Project: #288 Synthesis of Research Results and Technology Trends to Inform Policies for Smart Mobility of People and Goods Phase 2 Progress Report - Reporting Period Ending: March 30, 2020 Principal Investigator: Stan Caldwell Status: Active Start Date: July 1, 2019 End Date: June 30, 2020 Research Type: Applied Grant Type: Research Grant Program: FAST Act - Mobility National (2016 - 2022) Grant Cycle: 2019 Mobility21 UTC Progress Report (Last Updated: March 26, 2020, 8:39 p.m.) % Project Completed to Date: 75 % Grant Award Expended: 75 % Match Expended & Document: 75 USDOT Requirements Accomplishments March 25, 2020 On March 25, 2020 Stan Caldwell participated in the Quarterly Meeting of the Smart Belt Coalition. The Smart Belt is multi-state connected and automated vehicle test bed including the Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation, Pennsylvania and Ohio Turnpike Commissions, Carnegie Mellon University, the Pennsylvania State University, Kettering University, the University of Michigan, the Ohio State University, the American Center for Mobility and the Transportation Research Center Inc. The Smart Belt state recently released a joint RFI for multi-state truck platooning pilot projects and demonstrations. March 25, 2020 Mobility21 Researchers Sean Qian and Stan Caldwell joined University of Pittsburgh Professor Alexandros Labrinidis on an Intelligent Transportation Systems panel for a joint Carnegie Mellon/University of Pittsburgh “Smart City and Technology” undergraduate mini-course. The class is typically held on Saturdays, but the panelists recorded their session to comply with social distancing. March 12, 2020 Traffic21 hosted a roundtable discussion with Lorraine M. Martin, President and CEO, The National Safety Council. Traffic21 faculty and deployment partners joined in a discussion of transportation safety issues in the workplace and potential research collaboration. NSC recently launched A Road to Zero: A vision for achieving zero roadway deaths by 2050, a research report completed with a variety of non-profit and private sector partners. February 25, 2020 Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell and UTC researcher Aaron Steinfeld were tapped by CMU alum Haley Townsend (now working as a consultant) to provide insights into artificial intelligence (AI) for the USDOT ITS Joint Program Office as they work to identify practical real-world scenarios where AI offers the potential to address transportation needs. Aaron Steinfeld shared information about his work in artificial intelligence for accessibility and mobility. Stan Caldwell provided information about how to engage local partners in AI initiatives. February 26, 2020 Stan Caldwell presented an overview of the Mobility21 UTC and the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute to a visiting Japanese delegation from the Robot Revolution & Industrial IoT Initiative (RRI). The RRI is an organization that rebuilds the Japanese manufacturing industry in order to respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Society 5.0 in cooperation with the industry and government. February 20, 2020 The Carnegie Mellon University Heinz School Politics and Policy Club hosted a civic forum discussion with PA Congressman Mike Doyle. Congressman Doyle serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is one of only four exclusive committees in the House. There he sits on the subcommittees on Communications and Technology and Energy – and chairs the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Mobility21 Executive Director, Stan Caldwell and Traffic21 Director, Chris Hendrickson participated in the session. During the session, Stan asked the Congressman about FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking on the 5.9 GHz band currently reserved for transportation safety and vehicle communications. February 21, 2020 Traffic21 Director Chris Hendrickson met with CMU students working on a Environmental Engineering Sustainability project. The students are developing a migration plan for a Zero-Emission Bus System in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Chris provided technical support and copies of the policy document he previously helped create, called Which Alternative Fuel Technology is Best for Transit Buses?. February 21 Senator Camera Bartolotta, state senator for Beaver, Washington, and Greene counties in PA and a member of the Senate’s Transportation Committee, visited CMU today to learn more about Mobility21 UTC research in action. Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell and UTC researcher Christoph Mertz provided the senator a tour of NavLab amd discussed UTC research deployment projects in her rural district. January 16, 2020 Rick Grahn, a PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University displayed his poster on “Are travelers substituting between Uber and public buses? A case study in Pittsburgh, PA” at the TRB Annual Meeting this week. The poster won “Best in Session.” The poster session was a part of the ‘Standing Committee on Public Transportation Planning and Development’. January 12, 2020 The American Road and Transportation Builders Association has selected Traffic21 Institute Director Chris Hendrickson, to receive the Research and Education Division’s prestigious S.S. Steinberg Award. This award honors educators at an institution of higher learning for contributions to research and education in transportation, development or construction. January 11, 2020 Last night at the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) awards banquet at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Traffic21 Director Chris Hendrickson was presented with the prestigious CUTC- HNTB Lifetime Achievement Award for Transportation Education and Research. “This award honors individuals who have had a long history of significant and outstanding contributions to university transportation education and research resulting in a lasting contribution to transportation.” November 1, 2019 Mobility21 UTC Executive Director, Stan Caldwell, participated in the Girls of Steel Robotics Program at the CMU Robotics Institute. Caldwell worked with young women grades 4 to 8 who are interested in learning how to improve public transportation. Their project is a part of the FIRST LEGO League City Shaper challenge. November 11, 2019 Traffic21 Director, Chris Hendrickson traveled to Washington DC to participate in the National Research Council Governing Board Meeting. Hendrickson, attended the meeting on behalf of the Transportation Research Board Division. December 10, 2019 Traffic21 Director, Chris Hendrickson, is in California to participate in the Transportation Research Board’s Research and Technology Coordinating Committee. “The committee will monitor and review FHWA’s research and technology activities and advise FHWA on (a) research agenda setting and coordination of highway research with states, universities, and other partners, (b) strategies to accelerate the deployment and adoption of innovation, and (c) potential areas where research is needed. The committee will hold at least two meetings annually and report via letter report annually, as requested by FHWA.” October 16, 2019 Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell met with a group of 6 Indonesian professionals working with issues relating to improving cities and regional economies. They are participating in a project entitled, “Good Governance Through Technology.” They have been invited to the U.S. under the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program for a 21-day project. Pittsburgh was the second city on their trip, the group will also visit Columbus, Denver and DC. The themes for the Pittsburgh segment of the program were: Using technology to improve services and quality of life; and University and research partners in smart city development. October 1 – 2, 2019 The Smart Belt Coalition convened a two day meeting on CMU’s campus to discuss the coalition’s strategic plan current and future status. The Smart Belt Coalition is a regional effort between Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania to establish a dynamic and proactive collaboration between this region for the development of connected and automated vehicles. July 2019 Stan Caldwell designed and taught a course for 15 students in CMU's PPIA Junior Summer Scholars Program titled "Smart Transportation: Issues in Equity" The PPIA Junior Summer Institute (JSI) Fellowship Program is a rigorous academic graduate level preparation program for undergraduate juniors committed to public service careers. The program was started to address the lack of diversity across the spectrum of professional public service, including government, nonprofits, public policy institutions, and international organizations. The purpose of the JSI Fellowship is to prepare students to obtain a Master’s or joint degree, in public policy, public administration, international affairs, or a related field. Chris Hendrickson and Stan Caldwell with student Rick Grahn published a policy brief bases on research results from survey question about emerging technologies in the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. The title of the policy brief is "Recommended Policies for 21st Century Trends in US Mobility". We expect to deliver print and electronic copies to elected officials and policy makers on the local, state and federal level. Impacts December 20, 2019 Stan Caldwell, Executive Director of the Mobility21 UTC serves on the Public Stakeholder Group for Pittsburgh’s Mobility Collaborative. As part of his role on the committee he provides guidance for crafting policy for the new micromobility technologies in the context of deploying new services in the City of Pittsburgh (in a manner that augments existing resources such as transit and bikesharing while providing services for traditionally underserved populations). This work has evolved from effort between CMU and the City dating back to the 2016 US DOT Smart City Challenge. November 21, 2019 Mobility21 UTC Director, Raj Rajkumar and Executive Director, Stan Caldwell, participated in today’s “Autonomous Vehicle Technology in PA Roundtable.” The roundtable included a discussion of the economic development impact of AVs and included industry leaders, state