Travel Demand

The NCST develops and assesses strategies to promote multi-modal travel and reduce car dependence in urban, suburban, and rural settings for both passenger and goods movement, as well as the potential of these strategies to improve accessibility to jobs, housing, and other activities for disadvantaged populations. Studies have evaluated strategies for shifting travel from solo driving to more efficient, low-carbon modes, including transit, walking and biking, and “new mobility” services, such as ride-hailing, bike-sharing, and micro-transit. Other studies have addressed the implications for vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) of “logistics sprawl,” automated cars, and highway capacity. 

A National Assessment of the Air Quality and Health Impacts of Vehicle Travel and Electrification: Phase 1 Near Roadway Impacts and Equity Analysis

  • Principal Investigator Gregory Rowangould, Ph.D.
  • University of Vermont
This project will address limitations in the current literature surrounding air quality impacts of vehicle traffic, especially in underserved communities. The team will employ a refined near-roadway emission exposure surrogate that balances spatial precision and computational burden to estimate changes in exposure levels and health risks and the distribution of these burdens over time as EV adoption increases.
Project Status
In Progress

Advancing Active Transportation Project Evaluation

  • Principal Investigator Dillon Fitch-Polse, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
In this project, the researchers will conduct data collection and analysis to supplement the California AT Benefit-Cost Tool (or "the BC Tool").
Project Status
In Progress

Changing Markets for Commuter and Suburban Rail

  • Principal Investigator Kari E. Watkins, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
The goal of this project is to understand barriers to potential ridership including a dearth of first- and last-mile connections, reliability of service, bicycle and pedestrian facilities near stations, cost, changes in attitudes, changes in demand for travel (induced by work from home preferences), and station level amenities including parking.
Project Status
In Progress

Comparing REAP and AHSC: State-defined versus regionally-defined funding strategies for affordable housing linked to multi-modal transport

  • Principal Investigator Elisa Barbour, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
This research project will compare key elements of program design, administration, and projected benefits from the Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) and Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) programs, with the aim of considering how and whether a state-led strategy (AHSC) differs from regionally-designed strategies (through REAP), in furthering SB 375 goals through funding that allocated for similar specific purposes.
Project Status
In Progress

Impacts of Remote/Hybrid Work and Remote Services on Activity and Transportation Patterns

  • Principal Investigator Giovanni Circella, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
This project will greatly improve the understanding of the impacts of remote/hybrid work and other remote services and inform State and planning agencies by shedding light on the complex ways remote activities affect short‐term daily routines (e.g., telecommuting vs. commuting trips, travel mode choice, and spatial/ temporal trip distributions) and long‐term choices (vehicle choice, residential location and real estate development), and will help understand the impacts on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and transportation‐based greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impacts. 
Project Status
In Progress

Implementing and Evaluating Machine Learning Algorithms for Bikeshare System Demand Prediction

  • Principal Investigator Mehdi Azimi, Ph.D.
  • Texas Southern University
This research project will develop models for Houston bikeshare system demand prediction at the station level by leveraging data on station activities. Accurate prediction of bikeshare demand has the potential to transform the way these systems are managed and integrated into urban transportation networks, leading to improved efficiency, customer satisfaction, and sustainability.
Project Status
In Progress

Incorporating Infrastructure and Vehicle Technology Requirements, Changes in Demand, and Decarbonization Policies Considerations into Freight Planning

  • Principal Investigator Miguel Jaller, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
This research aims to develop an equitable and sustainable freight‐oriented land use methodology to support future planning activities, facilitate the integration of freight activity across urban, suburban, and rural areas, and facilitate the transition of heavy‐ and medium‐duty vehicles toward zero‐emission. The project will analyze freight distribution patterns considering supply and demand and estimate social, environmental, and labor impacts in different communities.
Project Status
In Progress

Investigating Transportation Decarbonization through Transit and Rideshare Electrification: A Scenario Analysis with Large-Scale Models

  • Principal Investigator Mehdi Azimi, Ph.D.
  • Texas Southern University
This project utilizes the Department of Energy's Systems and Modeling for Accelerated Research in Transportation (SMART) workflow to evaluate potential outcomes of electrification policies, specifically for transit and rideshare systems. This will be accomplished by harnessing a large-scale agent-based activity-based transportation modeling tool designed for the Houston Metropolitan Area.
Project Status
In Progress

Real-Time Large-Scale Ridesharing with Flexible Meeting Points

  • Principal Investigator Maged Dessouky, Ph.D.
  • University of Southern California
This project will develop a framework that will, in real-time, match drivers to passengers and route rideshare drivers that incorporates traffic data to provide improved solutions. The resulting solution framework will use commercial traffic simulation software to achieve this goal.
Project Status
In Progress
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