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Transportation

  • Workers place concrete barriers to prevent possible attacks on the walk Muelle Uno in Malaga, Spain, on August 18, 2017, a day after a van crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas

    Commentary

    When the Car Is a Terror Weapon, Can We Prepare for Attacks?

    Soft targets, so-called because they are more vulnerable to terrorism due to lower levels of security, are notoriously difficult to protect, and the latest shift to using vehicles to conduct ramming attacks only compounds the problem for authorities.

    Aug 18, 2017

  • A delivery drone flying over a city

    Report

    What's the Buzz? The City-Scale Impacts of Drone Delivery

    This report examines the developing technology for using drones to deliver packages and attempts to identify the societal impacts. In particular, the author estimates the potential effects on energy consumption, aerial congestion, and other outcomes.

    Aug 9, 2017

  • The Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

    Commentary

    How to Harden America's Soft Targets

    The U.S. government must choose where to apply limited resources to defend soft targets. But it could expand its information-sharing efforts with other governments and local law enforcement. Broad intelligence sharing and more training could help identify potential attackers before they can execute their plans.

    Jul 5, 2017

  • Electric cars being charged

    Project

    Understanding European Consumers’ Preferences for New Cars

    To enhance understanding of consumer preferences for different car type choices for personal travel use, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and fuel cell vehicles, RAND Europe researchers are working with GfK and the University of Hertfordshire to conduct stated preference discrete choice experiments.

    Jun 21, 2017

  • H.C. Andersens Boulevard - January Evening in Copenhagen

    Project

    Quantifying Travellers’ Willingness to Pay for a Tolled Tunnel in Central Copenhagen

    Stated choice experiments will help researchers quantify the willingness of car and van travellers to pay to use a proposed new tunnel to cross to and from Amager in central Copenhagen. The results from this study will infom the Danish Road Directorate's proposed new infrastructure.

    Jun 16, 2017

  • Police attend to an attack on London Bridge in Britain, June 3, 2017

    Commentary

    How Vehicular Terrorism Became Mainstream

    The terrorist attack that began when a van mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge is a reminder that vehicular terrorism has become mainstream. How can authorities safeguard against such low-tech attacks?

    Jun 5, 2017

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a briefing on the final day of the Belt and Road Forum, at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Centre, north of Beijing, China May 15, 2017.

    Commentary

    The Driving Force Behind China's Ambitious 'Belt and Road Initiative'

    By committing trillions of dollars to infrastructure projects across 60 countries, China could transform the lagging economies of the region and place itself in the enviable position of being Asia's true pivot. But the new Silk Road blueprint presents risks as well as benefits.

    May 30, 2017

  • An unfinished monorail project in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 3, 2016

    Commentary

    Regulating Infrastructures in the Tropics

    Regulation helps address the demands of investors who are seeking assurances that their investments are safe, while also reassuring democratically elected governments. Regulatory reform could help Brazil attract more private investment in its infrastructure.

    May 26, 2017

  • A Nissan employee rides in a self-driving Nissan Leaf during a preview of autonomous vehicles in Sunnyvale, California, January 7, 2016

    Testimony

    How to Realize Autonomous Vehicle Safety and Mobility Benefits

    Self-driving vehicles could improve public safety. They could also improve mobility for older Americans, people with disabilities, and others. How can policymakers help ensure that these benefits are realized?

    May 18, 2017

  • Traffic on the streets of London

    Project

    Developing a New Transport Demand Model for the London Area

    As part of a project to develop a new transport demand model for TfL, RAND Europe will develop individual-level models capable of predicting levels of transport demand in response to a range of different policy options and in light of demographic changes.

    May 8, 2017

  • Report

    Report

    Regulation of logistics infrastructure in Brazil

    This report deals with the regulation of logistics infrastructures in Brazil, focusing in particular on the federal level. Brazil, one of the key emerging economies in the world, has a particular need for developing logistics infrastructures.

    May 8, 2017

  • Refugees, who were rescued in international waters off the Libyan coast, are transferred from one boat to another, December 2016

    Essay

    Migrant Crisis in the Mediterranean: What You Need to Know

    The countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea are facing unprecedented stress. A former lieutenant with the Italian Navy is now a RAND researcher, working to help others appreciate the scope of the crisis.

    May 2, 2017

  • Class 395 "Javelin" high-speed train operated by Southeastern, at Ebbsfleet International

    Project

    Understanding the Demand for Rail Travel in UK

    An analysis of the National Travel Survey allowed researchers to quantify the impact of external socio-economic factors on rail demand in the UK. Application of the improved models for forecasting purposes requires the collation of socio-economic and demographic forecast data at an appropriately granular level.

    Apr 27, 2017

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Rail Demand Forecasting Estimation Study: Phase Reports

    Review of the rail demand forecasting methods used by government, the study was completed in 2 phases.

    Apr 27, 2017

  • An autonomous version of Acura's RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD navigates around a dummy at carmaker Honda's testing grounds at the GoMentum Station autonomous vehicle test facility in Concord, California June 1, 2016

    Commentary

    How California Is Trying to Keep Autonomous Vehicle Development on Track

    California's Department of Motor Vehicles recently proposed new regulations governing the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles. Will this help retain the state's status as a testing and deployment ground for the technology, and will it make California safer?

    Apr 10, 2017

  • The first C919 passenger jet made by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) during a news conference at the company's factory in Shanghai, November 2, 2015

    Report

    Chinese Investment in U.S. Aviation Is Not a Threat to Competitiveness

    Since 2005, Chinese companies have acquired, merged, or established joint ventures with more than a dozen U.S. aviation companies. The investment has been limited to smaller manufacturers of technologies not relevant to commercial or military aircraft, likely due to effective U.S. export and foreign investment regulations.

    Apr 10, 2017

  • View of San Francisco at sunrise

    Announcement

    RAND Opens Office in the San Francisco Bay Area

    RAND has opened an office in the Bay Area to foster collaboration with the region's leaders and researchers working to solve today's complex problems. Nidhi Kalra, a senior information scientist, is leading the new office.

    Apr 3, 2017

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Understanding Changes in Youth Mobility

    This report presents a summary of a two-year project undertaken within the National Cooperative Highway Research Program to help transportation planners and managers understand the implications of profound changes in the nature of travel demand patterns in the United States and in other western countries.

    Mar 31, 2017

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Transportation Asset Management Research Roadmap

    This research roadmap seeks to guide future Transportation asset management (TAM) research efforts in productive directions, responding to identified priorities, gaps, and overlap with other ongoing or proposed efforts.

    Mar 31, 2017

  • Multimedia

    Challenges and Approaches to Realizing Autonomous Vehicle Safety

    An overview of testimony by Nidhi Kalra submitted to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection on February 14, 2017.

    Feb 14, 2017

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