TRB Special Report 292, Safety Research on Highway Infrastructure and Operations: Improving Priorities, Coordination, and Quality recommends the creation of an independent scientific advisory committee (SAC). The SAC would be charged with development of a transparent process for identifying and prioritizing research needs and opportunities in highway safety, with emphasis on infrastructure and operations, and using the process developed to recommend a national research agenda focused on highway infrastructure and operations safety. The report also explores opportunities to improve the quality of highway safety research.
Other
NHTSA Vehicle Safety and Fuel Economy Rulemaking and Research Priority Plan 2011-2013
This NHTSA Vehicle Safety and Fuel Economy Priority Plan describes the projects the agency plans to work on in the rulemaking and research areas for calendar years 2011 to 2013. This is not an exhaustive list. Only programs and projects that are priorities or will take significant agency resources are listed. Furthermore, NHTSA?s enforcement, data collection, and analysis programs — vital elements in achieving NHTSA?s goals — have their own set of priorities that are not listed here. Each of these programs supports NHTSA?s rulemaking and research priorities by providing necessary safety data, economic analysis, expertise on test procedures, and technical issues gleaned from enforcement experience.
Pedestrian Safety Strategic Plan: Recommendations for Research Plan and Product Development
FHWA-SA-10-035:
This is a 15-year plan (completed in October 2010) for pedestrian safety research and technology transfer. It was developed to address pedestrian safety concerns and equip professionals and other stakeholders with proper knowledge, resources, and information needed to identify problems and implement solutions related to the roadway environment. The Strategic Plan also recommends updates to 17 current FHWA technology transfer tools and more than 20 technology transfer resources and the development of innovative dissemination methods. Recommendations for research and product development are intended to be addressed through a collaborative approach between various agencies and offices. A cooperative effort is required to properly address the variety of crash problems discussed in the Strategic Plan. This report will be of interest to engineers, planners, researchers, and practitioners who have an interest in implementing pedestrian treatments, as well as city, State, and local agency officials who have a responsibility for public safety.
AASHTO/NCHRP Strategic HIghway Safety Plan
This Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and the tools developed to facilitate its implementation offer state and local transportation and safety agencies a life-saving blueprint ready for application in developing comprehensive highway safety plans.
Transportation, Energy, and Environmental Policy VIII Biennial Asilomar Conference
Summary of the VIII Biennial Asilomar Conference on Transportation, Energy, and Environmental Policy.
Environmental Research Needs in Transportation: Report of a Conference
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH NEEDS IN TRANSPORTATION: REPORT OF A CONFERENCE, WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 21-23, 2002:
Every 5 years the Transportation Research Board conducts a Transportation Environmental Research Needs Conference to select and draft top-priority statements of environmental research needs. This report contains the proceedings of the most recent of these conferences which was held in March 2002, this time with a multimodal perspective. In the proceedings are top research needs identified at the conference, along with background papers. These are organized into chapters for each of the following 15 topic areas: Air Quality; Community Impacts, Environmental Justice, and Public Involvement; Context-Sensitive Design, Including Aesthetics and Visual Quality; Cultural Resources; Energy and Alternative Fuels; Environmental Information Management; Environmental Streamlining and Stewardship; Integrated Environmental Decision Making; Land Use and Transportation; Noise; Sustainability, Including Climate Change: Cause and Effects; Transportation, Human Health, and Physical Activity; Waste Management and Environmental Management: Recycling, Waste, Pollution Prevention, Brownfields; Water Quality and Hydrology; and Wetlands, Wildlife, and Ecosystems.
This report is published to assist those involved with government, university, and other research programs in selecting research projects that will have the greatest utility for the transportation environmental community. WETLANDS, WILDLIFE, AND ECOSYSTEMS: RESOURCE PAPER: This resource paper summarizes the continuing research needs in the area of wetlands, wildlife, and ecosystems in their relationship to transportation activities. Although there has been a great deal of progress, these needs continue to be similar to those expressed at the last Environmental Research Needs in Transportation Conference in 1996. Adequate impact evaluation tools still need development and testing on transportation projects. Techniques to measure the quality of ecosystems and associated biota need to be developed and tested. The effectiveness of mitigation or compensation for impacts should be evaluated. Furthermore, the effectiveness of programmatic approaches in accomplishing environmental and regulatory goals, while showing great promise, still requires thorough evaluation.
Identification of Research Needs related to Highway Runoff
TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 521:
Identification of Research Needs Related to Highway Runoff Management summarizes significant stormwater management practices and research efforts, and it identifies the most pressing gaps and needs in the current state of knowledge in over more than 30 subject areas. The report includes full research project statements for the topics considered to be of highest priority.
A Transportation Research Program for Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change and Conserving Energy
TRB Special Report 299:
A Transportation Research Program for Mitigating and Adapting to Climate Change and Conserving Energy suggests that federal, state, and local policy makers need informed guidance about the effectiveness, costs, feasibility, and acceptability of transportation strategies to mitigate transportation greenhouse gas emissions and conserve energy and to adapt to climate change. The report covers strategies affecting travel and mode choice, models and decision tools, infrastructure investment options, and infrastructure construction, operation, and maintenance. The committee that prepared the report recommends beginning a research and development initiative by making a modest investment of $40 million to $45 million annually in the next surface transportation authorization that would be used to develop the best available guidance quickly on the basis of existing information and then begin to improve that guidance over time as new research is completed.
Research Needs Statements for Climate Change and Transportation
Transportation Research Board (TRB) E-Circular 144:
he objective of this effort was to develop a series of specific research needs statements on climate change and transportation for distribution to universities, students, research organizations, government agencies, and other interested parties for consideration in conducting and funding research in this important area.
Pavement Management Roadmap
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsored the development of a Pavement Management Roadmap to help identify the steps needed to address current gaps in pavement
management and to establish research and development initiatives and priorities. This document presents a 10-year Pavement Management Roadmap that can be used to guide new research, development, and technology transfer opportunities that will lead to improved approaches to pavement management. This Roadmap can substantially improve current practices by identifying the existing gaps and needs in pavement management.
The final results of this project are presented in this report, which presents the prioritized list of research, development, and technology transfer opportunities recommended over the next 10 years. The report also documents the process undertaken to develop the Roadmap and the short- and
long-term needs statements that were produced. The needs statements included as Appendix B describe the activities recommended as part of the Roadmap, and their associated costs. The needs statements can be used by the FHWA or other research agencies to secure funding to advance the Pavement Management Roadmap. The needs statements are organized by theme and by recommended timeframe (i.e., short-term and long-term).