Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap (2022)

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18 Activities and Findings Chapter 2 outlined the overarching research approach, including the two phases of research and the corresponding tasks. The tasks led to eight primary activities for collecting the infor- mation that fed into the roadmap, RNS, and problem statements. For this report, RNS include a project title, background, and research objective. In general, the problem statement is an expansion of one of the RNS. It is written in the CRP format, which includes a problem title; background; literature search summary; research objective; urgency and potential benefits; implementation considerations and supports; recommended research funding and research period; problem statement author; others supporting the problem state- ment; potential project panel members; and person submitting the problem statement. The eight activities and their outcomes are described as follows. Fact Sheets The Research Team conducted a broad environmental scan to identify key rural issues and corresponding research needs. The information was used to develop fact sheets and preliminary RNS for the first workshop (Colorado). Overview In recognition of the breadth and diversity of rural transportation needs, the Research Team identified themes defining the boundaries of rural transportation for the Colorado workshop. (This has been an iterative process throughout the project. While there are 15 themes identi- fied in this final report, these have been regrouped and added to throughout the project based on stakeholder and project panel feedback.) Before the Colorado workshop, the Research Team initially developed 14 themed fact sheets (shown in Table 1), which summarized the information identified in the environmental scan. The fact sheets were not intended to be an exhaustive list but rather a starting point for facili- tated discussions. These fact sheets identify key challenges and opportunities faced by rural transportation agencies. The fact sheets also laid out examples of potential research topics to help address the needs of transportation practitioners and the traveling public and close knowledge gaps. The fact sheets were distributed to members of the project panel and other stakeholders in advance of the Colorado workshop. Each fact sheet described the following: • Community type(s) and mode(s) that pertain to the theme • Theme description C H A P T E R 3

Activities and Findings 19   • Challenges and solutions for sub-topics under each theme • Available research • Potential research needs Among the fact sheets, only two (theme 6 and theme 10) did not apply to all community types (see Table 1). Note, however, that while a main overarching theme may apply to all community types, some of its detailed subcategories may not (e.g., animal-drawn vehicles in theme 13). Table 2 shows the modes specific to each topic. As illustrated in this table, rural transportation is multimodal, with many of the themes related most closely to roadway and bus modes. The Research Team divided each of the themes into subcategories to define challenges and solutions, which helped inform the gap analysis and RNS. The subcategories for each theme are shown in Table 3. Results The outcome of this activity was three deliverables: 1. Fourteen Fact Sheets. The full fact sheets with the identified challenges, solutions, research available, and potential research needs are provided in Appendix A. 2. Seven Original RNS. Based on the gaps and research needs identified in the fact sheets, the Research Team created seven RNS that were provided to Colorado workshop participants as examples. These RNS served two purposes. First, the Team had the opportunity to create RNS on topics that the project panel identified as initial priorities, which could be expanded *Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, respectively. Beyond the Themes from Fact Sheets "Lower 48" (AK, HI, PR, VI, GU, AS, MP)* Exurban Community Frontier/ Remote Community Resource- based Community Tourism-based Community Tribal Lands and Alaska Native Community Theme 1: Active transportation Theme 2: Workforce development x x x x x x x x x x x x Theme 3: Transportation access and mobility Theme 4: Intersection of health and transportation Theme 5: Generational expectations, work, and lifestyle Theme 6: Transporting rural products to market Theme 7: Weather, climate, and resilience Theme 8: Rural public and school transportation Theme 9: Law enforcement, crime, and drugs Theme 10: Aviation x x x x x Theme 11: Connected and automated vehicles and emerging technologies Theme 12: Tourism and the natural environment Theme 13: Roadway infrastructure and balancing capacity with demand Theme 14: Rural transportation safety x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Table 1. Rural transportation issue themes versus community type.

