Newsletters and Journals
Media Coverage
This page includes news articles, television or radio spots, and other media coverage of University of Minnesota transportation-related research, education, and outreach activities.
2009
U of M, Mn/DOT develop new snowplow
KSTP - TV, October 14, 2009
A smart new snowplow under development by the University of Minnesota and Mn/DOT may make roads safer while using less salt, which saves money and in turn helps the environment. U of M mechanical engineering professor Rajesh Rajamani, the developer of the plow, says the plow's sensor technology allows for a more targeted attack on snow and ice.
Rural Roads Are More Dangerous Than They Look
New York Times - Wheels Blog, October 9, 2009
With foliage season about to start and the Columbus Day weekend here, many people will be heading to the country and driving on back roads... "While most travel occurs in urban areas, there are more fatalities in rural areas," said Thomas A. Horan, research director at the University of Minnesota's Center for Excellence in Rural Safety.
More motorists die on rural roads
USA TODAY, October 6, 2009
Lee Munnich, director of the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota, is quoted on how many more traffic fatalities (56% in 2008) happen in rural rather than urban roads.
Drivers and their toys: Unsafe at any speed?
Star Tribune, September 30, 2009
Federal officials, transportation experts, and academics are convening in Washington, D.C., for a first-ever summit on how to combat distracted driving.... "This is not a new topic," said Michael Manser, who's attending the Washington summit in his role as director of the HumanFIRST program at the U's Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute.
VMT Tax Data System Is Technologically Feasible, University Study Finds
AASHTO Journal, August 28, 2009
A system drawing heavily on existing technology could be implemented in the near future to determine the distance traveled by a vehicle and use that information as the basis for charging a fee that reflects road use.
Technology Enabling Near-Term Nationwide Implementation of Distance-Based Road User Fees
TRB Transportation Research E-Newsletter, August 25, 2009
The Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute at the University of Minnesota has released a report that examines a system that directly determines the distance traveled by a vehicle and uses this as a basis for charging a fee that reflects road use.
Media coverage of the Value Capture for Transportation Finance Study
Shrinking gas tax pot has state looking elsewhere
Pioneer Press, August 11, 2009
With driving on the decline and more fuel-efficient cars hitting the roads, our generations-long dependence on gasoline taxes to pay for roads, bridges and transit is, well, running out of gas... In 2008, the Legislature asked University of Minnesota researchers if there were a way to tap into property taxes.
New U of M report suggests transportation revenue alternatives
Saint Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report, July 9, 2009
The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) delivered to state legislators this week a couple of alternative ways to pay for transportation projects. These new ways to pay for transportation improvement initiatives are referred to as "value capture" opportunities in transportation funding parlance.
New 'U' study offers Minnesota legislators advice on paying for transportation projects
Politics In Minnesota, July 7, 2009
CTS's report says state officials should consider financing strategies that "capture" the increased value of land from highway and other infrastructure projects.
Value Capture for Transportation Finance
TRB Transportation Research E-Newsletter, July 7, 2009
The Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota has released a report that explores strategies to acquire funding for transportation infrastructure investments.
Stimulus-funded road projects create few jobs
Minnesota Public Radio, August 3, 2009
After education and health and human services, Minnesota will spend most of its federal economic stimulus money on road and bridge projects... University of Minnesota associate professor David Levinson, a civil engineer, said today's road construction is far less labor intensive than it used to be.
Technology keeps a close eye on 35W bridge
Minnesota Public Radio, July 31, 2009
The new 35W bridge is not even a year old but already researchers have data telling them how the 1,200-foot long span is doing... Catherine French, a University of Minnesota civil engineering professor who's monitoring the bridge, said its performance so far matches predictions.
'Gridlock Buster' gives kids a chance to play traffic manager
The ITS Institute and Web Courseworks have developed a new traffic control online game for high school students that lets them try their hand at working in the engineering and transportation field.
- UMNews, July 17, 2009
- WCCO Radio, July 20, 2009 (audio interview)
- WCCO Radio, July 20, 2009 (story)
- Pioneer Press, July 20, 2009
- KSTP-TV, July 20, 2009
- Minnesota magazine, Fall 2009
- Watch Video
Near-term approach to VMT charging
Surface Transportation Innovations, July 16, 2009
What Max Donath and his engineering colleagues have proposed is an on-board unit that would plug directly into the vehicle data bus that has been standard on all vehicles sold in the United States since 1996.
Existing vehicle data bus, cellphone SMS proposed for near-term VMT charge
TollRoadsNews, July 10, 2009
Institute researchers have proposed a plug-in device and system for measuring miles traveled by a vehicle, and using it as a basis for charging fees that reflects road use.
Minnesota seat belt legacy comes full circle with new law
KARE - TV, June 8, 2009
If you don't already have enough reasons to buckle up you'll gain one more motivating factor Tuesday... More than a half century ago University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor James "Crash" Ryan made his mark in auto safety history by perfecting his retractable harness.
Reconnaissance robots to the rescue
Star Tribune, May 31, 2009
Using robot technology developed by U of M researchers in the SECTTRA program, an Edina company sells miniature robots to police and the military that let them see dangers before facing them.
Experimental safety sign to go up on Highway 53
KUWS Radio (Wisconsin), May 17, 2009
Wisconsin is installing traffic safety equipment in Minong to stop rural car crashes.... Engineers and psychologists at the University of Minnesota developed the new traffic sign.
Denver taxi drivers take the wheel
Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2009
Tired of long hours and low pay in a tightly controlled market, a group of veteran cabbies forms a cooperative. ... Although most other transportation industries have deregulated, the taxi business largely remains regulated across the nation, said Jerry Fruin, an associate economics professor at the University of Minnesota.
Business on board with rail expansion
Star Tribune, April 13, 2009
[Gov. Tim] Pawlenty's newfound aggressiveness on rail projects ... [is] reflective of the high speed at which the transportation debate has shifted in Minnesota. ... But perhaps the most important change in attitude has been among leaders of business community. "I see the business community rapidly evolving," said [CTS director] Robert Johns ... noting the role business leaders have played in the debate over potential rail projects.
Students give up wheels for their own two feet
The New York Times, March 26, 2009
Transportation researcher Elizabeth Wilson weighs in on a new retro-radical concept of children walking to school in "piedibuses" meant to counter greenhouse gases abetted by car emissions, childhood obesity, and local traffic jams.
Transportation funding debate becomes more urgent
Minnesota Public Radio, March 10, 2009
CTS director Bob Johns says we are at a turning point in transportation policy in this country. He says a wide-ranging discussion is underway about where to find the money for transportation.
How Easy Is It To Cheat In HOV, MnPASS Lanes?
WCCO-TV News, March 5, 2009
"About a third of the people driving who are driving in the HOV lane on 35W are cheaters," said Lee Munnich at the Center for Transportation Studies. Munnich tracks how well HOV lanes work and said that no question, it's easier to cheat on I-35W.
The Bridge to Smart Technology
BusinessWeek, February 19, 2009
University of Minnesota civil engineering professor Catherine French is leading an effort to help monitor structural changes in the new St. Anthony Falls Bridge, one of the "smartest" bridges in the U.S., using a wired sensor network.