Subject: TRB E-Newsletter - AM Registration is Open
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:14:31 -0400

Please forward this newsletter to others you think might find it
interesting and/or useful.

If a colleague has forwarded this newsletter to you, why not get the
newsletter directly? To begin receipt of the e-newsletter, send an
e-mail note to rhouston@nas.edu with "TRB E-Newsletter" in the message's
subject field.
-> mailto:rhouston@nas.edu?subject=TRB_E-Newsletter

Search for past E-Newsletter items by keyword, function, or mode at
-> http://trb.org/news/default.asp

An HTML version of this E-Newsletter is available at
-> http://trb.org/news/browse_newsletters.asp

*****************************************
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH E-NEWSLETTER
Transportation Research Board
of The National Academies
10/16/2007
*****************************************

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

***** TRB NEWS *****

* 2008 TRB 87th Annual Meeting: Announcement, Meeting Registration, and
Hotel Reservations Now Available

* Upcoming TRB Webinar: Using a Knowledge-Based Expert System
(USLIMITS2) to Establish Speed Limits for all Road Classes
* RFP: Methodologies for Evaluating Pavement Strategies and Barriers for
Noise Mitigation - Proposals Due November 27, 2007

***** RECENTLY RELEASED TRB PUBLICATIONS *****

* Public Transportation Passenger Security Inspections: A Guide for
Policy Decision Makers
* Appendixes to TCRP Report 86: Public Transportation Passenger Security
Inspections, A Guide for Policy Decision Makers
* Transit: Management, Technology, and Planning
* Cooperative Research Programs Security Research Status Report
* Transportation Security: A Summary of Transportation Research Board
Activities
* Examples of Best Practices for Communicating the Economic Benefits of
Transportation

***** FEDERAL RESEARCH NEWS *****

* Interchange Safety Analysis Tool (ISAT): User Manual
* Transportation Services Index: August 2007
* An Examination of Employee Recruitment and Retention in the U.S.
Railroad Industry

***** STATE RESEARCH NEWS *****

* A Safety Analysis of Fatigue and Drowsy Driving In the State of Utah
* Development of Stiffness-Based Specifications for In-Situ Embankment
Compaction Quality Control

***** UNIVERSITY RESEARCH NEWS *****

* Investigating the Feasibility of Establishing a Virtual Container Yard
to Optimize Empty Container Movement in the NY-NJ Region

***** INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH NEWS *****

* Making Personal Travel Planning Work
* Serious Injury Due to Transport Accidents: Australia 2003-04
* Rail Safety and Standards Board Research and Development E-Newsletter:
September 2007

***** IN THE KNOW *****

* Enhancement of Driving Performance Among Older Drivers
* IIHS Status Report: Vol. 42, No. 10
* Robert Reilly Receives 2007 Research Champion Award
* 2007 National Traffic Signal Report Card
* Automakers' Corporate Carbon Burdens: Update for 1990-2005
* Harold L. Michael Memorial Transportation Scholarship

--------------------------------------------------------------
TRB News
--------------------------------------------------------------

2008 TRB 87TH ANNUAL MEETING: ANNOUNCEMENT, MEETING REGISTRATION, AND
HOTEL RESERVATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8181

The TRB 87th Annual Meeting Announcement includes meeting registration,
hotel reservation, workshop, special event, and general scheduling
information for the January 13-17, 2008, meeting in Washington, D.C.

New this year, TRB has combined the Annual Meeting registration and
hotel reservation process. Now when you register for the meeting, you
will also have the ability to make your hotel reservations by using
TRB's new Annual Meeting Housing Bureau. Only Annual Meeting attendees
who have first completed the meeting registration process will be
allowed to make hotel reservations with TRB's meeting hotels and TRB
meeting hotels will only accept reservations made through the Annual
Meeting Housing Bureau. The Housing Bureau is also your point of
contact for any future changes you may need to make to your initial
hotel reservation. The new Housing Bureau is designed to help you save
time and to aid TRB in ensuring that its group room rate hotel guest
rooms are reserved by those that support the Annual Meeting-its
attendees and exhibitors.

