UGPTI Researchers Present at TRF Meeting

Several Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute researchers presented their research studies at the 47th Annual Transportation Research Forum March 23-25 at New York University.

The TRF is a professional transportation organization dedicated to providing an impartial forum for the exchange of ideas among practitioners, researchers and government officials regarding all aspects of transportation and logistics. The UGPTI is the administrative home of the Forum and its journal.

David Ripplinger, an associate research fellow with SURTC, discussed his findings on the use of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in coordinating community transportation services. He examined the experiences of three organizations in planning, implementing and operating ITS to meet the mobility needs of their residents through improved coordination. His observations provide insights on the challenges of implementing the technology as well as the advantages offered by the innovations.

Brenda Lantz, director of the Transportation Safety Systems Center, presented her research on reducing driver-related commercial vehicle crashes. The project integrated driver traffic conviction data into software designed to help officers select vehicles for safety inspections. The goal was to use the combined data to better identify high safety risk motor carriers.

Ayman Smadi, director of the UGPTI's Advanced Traffic Analysis Center, chaired a panel discussion on transportation applications of radio frequency ID tags. Other panelists included Mark Berwick, director of UGPTI's Strategic Freight Analysis program; Mike Freitas, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation; and Alex Warner, Pedigree Technologies.

Kimberly Vachal presented research on the future of U.S. inland waterways. The analysis of traffic, barge firms, fleet investments, and prices provides insights into this industry and its future. She concluded that given the value of waterways in terms of transport capacity and modal competition, it is important decision-makers consider alternatives to strengthen waterways industries, and specifically the Mississippi River System, as a vital component in the multimodal transport system.

Tamara VanWechel also presented research on the willingness of rural agricultural producers to pay for improved rural roads for freight transportation. In the study, the issues that agricultural producers found important were improved road surface quality and increased load limits. Most respondents said they were willing to pay for these improvements.

Del Peterson, an associate research fellow with SURTC, reviewed a study on the feasibility of commuter bus service between Wahpeton-Breckenridge and Fargo-Moorhead. Nearly 50 percent of commuters surveyed indicated they would use an "express" bus for their commute between Fargo-Moorhead and Wahpeton-Breckenridge. The biggest obstacle was concern over transportation back to Wahpeton-Breckenridge in the event of an emergency. The study determined the number of regular commuters between the Wahpeton-Breckenridge and Fargo-Moorhead metro areas, explored the willingness of commuters to utilize commuter bus service, determined what commuter bus service features were of utmost importance to travelers, and gauged the awareness of local commuters to commuter bus service and its features.