Outreach – The Western Transportation Institute

Active Commuting Options Abound for Bozeman’s Elementary Schoolers

Posted on October 9th, 2023

An ongoing collaboration between WTI, the City of Bozeman, and three Bozeman elementary schools is ensuring children develop valuable bike and walking skillsets, while also enjoying the outdoors with friends. As of last April, students from Hyalite and Meadowlark Elementary Schools have been meeting their classmates at a local park to collectively walk or bike the rest of the way to school while accompanied by an adult. They then repeat the process, in reverse, at the end of the school day. These “walking school buses” and “bike trains” are popping up all over the Gallatin Valley and are designed to not only decrease school-related traffic but to prepare students for the school day through physical activity, which improves concentration and focus.

Walking school buses and bike trains are part of the City of Bozeman’s reinvestment in the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) methodology, which was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and encourages bicycling and walking to school through education, infrastructure improvements, and incentives. As part of their support, the City of Bozeman supplies two Parks and Recreation staff members to accompany students to and from school. In the afternoons, the Walking School Bus is combined with the Bozeman Rec Mobile, giving Hyalite and Meadowlark students an opportunity to enjoy extended, supervised outdoor recreation time after school. This service is helpful to working parents because pick-up time can be as late as 5 pm.

The popularity of the walking school buses has led to the foundation of a similar bike train program at Morning Star Elementary. Students meet at Tuckerman Park in the morning and ride the two-mile route to school. “When the weather is nice, around 30 people participate,” explains Jen MacFarlane, the WTI Safe Routes to School Coordinator. “It’s a huge success. But like any community programming, there are sustainability challenges.”

Unlike the walking school buses at Hyalite and Meadowlark, the Morning Star bike train relies entirely on parent and teacher volunteers and requires effort to maintain as work and school schedules fill up. “These programs are far more likely to succeed if they have leadership support. Morning Star’s Principal, Will Dickerson, along with the Health Enhancement teacher, Susan Atkinson, champion the Morning Star bike train – actively encouraging participation in school announcements, the parent newsletter, anywhere they talk with students and potential volunteers,” notes Jen. “That’s one of the reasons it’s so successful.”

Jen encourages those looking to start their own bike train, walking school bus, or other Safe Routes to School program to foster support from their school leadership. “Not all programming feels right to all principals and superintendents; Gallatin High School has decided to try School Pool, a new carpool platform to decrease the number of cars driven to school. Whereas, Monforton School in Four Corners has been supporting safe infrastructure and walk/bike to school events for the last five years.” Jen adds, “Many options exist – there’s a Safe Routes to School program to appeal to everyone.”

In the meantime, the Hyalite and Meadowlark walking school buses will be available year-round. If you are interested in coordinating a walking school bus or bike train at your child’s school, please contact Jen MacFarlane at jennifer.macfarlane@montana.edu.

18th Annual Western States Forum a Success

Posted on August 7th, 2023

The Western States Rural Transportation Technology Implementers Forum(the Western States Forum or WSF) continued the tradition of success at its 18^th annual event in June. Designed to share rural transportation solutions that have been deployed in the field, the Forum featured seven technical presentations and demonstrations and provided a variety of networking and discussion opportunities for state departments of transportation (DOTs) and local and public agencies. Its small size (a maximum of 50 participants), invite-only guest list, and absence of vendors kept presentations in-depth and discussion lively and open. The 2023 Forum had a full house, with 49 participants representing eight states (AZ, CA, MT, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA), and six DOTs, including all five of the Western States Rural Transportation Consortium (WSRTC) member states (CA, OR, NV, UT, WA).

The Forum design is unique; speakers submit two drafts of their presentation for review by a steering committee, which then provides detailed feedback. This review process helps maintain the level of technical detail which distinguishes WSF from other conferences. A day and a half are devoted to presentations, so speakers are given an extended amount of time to delve into the “nuts and bolts” of their project’s outcome, whether it relates to equations, source code, component-level discussion, or lessons learned. Forum participants are also encouraged to engage with speakers and discuss the material presented both during and at the end of each presentation.