You are encouraged to register and make your hotel reservation online
now! Room blocks of some Annual Meeting hotels will be full in October.
Lower advance registration fees end November 30, 2007

UPCOMING TRB WEBINAR: USING A KNOWLEDGE-BASED EXPERT SYSTEM (USLIMITS2)
TO ESTABLISH SPEED LIMITS FOR ALL ROAD CLASSES
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8216

TRB will be conducting a web briefing or "Webinar" on October 23, 2007,
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EDT that will explore development of USLIMITS2
and present case studies showing the real-world application of the
expert system. Participants must register at least 24 hours in advance
of the start of the Webinar, space is limited, and there is a fee for
non-TRB Sponsor employees. To aid engineers, law enforcement, policy
makers and others in making the choice of a safe and operationally
efficient speed limit for a given section of road, USLIMITS2 was
developed through TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program
project on Expert System for Recommending Speed Limits in Speed Zones
(project 3-67). USLIMITS2 is a knowledge-based expert system developed
with input from experts in the United States that can be used by
decision-makers to aid in the selection of a speed limit for all road
systems. USLIMITS2 is a web-based application that can be accessed by
anyone with a computer and access to the Internet. The system was
designed to be user friendly and not require intensive data collection
and analysis. Emphasis was placed on having the system explicitly
consider safety along with other factors in the speed limit decision
process.

RFP: METHODOLOGIES FOR EVALUATING PAVEMENT STRATEGIES AND BARRIERS FOR
NOISE MITIGATION - PROPOSALS DUE NOVEMBER 27, 2007
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8241

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has issued a
request for proposals to develop methodologies for evaluating the
feasibility, reasonableness, effectiveness, and longevity of acoustic
and economic features of pavement strategies and barriers used for noise
mitigation.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Recently Released TRB Publications
--------------------------------------------------------------

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER SECURITY INSPECTIONS: A GUIDE FOR POLICY
DECISION MAKERS
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8242

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 86, Public
Transportation Security Public Transportation Security Volume 13: Public
Transportation Passenger Security Inspections: A Guide for Policy
Decision Makers suggests guidance that a public transportation agency
may use when considering whether, where, when, and how to introduce a
passenger security inspection program into its operations. The report
identifies promising types of screening technologies and methods
currently in use or being tested, and the operational considerations for
the deployment of these technologies in land-based systems. The report
also examines the legal precedent that either applies or that should be
contemplated in connection with passenger screening activities, and
includes a passenger security inspection policy decision-making model.
Detailed appendixes to TCRP Report 86 Vol. 13 were published as TCRP
Web-Only Document 38.

APPENDIXES TO TCRP REPORT 86: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER SECURITY
INSPECTIONS, A GUIDE FOR POLICY DECISION MAKERS
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=7863

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Web-Only Document 38--
Appendixes to TCRP Report 86: Public Transportation Passenger Security
Inspections, A Guide for Policy Decision Makers contains the detailed
appendixes to TCRP Report 86 Vol. 13. TCRP Report 86 Vol. 13 suggests
guidance that a public transportation agency may use when considering
whether, where, when, and how to introduce a passenger security
inspection program into its operations.

TRANSIT: MANAGEMENT, TECHNOLOGY, AND PLANNING
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8213

TRB's Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation
Research Board, No. 1992 includes 14 papers that explore the transit
tracker system, sampling plans for fixed-route bus service, smart cards,
the "walkable" limits of transit-oriented developments, and the impacts
of car sharing on transit ridership. Papers in this TRR also examine
transit-related issues associated with emergency evacuation planning and
preparedness, rising fuel prices, new technologies, global positioning
system-enabled cell phones, and more.

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS SECURITY RESEARCH STATUS REPORT
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=5078

TRB's Cooperative Research Program produces a table summarizing more
than 80 security and emergency preparedness projects representing over
$11 million in the contract research programs for state departments of
transportation and the public transportation industry. Updated monthly.

TRANSPORTATION SECURITY: A SUMMARY OF TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
ACTIVITIES
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=5079

A slideshow summary of the Transportation Research Board's pre- and
post-September 11, 2001, transportation security activities is updated
monthly.

EXAMPLES OF BEST PRACTICES FOR COMMUNICATING THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF
TRANSPORTATION
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8240

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Web-Only
Document 100: Examples of Best Practices for Communicating the Economic
Benefits of Transportation explores strategies and techniques that have
been employed in the field to effectively communicate transportation's
importance to the economy. The report also examines the circumstances
under which the strategies and techniques were used, and why they may or
may not have been successful.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Research News
--------------------------------------------------------------

INTERCHANGE SAFETY ANALYSIS TOOL (ISAT): USER MANUAL
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8249

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has released a user
manual for a spreadsheet-based interchange safety analysis tool. The
FHWA describes the tool as a user-friendly spreadsheet for assessing the
safety effects of geometric design and traffic control features at an
existing interchange and adjacent roadway network; new interchanges; and
reconstruction of existing interchanges. The ISAT provides crash
estimates of various typical interchange configurations over an economic
life specified by users, and adjusted by the Empirical Bayes method. The
crash prediction models and modification factors cover typical
components of interchange systems in urban and rural areas.