20 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap into full NCHRP problem statements using input from the workshop. Second, the RNS served as examples for workshop attendees to understand the next step for any research needs arising during the workshop. The seven RNS prepared for the workshop included the following topics: – Bridge and Culvert Vulnerability Assessment Software Suite – Rural Transportation Agency Marijuana Policies in the Legalization Era – Force Multiplier Toolkit for Rural Traffic Enforcement – A Mode-Neutral Guide for Rural Transportation Investment Analysis – Effects of Rural Rideshare on Public Transportation – Traffic Management for Rural Tourism Communities – Cumulative Effects of Underinvestment in Rural Transportation These RNS can be found in Appendix B and are discussed further in Chapter 4. 3. Roadmap Database. With a high number of anticipated research needs, in at least 14 themes, the Research Team created a database to document and filter research needs. This initial version of the database included the research needs listed in the fact sheet. Literature Review The Research Team was also tasked with conducting a literature review and gap analysis. Overview During the environmental scan, the Research Team logged studies, reports, and projects in progress that were important for the roadmap. To complete this task, the Research Team members utilized their university libraries as well as key databases including but not limited to Google Scholar, SCIFinder Scholar, and the Transportation Research International Database AviationThemes from Fact Sheets Bicycle Bus Maritime Pedestrian Rail Roadway Theme 1: Active transportation x x Theme 2: Workforce development x x x x x x x Theme 3: Transportation access and mobility Theme 4: Intersection of health and transportation Theme 5: Generational expectations, work, and lifestyle Theme 6: Transporting rural products to market Theme 7: Weather, climate, and resilience Theme 8: Rural public and school transportation Theme 9: Law enforcement, crime, and drugs Theme 10: Aviation Theme 11: Connected and automated vehicles and emerging technologies Theme 12: Tourism and the natural environment Theme 13: Roadway infrastructure and balancing capacity with demand Theme 14: Rural transportation safety x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Table 2. Rural transportation issue themes versus mode.

Activities and Findings 21   Theme 1: Active transportation • Access to active transportation opportunities in rural communities • Health impact of active transportation in rural communities • Safety risks and countermeasures for active transportation users • Economic development opportunities for trail-based communities • Safe routes to school • Bikeshare programs Theme 2: Workforce development • Transportation agency workforce recruitment and retention Theme 3: Transportation access and mobility • Aging in place • Mobility choices of millennials • Shared-use mobility services • Coordinated transportation services Theme 4: Intersection of health and transportation • Transportation disadvantages and access to healthcare services • Emergency Medical Services (EMS) service area challenges and coordination of EMS • Communications technology • Incorporating public health into transportation planning Theme 5: Generational expectations, work, and lifestyle • Baby boomers • Generation X • Millennials • Post-millennial Theme 6: Transporting rural products to market • General trends affecting rural freight • Truck freight • Railroads • Maritime freight • Intermodal freight • Express delivery services Theme 7: Weather, climate, and resilience • Increasing prevalence of severe storms, floods, forest fires, and related events • Natural disasters • Climate impacts on rural bridges and culverts • Climate impacts on rural pavements and unpaved roads • Winter roadway maintenance Theme 8: Rural public and school transportation • Transit • Paratransit • School transportation • Passenger rail • Shared-use mobility • FTA regulation impacts • Feasibility and cost/benefit • Rural public transportation investments to stimulate economic development Theme 9: Law enforcement, crime, and drugs • Traffic enforcement in sparsely populated areas • Vandalism and theft on rural transportation infrastructure • Human trafficking • Illicit drugs • Marijuana/cannabis Theme 10: Aviation • Essential Air Service program • Air taxis • General aviation • Rural aviation, tourism, and economic development Theme 11: Connected and automated vehicles and emerging technologies • Technology infrastructure in rural areas • Road infrastructure considerations • AV/CV effects on vehicle ownership, freight, transit, and shared-use mobility Theme 12: Tourism and the natural environment • Context-sensitive solutions • First mile/last mile • Discrete congestion • Balance • Economic development opportunities • Environmental regulatory issues and impacts Theme 13: Roadway infrastructure and balancing capacity with demand • Effectiveness of rural highway investments in stimulating economic development • Sustaining rural infrastructure when economic activity declines • Rural and exurban development impacts on roadways • Energy projects and rural roadways • Agricultural vehicle impacts on rural roadways and bridges • Animal-drawn vehicles Theme 14: Rural transportation safety • Geometric design • Crash types and countermeasures • Safety culture • Speed management • Behavioral interventions • Teen drivers • Older drivers • Tribal transportation safety • Motorcycles • ATVs • Child passenger safety • Human factors • Enforcement laws and policies • Cross-jurisdictional planning • Retro-reflectivity and nighttime visibility • Safety performance measures and monitoring • Systemic safety • Safety data/Crash records • Incident management • Animal-vehicle collision countermeasures Table 3. Rural transportation issue themes for the Colorado workshop.

