Overview of CTS

Founded in 1987, CTS serves as a catalyst for transportation innovation, advancing knowledge through research, education and outreach.

CTS strives for excellence in the following five areas:

• Strengthening University expertise• Championing formal education• Fostering ideas and knowledge development

• Initiating public and stakeholder participation• Promoting applied problem-solving

Our Committees

University of Minnesota Senior Vice President for

System Academic Administration

Executive Committee

Board of Advisers

CTS Director and Staff

Council Coordinating Committee

ITS Institute Board

Program Steering Committees

Transportation and the Economy Council Planning and the Environment Council

Transportation Safety and Traffic Flow Council Transportation Infrastructure Council

Transportation Education and Outreach Council

Our FundingFederal• Federal Highway Administration• Federal Transit Administration• Research and Innovative

Technology Administration

State • Mn/DOT• Legislature

Local/Regional• Local Road Research Board• Individual Counties

Other Funds• University of Minnesota• Other States & Non-Profits

FY10 Revenue: $21.2 million

Educational Programs

TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR PROFESSIONALS

•Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) •Circuit Training and Assistance Program (CTAP)•Airport Technical Assistance Program (AirTAP)•Customized Training

UNIVERSITY STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

• Student Awards, Scholarships and Fellowship Opportunities

• Support Campus Student Organizations

• Sponsor Annual Transportation Career Expo

Gridlock Buster

•Gridlock Buster is an online traffic control game based on tools and ideas that actual traffic control engineers use in their everyday work

•The game has been incorporated into a traffic engineering curriculum

•Taught at the University of Minnesota‘s Exploring Careers in Engineering and Physical Sciences Summer Camp

Outreach Initiatives

EVENTS• Annual Research Conference• Annual Freight and Logistics

Symposium• Policymaker Seminars

PUBLICATIONS• Newsletters and E-news• Reports and Policy Summaries• Event Proceedings

WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA• www.cts.umn.edu• Project Videos• Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Research Focus Areas

POLICY AND PLANNING

• Transportation & land use, urban design, sustainability

• Transportation costs, financing, value pricing

• Freight and logistics, commodity flows, airport impacts

• Environmental impacts• Community transportation,

access for the transportation disadvantaged

• Alternative modes, including transit, bicycling, walking

Access to Destinations

• Five year research study focusing on accessibility; 12 individual research projects that culminated in measures of accessibility, by mode, spanning from 1995 to 2005

• Key Finding: while congestion has been worsening, the ease of reaching destinations has been getting better almost everywhere in the region—especially by automobile

• Currently working to finalize a web-based tool for use by transportation practitioners

www.cts.umn.edu/access-study

Transitway Impacts Research Program (TIRP)

• Launched in 2006, key partners include state, regional and local governments; non-profit organizations and the University of Minnesota

• Key Findings include:

o The Hiawatha light-rail line has significantly improved accessibility to low-wage jobs

o Commercial and residential property values in the Hiawatha corridor increase the closer they are to a light-rail station

www.cts.umn.edu/Research/Featured/Transitways/index.html

Research Focus Areas

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Materials, pavement design & performance

• Bridge design, maintenance, corrosion, structure testing

Bridge Monitoring Research

• University researchers from Civil Engineering and SAFL have completed six bridge monitoring projects since 2005, each funded by Mn/DOT.

• Topics include:o Advanced structural monitoringo Bridge scour monitoring

• Technology transfer includes:

o Spreadsheet tools that help bridge engineers identify the best commercially-available bridge health monitoring technology or bridge scouring monitoring technology for a particular bridge.

Research Focus Areas

TECHNOLOGY/ITS

• Traffic management & control

• Human factors & driver behavior

• Intelligent vehicles• Incident management,

accident analysis• Safety • Security

Bus Rapid Transit• Fleet of 10 buses equipped with a

driver-assistive system were deployed in October 2010

• The high-tech “Bus 2.0” vehicles are operated by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority along the I-35W/Cedar Avenue

• The technology helps bus drivers maintain reliable schedules while operating safely on the narrow bus-only highway shoulders

Smartphone Based Teenage Driver Support System (TDSS)

•Mn/DOT- and ITS Institute-funded usability study to evaluate a teen driver support system (TDSS), which provides feedback to the teen about driving behavior and helps parents monitor certain known risk factors.

•Key Findings include:

oBoth teens and their parents had an overall positive view of TDSS and believed it could be beneficial in improving driving habits.

oTeens, unlike parents, showed concerns with diminishing privacy

oTeens found TDSS to slightly increase driving workload during initial use of the system but not to be very distracting