Media Contact
Center for
Transportation Studies
University of Minnesota
200 Transportation & Safety Building
511 Washington Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-626-1077
Fax: 612-625-6381
E-mail: cts@umn.edu
Programs & Institutes
Transport and Land Use
CTS sponsors the publication of the Journal of Transport and Land Use, an open-access, peer-reviewed online journal publishing original interdisciplinary papers on the interaction of transport and land use.
Read JTLU
Chairman Oberstar visits University for transportation research update
Rep. Oberstar and MTO director John Hourdos
U.S. Rep. James L. Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, visited the University of Minnesota on November 12 for an update on the latest University transportation research. He met with Transportation Engineering and Road Research Alliance (TERRA) board members, tried out the HumanFIRST driving simulator, and toured the Minnesota Traffic Observatory (MTO), guided by CTS acting director Laurie McGinnis and ITS Institute director Max Donath. "I love what you're doing here," Oberstar said.
Policy and technology of automated traffic enforcement
Automated enforcement of red-light running and speeding remains both a controversial public policy issue and an area of rapid technological development. A new report by University of Minnesota researchers John Adams and Barbara VanDrasek, sponsored by the University Metropolitan Consortium, reviews current legal and technological issues in the United States and around the world, focusing on implications for Minnesota.
Transitway impacts highlighted in research briefs
University of Minnesota researchers have completed a pair of studies examining the economic and behavioral impacts of the Hiawatha light-rail transitway in Minneapolis. Research briefs highlighting findings from the study are now available, and will soon be followed by full research reports. The research, part of the CTS Transitway Impacts Research Program (TIRP), was conducted by Edward Goetz and Jeff Mattson of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and by Jason Cao of the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Sabo Lecture on Nov. 23 to discuss new vision for U.S. transportation policy
A free public forum discussing the Bipartisan Policy Center's National Transportation Policy Project (NTPP) recommendations contained in its report Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy will be held November 23 at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in conjunction with the Martin Olav Sabo Lecture Series. Former Congressman Sabo, NTPP co-chair, will speak at the event.
Fall 2009 CTS Luncheon: Why Electric Cars?
Dan Davids, president of Plug In America, explained at the CTS Fall Luncheon on Nov. 10 how electric vehicles (EVs) will be a major force in reducing our nation’s dependence on petroleum and improving the global environment. The technology is ready, the market is ready, and the infrastructure—the electric grid—is already in place. Davids also provided a brief history of electric cars in America and discussed vehicles coming to the marketplace.
Webinar: Non-Intrusive Detection of Driver Drowsiness
Advanced Transportation Technologies Seminar, November 19, 2009
Xun Yu, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Minnesota Duluth
Second-generation geospatial database to enable ITS applications
CTS Research E-News, November 2009
The University of Minnesota’s Intelligent Vehicles (IV) Laboratory, part of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, has developed a newversion of its geospatial database software. The newly optimized database brings the benefits of real-time access to extremely accurate and dense geospatial data to a wider variety of ITS applications. The new system was developed by IV Lab researchers Bryan Newstrom and Curtis Olson, who documented the process in a recently published report; lab director Craig Shankwitz served as principal investigator on the project.
Recycled materials: How do they measure up?
CTS Research E-News, November 2009
University of Minnesota researchers have completed a pair of studies examining the economic and behavioral impacts of the Hiawatha light-rail transitway in Minneapolis. Research briefs highlighting findings from the study are now available, and will soon be followed by full research reports. The research, part of the CTS Transitway Impacts Research Program (TIRP), was conducted by Edward Goetz and Jeff Mattson of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and by Jason Cao of the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Cellular Phone-Based Teen Driving Support System aims to help young drivers stay safe
Janet Creaser
University of Minnesota researchers are using “smart” cell phones to help teen drivers keep out of trouble behind the wheel. The design and evaluation of a Teen Driver Support System (TDSS) is documented in a report authored by HumanFIRST Program research fellow Janet Creaser, program director Mike Manser, graduate student Richard Hoglund, and ITS Institute director Max Donath.
Technology enables nationwide implementation of a system to measure mileage for road user fees
ITS Institute researchers have proposed a system for charging mileage-based road user fees. The system, designed to be deployed in the near-term and without GPS, uses a plug-in device in vehicles and builds on existing technology. Communication is available wherever cellular service is accessible, meaning no new wireless infrastructure is needed. The proposed system was featured recently in the newsletters TollRoads News, Surface Transportation Innovations, and AASHTO Journal.