Project: #326 Synthesis of Research Results and Technology Trends to Inform Federal, State, Regional and Local Policies for Smart Mobility of People and Goods - Phase 3 Progress Report - Reporting Period Ending: March 31, 2021 Principal Investigator: Stan Caldwell Status: Active Start Date: July 1, 2020 End Date: June 30, 2021 Research Type: Advanced Grant Type: Research Grant Program: FAST Act - Mobility National (2016 - 2022) Grant Cycle: 2020 Mobility21 UTC Progress Report (Last Updated: March 29, 2021, 8:41 p.m.) % Project Completed to Date: 75 % Grant Award Expended: 75 % Match Expended & Document: 100 USDOT Requirements Accomplishments Expected Impacts This project is intended to continue the influence transportation decision making and policies with regard to new technology implementation and the improvement in mobility of people and goods both in Pennsylvania and nationally. Progress is assessed from activities such as meetings, presentations and publications as well as policy changes, technology implementations and new research projects. The first two phase of the project have resulted in accomplishments such as written policy brief and impact such as polices adopted by partners such as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the City of Pittsburg as result of this research. Research Highlighted in the following news articles: The world’s first driverless water taxi has been built in Tennessee March 5, 2021 “Autonomous ship applications have advanced rapidly because vessels on waterways have less potential conflicts to navigate than vehicles on roadways, especially city streets,” says Stan Caldwell, adjunct associate professor of transportation and public policy at Carnegie Mellon, and executive director of the university’s Traffic21 Institute. Automated cars and trucks need to contend with each other and with pedestrians, so a waterway is definitely more flexible than roadways. This doesn’t mean water paths don’t have their own challenges though. “Potential conflicts would be debris in the water, shallow water, and other vessels, but even these are more limited than what you might encounter on a roadway,” says Caldwell. Docking and crossing are also good applications of marine self-driving robots. “Automation can enable precision docking with use of sensors as we have seen applied with automated buses,” Caldwell says. More>> Roads, transit and tech: How Buttigieg plans to localize the federal transportation agenda February 26, 2021 He has pledged new federal automotive fuel economy standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and install 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations nationwide by 2030. He wants to move forward on long-awaited federal rules governing autonomous vehicles. Touting his expansion of bike lanes in South Bend, he will seek to double the funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program, which funds biking and walking mobility. And he has floated funding the Federal Transit Administration at $150 billion, an almost 13-fold increase from its current budget of $12 billion. “He’s going in the same direction as we are,” said Stan Caldwell, adjunct associate professor of transportation and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. “He understands the impact of transportation not just as the movement of people and goods but as community and economic development for a city, and how important it is to a city and a region,” Mr. Caldwell said. More>> The pandemic cost public transit dearly. Will Pittsburgh-area riders return in 2021? January 13, 2021 Stan Caldwell, executive director of the Traffic21 Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, noted that many people still don’t feel safe enough to use transit. “In my opinion, both locally and nationally, it’s a clear reluctance for people to be in close proximity to other people in an enclosed environment,” Caldwell said. “So we are seeing people taking other modes of transportation, and we are seeing vehicle miles traveled going back up to pre-pandemic levels here in the state of Pennsylvania and nationally.”… As COVID-19 cases rose, Pennsylvania again mandated telework, unless impossible. And it’s not hard to imagine some companies will use more telework even after the pandemic. “There was a lot of fear of loss of productivity if that would happen, but I think companies have seen the opposite, have seen increased productivity. So yes, that’s a big concern,” Caldwell said. “And if a system has been reliant on the revenues of that, it changes their revenue models significantly.” More>> What Insurance Do I Need For Micro-Mobility? October 5, 2020 For anyone using a micro-mobility device like a skateboard, e-bike or scooter, health insurance will generally cover your injuries if you crash. If someone else crashes into you, you can potentially sue them (and get a payout from their liability insurance) for injuries and damage to your micro-mobile. Buying additional coverage for your small transportation probably isn’t worth it. “The product quality isn’t at a good enough level yet,” says Strobel. “Most of the e-scooters you see around in the city have a surprisingly low lifespan.” The insurance question for micro-mobility devices is largely unresolved. A scooter rental company like Lime, for example, deals with the liability issue by requiring customers to sign an agreement that limits its liability. “Micro-mobility presents operators, and their fellow sidewalk and road users, with new risks,” says Stan Caldwell, executive director of the Traffic21 Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. “And wherever there is risk, insurance will find a market.” More>> December 8, 2020 Students made final project presentations at the Traffic21 supported CMU graduate course Smart Cities: Growth and Intelligent Transportation Systems taught by Mobility21 Professor Sean Qian and Stan Caldwell. This course exposes an interdisciplinary group of students to new transportation technology and policy issues and career opportunities in the ITS industry. Multiple UTC faculty members provided guest lectures on their related research throughout the course. Impacts October 1, 2020 Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell participated in the inaugural Megaregions Transportation Policy Symposium which brought together industry practitioners, academic professionals, and policy experts to lead the conversation on technologies, policies, and trends in the field of transportation that will