Small Urban and Rural Center on Mobility

Posts categorized under "Events"

Webinar – Opportunities for State DOTs (and others) to Encourage Shared-Use Mobility Practices in Rural Areas

Ranjit Godavarthy, SURTC researcher and assistant professor, will be conducting a webinar on shared-use mobility practices in rural areas for the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) as part of the CUTR Transportation Webcast series.

Title: Opportunities for State DOTs (and others) to Encourage Shared-Use Mobility Practices in Rural Area

Date: September 26 at 11:00 am Central Time

Join: https://www.cutr.usf.edu/webcast/

Description: Shared-use mobility (SUM) practices are transportation services that are shared among users. SUM can include ‘traditional SUM’ practices such as public transit, taxis, limousines, etc., or ‘technology enabled SUM’ practices such as ridesourcing, carsharing, bikesharing, micortransit services, etc. While SUM practices exist in all size communities, their presence is less prominent in rural communities.

SUM practices have the potential to fill mobility gaps by offering fast, on-demand, and reliable transportation options. Many innovative SUM initiatives are being piloted and implemented in rural communities in conjunction with already-existing rural transit/transportation services and with business models tailored for rural communities. This study investigated various categories of SUM services such as ridesourcing, carsharing, bikesharing, and microtransit service’s applicability in rural communities and determined the potential to supplement and/or complement traditional rural transit/transportation services.

One of the outputs of the study is a five-task rural SUM toolkit for strategies such as ridesourcing, carsharing, bikesharing, microtransit, as well as rural mobility as a service (MaaS) platforms. The rural SUM toolkit can inform state DOTs, regional transportation agencies, rural transit agencies, local governments, human service agencies, and other state and local agencies about the various steps and tasks involved for strategically planning to pilot and implement relevant SUM strategies to meet the unique transportation needs in rural communities. This toolkit can be applicable for small urban communities as well.

Webinar – Transit and Livability

Jeremy Mattson, SURTC researcher and assistant professor, will be conducting a webinar on transit and livability for the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) as part of the CUTR Transportation Webcast series.

Title: Transit and Livability: Results from the National Community Livability Survey

Date: September 12 at 11:00 am Central Time

Join: https://www.cutr.usf.edu/webcast/

Description: This webinar will present results from a national survey that was conducted to understand factors important to livability in both urban and rural areas across the country and to study the role of transportation and public transit. While many factors influence a community’s livability, affordable transportation options, such as transit services, can be an important contributor in both large and small communities. The study team conducted a survey, called the National Community Livability Survey, where respondents ranked the importance of livability factors and the quality of those factors in their communities, as well as perceived community quality of life. The survey provides information about what factors individuals in both urban and rural areas believe are important for community livability, as well as how they rate the quality of those factors in their communities. This information provides insight on how livability could be improved. An analysis of the survey data shows that livability improves as travel becomes easier, and community livability ultimately has a positive impact on overall life satisfaction. The presentation will describe the data that was collected, summarize the results, compare the results to previous case studies conducted in rural communities, and discuss the implications for improving livability and quality of life.

This webinar is based on a published SURTC report that can be downloaded here: https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=927&program=surtc

Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Celebrates 50 Years Aug. 30 at NDSU

The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University will celebrate its 50th Anniversary Wednesday, Aug. 30, from noon to 4 p.m. with safety and transportation exhibits, free food, and information about the Institute and its history.

The celebration will be held on the south end of NDSU Visitor Parking Lot E. There will be a brief program at 12:30 featuring comments from UGPTI and university officials as well as representatives from North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum's office and the offices of North Dakota Senators John Hoeven, Heidi Heitkamp, and ND Congressman Kevin Cramer.