22 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap (TRID). The Research Team also reviewed ongoing research and existing documents published by entities such as DOTs, University Transportation Centers (UTCs), Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), FHWA, NCHRP, American Public Works Association (APWA), AASHTO, and TRB. Results The outcome of this activity was two deliverables: 1. Annotated Literature Review. The literature logs more than 200 studies or reports with the key findings in layperson’s terms. It is important to note that several of the literature review items are summaries of major reports, for example, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Safety Strategies for Rural Roads report comprises more than 140 pages. The Annotated Literature Review can be found in Appendix C. 2. Projects Currently in Progress or Recently Completed. The Research Team identified proj- ects that are currently in progress or recently completed that are important for filling the research needs gaps. These projects are listed in Appendix D. RNS Database Search As the goal of TRB committees is to recommend further research, many TRB committees create RNS yearly. The Research Team included this information in the roadmap to ensure that the rural ideas from these committees were reflected. Overview The Research Team first searched the TRB RNS Database to identify rural research needs that had been submitted by TRB committees but had not yet been funded. Second, the Research Team reached out directly to several committees that are known to support research needs or rural practitioners. The goal was to seek out research needs that TRB committees were currently discussing but had not been developed into RNS or had not yet been submitted to the TRB RNS Database. In a few cases, the TRB committees already had full RNS that they planned to submit for funding in that year and provided those for the project. To keep TRB committees involved, several TRB committee representatives were invited to attend the stakeholder workshops (i.e., the 2018 Colorado workshop and the 2019 TRB work- shop). The Research Team was also invited by several committees to present a project update at the 2019 and 2020 TRB Annual Meetings (see Chapter 5 for more information). Lastly, several of these committees co-sponsored a 2020 TRB workshop on rural equity, a topic derived from the roadmap (see Chapter 5 for more information). Table 4 shows the committee participation in this project. Results This activity resulted in two deliverables: 1. Roadmap Database Version 2. The rural research needs identified from TRB committees were added to version 2 of the database. 2. RNS. Three TRB committees [i.e., ADA40, ANB10(7), and AP055] provided new RNS that they had already been working on. Working in conjunction with those TRB committees, these RNS were added to the ones submitted to the AASHTO Special Committee on R&I (see Chapter 5 for more information).

Activities and Findings 23   TRB Committee Number1 TRB Committee Name RNS New RNS Team Present to Committee Attend Stakeholder Workshop2 Sponsor TRB 2020 Workshop ABE60 Accessible Transportation and Mobility X ABE80 Native American Transportation Issues X X ABJ20 Statewide Transportation Data and Information Systems X X ABJ30 Urban Transportation Data and Information Systems X ABJ50 Information Systems and Technology X ADA10 Statewide Multimodal Transportation Planning X ADA30 Transportation Planning for Small and Medium- sized Communities X X ADA40 Transportation Needs of National Parks and Public Lands X X X X X ADC20 Transportation and Air Quality X ADC50 Historic and Archeological Preservation in Transportation X ADC60 Resource Conservation and Recovery X ADD20 Social and Economic Factors of Transportation X ADD50 Environmental Justice in Transportation X AFB10 Geometric Design X AFB20 Roadside Safety Design X AFB30 Low Volume Roads X X X AFB40 Landscape and Environmental Design X AFD10 Pavement Management Systems X AFD60 Design and Rehabilitation of Asphalt Pavements X AFF50 Seismic Design and Performance of Bridges X AFH40 Construction of Bridges and Structures X AFK40 Surface Requirements of Asphalt Mixtures X AFP00 Geological and Geoenvironmental Engineering X AFP10 Engineering Geology X AFP70 Aggregates X AHB15 Intelligent Transportation Systems X AHB65 Operational Effects of Geometrics X AHD55 Signing and Marking Materials X ANB10 Transportation Safety Management X Table 4. TRB committee participation. (continued on next page)