promote Megaregion development. October 1, 2020 As a member of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Research & Education Division (RED), Stan Caldwell joined the joint Planning & Design and RED Divisional Meeting which featured Guest Speaker Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation. October 27, 2020 Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell participated in the 5G Automotive Association showcase of C-V2X Deployment on US Roads, which provided information on existing C-V2X projects, as well as a panel discussion focused on the state of play and the future of ITS in the US. October 26, 2020 Stan Caldwell was one of a select group of industry stakeholders recruited to provide feedback on the NCHRP Report 17-91 Assessing the Impacts of Automated Driving Systems (ADS) on the Future of Transportation Safety through a series of three virtual summit sessions. November 9, 2020 Stan Caldwell participated in the Stakeholder Panel review of the Pittsburgh Bus Rapid Transit Final Design. Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Downtown-Uptown-Oakland-East End BRT service plan calls for a “core” route that runs east-west between downtown and Oakland with three branches that go to Greenfield, Highland Park and through several Mon Valley communities. November 18, 2020 On November 18, 2020 Stan Caldwell participated in the quarterly meeting of the Pennsylvania State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) which was led by PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian and FHWA PA Division Administrator Alicia Nolan. The group discussed innovative applications in the state including the new Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program. November 12, 2020 Chris Hendrickson, Faculty Director of Traffic21 and researcher in Mobility21, attended the Transportation Research Board’s Special Projects and Policy Committee. A wide range of issues were discussed, including strategic plans, the critical issues documents and future policy studies. December 7, 2020 Traffic21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell and Metro21 Executive Director Karen Lightman participated in a broadband roundtable discussion with southwestern Pennsylvania community and economic development leaders. Issues included equity and the relationship between transportation and broadband technology. November 24, 2020 Stan Caldwell participated in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Transportation Operations and Safety Forum hosted by the regional metropolitan planning organization. This forum provides an opportunity to apply UTC research to regional transportation projects. December 15, 2020 Stan Caldwell presented at the Pennsylvania Transportation Alliance meeting hosted by Disability Rights PA. He provided an overview of Mobility21 UTC research related to improving mobility for people with disabilities. December 8-10, 2020 Stan Caldwell, Mobility21 UTC Executive Director, participated in the FHWA Every Day Counts Round Six (EDC-6) Summit. The seven innovations being featured during the summit include strategies to increase engagement with people, new applications of products to preserve and repair infrastructure, and improved processes to save time on project delivery and incident management. January 19, 2021 The annual ARTBA meeting was held today. Stan Caldwell, Executive Director and Lisa Kay Schweyer, Program Manager of Mobility21 participated in the event where the winners of the annual transportation video contest were featured, and the annual winner of the S.S. Steinberg Award was announced. This year’s winner is fellow UTC Director, Dr. Lily Elefteriadou of the University of Florida and Southeastern Transportation Research, Innovation, Development and Education Center. January 5-6, 2021 The Council of University Transportation Centers held their winter meeting, followed by the Annual Awards Banquet. The Council of University Transportation Center‘s winter meeting brings together the nation’s leading transportation professionals from academia and industry along with U.S. DOT and other transportation agency officials. Raj Rajkumar, Director, Stan Caldwell, Executive Director and Lisa Kay Schweyer, Program Manager of Mobility21 participated in the meeting. View the awards program here. January 29, 2021 Stan Caldwell from Mobility21, and Karen Lightman from Metro21, both participated in the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development (ACCD) where regional transportation issues and initiatives were discussed. The ACCD is the ten-county Pittsburgh regional community and economic development organization and houses the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. January 27, 2021 Mobility21 UTC Director, Raj Rajkumar and Executive Director, Stan Caldwell participated in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Automated Vehicle Policy Task Force Meeting where public and private stakeholders discussed automated vehicle initiatives in Pennsylvania and issues related to the safe adoption of automated vehicle technology. Rajkumar and Caldwell are founding members of the task force. February 16, 2021 The US Government Accountability Office recently released their report “Ensuring a Skilled Workforce in the USDOT“, which includes insights from Traffic21 Director Chris Hendrickson. The report highlights steps that should be taken to ensure the workforce has the skills necessary to oversee safety. February 9, 2021 Stan Caldwell has been appointed chair of the Emerging Technologies Standing Committee of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America and was joined by Vice Chair Andrew Liu from AECOM in hosting the inaugural committee meeting. Committee members will participate in task forces for program and policy development of emerging ITS technologies. March 1, 2021 Mobility21 Executive Director, Stan Caldwell was appointed to serve on the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) FAST Act Reauthorization Task Force, where earlier today, he participated in the first meeting to discuss policy recommendations. February 25, 2021 Stan Caldwell provided a private briefing on emerging transportation technologies and the Mobility21 National UTC to Pennsylvania State Senator Wayne Langerholc, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and discussed transportation policy research. February 24, 2021 Stan Caldwell participated in the Port of Pittsburgh Commission’s Port Infrastructure Development and Commerce