TRANSPORTATION SERVICES INDEX: AUGUST 2007
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8256

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Transportation Services
Index (TSI) rose 0.3 percent in August, the latest month available, to
110.1. The TSI measures the movement of freight and passengers. The
index, which is seasonally adjusted, combines available data on freight
traffic, as well as passenger travel, that have been weighted to yield a
monthly measure of transportation services output.

AN EXAMINATION OF EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IN THE U.S.
RAILROAD INDUSTRY
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8262

The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration has released a report that
explores the challenges involved in recruiting and retaining qualified
U.S. freight railroad employees.

--------------------------------------------------------------
State Research News
--------------------------------------------------------------

A SAFETY ANALYSIS OF FATIGUE AND DROWSY DRIVING IN THE STATE OF UTAH
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8264

The Utah Department of Transportation has released a report that
explores the impact of drowsy driving in the state, examines locations
where fatigue and drowsy driving may be contributing to current crashes,
and highlights methods that may help mitigate these crashes.

DEVELOPMENT OF STIFFNESS-BASED SPECIFICATIONS FOR IN-SITU EMBANKMENT
COMPACTION QUALITY CONTROL
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8250

The Kansas Department of Transportation has released a report that
explores the use of the light falling weight deflectometer to measure
in-situ soil stiffness and examines the feasibility of developing a
stiffness-based specification for embankment soil compaction quality
control.

--------------------------------------------------------------
University Research News
--------------------------------------------------------------

INVESTIGATING THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A VIRTUAL CONTAINER YARD
TO OPTIMIZE EMPTY CONTAINER MOVEMENT IN THE NY-NJ REGION
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8253

The Region 2 University Transportation Research Center at the City
College of New York has released a report that examines the feasibility
of developing and operating a virtual container yard to serve the
freight and maritime community in the New York-New Jersey (NY-NJ)
region. A virtual container yard is a means of developing a shared
resource information system to match empty equipment needs through the
adoption of next-generation internet and new technology information
platforms.

--------------------------------------------------------------
International Research News
--------------------------------------------------------------

MAKING PERSONAL TRAVEL PLANNING WORK
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8251

The U.K. Department for Transport (DfT) has released a report that
explores the use of personal travel planning (PTP) as a technique for
delivering information and incentives to motivate individuals to
voluntarily make sustainable travel choices. According to the DfT, the
report suggests that PTP can reduce the number of car journeys drivers
make by 10%%, and the overall distance traveled by car by 11%%.

SERIOUS INJURY DUE TO TRANSPORT ACCIDENTS: AUSTRALIA 2003-04
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8261

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released a report that
explores national statistics on serious injury due to transport
accidents that resulted in admission to a hospital in Australia during
the one-year period 2003-04. The report examines variables such as mode
of transport, gender, and age group.

RAIL SAFETY AND STANDARDS BOARD RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT E-NEWSLETTER:
SEPTEMBER 2007
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8258

The U.K. Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has released the latest
issue of its monthly electronic newsletter that provides information on
current projects as well as access to completed research. RSSB manages a
program of research and development on behalf of government and the
railway industry. The program is funded by the Department for Transport
and is designed to assist the industry and its stakeholders in improving
performance (in terms of health and safety, reliability, and
punctuality), increasing capacity and availability, reducing cost, and
delivering a sustainable future for the railway.

--------------------------------------------------------------
In The Know
--------------------------------------------------------------

ENHANCEMENT OF DRIVING PERFORMANCE AMONG OLDER DRIVERS
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8260

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a report that
examines whether an education intervention, consisting of classroom and
on-road training focused on commonly encountered problem areas for older
drivers, could enhance driving performance among active drivers 70 years
of age and older. According to the report, such interventions may allow
older drivers to continue driving safely longer and maintain their
out-of-home mobility.

IIHS STATUS REPORT: VOL. 42, NO. 10
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8263

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the
latest issue of its Status Report magazine. The issue explores the
potential highway safety benefits of reducing blood alcohol content
legal limits.

ROBERT REILLY RECEIVES 2007 RESEARCH CHAMPION AWARD
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8254

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) awarded Robert J. Reilly, the
former director of TRB's Cooperative Research Programs, its 2007
Research Champion Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made
significant contributions to advancing transportation research,
technology transfer, implementation, and professional development.
Sponsored by Trinity Industries, the Research Champion Award is
presented on an annual basis. Individuals are nominated by TTI staff
and members of the TTI Council, and selected by a committee that
includes representatives from the TTI Leadership Team and the TTI
Council. Dr. Reilly was presented with the award at a luncheon in the
Texas A&M University System Board of Regents quarters in College Station
on October 3, 2007.

