacturers facing uncertainty as the U.S. public transportation sector charges ahead into a zero-emission future. Join Leah Foecke and Zachary Karson of global infrastructure advisory firm Rebel Group and authors of a recent MTI publication to explore obstacles and insights in the US transit bus market. The discussion will focus on key industry dynamics, financial challenges with zero-emission bus (ZEB) acquisition, technological barriers in deployment, and regulatory issues. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear insights on this rapidly evolving market easing transit into a more sustainable future!