The Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) 101st Annual Meeting took place in Washington D.C. earlier this month. As a division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the TRB serves as the national hub of “evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice for all modes of transportation.”
This year’s theme was Innovating an Equitable, Resilient, Sustainable, and Safe Transportation System. These five themes (Innovation, Equity, Resilience, Sustainability, and Safety) were highlighted throughout the workshops and sessions.
Innovation
We are in the midst of rapid technological change in transportation. Combinations of advancements in Electric Vehicles, Connected and Automated Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted forecasting, drones, and blockchain data sharing are providing new tools to designing safe, reliable, accessible, sustainable transportation systems. While these technologies are still on the edge of our experience, they can be found in modern warehouses along with fleet operations and high-end consumer goods. Technology becomes less expensive over time; these tools will be broadly available in the coming decades.
Equity
Redlining, freeway development, and other policies have concentrated the negative effects (pollution, traffic deaths, noise, vibration, lights) of the transportation system in black, brown, and low-income neighborhoods. Over time, the cumulative impacts create distrust and destroy wealth in these communities. Environmental Justice mapping tools are in broad use to identify affected communities. Recommendations to address equity in transportation begin with enhancing and tailoring public engagement with communities that builds trust, slowly, across time.
Resilience
Global supply chain networks depend on reliable delivery of goods across oceans, borders, and transportation modes. In recent years, COVID-19, severe storms, fires, consumer demand, and many other ‘once in a lifetime’ events have placed significant strain and delay on deliveries to businesses and consumers. Despite these challenges more resilient logistics firms are thriving, mitigating risk through ongoing investments in data, visibility, AI forecasting, centralized operations, and close coordination with partners. Technologies that help the private sector meet delivery windows are viable and can be adapted for safe, reliable mobility for people too.
Sustainability
Transportation across all categories is electrifying. This change will help to limit the worst effects of climate change, eliminate air pollution, and take advantage of sharp declines in the cost of clean energy, battery-electric vehicles (EV). From bikes to heavy trucks to cargo ships, development is happening rapidly. EVs have no local emissions and low maintenance costs. There are also new challenging decisions in the number, quality, and location of charging stations to install. Fleet operators (bus, plow, utility) will need tools to forecast conditions, position equipment, adjust routes and stagger charging times. EVs have their own logic, and all transportation modes will be experimenting with new management tools and operational approaches.
Safety
The sharp rise in the rate of traffic deaths nationwide since 2020 has interrupted progress made towards the Vision Zero goal of eliminating all traffic deaths. Even before 2020, traffic safety metrics were hovering around even or getting worse. Arterial roadways present critical challenges to safety gains. Arterial roadways tend to be more complex, have local destinations and through trips, have higher vehicle volumes and speeds, and serve all modes (pedestrians, bikes, cars, buses, trucks, etc.). Pedestrian safety in particular has performed poorly on these roads, with a 53% increase in pedestrian traffic deaths on arterials in the last decade. Pedestrian networks along arterials are often incomplete and characterized by unmarked crossings where pedestrian deaths are most likely to occur. Redesigning arterial roadways with a Safe System Approach where the safety of all road users is equitably addressed, including those who walk, bike, drive, ride transit, or travel by other modes.
Communities across the country are experimenting with new ways to apply technology, adapt practice, and engage in solutions to broadly share in the benefits. These five key themes reflect that, and they already help to guide our own regional transportation planning. SEMCOG’s Traffic Safety Task Force is launching in February to update our regional Traffic Safety Plan. On the EV Resource Kit and Planning Hub, we are tracking the development of charging infrastructure and sharing useful information on the basics of EVs. As we kick off development of the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan for Southeast Michigan this year, these themes will be continue to provide timely lenses as we prepare for our future.
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