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Current Research Topics under Investigation Past Research

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	contact	results/status
School Campus Traffic Circulation Study Many school campuses are experiencing traffic congestion problem during the morning and afternoon school commute time as increasing number of parents driving their children to school. This research project conducts detailed school campus traffic circulation (carpool lane) studies on approximately 20 elementary schools randomly selected based on the percentage of school bus riderhsip. A synthesis of best practice will be produced to help schools to better manage school campus traffic.	Jeff Tsai ITRE	under research
Transportation Policy and Procedure Guidelines for Transporting Students with Special Needs In fall 2001, North Carolina Special Needs Transportation Policy Steering Committee was formed as part of the School Transportation Group activities. The purpose of the Committee is to develop a statewide administrative policy and procedure manual for transporting students with special needs. The committee is an inter-agency effort made up by a group of very enthusiastic multi-disciplinary members to address a critical need in the state.	Jeff Tsai ITRE	under research
Identification of North Carolina School-Related Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries A study to identify crashes involving children and youth ages 5 - 18 occurring on weekdays during morning and afternoon school commuting times for the school year August 2000 - July 2001. Local school calendar will be added to include year-round schools, to further identify cases that are most likely to be related to school travel.	Bill Hall HSRC	under research
Walking School Bus A recent research conducted by the School Transportation Group concluded that majority of the parents will not allow their children to walk to school even with improved pedestrian facilities because of SECURITY concerns. A practice popular in New Zealand and Europe called the Walking School Bus maybe the answer.
Automated Vehicle Location system for School Bus A highly sophisticated AVL/Duress Alarm system developed by the United State Dept. of Defense Education Agency (DoDEA) to track school buses transporting US military dependents in foreign countries.
Fuel Consumption and Emissions for School Buses An emerging technology now allows for on-board measurements of real-time fuel consumption and emissions while the vehicle is in service. The measurement device called OEM2100, not only provides second-by-second fuel consumption and emission measurement during a trip, but also records all information relayed to the OEM via an engine scan unit. We propose to lease or purchase as OEM2100 from CAAT for the purpose of testing the fuel and emissions impacts of school bus operations.
Safe Routes to School California's Safe Routes to School Program went into effect in 1999 in response to the passage and signing of Assembly Bill 1475. The Safe Routes to School Program funds the construction of traffic calming devices, crosswalks, sidewalks, bike lanes and paths in and around California schools. The Safe Routes to School Program has funded improvement projects for pedestrian and bicycle safety at 186 school sites since 1999.
School Violence and School Transportation Student violence is a problem not only in the school campus but also on school buses. According to Center of the Prevention of School Violence that maintains a tip line for reporting potential violence, school buses rank second in the location of school violence.
Multi-Modal School Transportation Risk Analysis Less than half of the school children in US travel to and from in school buses, not much is known about the safety and risk of other modes of transportation such as walking, biking, public transit bus, and private vehicles. A National Academies of Science study requested by the US Congress will reveal the findings in spring 2002.
School Location and Impacts to Transportation The NC legislature has recently mandated that formal traffic impact studies be carried out as part of the school planning process. This was motivated in part by strong evidence that past school location decisions have not accounted for potential traffic impacts, putting NCDOT staff in the difficult position of having to rapidly respond to the resulting traffic problems, rather than giving the staff the opportunity to anticipate and implement effective solutions ahead of time. Research study is need to develop a traffic impact guide of schools.
	contact	results/status
An Analysis of North Carolina Guidelines and Criteria for Establishing School Walk Zones (pdf file)	Jeff Tsai ITRE	view report
Analyses of National and State Data (pdf file)	PI - Jeff Tsai, ITRE	view report October 2001
A Case Study of Modal Shift at Belmont Elementary School in Roanoke Rapid City Schools, North Carolina (pdf file)	PI - Jeff Tsai, ITRE	view report October 2001
An Analysis of School Related Transportation Impact in North Carolina (pdf file)	Jeff Tsai ITRE	view report August 2002
Wake County Public School, NC Modal Choice Survey (pdf file)		March 2002

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