Projects

In 2000, the NJ Department of Transportation established the New Jersey Bicycle & Pedestrian Resource Center at VTC to help local elected officials, decision-makers and transportation professionals clearly understand the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians, and how to address those needs. Renewed annually at VTC since 2000, the resource center has continued to grow and excel, specializing in four project areas: Information Clearing House, Technical Information Resource, Education, and Technical Research. This role is not duplicated by any other organization in New Jersey, and demonstrates the value of a project organization filling an intermediary role between state, county, and local agencies in improving the state’s bicycle and pedestrian environment.

Principal Investigator: Charles Brown

Client: NJ Department of Transportation

As part of this project, VTC is working closely with the NJ Department of Transportation to support its implementation of the federally mandated Safe Routes to School program, including the production of an e-newsletter, the Safe Routes Scoop. VTC’s role includes supporting the development of sound policies and procedures; providing education, outreach, and training to local officials responsible for implementing Safe Routes to School programs; and helping to clarify technical issues and develop effective practices through program evaluation and research.

Principal Investigator: Leigh Ann Von Hagen

Client: NJ Department of Transportation

This research is focused on building on efforts to understand pedestrian behavior and activity in New Jersey. The dataset used will offer the ability to determine associations between demographic and socioeconomic indicators and the level of walking, how infrastructure elements that either promote or hinder pedestrian activity affect walking, how perceptions of safety may affect walking, and how all these factors are associated with different types of walking trips, whether utilitarian or recreational.

Principal Investigator: Robert Noland

Client: University Transportation Research Center

This project will develop a methodology to assess the benefit of transit-oriented development that will be used to measure these benefits in several NJ locations. This study will examine a wide variety of impacts beyond travel. These include impacts on health, economic activity, community cohesion, and the environment. The study aims to develop a spreadsheet tool that NJ TRANSIT can use in developing strategies in where and how to best implement transit-oriented development in New Jersey.

Principal Investigator: Robert Noland

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

NJTOD.org is an online resource designed to keep municipal officials, planners and advocates up-to-date on the potential for development and redevelopment around transit stations. A joint effort between NJ TRANSIT and the Bloustein School’s Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University, NJTOD.org aims to enrich the transit-oriented development (TOD) conversation in New Jersey’s diverse communities by highlighting what is happening in the state and around the country: best practices, model programs, legislation and local problem-solving experiences.

Principal Investigator: Stephanie DiPetrillo

Client: NJ TRANSIT

This study will build on previous research to examine the extent to which the practice of plea bargaining has compromised MVC’s ability to effectively “manage” bad drivers through MVC’s system of administrative sanctions. The study will also explore ways to either fix the current point-based driver behavior monitoring system or adopt a new monitoring system to replace or operate concurrently with the points system.

Principal Investigator: Jon Carnegie

Client: NJ Department of Transportation

Develop transit and transportation project evaluation methods; as well as impacts, metrics, and measurement tools and methods related to the infrastructure and other environmental impacts of land development patterns.

Principal Investigator: Robert Noland

Client: Transit Cooperative Research Program (Federal Transit Administration; Transportation Research Board)

VTC is developing a spreadsheet tool that will allow NJDOT to assess the greenhouse gas impacts of different transportation capital construction and maintenance projects.  For more information on GASCAP, click here.

Principal Investigator: Robert Noland

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

VTC will develop methods and software to estimate lifecycle carbon emissions associated with construction and maintenance of transportation capital projects. Phase I of the project will include literature and practice reviews of state-of-the-art materials production, construction equipment, and maintenance practices for transportation capital projects. The reviews consist of planning documents, standard practice specification manuals, related cutting edge literature, and computer models that address carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. A literature review of induced travel effects associated with infrastructure construction is also included in Phase I of the research to assess the viability of estimating carbon emissions associated with changes in travel behavior. Phase II will involve development of an assessment methodology for highway and transit projects, and development, testing, and dissemination of a software tool.

Principal Investigator: Robert Noland

Client: NJ Department of Transportation

This study examined the consequences of re-aligning the regional boundaries of the Access Link paratransit service operated by NJ TRANSIT. It involved forecasting of Access Link clients for the service regions, analysis of trip patterns to understand the travel markets and trip generators, and development of a toolkit to examine the consequences of service modification.

Principal Investigator: Devajyoti Deka and Eric Gonzales

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

This study examines the optimum location of ADA paratransit facilities by taking into account the travel markets of current and projected Access Link clients. Additionally, it examines the advantages and disadvantages of owning and leasing the facilities as well as the environmental and planning considerations for locating the paratransit facilities. Finally, it involves scenario-based cost-benefit analysis and risk analysis for locating and owning/leasing paratransit facilities.

Principal Investigator: Devajyoti Deka

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

This study examines the travel and transportation needs and barriers of adults on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in New Jersey. In addition to a survey of persons on the spectrum, this research involves interviews with stakeholders and focus groups involving persons on the spectrum and their guardians. The study will make recommendations for addressing the transportation and environmental barriers encountered by persons on the spectrum.

Principal Investigator: Devajyoti Deka and Cecilia Feeley

Client: New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services

In partnership with the Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), VTC will consider new technologies related to drive-recording that could benefit NJ TRANSIT’s Access Link transportation service and its customers. (Access Link is NJ TRANSIT’s ADA complementary paratransit service). VTC will focus efforts on creating a survey tool to be disseminated to transit agencies nationwide to determine best practices and issues related to drive-recording technologies.