2007 NATIONAL TRAFFIC SIGNAL REPORT CARD
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8247

The National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC) has released the
2007 National Traffic Signal Report Card. According to NTOC, the report
card shows how local jurisdictions such as cities, counties, and states
can reap large rewards, such as mitigating congestion and lessening fuel
consumption, by making small changes in the way they manage and operate
their traffic signal systems. The report also highlights several
jurisdictions that have been successful in making changes since the 2005
report card was released. The results contained in the report card are
based on the 2007 Traffic Signal Operation Self-Assessment released by
NTOC in the fall of 2006. A total of 417 agencies responded,
representing 47 states. Organizations involved in NTOC include the U.S.
Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Federal Transit Administration,
the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials,
the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the American Public
Transportation Association, and TRB.

AUTOMAKERS' CORPORATE CARBON BURDENS: UPDATE FOR 1990-2005
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8248

A recently released report from Environmental Defense on carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions from cars indicates that the overall per-vehicle CO2
emissions rate dropped in 2005 for the first time in 20 years. According
to the report, the drop is partly a result of higher gas prices'
accelerating the shift from light trucks to car-based crossovers and
cars, along with modest fuel efficiency improvements in a number of
truck models, coinciding with recent increases in light truck CAFE
standards. However, the report suggests that most automakers had worse
fleet average CO2 emissions rates in 2005 than they did in 1990.

HAROLD L. MICHAEL MEMORIAL TRANSPORTATION SCHOLARSHIP
-> http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8239

An endowed scholarship fund was recently established at Purdue
University to honor Harold L. Michael, who died in 1999. His long
service and leadership to TRB included serving as the 1976 Chairman of
the TRB Executive Committee. Among his many honors, Harold Michael was
the 1978 recipient of TRB's Roy W. Crum Distinguished Service Award, and
he also received with the George S. Bartlett Award--jointly bestowed by
the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials,
the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, and TRB--in
1982. He spent his entire 40 year professional career as an educator at
Purdue University. At the time of his retirement in 1991, he was the
Head of the School of Civil Engineering. The income generated by the
endowment fund will provide scholarships to deserving graduate and
senior undergraduate students in the School of Civil Engineering who
have an area of concentration in surface transportation engineering or
surface transportation planning.

=============================================================
RECENTLY ADDED PROJECTS TO THE RESEARCH IN PROGRESS DATABASE

The Research In Progress (RiP) Database contains more than 9,500 records
of current or recently completed transportation research projects.
-> http://rip.trb.org/browse/additions.asp?days=7
=============================================================

TO BEGIN RECEIVING the E-Newsletter send an e-mail note to
rhouston@nas.edu with "TRB E-Newsletter" in the message's subject field.
-> mailto:rhouston@nas.edu?subject=TRB_E-Newsletter

TO END THIS SERVICE send an e-mail note to rhouston@nas.edu with "End
TRB E-Newsletter" in the message's subject field.
-> mailto:rhouston@nas.edu?subject=End_TRB_E-Newsletter

Suggestions or comments on content of the TRB Transportation Research
E-Newsletter may be sent to Russell Houston, Senior Program Officer,
Communications, Transportation Research Board at rhouston@nas.edu.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a division of the National
Academies, which include the National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research
Council. The mission of TRB is to promote innovation and progress in
transportation through research. In an objective and interdisciplinary
setting, the Board facilitates the sharing of information on
transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners;
stimulates research and offers research management services that promote
technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy
and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages
their implementation.

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES: Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering,
and Medicine

The nation turns to the National Academies - National Academy of
Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and
National Research Council - for independent, objective advice on issues
that affect people's lives worldwide.
-> http://www.national-academies.org

The TRB Transportation Research E-Newsletter regularly covers
transportation research developments in the United States and abroad.
All articles appearing in the E-Newsletter are also available on TRB's
web page http://www.TRB.org. This document is not a report of the
National Research Council or of the National Academies. The opinions
expressed in reports highlighted in TRB's Transportation Research
E-Newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the Transportation Research Board.

If you like the Transportation Research Board's (TRB's) Transportation
Research E-Newsletter, why not check out the National Academies'
electronic newsletter to keep up on what's new on the Web from the
National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the
Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council.
-> http://nationalacademies.org/mail.html

Transportation Research Board
of The National Academies
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
www.TRB.org