research report |
Sep 2010
The goal of this project is to enhance existing Visual PFE (Development of a Path Flow Estimator for Deriving Steady-State and Time-Dependent Origin-Destination Trip Tables) and adapt it to perform planning applications in small-sized communities (especially in rural areas) where the limited planning resource hinder the development and applications of 4-step models.
published journal article |
Nov 2014
The Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Irvine is completed a two-year study for Caltrans titled “Assessment and Development of Commodity Flow, Logistics, and Other Relevant Goods Movement Data Sources to Facilitate Statewide Freight Modeling.†The findings from this project also further emphasize the growing need for analytical tools for understanding goods movement. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates domestic freight volumes to grow by more than 65 percent, increasing from 13.5 billion tons in 1998 to 22.5 billion tons in 2020. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the volumes of goods shipped by trucks and railroads are projected to increase by 98 percent and 88 percent, respectively, by 2035. To better support policies related to goods movement and its impacts, many states have started adopting statewide freight forecasting models, including Oregon, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin, among others. This project represents an initial preparation phase addressing conceptual and methodological alternatives is needed prior to the actual model development. In this preparation phase, we will coordinate with the primary model users, Caltrans and ARB, to clearly define the model uses. We will deliberate with the MPO’s in California, and other academic institutions, consultants, and state agencies working with Caltrans and ARB in related areas. We will clearly identify the primary modeling methods and decide on a preferred method with Caltrans. Lastly, we will develop a framework for the preferred method and create a work plan.
published journal article |
Jul 2012
This project updated and deployed a freeway safety performance measurement tool. Freeway safety performance is measured by estimating the cumulative risk of different accident characteristics. The project built upon a previous research project that developed the core methodology. The tool evaluates the cumulative risk over time of an accident or a particular kind of accident. The probability is estimated using a model that takes as input only variables that are derived from common inductive loop detectors. The estimated models predict increased risk of any accident occurring, as well as a number of characteristics of those accidents.
research report |
Dec 2011
Freight movement is essential to our prosperity, but it also generates large external costs in the form of additional congestion, air pollution, and truck-related accidents that further compound congestion and air pollution. Unfortunately, these external costs are not yet fully understood. The idea of shifting freight delivery off-peak was proposed a long time ago but it is still controversial. The purpose of this project is to better assess some of the social benefits of shifting freight operations off peak with an emphasis on congestion, air pollution (CO2, NOx, and PM), its health impacts, and accidents related to freight trucks, using an innovative approach and state-of-the-art tools. Our focus will be on the San Pedro Bay Ports (SPBP) of Los Angeles and Long Beach in Southern California, which is one of the largest container port complexes in the world; it contributes significantly to both California’s and the nation’s economies but its growth is threatened by its environmental performance. We will build on our previous UCTC research in order to provide new insights into the impacts of off-peak SPBP freight corridor operations.
The Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Irvine has been developing a web-based training program for Caltrans and local agency transportation engineering and planning staff to provide a foundation for transportation analysis skills. Initial course module development has been directed toward micro simulation modeling, travel forecasting (Four Step Models), and systems analysis. Proposed herein is an extension of this web-based training to include course modules to address current and emerging modeling and analysis for technical assessment, travel forecasting, and operational analysis of public transit systems and alternative transportation modes. These course modules will be developed in the same format as current modules and introduced as courses in the Sakai-based web-site hosted at ITS Irvine.