Hands-on exhibits will be open until 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

  • Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute will display exhibits about its history as well as current research, outreach and education programs.
  • ND Army National Guard will display one of its vehicles and will serve hot dogs to the first 500 visitors.
  • ND Army National Guard will demonstrate the hazards of impaired driving through the use of impaired driving simulation goggles and large trikes on an obstacle course.
  • MATBUS will have one of its buses on display and will provide route information and giveaways.
  • Great Rides Bikeshare will exhibit one of its bikes and staff will be available to answer questions.
  • Bike FM will provide information about bike routes and biking in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
  • The ND Department of Transportation will have a hologram board and virtual reality goggles to simulate impaired driving and involvement in a crash.
  • FM Ambulance will display one of its state-of-the-art ambulances.
  • FM Transportation Club will demonstrate the "no zone" by allowing visitors to climb into the cab of a semi so they can see the blind spots that drivers should avoid.
  • MState in Moorhead will allow visitors to experience driving a "big rig" through the use of its truck-driving simulator.
  • CAT will allow participants to learn how to operate a motor grader or large excavator through the use of one of its simulators.
  • NDSU Police and Safety Office has arranged for display of the Deutscher Family Vehicle. The Deutscher family was killed by a drunk driver in 2012. The display allows viewers to see first-hand the tragic result of drunken driving.
  • NDSU Police and Safety will also allow visitors to don "beer goggles" and play Mario Cart to demonstrate the effects of impaired driving.

In addition to the exhibits and demonstrations, staff of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute will be available to answer questions about the Institute and its programs. The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute was created in 1967 by the North Dakota Legislature to study the unique transportation challenges facing agricultural producers and processors in the region. The institute has broadened its mission substantially and creatively, responding to emerging needs. Its current mission is to provide innovative transportation research, education, and outreach that promote the safe and efficient movement people and goods.

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For more information contact Tom Jirik, UGPTI communications coordinator, at thomas.jirik@ndsu.edu or (701) 231-9629.

ITS Data Management Seminar


ITS Data Management Seminar
May 24-25, 2017 – Tampa, FL
Embassy Suites – USF Campus
3705 Spectrum Boulevard
Tampa, Florida 33612

View the Seminar Agenda

Audience: This seminar is geared for transit professionals, which include planners, engineers, operators, and individuals employed by MPOs, DOTs, and transportation agencies that will be involved in the planning, implementation, and ongoing management of transit data.

Description: Participants will discuss and discover best practices in data management for transit ridership and for open source data for internal agency consumption and external partner usage. They will network with other professionals and learn ITS data management best practices from peer agencies and from academic research. They will hear case studies that illustrate successes as well as lessons learned relating to data management. Participants also will have the opportunity to experience the history and future of transit by riding authentic streetcars on the TECO Streetcar System and the first-in-the-nation HyperLINK that provides a doorstep connection to the city's transit system.

After completing the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Identify data management techniques and software suitable for public transportation
  • Investigate the use of various data management practices from across the country
  • Discuss best practices for successful data management procurements
  • Review timely industry topics, such as ridership forecasting and open source/open data.

SURTC at TRB

SURTC staff will be participating in next week's Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. SURTC director Jill Hough will be moderating a session titled Case Studies and Surveys of Transit Needs in Rural Communities on Tuesday January 10, 3:45 PM – 5:30 PM. This session will feature presentations from SURTC researchers Jeremy Mattson and Ranjit Godavarthy. Jeremy Mattson will be presenting research on estimating demand for rural intercity bus services, and Ranjit Godavarthy will present findings from case studies conducted in two North Dakota communities regarding transit's contribution to livability.

Jeremy Mattson will also be participating in a session on Monday January 9, 3:45 PM – 5:30 PM, titled Data and Technology for Rural and Intercity Decision Making. He will be presenting "Estimating Ridership of Rural Demand-Response Transit Services for the General Public," highlighting findings from a recently published report.

SURTC researcher Del Peterson will also be attending and participating in the Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee meeting and the conference planning subcommittee meeting.

Prior to TRB, on Saturday January 7, the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) is hosting its Annual Awards Banquet in Washington, DC, followed by the CUTC annual winter meeting on Sunday. Jill Hough is currently serving as president of CUTC.

Webinar – Estimating Ridership of Rural Demand-Response Transit

SURTC researcher Jeremy Mattson will be conducting a webinar discussing the recent report "Estimating Ridership of Rural Demand-Response Transit Services for the General Public." This report provides useful insights to operators looking to enhance their ridership and respond to the changing needs in their communities. The webinar is being hosted by National RTAP on November 16 at 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM CST.

