Archived News
TRCLC - Great Lake International Symposium
Putney Lecture Hall at Fetzer Center
February 26, 2016
TRCLC is sponsoring the “Great Lakes International Symposium: Interdisciplinary Research in Data Science” together with the Department of Statistics. This symposium will benefit in understanding data analysis needs in various areas and developing collaboration with other disciplines. Presentations will be given by seven invited speakers and student posters will be exhibited. For more detailed, please see the symposium flyer here.
Seminar:Algorithms and Assessment Tools for Connected and Automated Vehicles
Prof. Byungkyu Brian Park, Ph.D
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Virginia
Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm, Thursday, February 25, 2016
Location: Parkview Room (D-132), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Western Michigan University
Connected Vehicle (CV) technology and automated vehicles have emerged and are expected to provide unprecedented improvements in mobility. This talk will present two algorithms developed for connected and/or automated vehicle applications. The first algorithm focuses on cooperative vehicle intersection control (CVIC) and its implementation at a corridor with multiple intersections. It evaluates sustainability aspects of the Cooperative Vehicle Intersection Control (CVIC) system by applying surrogate safety assessment model (SSAM) and VT-Micro model to measure safety and environmental impacts, respectively. A simulation-based case study is performed on a hypothetical arterial consisting of four intersections with 8 traffic congestion cases covering low to high volume conditions. When compared to the coordinated actuated control, the CVIC system outperforms the existing actuated control. The second algorithm deals with speed harmonization for automated vehicles. The objective function is to minimize changes in accelerations while maintaining safe distance. An example case study on a freeway basic segment with a speed reduction zone indicated that the proposed algorithm outperforms the base case. Additional discussion on the use of connected and automated vehicles evaluation tools assessing (i) latencies in connected vehicle communications and (ii) surrogate safety under connected and automated vehicle applications, are to be made if time permits.
Call for Presentation Abstracts
ATLAS Center Symposium: Meeting the Challenges of Safe Transportation in an Aging Society
The call for presentations is now open for the Conference on Meeting the Challenges of Safe Transportation in an Aging Society to be held in Ann Arbor Michigan on September 14-15, 2016. The conference is sponsored by: Center for Advancing Transportation Leadership and Safety (ATLAS Center), University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), Elsevier Ltd, Center for Accessibility and Safety for an Aging Population (ASAP) , and Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities (TRCLC). Topics of special interest include but are not limited to: advanced technologies including autonomous and connected vehicles; infrastructure and engineering countermeasures; licensing and other policy issues; health-related challenges; training; and driver assessment. Research should focus on older adults themselves, the modes of transportation they use, or the roadway environment within which they function. Students are encouraged to submit for a student poster session and awards will be given.
Download the call for presentations flyer or go here for more information: http://www.atlas-center.org/symposium-call-for-presentation-abstracts/.Abstracts due: March 31, 2016Notification: May 31, 2016
SEMINAR ANNOUNCEMENT
Peer-to-Peer Sharing of Supply in Transportation: Possibilities and Algorithms
Prof. R. Jayakrishnan, Ph.D.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Institute of Transportation Studies
University of California at Irvine
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, Friday, October 16, 2015
Location: Parkview Room (D-132), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Western Michigan University
Newer technologies and high market penetration of personal communication systems bring up many new possibilities for different paradigms of operation in transportation systems. The users can consume transportation supply with more complete information and significantly more peer-to-peer (P2P) communication. Several possibilities exist in such a world of shared economy, with regard to using road and vehicle space in temporally efficient manner. Car-sharing and ride-sharing are two of the more well-known systems in this regard. Autonomous vehicles bring up another dimension in terms of shared ownership as well. There are also possibilities in using P2P communication for collaborative, competitive or negotiated consumption of other elements of transportation supply such as signal timings, and lane space availability. This presentation focuses on the possibilities, and discusses recent research into shared-ride systems for passenger transport and auction-based mechanisms for signal and lane usage. The presentation also lays out newer frameworks for supply, demand, and performance of transportation systems under these new paradigms and discusses algorithmic and mechanism-based details in solving real-world problems in ride-sharing and signal systems.
TRCLC Held the Second Summer Conference on Livable Communities
The Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities (TRCLC) held the 2nd Summer Conference on Livable Communities during July 23-24, 2015 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This conference brought transportation researchers, practitioners, and public agencies from around Michigan and the country all together to share current practices, on-going research projects, and interesting ideas regarding transportation and livable community.
During this event, 21 podium presentations and 13 poster presentations were made, which covered topics pertaining to non-motorized transportation, transportation services for people with disabilities, transportation and human health, transportation data crowdsourcing, visualization, and big data analytics. Dr. Jennifer Dill, director of National Institute for Transportation and Communities at Portland State University gave a keynote speech that highlighted the findings that can increase bicycle usage for everyday transportation. Student best poster awards and PE credits were offered in this conference. The detailed program for this conference, including presenters and presentation abstracts, is available here.
TRCLC Held the First Summer Conference on Livable Communities
TRCLC held its First Summer Conference on Livable Communities 15 July 2014 at the Parkview Room, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This meeting provided opportunities for TRCLC researchers from around Michigan and the country to meet one another, discuss current projects and plan future proposals.
The conference included presentations of fourteen papers organized in three sessions: (1) People with Disability and Transportation Services (moderated by Dr. Richard Long, Blindness and Low Vision Studies, WMU); (2) Health and Environmental Issues in Transportation (moderated by C. Scott Smith, Geography, WMU); and (3) Non-motorized Transportation and Safety (moderated by Valerian Kwigizile, Civil and Construction Engineering, WMU). The detailed program for this conference, including presenters and presentation abstracts, is available here.