24 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Practitioner Needs The objective of the Colorado workshop was to gather rural issues, research needs, and feed- back on RNS from a multi-disciplinary, multimodal group that included representation from multiple levels of government. The 8-hour workshop was held on Friday, September 28, 2018, in Denver, Colorado, just before the TRB Rural and Intercity Bus Conference. Overview The overview for this activity describes the participants, pre-workshop information, breakout groups, and agenda. Participants A total of 35 participants and 5 facilitators attended the Colorado workshop. Of the 35 partici- pants, 15 were project panel members. The Research Team selected the other 20 attendees. The Research Team kept a focus on capturing the needs and interests of localities and the “boots-on- the-ground” staff (e.g., regional, county, and municipal representatives and grassroots organi- zations) whose needs tend to focus on the applied/implementable side of research, rather than issues of theory or fundamental science. The potential participant list, created with recommendations from the project panel, the Senior Technical Expert Panel, and the Research Team, included more than 100 people. Since only 20 participants could be accommodated, several selection criteria were applied. Since travel ANB10(7) Rural Road Safety Policy, Programming, and Implementation Joint Subcommittee X X X X X ANB20 Safety Data, Analysis and Evaluation X ANB70 Truck and Bus Safety X ANB75 Roundabouts X ANF10 Pedestrians X ANF20 Bicycle Transportation X A0020T Climate Change and Energy X AP025 Public Transportation Planning and Development X AP055 Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation X X X AP060 Paratransit X AR010 Intercity Passenger Rail X AR030 Railroad Operating Technologies X AR040 Freight Rail Transportation X AV020 Aviation System Planning X AV070 Aircraft/Airport Compatibility X 1Note that these TRB committee names and numbers are from 2019, before the TRB restructuring and renumbering of committees. 2Note that additional committees may have been represented at the workshops, these are just the ones the Team knows were represented. TRB Committee Number1 TRB Committee Name RNS New RNS Team Present to Committee Attend Stakeholder Workshop2 Sponsor TRB 2020 Workshop Table 4. (Continued).

Activities and Findings 25   funding was available for the workshop, the Research Team rst considered communities that are typically unable to participate in research needs gathering eorts due to diculty self- funding travel to relevant events. e participant list was then balanced in terms of government levels (municipal, county, region, state, tribal, national), areas of the country (Figure 5), modes (e.g., transit, highway, rail, air, nonmotorized), and disciplines (e.g., law enforcement, tourism, economic development). Although the workshop attendees were relatively well balanced in terms of gender, a lack of ethnic diversity was noted. Due to the short turnaround time, many of the initial invitees were unavailable; wherever possible, a replacement was found. Pre-Workshop Information While workshop participants were selected based on their technical specialty and/or commu- nity type, participants were asked to represent their state or region as a whole. e goal was to ensure that all participants were prepared to discuss rural transportation issues and research needs not only from the perspective of their level of government, but also other levels of govern- ment, business and industry, the public, and dierent demographics. Preparations ensured that participants were ready to think broadly during the workshop and ensured that they could appropriately represent the full range of rural transportation modes, issues, community type, economics, and terrain. Note: The darker shaded areas indicate where attendees of the Colorado workshop reside. Numbers indicate more than one attendee for that area participated. Six attendees provided a national perspective. They are represented as the inset of the United States in the bottom right. Figure 5. Regional distribution of Colorado workshop attendees.

