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July 2008
Special Research Conference Issue: Concurrent Sessions
Minnesota UPA project to feature priced shoulder lane, telecommuting
University involved in Minnesota UPA project
The University is contributing to the Minnesota Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) in several ways.
Robert Johns, CTS director, represents CTS on Minnesota’s UPA steering committee, which meets monthly. Lee Munnich, director of the State and Local Policy Program at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, is a member of the evaluation team, led by Battelle. Munnich and Gina Baas, CTS communications and outreach director, serve on the project communications committee. CTS and the Humphrey Institute are also planning outreach activities to share lessons learned from the project.
On the research side, two labs of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute, which is housed at CTS, will lend their expertise to the effort. The Intelligent Vehicles Lab, led by Craig Shankwitz, will deploy lane-guidance technology on 10 Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) buses. The system will help drivers navigate narrow shoulder lanes on Cedar Avenue, the Crosstown Freeway, and I-35W, both into and out of downtown Minneapolis. The IV Lab developed and tested the technology in earlier research for Metro Transit. “This project represents the first time that a comprehensive technologybased lane-assist system will be put into operational service,” Shankwitz says.
The HumanFIRST Program, led by Mike Manser, will help the MVTA procure and prepare a driver training simulator and develop the training protocol. Because lane assistance represents a significant change for bus drivers and because of the short deployment timeline, the simulation approach was chosen to guarantee a pool of trained drivers when the system goes live on September 30, 2009. The IV Lab will optimize the driver interfaces based on driver experiences gained during both the simulator and on-road training sessions identified by the HumanFIRST Program.
Another research element is a study of the telecommuting component by Adeel Lari, research associate with the Humphrey Institute (see article above).
In a continuation of the opening session with David Horner, this session presented specifics of Minnesota's Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA).
Nick Thompson, UPA project manager for Mn/DOT, said the "truly innovative piece of the work is the priced dynamic shoulder lane" on northbound I-35W into Minneapolis that will be open during peak hours. Signage will be posted frequently above all five lanes to adjust speeds and warn drivers of incidents. "Because of reduced congestion, traffic will move more safely than if nothing is done," he said. Construction will start later this summer and is scheduled for completion by September 30, 2009, except for downtown Minneapolis (December 31, 2009) and the I-35W/Crosstown (fall 2010).
Craig Lamothe , UPA project manager with the Metropolitan Council, reviewed 13 UPA transit projects aimed at providing "an attractive alternative to paying congestion prices or sitting in traffic." Objectives are to improve transit speed and reliability, increase its capacity, and enhance its appeal and convenience. For example, dynamic fare pricing—charging lower fares during peak hours—will be used to encourage people to take the bus. Highway tolls will fund rebates to transit users, with amounts depending on congestion levels and toll revenue. "The HOT lane will have a huge benefit to transit," he said.
Adeel Lari
Adeel Lari, senior fellow with the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, described telecommuting research he is conducting as part of the UPA. Telecommuting is the most cost-effective approach for reducing congestion during peak periods, he said. "Only 2.9 percent of the Minneapolis workforce telecommutes, so there is a large market," Lari noted.
There are two telecommuting options for working at home: flexible work arrangements, in which employer policies and guidelines apply, versus results-only work environments (ROWE), which allow workers to decide where and when to work. "ROWE is a completely changing paradigm with a significant impact on business culture," Lari said.
ROWE allows all workers to participate regardless of job duty or level. At Best Buy headquarters in Richfield, 75 percent of employees work under ROWE—resulting in a 35 percent increase in productivity, Lari said, along with increased employee retention.
Telecommuting offers a number of benefits. For society, the approach conserves energy, preserves the environment, and enhances safety. Employers save money from less office overhead, increased productivity and motivation, and employee retention. Workers spend less on gas and may have a better work/life balance, less stress, and more time for health and wellness, Lari said.
Barriers to greater use are no longer technological but lie in corporate culture. Employers need to switch from management by observation to management by objective, with clearly defined results. "It's not for everyone," Lari explained, such as those with poor personal motivation or young workers. Still, telecommuting is expected to become a viable planning element. "It is an opportunity for sustainable change," he said.
For the UPA, Lari will work with local companies to identify and recruit new telecommuters from the I-35W corridor, offering both ROWE and flexible work arrangements. His project also includes marketing, education, measurement, and evaluation.
For more about the Minnesota project, see www.dot.state.mn.us/funding/upa.