This study developed two models for estimating demand: one using 2013 NTD data and the other using more detailed service data collected from surveys of transit agencies. Jeremy will discuss the results of the study and how to use these two models.

The models can be used by transit agencies or transportation planners to:

  • Forecast demand for new demand-response services.
  • Estimate the impact of service changes, such as changes in geographic coverage, span of service, fares, reservation requirements.
  • Project future ridership based on projected population and demographic changes.

Register now and join us for this webinar! Find additional recorded and upcoming webinars from the National RTAP website.

Workforce Development Summit Proceedings Published

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has published a proceedings report that documents the presentations and discussions from the Workforce Development Summit: Implementing, Disseminating, and Modeling Ladders of Opportunity. This one-day event was hosted by the FTA and the National Transit Institute (NTI) on June 7, 2016. Working with NTI, SURTC staff participated in the event and produced the proceedings document.

Recipients of the FTA's Innovative Public Transportation Workforce Development grants and FTA partners gathered for the event to share information, network, and learn from each other as they addressed the workforce development challenges facing the industry. The summit featured presentations from FTA grantees, individuals from FTA, and FTA partners. Discussions focused on the workforce challenges facing the industry, innovative projects conducted by grant recipients, collaboration opportunities and the importance of partnerships, funding opportunities, and performance measurement. Links to the proceedings document and the report summary can be found below.

Workforce Development Proceedings: FTA Report No. 0096

Report Summary for the Workforce Development Summit Proceedings

 

Webinar: Exploring Transit's Contribution to Livability in Rural Communities

SURTC researchers Ranjit Godavarthy and Jeremy Mattson will join researcher Jonathan Brooks from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to present a webinar on transit's contribution to livability in rural communities. The webinar, which is part of the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) webcast series, will be October 27 at 11:00 am central time.

Presenters will discuss an ongoing research study for the U.S. Department of Transportation about rural community livability and the role of public transportation. The definition of livability varies from community to community. Public transit may contribute to livability in one or more ways. The presenters will share a recently developed methodology to define livability locally and identify the potential transit markets specific to a community. The methodology was developed and tested in communities across the country. Results will be presented from cases studies conducted in small communities in the following states: Texas, Maine, Missouri, Oregon, and North Dakota. Click on the links below for more information and to view the webinar.

Upcoming CUTR Webcast: Exploring Transit’s Contribution to Livability in Rural Communities

Link for viewing the webinar

SURTC Participating at National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation

SURTC staff will be attending and participating in next week's National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation in Asheville, North Carolina. SURTC researchers Del Peterson and Jeremy Mattson and training coordinator Rob Lynch will each be giving presentations. Rob Lynch will also be manning SURTC's booth at the vendor show. Del Peterson served on the conference's planning committee and will also be awarding the winners of the student paper competition. If you are attending the conference, be sure to stop by our booth and say hello or attend our sessions. Below is list of sessions in which SURTC staff are participating.

Del Peterson – Session title: Hiring and Retaining Qualified Personnel: Challenges and Strategies; Presentation title: Workforce Development and Succession Planning to Prepare the Rural Transit Industry for the Future; Monday October 3, 9:45 AM

Rob Lynch – Session title: Working Effectively with Public Officials Through Good Communication and Good Data; Presentation title: Making the Case: Working with Elected and Appointed Officials; Tuesday October 4, 8:00 AM

Jeremy Mattson – Session title: Recent Developments in Planning Rural Intercity Bus Services; Presentation title: Estimating Demand for Rural Intercity Bus Services; Tuesday October 4, 4:15 PM

The Coming Retirement Tsunami: Why Transit Agencies and the Public Sector Can No Longer Ignore Succession Planning

Join us for this informative workshop June 9 from 10:00 AM to Noon CT. Patrick Ibarra of the Mejorando Group and Del Peterson of the Small Urban and Rural Transit Center (SURTC) will be presenting.

Your public sector agency's future depends on its ability to identify, retain and prepare future leaders. Beyond simply replacing positions that become vacant, effective succession planning is an ongoing process of identifying, assessing and developing talent to ensure leadership, management and supervisory continuity throughout an organization and, moreover, to sustain its performance.

For more information or to register, view the workshop flyer.