26 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap To assist in these discussions, the Research Team created a set of talking points and provided them to participants 2 weeks in advance of the workshop. Team members asked participants to bring any background information to the workshop for use in the facilitated discussions. The talking points consisted of the following: 1. What are the main transportation issues currently facing rural communities in your area? 2. Do these issues primarily involve a particular theme? See the following: – Streets, highways, bridges – Freight – School transportation, transit, intercity bus, passenger rail – Aviation – Nonmotorized (pedestrian, bike, horse and buggy, etc.) – Safety, crash prevention, incident response – Access to medical care or other specialized services – Economic development, tourism – Children, teens, elders, people with disabilities – Attracting/retaining qualified personnel to your agency or industry in general 3. Have you made use of any existing transportation research to help address these issues? Were the studies helpful? 4. What transportation issues are rural areas facing due to changing trends (e.g., technology, workforce, housing shifts, climate change, generational expectations)? 5. What specific research questions, if answered, could help your area resolve rural transpor- tation issues? A few days before the workshop, attendees were also provided with a working draft of a fact sheet for each of the rural transportation themes. Due to the breadth of the rural transportation topics, the fact sheets were not intended to be an exhaustive, comprehensive list, but rather a starting point for facilitated discussions. Breakout Groups During the workshop, most of the agenda activities were facilitated discussions in breakout groups. The three breakout groups were facilitated by one or two Research Team members. Although several configurations were considered for the breakout groups (community type, random assignment, region, government level, mode/special interest), the final decision was to create three diverse, but similar groups. Each of the three groups contained 11 to 12 people with the following distribution: • One beyond the “lower 48” representative (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or Alaska) • One general university representative • One specialized university (aviation, public health, or tribal) representative • Two to three state DOT representatives • One county engineer or regional planning organization representative • One public lands representative • One policy, CRP, or development organization representative • One tribal, law enforcement, nonmotorized, or small-town representative • Three transit representatives The groups were also distributed to account for gender (five to seven men and five to seven women in each group), number of project panel members (four to six in each group), and regional diversity (national, Northeast, Midwest, southern, mountain west, Pacific west, and beyond the “lower 48”).

Activities and Findings 27   Agenda The workshop agenda is presented in Figure 6 and Figure 7. To compensate for a longer-than- expected time to complete the introductions, discussions were extended into the lunch period. A meeting of the project panel was conducted immediately after the main workshop. Results The Colorado workshop yielded findings on these topics: (1) additional rural transportation challenges, (2) additional operational and research needs, (3) feedback on the seven pre-prepared RNS, and (4) submission of a problem statement prepared by the ADA40 TRB Committee on Parks and Public Lands. Additional information on the RNS and problem statement can be found in Chapter 4. This activity resulted in two deliverables: 1. Roadmap Database Version 4. The research needs identified from Colorado workshop participants were added to version 4 of the database. 2. Twenty-five RNS. Based on the stakeholder feedback on the seven preliminary RNS and additional needs brought forward by Colorado workshop participants, a set of 25 draft RNS was prepared for further review by the project panel (see Appendix E) for prioritization and submission to the AASHTO Special Committee on R&I (see Chapter 4 for additional information). Safety Needs The objectives of the Georgia workshop were to describe the NCHRP Project 20-122 back- ground and process and to identify additional safety research needs to be included in the roadmap. The 2-hour workshop entitled “Innovative Rural Safety Research: What is Needed to Get Rural to Zero” was held on Thursday, December 6, 2018, in Savannah, Georgia, as part of the 2nd National Summit on Rural Road Safety (Figure 8). Overview The overview for this activity describes the participants and methodology. Participants A total of 13 participants and 2 facilitators attended the Georgia workshop. The participants in this session included four state DOTs, an AASHTO representative, four FHWA employees, two LTAPs, a county engineer, and a state sheriff. While some participants were boots-on-the-ground staff (e.g., regional, county, and municipal representatives and grassroots organizations) whose needs tend to focus on the applied/ implementable side of research, the rest were from federal and state agencies. To ensure that as much information could be collected as possible, the Research Team invited all 120 participants of the 2nd National Summit on Rural Road Safety to provide their feedback on safety research needs, even if they did not attend the workshop. To collect this information, an announcement was made several times during the conference and a poster showing all the current safety research needs was placed near the summit registration table. Participants were asked to put additional safety research needs on index cards and submit them in the bag near the poster (see Figure 9).