A dump truck pulling an enclosed trailer with metal towers erected at either end. People are gathered to view the inside of the trailer. — The Caltrans Office of Radio Communications satellite communications truck and trailer.

This year’s agenda included presentations from California, Utah, Nevada, and Washington, each with their own unique topics and perspective. Presenters from Caltrans District 2 provided a detailed review of broadband communication design strategies for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications and explored how the system architecture has evolved and expanded successfully. Speakers from Caltrans District 3 discussed a web application and server that interfaces with existing transportation management systems to send batches of CMS messages based on a message playbook. The presentation also demonstrated how other organizations could create similar applications. The Caltrans Office of Radio Communications brought over their satellite communications truck and trailer from District 1 and accompanied their presentation with a parking lot demonstration.

The Utah DOT Weather Operations group spoke on a topic new to the Forum: wildfire response and a process for analyzing wildfire burn severity and debris flow probability with the use of portable Road Weather Information System – Environmental Sensing Stations (ESS). Their presentation explained how the process and system provides automatic alerts to stakeholders to minimize the time required to clear the debris flow area and keep personnel safe. Washington State DOT discussed their experience testing and procuring a wrong-way vehicle detection system that accurately detects vehicles entering a highway from the wrong direction. They also described how that system integrates with current infrastructure to alert the TMC if a vehicle is confirmed to be driving in the wrong direction. Nevada DOT had a contingent of speakers who presented on two topics. The first discussed their newly implemented managed lighting control system, which enables real-time adjustments to roadway lighting levels, along with monitoring for maintenance. The second presentation described NDOT’s use of the 3-GIS network management software for telecommunications infrastructure and asset management.

WTI has coordinated the Forum since its inception in 2006. It is supported by the Western States Rural Transportation Consortium, a transportation pooled fund consisting of five Western states – California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Washington (lead state). Over the years, the Forum has hosted more than 650 participants, with nearly 300 individuals from 14 different states. The 2023 forum was joined by 22 first-time participants and nine “regulars” who have attended 11 or more events.

The WSF has been established as an excellent means of disseminating information on Rural ITS among designers, engineers, and maintainers. It has also resulted in many examples of projects that were inspired by, or built upon, past WSF presentations. Sharing lessons learned (positive or otherwise) only advances the state of practice. Check out the Forum website for technical content and images from past events: Home | Western States Forum, http://www.westernstatesforum.org/. Information about the 2024 event will be posted this fall.

WTI’s Dr. Marcel Huijser Awarded Y2Y Funding for Grizzly Bear Research

Posted on June 2nd, 2023

A man smiling in front of a highway underpass. — Dr. Marcel Huijser was awarded Y2Y funding to monitor this animal underpass by camera. He is particularly interested in documenting the activity of grizzly sows with cubs.

WTI’s Dr. Marcel Huijser received funds from the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) to support continued grizzly bear research along US Hwy 93 North on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. Conducted in collaboration with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) – known as the Séliš–Ql̓ispe in the Séliš language and K̓upawiȼq̓nuk or Ksanka in the Ktunaxa and Ksanka languages – the research is focused on grizzly bear use of wildlife crossing structures. “It is important to know if the existing crossing structures are suitable for the bears, particularly sows with cubs, so that their natural movements across the landscape can be supported. If the barrier effect of highways is substantially reduced, then their genetic and demographic connectivity is preserved, and they can also strengthen or repopulate other areas further away,” said Huijser.

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative logo.

More wildlife fences and crossing structures are needed to reduce direct road mortality and facilitate the safe movement of grizzly bears from one side of the road to the other. Preliminary data collected by Huijser and two research collaborators, Payton Adams and Samantha Getty, suggest that while some grizzly bears use the large culverts that are the most common structures along the road, sows with cubs rarely do. They prefer very large (50-70 meters wide) crossing structures and large open span bridges. Currently, the vast majority of family groups cross the highway at road level, where they risk being hit by vehicles. Between 1998 and 2022, at least 22 grizzly bears were hit and killed along US Hwy 93 North on the Flathead Indian Reservations. Seven of them (32%) were cubs.