Principal Investigators: Patrick Szary and Andrea Lubin

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

Research is underway to investigate how to expand the resources available to enhance county community transportation in NJ, particularly to improve the transportation environment for people with disabilities seeking employment. VTC staff is currently investigating new potential funding sources for the county providers to consider, as well as researching best practices being implemented nationwide by peer agencies.

Principal Investigator: Andrea Lubin

Client: New Jersey Department of Human Services & Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Travel training is a widely accepted and growing field that seeks to teach transportation disadvantaged populations how to use public transportation. This initiative will focus on developing and implementing a pilot travel training program targeted to employment/social service providers that work with people with disabilities seeking employment. The overarching goal is to familiarize the employment/social service provider community with the concept and value of offering travel training as a means of imparting travel independence and options to their consumers seeking employment.

Principal Investigator: Andrea Lubin

Funding Source: New Jersey Department of Human Services & Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

VTC is examining the feasibility of introducing flexible transit services in a select number of high volume ADA paratransit service areas/corridors in New Jersey and New York City. The goal of introducing flexible transit services in the selected corridors is to simultaneously expand travel options for paratransit customers and reduce the cost of providing paratransit trips by attracting paratransit customers to these new/enhanced services.

Principal Investigator: Jon Carnegie

Client: Rutgers University Transportation Coordinating Council/Federal Transit Administration

Research is underway to determine key transportation barriers hindering job search and employment for persons with disabilities in New Jersey through a survey of those who are actively seeking employment. The survey work is being conducted in cooperation with the NJ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, as well as with several centers for independent living and non-profits organizations in the state that assist people with disabilities. While VTC has previously conducted research on transportation barriers faced by persons with disabilities, this research study is unique in that it will focus on persons who are unemployed but are searching for employment.

Principal Investigator: Andrea Lubin

Client: Rutgers University Transportation Coordinating Council/Federal Transit Administration

Transit investments stimulate economic development not only by improving access to employment and other destinations, but also potentially by encouraging firm clusters that increase economic productivity, and reducing auto use. This study will establish a methodology to estimate these impacts, and make it usable by state and local transportation agencies seeking Federal capital support.

Principal Investigator: Robert Noland

Research Partner: Steer Davies Gleave

Client: Transit Cooperative Research Program (Federal Transit Administration; Transportation Research Board)

This research will determine cost saving measures that state human services agencies can use when purchasing passenger transportation for their clients. The study will inventory current utilization of purchased passenger transportation by these agencies as well as the resource management strategies that may be used to reduce those costs and/or to enhance the transportation services. The study will evaluate various strategies, including brokerage and other coordination techniques, and will provide recommendations to the state agencies in an effort to reduce costs and/or to enhance services that serve transportation disadvantaged clients.

Principal investigators: Stephanie DiPetrillo and Andrea Lubin

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

This study quantifies the economic and congestion-relief benefits from public transit service used by riders to access recreational activities in New Jersey. It focuses on three specific markets: (a) the shore communities served by the North Jersey Coast Line, (b) the Prudential Center, and (c) the Wildwood-Cape May area serviced by an express bus service from Philadelphia. It involves the estimation of economic benefits with the R/ECON^TM input-output model. It also shows how much vehicle miles traveled, gasoline consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions are saved because of transit service.

Principal Investigator: Devajyoti Deka

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

This study is focused on identifying and estimating the effects of off-peak service enhancements on selected NJ TRANSIT commuter rail lines (Pascack Valley lines), with special emphasis on their impact on revenue generation, vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For this study, survey data collected from transit riders is being combined with spatial data from a variety of sources to identify and estimate the effects of new and enhanced off-peak and weekend services on the selected lines.

Principal Investigator: Devajyoti Deka

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

This study seeks to identify the best strategies for making transfer transit travel in the New Jersey context most appealing to both prospective and existing riders, by working directly with New Jersey Transit riders. The aim is to identify which features are most important to riders for creating a seamless and comfortable transfer experience. It is important to note that this study is examining how to make transfer trips as seamless as possible for all riders, including those with unique needs, which may include people with disabilities, senior citizens and non-English speaking populations.

Principal Investigator: Jon Carnegie

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation

The United States Department of Homeland Security has created an Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program that provides funds to address the unique needs of high-threat, high-density urban areas, and assist them in the fight against terrorism, from prevention to response to recovery. VTC is leading a multi-disciplinary team of researchers to undertake a comprehensive regional evacuation planning study for the state’s designated UASI region in northern New Jersey. The multi-year planning study will result in a collaborative, cross-jurisdictional and multi-agency all-hazards regional evacuation plan for the seven county northern New Jersey UASI region.

Principal Investigator: Jon Carnegie

Client: NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness

Researchers at VTC will undertake a number of preliminary planning activities to enhance the evacuation preparedness and planning capability of the state’s fourteen non-UASI counties. In that regard, the research team will work with the State Evacuation Working Group to: identify existing planning gaps and opportunities for better coordinated and integrated evacuation planning at the county level; inventory evacuation-related assets and resources; document the current level of citizen preparedness to evacuate if called up on to do so; and develop a standard format template for county evacuation plans to ultimately support the integration of county evacuation plans into the overall State Catastrophic Incident Annex. The study will include: a series of structured interviews, a county plan review and assessment, a web-based survey of municipal emergency management coordinators, a citizen preparedness survey, and an evacuation decision-making survey.

Principal Investigator: Jon Carnegie

Client: NJ Office of Emergency Management