2nd Annual Summer Conference on Livable Communities: Issues on Non-Motorized Transportation
July 23-24, 2015
The Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities (TRCLC) is hosting the 2nd Annual Summer Conference on Livable Communities. The conference will be held at Western Michigan University on July 23 - 24, 2015. There will be no registration fee for the conference and participants will receive PE credits. For additional information, you can download the Conference Announcement at here. To register, please complete the online registration form at http://goo.gl/forms/a1NLYrwAeN. Please find a list of topics and important dates at below.
Topics:
- Non-motorized transportation promotion and safety
- Transportation services for elderly and people with disabilities
- Impact of transportation on human health
- Enhancing public transit services
- Big data analytics for transportation services
- Transportation services for livable communities
Important Dates:
- June 15 - 19: Speaker Registration (by invitation)
- June 15 - 26: Attendee Registration (seats are limited)
- July 23 - 24: Conference
Livable Community Mobile App Challenge Winners
May 15, 2015
Two groups of students from Portage Central High School have been recently awarded the Winners of the "Livable Community Mobile App Challenge," hosted by the TRCLC at Western Michigan University. The theme of the challenge was for high-school students to design and develop mobile applications that can help improve sustainable transportation options for communities in Michigan, with special attention paid to non-motorized travel, public transit, safe routes to school and “smart” transport technologies. The winning teams received awarding certificates and cash prizes from the TRCLC. Detailed information can be found here.
First place team: Kzoo Biking Buddy Group Members: Kalyana Bobba, Eamaan Turk, Ryan Hansen, and Zach Marr
Second place team: Plug and Go (Electric Car Charging Solution) Group Members: Kyle Wang, Katie Kring, Michael Wheeler, Shang-Bing Chang
Attention High-School Students
March 5, 2015
The Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities (TRCLC) at Western Michigan University is inviting high-school students to participate in “The Livable Community Mobile App Challenge.” The focus of this challenge is to design and develop mobile applications that can help improve sustainable transportation options for communities in Michigan with special attention paid to non-motorized travel, public transit, safe routes to school and “smart” transport technologies. For additional information, please download the Mobile App Challenge flyer here. To participate in this challenge, please send an email to TRCLC (trc-info@wmich.edu) no later than March 31, 2015 at 5 p.m. (EST), including names of all team members, representative’s email address, and attach a proposal to the email. Important dates and deadlines are provided below.
- March 31, 2015: Registration and proposal submission deadline
- April 30, 2015: Submission deadline
- May 9, 2015 (tentative): Showcase and award ceremony
Attention Researchers
December 9, 2014
The Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities (TRCLC) is inviting its consortium members to submit research proposals for its second round of funding. For additional information concerning review and selection criteria, format requirements, schedule and application please download the call for proposals document from this web page. Completed proposals are due no later than January 30, 2015 at 5 p.m. (EST). See tentative review deadline below.
- January 30, 2015: Deadline to submit research proposals
- April 15: Expected release of review results
- May 1, 2015: Earliest start of research projects
MDOT teams up with TRCLC researchers and community partners
to host design charrette focused on complete streets
September 18, 2014 | Complete Streets Coalition of Kalamazoo
KALAMAZOO—Between September 30 and October 3, city leaders and transportation professionals will evaluate Stadium Drive and Michigan Avenue between Western Michigan University and the Kalamazoo River. This vital transportation corridor connects WMU, Kalamazoo College, downtown, and adjacent neighborhoods. Using a placemaking-based approach, the study team will gather public input, evaluate alternatives, and present a feasible vision of potential future changes to the roadway to accommodate all users and drive economic development. Improvements could include traffic calming, pedestrian safety, bikeways, mobility, connectivity, parking, and streetscape. [...]
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TRCLC community partner invites non-motorized transportation
expert Dan Burden to Kalamazoo to conduct walkability audit
by Linda S. Mah
August 6, 2014 | MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette
KALAMAZOO—Dan Burden, founder of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, will present his walkability audit of Kalamazoo and the economic and social benefits of being a walkable community beginning at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites. The presentation is free and open to the public. The presentation wraps up a two-day visit by Burden, which is being organized by Disability Network Southwest Michigan. The Disability Network says Burden's work ties into the city's master plan work. [...]
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TRCLC hosts First Summer Conference on Livable Communities
July 16, 2014
TRCLC held its First Summer Conference on Livable Communities 15 July 2014 at the Parkview Room, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This meeting provided opportunities for TRCLC researchers to meet one another, discuss current projects and plan future proposals. [...]
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Numerous TRCLC researchers present, win award at TRB's
93rd Annual Meeting in Washington D.C.
January 16, 2014 | Transportation Research Board
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 93rd Annual Meeting was held in Washington, D.C. January of this year. Several TRCLC researchers participated in the more than 4,500 presentations, 800 sessions and workshops at the conference. We are extremely pleased that the winner of this year’s Patricia F. Waller Award as the most outstanding paper submitted to the Pedestrian Committee in 2013 was the Effects of High-Visibility Enforcement on Driver Compliance to Pedestrian Yield Right-of-Way Laws by TRCLC researcher Ronald Van Houten and co-authors Brad Huitema, Louis Malenfant and Richard Blomberg. [...]
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Attention researchers
The TRCLC has completed its first round of funding for the 2013/2014 cycle. In total, the TRCLC awarded $888,511 in funding. Information concerning the expected research, education, technology transfer and collaboration outcomes for all funded projects were sent to principal investigators in addition to reporting guidelines. Stay tuned for submission instructions and deadlines for 2014/2015.