Department of Community and Economic Development officials, representatives of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, Allegheny County and the city of Pittsburgh. This roundtable meeting with the AV industry was a direct result of previous meetings and policy discussion between the Governor's Action Team and UTC researchers to highlight the economic development of the AV industry in PA. 8-11-19 Port Authority of Allegheny County was one of the recent recipients of Driving PA Forward funding. With this $1,104,00 award, Port Authority will purchase two battery electric buses and charging stations. Helping make the case for battery electric buses the Traffic21 study, Which Alternative Fuel Technology is Best for Transit Buses? was included in the grant application package. Other Approximately 550 Blog Posts and weekly distribution on the Smart Transportation Dispatch weekly electronic newsletter form October 2019 through March 2020. How hyperloop could stand apart from existing transit modes February 17, 2020 Stan Caldwell, executive director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Traffic21 Institute, said hyperloop could end up being an alternative to inter-city air travel, similar to the traditional rail system. That would be further helped by hyperloop stops closer to downtown than most airports, which are typically outside of downtown. Hyperloop won’t necessarily replace existing modes of transportation though, according to Thea Walsh, director of transportation and infrastructure development at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. The intention is to be more holistic, she said during a panel discussion on the technology at the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) annual meeting in Washington, DC last month. https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/hyperloop-public-transit-financing-regulation/571942/ In the Mon Valley, public transit limitations are felt by residents who’ve left Pittsburgh’s core October 2, 2019 As Pittsburghers move to the Monongahela River Valley for affordable rents, transit activists describe the need for more robust options to help them stay connected to neighbors and services in their old communities… One fix for an hourlong bus ride would be adding or extending bus lines to provide more options. But this can be costly and cumbersome. “Cities like Pittsburgh traditionally have more transit access in the more dense urban core and in the more dense urban neighborhoods,” said Stan Caldwell, executive director of Carnegie Mellon’s Traffic21 institute. Public transportation works most efficiently in highly populated areas, according to Caldwell. As cities gentrify, he said, residents move from the urban core and start to lose access to the traditional transit systems from their old neighborhoods. “[I]t’s difficult because people are more dispersed and you don’t have a density to get the effectiveness of transit,” Caldwell said. https://www.publicsource.org/in-the-mon-valley-public-transit-limitations-are-felt-by-residents-whove-left-pittsburghs-core/ May 21, 2019 Stan Caldwell, Mobility21’s Executive Director, sat down with Ken Dunlap, Managing Partner of Catalyst-Go, a company that specializes in the autonomous technologies industries, to discuss urban mobility in their latest podcast. The podcast entitled ““Key Lessons in Urban Mobility” explores a wide variety of topics, including how Pittsburgh has transitioned from an industrial city to one that competes with Silicon Valley for companies and talent. Ken and Stan discuss the role of Traffic21 and Mobility21 in the transformation of Pittsburgh including the model of using seed funding from partners to develop, research and deploy technology in the city. Stan discusses how the formula has led to successful university-government partnerships and how these partnerships are helping the mobility of the greater Pittsburgh region and subsequently nation-wide. The podcast then shifts gears to discuss the whole picture of Mobility21 and how the transportation center and the future of transportation is not simply about automation but rather using new urban mobility technologies to ensure that all, not just some, communities benefit. Stan describes the difference between Pennsylvania’s approach to automation and policy compared to states like California – and how Pennsylvania’s might be a better recipe for success. Listen to the podcast to hear Stan share the lessons he and his Mobility21 colleagues have learned and are learning while research, developing and deploying technology in mobility: https://www.catalyst-go.com/thinkingthroughautonomy/2019/5/24/stan-caldwell-lessons-in-urban-mobility. May 3, 2019 Today’s National Public Radio On Point show “There’s Talk Of $2 Trillion For Infrastructure. How Should The U.S. Spend It?” features an interview with Mobility21 UTC Executive Director Stan Caldwell. Listen to the broadcast here: https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019/05/02/infratstructure-trump-congress-democrats. Outcomes New Partners City of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Port Authority of Allegheny County Issues none