To reduce roadkill, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is currently increasing the length of the wildlife fences along US Hwy 93 and connecting them to existing underpasses. According to a United States Fish and Wildlife Service Tribal Wildlife Grants Program-funded report written by Adams, Huijser, and Getty and published by the CSKT, this will likely reduce the number of grizzlies and other large mammal species killed by vehicles. However, unless more suitable crossing structures are provided as well, extended fences may also result in a greater barrier for grizzly bears, especially sows with cubs.

Along with larger crossing structures and fencing, the researchers recommend a full suite of mitigation measures along Hwy 93 North such as wildlife jump-outs (mounds along the fence that are intended to allow animals to leave the roadway but not enter), zero fence gaps, and electrified barriers at access roads. Combining these mitigation measures with habitat restoration, especially along riparian zones, would allow for better habitat and easier access to crossing structures for grizzly bears of all ages and sexes.

WTI Researchers Improving Roadway Safety in Big Sky

Posted on April 3rd, 2023

Proposed traffic calming installation at Ousel Falls & Aspen in Big Sky, MT. Source: Google

Work is moving forward on a collaborative project between WTI and Big Sky Community Organization (BSCO) on an Ousel Falls Road traffic calming and place-making project. Organizers believe that the temporary infrastructure, funded through the Building Active Communities Initiative (BACI) and the Big Sky resort tax, will increase safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists in the heavily trafficked city center.

Beginning in December 2021, WTI Researchers Rebecca Gleason and Matt Madsen used traffic data collection and community input to design the installation. The proposed curb extensions, crosswalk, and street art will slow motor traffic but will not limit parking. Currently in the permitting phase, Gleason and Madsen hope that installation will occur in mid-May, weather depending.

As a test piece, the Ousel Falls traffic calming project will receive continuous monitoring. WTI will collect data on vehicle, pedestrian, and cyclist behavior in relation to the installation, which will inform suggested next steps. All information, along with a case study of traffic calming in other small towns, will be reported back to the community. As a temporary project, Madsen stressed, the installation is always open to improvements.

WTI Part of $2.25M Tribal Transport Effort

Posted on December 5th, 2022

As part of a consortium that was recently awarded up to $2.25 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, WTI will provide transportation outreach and technical assistance to tribes across the Upper Great Plains and Intermountain West through the Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP). Led by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University, the program will work with 29 tribes within the Bureau of Indian Affair’s Rocky Mountain and Great Plains Regions to build tribal capacity in program management, grow the tribal workforce, cultivate and coordinate partnerships, facilitate technology transfer and the implementation of innovations, and share results of similar initiatives across the country.

“WTI looks forward to sharing with tribes in our region, building their capacity to administer and manage their own transportation programs and systems,” said WTI Executive Director David Kack. “WTI has a long history of solving rural road challenges and collaborating with tribes, as well as partnering with the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute.”

Program funds will be shared through NDSU with MSU, South Dakota State University and the University of Wyoming, which all host and manage existing Federal Highway Administration-funded Local Technical Assistance Programs (LTAPs), that provide transportation outreach to local units of government. The collaborating universities have considerable experience with rural roads, rural road safety, and other transportation issues faced by tribes, Kack noted. The collective resources and outreach experience will be invaluable to the efforts of the Northern TTAP.

The Northern TTAP will also work closely with state departments of transportation in the region to tap expertise within those departments and to help them better integrate tribal transportation networks into their own statewide and regional networks.

To learn more about TTAP visit: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/clas/ttap/

UTCs – TCUs Exchange Ideas at Albuquerque Summit

Posted on November 1st, 2022

The Small Urban, Rural and Tribal Center on Mobility (SURTCOM) hosted a University Transportation Center (UTC) -Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The October 21^st event, sponsored by a CUTC New Initiatives grant, brought together representatives from UTCs and TCUs nationwide to discuss strategies for advancing partnerships that will help connect Native American students to transportation careers and higher education. Arlando Teller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Tribal Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, opened with a welcome and overview of the UTC program as well as additional US DOT grant opportunities. Patrick Nemons, Director of the Office of Safety Programs with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, provided attendees with resources and strategies for obtaining federal grants, focusing on the important role minority-serving institutions play in advancing the nation’s transportation programs.

