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Equity

Integrating Equity into MPO Project Prioritization

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) have limited funding resources and must consider the potential returns on their investment when prioritizing any project. Among these returns is the degree to which a project provides historically disadvantaged communities with greater access to economic opportunity. This research aims to document effective methods for use by MPOs in project prioritization that emphasize improving access of transportation disadvantaged communities to centers of economic activity.

Assessing Viability of Carsharing for Low-Income Communities

With the increasing benefits of car-share programs, it is important to understand how individuals characterize each service as well as their familiarity with the availability of programs in their locations. This information could be used to target services more effectively to those who already show evidence of adopting this form of transit, as well as more effectively reaching groups whom we would expect to benefit such as individuals who lack economic resources to own their own cars, but who need on-demand, door-to-door transportation.

Assisting New Transit Riders, Including those with Disabilities, via an App Designed for All

Planning and riding public transportation can be particularly daunting for new transit riders, especially those with intellectual disabilities. Transit agencies are also challenged with balancing the demand for paratransit services and its rising costs. Additionally, paratransit can be limiting to riders – advance registration of 24 hours or more is often required to book trips and there are often long waiting times. Riders receiving travel training to use fixed-route transit gain the freedom to travel more frequently, attend job interviews and work, and become more involved in the community.

Evaluation of Adaptive Ramp Metering on I80 in The San Francisco Bay Area

I-80 is the first corridor in the Bay area to have Adaptive Ramp Metering capability. This CTEDD (Center for Transportation Equity Decisions and Dollars) supported research analyzes highway performance data from I-80 corridor along with user perception of the new capabilities to provide lessons to ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) planners, engineering practitioners, and policy-makers on future implementation of Adaptive ramp metering (ARM) in the Bay area.

Overcoming Local Barriers to Regional Transportation: Understanding Transit System Fragmentation from an Institutionalist Framework

While the federal government spends billions on transit projects each year, many regions have poor coordination of services, with some regions having over 21 transit agencies failing to offer integrated schedules, fares and services, while other regions have large swaths that are completely unserved. Many of these inefficiencies are not due to a lack of technology or funding, but to failing of the local funding and governmental structure.