Surface Transportation

  • Interior of autonomous car with ones and zeroes superimposed, photo by metamorworks/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Why AV Safety and Cybersecurity Need to Be Pursued in Tandem

    Safety and cybersecurity are generally pursued by separate teams within autonomous vehicle companies. A joint approach to standards could optimize safety and cybersecurity and reduce overall risks to autonomous vehicle operation.

    Mar 20, 2019

  • A road work sign on California Highway 101 north warns, "be prepared to stop"

    Commentary

    How to Make Roads Safer for Autonomous Vehicles

    No matter how much developers test autonomous vehicles, the world will still present unforeseen circumstances for vehicles to navigate. Roadways and vehicle design could be modified to better accommodate both human error and the shortcomings of autonomous vehicle systems.

    Feb 6, 2019

  • Car driving autonomously with LIDAR sensor

    Commentary

    The New AV Challenge: Creating a Universal Safety Framework

    Autonomous vehicle developers are pursuing different safety strategies and technologies, making different claims, in different ways, about their systems. A universal framework could provide a more consistent and transparent view of progress in AV safety within and across the industry, better informing the public and policymakers.

    Nov 2, 2018

  • An autonomous car scans the road and stops at a crosswalk

    Report

    How AV Safety Can Be Defined, Tested, and Measured

    The race to introduce automated vehicles to consumers and communities is based on the promise that they will be safer than conventional vehicles. A new framework for measuring AV safety provides the public, automotive industry, and policymakers with clearer ways to discuss AV technology issues.

    Oct 11, 2018

  • Senior couple in a car

    Commentary

    How AVs Could Provide Independence for Older Drivers

    Giving up driving has been linked to depression and isolation in older adults, as well as early entry into nursing home facilities. Autonomous vehicles could help improve the well-being of older adults by allowing them to maintain independence while still giving up their car keys.

    Sep 21, 2018

  • Bird scooters outside a restaurant in Santa Monica, California, July 23, 2018

    Commentary

    A Better Way to Think About Scooters

    Unleashed in Santa Monica, California, last September, Bird and its competitors are now in 30 American cities and counting. Cities are responding to the scooter takeover with new regulations and increased law enforcement. But if officials rely only on 20th-century tools to integrate these 21st-century scooters into their cities, they will miss a big opportunity.

    Aug 28, 2018

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    China Belt and Road Initiative: How revival of the silk road could impact world trade

    By using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, this study found improving transportation multimodal connectivity has a positive impact on multilateral trade across countries and regions along China Belt and Road Initiative.

    Aug 21, 2018

  • Report

    Report

    China Belt and Road Initiative: Measuring the impact of improving transportation connectivity on trade in the region

    Using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, this study found improving transportation multimodal connectivity has a positive impact on multilateral trade across countries and regions along China Belt and Road Initiative.

    Aug 21, 2018

  • Report

    Report

    Bus fare and journey time elasticities and diversion factors for all modes: A rapid evidence assessment

    In this review a substantial database of diversion-factor evidence was collated. Little recent evidence on bus fare and generalised journey time elasticities was identified. Recommendations are provided, based on analysis of the available evidence.

    Jul 9, 2018

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: July-August 2018

    This issue spotlights RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative and RAND's evaluation of Housing for Health, a Los Angeles County program that has moved some of its most chronically homeless and vulnerable residents into permanent housing.

    Jul 2, 2018

  • AutoNOMOS self-driving car drives during a presentation in Zurich, Switzerland, May 12, 2015

    Commentary

    What If Autonomous Vehicles Actually Make Us More Dependent on Cars?

    Cities across Europe are taking steps to become increasingly car free. Mayors, supported by their officials and planners, should start leading a debate now about how self-driving vehicles can best serve the needs of residents and visitors, and help deliver wider goals for their cities.

    Jun 19, 2018

  • A self-driving car being developed by nuTonomy, a company creating software for autonomous vehicles, is guided down a street near their offices in Boston, Massachusetts, June 2, 2017

    Report

    Rethinking Insurance and Liability in the Transformative Age of Autonomous Vehicles

    What are the challenges and opportunities for the automobile insurance industry as autonomous vehicle technology becomes widely deployed? This workshop brought together industry stakeholders, regulators, and consumer representatives to focus on the implications of AV technology for insurance and liability regimes.

    Jun 8, 2018

  • Ofo cycles lined up and ready for use at a railway station, Cambridge, UK, April 26, 2018

    Commentary

    Dockless Bikes Present Challenges, but Experience Shows They Can Work

    By encouraging more people to cycle, bike-sharing platforms could provide many potential benefits through reduced congestion, reduced air pollution, and health benefits. But there are also challenges, including pressures on existing cycling infrastructure and the potential for theft and vandalism.

    May 31, 2018

  • A mourner writes a message on a makeshift memorial a day after a van struck multiple people along a major intersection in north Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 24, 2018

    Commentary

    The Continuing Plague of Vehicle Attacks: What Can Be Done?

    Attacks using vehicles like the one in Toronto this week are difficult to defend against, but that doesn't mean that law enforcement and local security forces can't make progress. There are four crucial elements to consider when thinking about mitigating the effects of ramming attacks.

    Apr 26, 2018

  • Aerial view of a highway with cars and trucks in the middle of a green forest

    Report

    Could U.S. Road Deaths Reach Zero by 2050?

    Motor vehicle crashes kill more than 100 Americans every day and are the leading cause of death for people age 15 to 24. A strategy that includes changes in policy, technology, and social norms could substantially improve road safety and lead to zero roadway deaths by 2050.

    Apr 19, 2018

  • Report

    Report

    The Road to Zero: Executive Summary: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050

    Imagine that, in 2050, not a single person in the United States dies in a traffic crash. This executive summary to The Road to Zero: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050 describes how that might be possible.

    Apr 19, 2018

  • Seattle viaduct and waterfront at rush hour as commuters leave the city, Seattle, Washington, March 29, 2013

    Commentary

    Congestion Tolls Work in London and Stockholm—Why Not Seattle?

    Seattle is considering following in the footsteps of London, Stockholm, Singapore, and Milan to introduce a charge for driving on the city's roads. What can Seattle and its residents learn from other cities that have implemented road user charging?

    Apr 12, 2018

  • Report

    Report

    Quantifying travellers' willingness to pay for the Harbour Tunnel in Copenhagen: A stated choice study

    This study uses a stated choice experiment to quantify travellers' willingness to pay for a tolled tunnel in Copenhagen. Discrete choice models are used to quantify travellers' value of travel time savings.

    Mar 20, 2018

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    How Can We Model Travel Frequency? A Critical Review of Current Practice

    The paper should assist the transport modellers and policy makers in choosing appropriate trip frequency modelling tools which best suit their problem.

    Mar 20, 2018

  • A tired teen girl driving a car

    Commentary

    Teens Are Driving Drowsy Every Day, and That's Dangerous

    About 1 in 10 car crashes are caused by drowsy driving, and young drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 account for more than half of them. Many parents unwittingly allow their teens to drive while tired on a daily basis.

    Mar 12, 2018

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