Representatives from UTCs provided attendees with an overview of their research themes and outreach and education efforts, highlighting any existing UTC-TCU partnerships. The majority of the Summit was spent on roundtable discussions with TCU attendees exploring themes related to research, training, and workforce development needs, linkages between two-year and four-year institutions, and education and outreach efforts to attract diverse students to transportation careers. The workshop wrapped up with a discussion on strategies and guiding principles for establishing mutually beneficial TCU/UTC partnerships.

WTI Researchers to Teach MSU Course on the Intersection of Transportation & Health

Posted on October 31st, 2022

Transportation systems that prioritize motor vehicles have been linked to poor air quality and negative health outcomes such as asthma, may endanger walkers and cyclists, and disproportionately shift the negative effects onto minority and low-income communities. As a new generation of transportation engineers, planners, and policymakers join the workforce, it is important that they understand and have the skills to address the relationship between transportation and public health.

WTI researchers Rebecca Gleason and Matthew Madsen have partnered with the MSU College of Engineering to teach ECIV 491: Sustainable Transportation and Community Health. The 3-credit spring semester course is for students with Junior standing or above who are studying engineering, community health, planning, or a policy discipline. “Cities and towns are not built within silos by only engineers,” said Madsen. “For them to be sustainable and healthy, they need to be planned and developed by many different professionals. This class will give engineers and students in other disciplines the chance to learn from each other.”

Sustainable Transportation and Community Health is designed to provide students with a broad perspective on transportation design by exploring the evolution of both the U.S. and Dutch transportation systems, their divergence, and the design standards that support active infrastructure. “The Netherlands used to be much more car-dependent,” Gleason noted, “but due to a concerted effort starting in the 1970s they have become a model for a more people-focused transportation network. However, the U.S. fully embraced the private automobile, especially after World War II, and while there are some places around the country that are more bicycle, pedestrian, and transit-friendly, they are now the exception.”

The course will also introduce students to the policies and tools used to incorporate health into transportation planning, as well as provide hands-on experience to plan, implement, and evaluate a quick-build traffic-calming project. “The course goal,” remarked Madsen, “is to demonstrate the need for a balanced transportation system that incorporates health and focuses on equity in relation to all users, especially the more vulnerable ones.”

Registration for ECIV 491: Sustainable Transportation and Community Health is now open for spring 2023. The class will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:2am5 to10:40am. For more course information please contact Rebecca Gleason or Matthew Madsen.

IN THE NEWS: City of Bozeman Awarded Grant for Park and Trail Planning

Posted on June 9th, 2021

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that the City of Bozeman has received a planning grant from the Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities. “Bozeman partners with HRDC to hire part-time help for parks planning” describes the collaboration between the City, the Human Resources Development Council, and WTI to gain more input from the public on park and trail access. The grant funds will be used to hire community liaisons who will seek to document the needs of local populations that have been underrepresented in planning discussions in the past. Ultimately, the public feedback will be used to update the City’s parks, recreation, open space and trails plan and an “active transportation” plan.

WTI assisted with the development and submittal of the grant application and will provide technical assistance and training to liaisons, HRDC, and the City of Bozeman.

SUMMER IS HERE – Time for Transportation Camp!

Posted on June 2nd, 2021

Students mix cement at transportation camp 2019

WTI is excited to announce two upcoming sessions of the Summer Transportation Camp at Montana State University – free weeklong camps for middle school students.

For: Middle School students (entering grades 6-9 in Fall 2021)

What: Two weeklong camps at the MSU Western Transportation Institute (9am – 3pm) to get everyone moving. Each day camp participants will explore a variety of science, engineering, and design topics related to promoting active, safe, and sustainable transportation systems.

Students prepare to use a microscope during a camp activity 2019

Activities will include:

– hands-on design challenges

– local trail explorations by bike

– field trips of discovery

When: June 21-25 and July 12-16, 2021

Cost: Free! There is no cost to camp participants thanks to a generous grant from the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

For more information and to register: http://wrtwc.org/center-initiatives/middle-school-summer-camp/

GoGallatin Program Manager Highlighted in Mass Transit Magazine

WTI Road Ecology Manager Shares Expertise in Montana PBS Report, Colorado News Services