Month: January 2017

New Publication: Traffic Safety along Tourist Routes in Rural Areas.

Posted on January 30th, 2017

The Transportation Research Record has published “Traffic Safety along Tourist Routes in Rural Areas,” authored by Yiyi Wang, David Veneziano, Sam Russell and Ahmed Al-Kaisy. The article is based on research that investigated the contributing factors for crash severity and crash likelihood of visiting drivers in or near three national parks in rural areas, and whether there were diffences in crash risk for local and tourist drivers.  The abstract is available on the MSU Publications website, and the full article is available through TRB.

Citation:
Wang, Y., Veneziano, D., Russel, S. and Al-Kaisy, A. Traffic Saftey Along Tourist Routes in Rural Areas.Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board,

No. 2568, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2016, pp. 55–63.

DOI: 10.3141/2568-09

Natalie Villwock-Witte’s Millennial research featured in WIRED magazine

Posted on January 30th, 2017

Last week, WIRED magazine published a feature article on its website about one of WTI’s projects documenting Millennial transportation trends. “Rural Millennials Still Dig Driving. They Have No Choice” highlighted the findings of WTI’s survey of Millennials in four states (Minnesota, Montana, Washington, and Wisconsin) to determine whether there are differences in transportation preferences between Millennials in urban and rural areas.  Principal Investigator Natalie Villwock-Witte was interviewed for the article about her project, which found that 87% of rural Millennials prefer to drive themselves to work, as compared to 75% or Millennials in urban areas.  Read the full article here.

WTI’s Tony Clevenger interviewed about reduction in wildlife collisions on Trans-Canada Highway

Posted on January 23rd, 2017

Last week, Tony Clevenger was interviewed by Newstalk 770 out of Calgary, Canada for the morning news report. The story highlighted the findings from research in Banff National Park that conclude that wildlife crossings on the Trans-Canada Highway have reduced collisions with wildlife by as much as 80% over the last 10 years. Tony was also interviewed on this topic for a feature story by the Calgary Herald.

Stateline Highlights Unpaved Roads Research

Posted on January 23rd, 2017

Stateline, a national website covering trends in state policy, published a feature story on a recent WTI project on the pros, cons, and costs of converting low-volume paved roads to unpaved roads. In “Dirt Roads Help Some Cities, Counties Drive Down Costs,” Stateline interviewed Principal Investigator Laura Fay about her research for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, which sought to explore how commonly and under what conditions transportation agencies are converting paved roads to unpaved roads. Through a national survey, the project identified 48 agencies that have completed conversions, 70 conversion projects, and 550 miles of converted roadway. Click here to read the Stateline article.

Wildlife Crossings Evaluation featured in Missoulian, “Wildlife crossings reveal quirks in road safety”

Posted on January 18th, 2017

On Sunday, The Missoulian published a feature article called “Wildlife crossings reveal quirks in road safety,” highlighting the completion of WTI’s US 93 wildlife crossings evaluation project on US 93.  P.I.Marcel Huijser is interviewed in the article, which you can read here. As we reported in last week’s Newswire, the project represents a 14 year collaboration by WTI, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.  The full report is available on theMDT website.

New Publication: Understanding the Cultural Influences related to Driving After Cannabis

Posted on January 18th, 2017

Report cover for Montana Department of Transportation. Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis. Center for Health and Safety CultureUnderstanding the Cultural Influences related to Driving After Cannabis: The Center for Health and Safety Culture completed a research project with the Transportation Pooled Fund on Traffic Safety Culture. The purpose of this research project was to understand which specific aspects of traffic safety culture predict the decision to drive under the influence of cannabis (DUIC). As more states decriminalize and legalize medical and recreational use of cannabis (marijuana), traffic safety leaders and public health advocates have growing concerns about DUIC. The results of this project help distinguish differences in culture between users and non-users of cannabis regarding traffic safety as well as provide recommendations for next steps. To review the final report, please visithttp://www.mdt.mt.gov/research/projects/cannabis-use.shtml.  To watch a recording of a webinar on this subject, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBhCM7MVq3o.

USDOT designates WTI “Beyond Traffic Innovation Center” serving rural areas following competitive process.

Posted on January 11th, 2017

Breaking News – WTI named “Beyond Traffic Innovation Center” by USDOT

USDOT designates WTI “Beyond Traffic Innovation Center” serving rural areas following competitive process.
Map indicating Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers

This morning, the US Department of Transportation announced that the Western Transportation Institute has been selected as one of its new “Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers.”  These Centers will build on the Department’s Beyond Traffic 2045 Report, which outlined critical transportation trends for the next 30 years.  According to USDOT, the selected centers were recognized as “forward-thinking and influential institutions that are capable of driving solutions to the challenges identified in Beyond Traffic through research, curriculum, outreach, and other activities.”  WTI is one of only 18 universities nationwide to receive this designation; moreover, it is one of only three centers selected to focus on the mobility challenges in rural areas of the United States.  Watch for updates as we receive more details on our new center!

See U.S. DOT Announcement https://www.transportation.gov/BeyondTraffic

See MSU news announcement http://www.montana.edu

Final Report: US 93 North Post-Construction Wildlife Vehicle Collision and Wildlife Crossing Montioring on the Flathead Indian Reservation Between Evaro and Polson, Montana.

Posted on January 10th, 2017

Report Cover US 93 North Post-Construction Wildlife Vehicle Collision and Wildlife Crossing Montioring on the Flathead Indian Reservation Between Evaro and Polson, Montana.The Montana Department of Transportation has released the final report for “US 93 North Post-Construction Wildlife Vehicle Collision and Wildlife Crossing Montioring on the Flathead Indian Reservation Between Evaro and Polson, Montana.” This report summarizes 14 years of research conducted between 2002 and 2015. The research focused on the effectiveness of the wildlife crossing structures installed along 56 miles of US 93, aimed at reducing collisions with large mammals.  The study also documented how often the crossing structures were used by wildlife, specifically by white-tailed deer, mule deer, and black bear. Finally, the researchers conducted cost-benefit analyses and formulated recommendations.  Principal Investigator Marcel Huijser led the research for all 14 years, in partnership with numerous past and present WTI researchers, including Amanda Hardy, Tiffany Allen, and James Begley.  In addition, Whisper Camel-Means (a former WTI graduate fellowship student) and her colleagues at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes were key contributors.

WTI at TRB 2017

Posted on January 10th, 2017


Thanks to the WTI staff members who shared photos from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, held in Washington, D.C. last week. Numerous staff facilitated workshops, presented their research, or submitted posters.

Natalie Villwock-Witte presided over a TRB session on “Workforce, Millennials, and the Implications of Baby Boomer Retirement.” Session presenters included (from left to right): Dr. Stephanie Ivey (Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Memphis), Joan M. McDonald (most recently former New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner), Natalie, and Yvonne Lopez-Diaz (Human Resources Director and Vice President at HNTB).


Alex Roy (left)  and Dan Brooks (right) present posters on alternative transportation on federal lands. Alex and Dan are Transportation Scholars through the Public Lands Transportation Institute.

View Alex’s Poster Alex Roy_TRB Poster-Parking AlternativesL

View Dan’s PosterDan Brooks_TRB Poster-Reducing Barriers to ATS