Roundtable to discuss collaborative transportation opportunities for the region. Speakers included officials from the US DOT Maritime Administration and US Congressman Conor Lamb. March 15, 2021 Stan Caldwell joined fellow University Transportation Center members of the Research, Education and Training Reauthorization Coalition (RETRC) in virtual congressional staff briefings on UTC accomplishments and impacts. Caldwell made presentations on Mobility21 National UTC research, education and technology transfer activity to staff from the following offices in a separate meeting: Senator James Inhofe Senator Joni Ernst Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney Congressman John Katko March 5, 2021 Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell was appointed to serve on the ITSA Broadband Deployment Task Force, which held their inaugural meeting. The ITS American Broadband Deployment Task Force is developing broadband policy for FAST Act reauthorization to support the 21st century connected, automated, shared, on-demand, and electrified transportation system. The task force’s programmatic activities focus on ITS and edge device data to aid in the increase of safety and mobility and be the infrastructure pillar to bridge the rural and urban digital divide and advance public safety efforts. March 4, 2021 As a member of the 2021 PA AV Planning Committee, Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell moderated a webinar on automated vehicle safety and validation with the following panelists: Nat Beuse, Aurora Maureen Brown, Munich Re Amy Chu, Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium Jackie Erickson, Edge Case Research March 3, 2021 Through Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell’s UTC work on emerging transportation technology with the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, he participated in a meeting with Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher and a small group hosted by the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition for a discussion on “Designing Infrastructure Policies for the 21st Century.“ March 18, 2021 Karen Lightman, Metro21 Executive Director and Stan Caldwell, Traffic21 Executive Director participated in a kick off meeting for a regional broadband study led by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission in partnership with Carnegie Mellon and Allies for Children. The Hillman Foundation provided funding for this project and Michael Baker Corporation has been contracted for support. March 18, 2021 As chair of the ITS America Standing Committee on Emerging Technologies, Mobility21 Executive Director Stan Caldwell was joined by Vice-Chair Andrew Liu from AECOM in participating in the ITS America Board of Directors Meeting to present the first report of their committee activity on programing and policy. Stan’s current Mobility21 research on transportation technology and policy supports this committee activity. Also presenting at the board meeting was US DOT Senior Advisor Carlos Monje. March 17, 2021 Resulting from his UTC research in automated vehicle technology and policy, UTC Director Stan Caldwell was invited to participate as an expert panelist in a listening session on Current Research and Gaps in Automated and Connected Vehicles to support the research being performed under NCHRP Project 20-126(01) Programmatic Strategies for State Transportation Agencies Dealing with Issues of Future System Performance. March 16, 2021 Mobility21 UTC supported CMU’s Department of Engineering and Public Policy’s undergraduate capstone project course on Local and National Implications of Vehicle Electrification. Stan Caldwell serves on the project team’s advisory board and provided feedback and UTC research insights for the students’ mid-term research project presentation. Other Posted 463 Intelligent Transportation Systems articles on the Smart Transportation Dispatch which is a blog, social media feed and weekly email newsletter with a subscription of over 4,000 transportation industry leaders. October 21, 2020 Stan Caldwell presented findings form his automated vehicle policy white paper “Are We There Yet? Deployment of Connected and Automated Vehicles in the U.S.” co-authored by Chris Hendrickson at an UIC Urban Forum Panel Discussion. Caldwell was joined by Austin Lannes Brown Executive Director of the Policy Center for Energy, Environment and the Economy at UC Davis and moderated by P.S. Sriraj Director, Urban Transportation Center, University of Illinois at Chicago. A recording of the webinar can be found at this link. https://urbanforum.uic.edu/forum-white-papers/white-paper-presentation-webinar/ November 3, 2020 Traffic21 Director Chris Hendrickson recently helped review the Federal Railroad Administration Research & Development Program. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) formed the Committee for a Review of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) R&D Program at the request of FRA’s Office of Research, Development, and Technology (RD&T) for strategic feedback on the program. Access the full report here. https://www.nap.edu/login.php?record_id=25970# December 10-11, 2020 Stan Caldwell, Executive Director, and Lisa Kay Schweyer, Program Manager, Traffic21 Institute, and Mobility21 National University Transportation Center moderated 2 conference sessions during the Transportation Engineering and Safety conference on changes in transportation/mobility operation due to COVID-19 and the future of shared mobility. The first session topic areas and featured speakers were: Transit, Mark Cassel, director of Service Planning, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) City Mobility, Lolly Walsh, Move 412, Pittsburgh Mobility Collective Micromobility, Ngani Ndimbie, executive policy specialist, PennDOT and former Traffic21/Mobility21 UTC Woman in Transportation Fellow Consultant Perspective, David C. DiGioia, P.E., McMahon Associates, Inc. View recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLCgraPoFaA&feature=youtu.be February 16, 2021 TRB Transportation Explorers Podcast featured Traffic21 Director Chris Hendrickson as he helped answer the question, “How do we get to ‘net zero’ transportation emissions by 2050?” Listen to the full podcast here. https://www.nap.edu/trb/podcasts/hendrickson-final.mp3 Outcomes New Partners Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce Dan Alwine dalwine@pittsburghchamber.com ITSA Tracy Larkin Thomason tlarkinthomason@itsa.org Issues none