28 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap NCHRP 20-122 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Agenda September 28, 2018 8 AM – 3:45 PM Mountain 7 : 0 0 - 8 : 0 0 A M (60 min) B reak f ast 8 : 0 0 - 8 : 4 5 A M (45 min) W elcom e & I ntroductions • P arti ci pant i ntroducti ons Charles Carr, Panel Chair J aime Sullivan, WTI J ohn Shaw, InTrans 8 : 4 5 - 9 : 1 5 A M (30 min) Proj ect B ack g round & G oals • Background of project • Goal of workshop • R esearch needs v s i nform ati on needs J aime Sullivan, WTI 9 : 1 5 - 9 : 3 0 A M (15 min) Presentation on C oop erativ e Research Structure • I ntroducti on to the sev en C ooperati v e R esearch P rogram s • H ow workshop fi ts i nto the selecti on and pri ori ti z ati on of future nati onal and m ulti state research • “ S y nthesi s, ” “ I D E A ” , and “ C ooperati v e R esearch” program s • O ther way s research gets funded • C ontent of a ty pi cal R esearch N eeds S tatem ent • H ow an i dea goes from b ei ng a “ R esearch N eeds S tatem ent” to “ R eq uest for P roposals” Stephan Parker, TRB 9 : 3 0 - 9 : 4 5 A M (15 min) B reak 9 : 4 5 - 1 0 : 4 5 A M (60 min) Rural T ransp ortation I ssues B reak out Session • D i scuss b road clusters of transportati on i ssues • I denti fy i ssues relev ant to com m uni ti es, agenci es, i nterest area Multiple WTI/ InTrans Facilitators 1 0 : 4 5 – 1 1 : 4 5 A M (60 min) Research N eeds B reak out Session • W hat pri ori ti es does y our agency / organi z ati on hav e? • W hat are y our research pri ori ti es? • W hat answer would m ost i m prov e y our job ? Multiple WTI/ InTrans Facilitators 1 1 : 4 5 A M - 1 2 : 4 5 PM (60 min) L unch Figure 6. Colorado workshop agenda Part 1.

Activities and Findings 29   Methodology During the workshop, the Research Team spent the rst 20 minutes presenting the project background to the participants to ensure that everyone was on the same page. Each participant then received a hard copy of the dra safety research needs so they could add their ideas. e intent was to spend the last half hour of the session talking about the other rural themes; however, the participants chose to stay on the safety theme for the entire 2-hour session. Results e Georgia workshop yielded nine index cards from summit participants, and more than 50 potential research needs were developed based on both the workshop and index cards. Some of the overarching research needs included animal-drawn vehicles, young operators on rural highways, horseback crossings on high-speed roadways, slow-moving vehicles, public attitudes toward proven countermeasures, safety for nonmotorized transportation, crash data, road design standards, low volume roads, equity, access, and behavioral safety (e.g., distraction, drinking, speeding, fatigue, etc.). NCHRP 20-122 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Agenda (continued) September 28, 2018 8 AM – 3:45 PM Mountain 1 2 : 4 5 - 1 : 4 5 PM (60 min) Rep ort- O ut f rom B reak out G roup s • S um m ary of m ai n poi nts for each group. • W hat are the si m i lari ti es and di fferences b etween groups? • A re there addi ti onal needs? W hat are the ov erarchi ng them es? Multiple WTI/ InTrans Facilitators 1 : 4 5 - 3 : 1 5 PM (90 min) Draf t N C H RP Statem ent & Roadm ap B reak out Session • F eedb ack on preli m i nary research needs statem ents dev eloped b y the W T I / I nT rans team ( each group wi ll b e prov i ded 2 ) • Brai nstorm on addi ti onal research needs statem ents b ased on earli er di scussi ons • F eedb ack on draft roadm ap Multiple WTI/ InTrans Facilitators 3 : 1 5 - 3 : 3 0 (15 min) B reak 3 : 3 0 - 3 : 4 5 PM (15 min) N ex t Step s & A dj ourn W ork sh op * * • D i scuss nex t steps for the project J aime Sullivan, WTI * * Please note that the N C H RP 2 0 - 1 2 2 Proj ect Panel will be asked to stay after the conclusion of the workshop for a debriefing session from 3 : 4 5 - 5 : 1 5 PM . Figure 7. Colorado workshop agenda Part 2.

30 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap bridging the gap Rural communities provide food, energy, resources and much more to keep America running. In 2016, attendees at the National Working Summit on Transportation in Rural by articulating the key transportation safety issues facing rural areas, culminating in a call to action of “On the Road to Zero, We Cannot Ignore Rural.” The 2nd summit will continue to move the rural conversation forward and will focus more intently on safety solutions and “Bridging the Gap.” for rural areas? implement them within rural constraints? How do we look at rural safety without peering through an “urban lens?” More importantly, how do we shift rural safety culture to get us to zero? Join this conversation in Savannah, Georgia in December 2018. We need your perspective and expertise to successfully articulate rural transportation safety needs and solutions. In 2015, about 19% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. However, RURAL FATALITIES accounted for 49% of all traffic fatalities. (NHTSA, 2017) Join the conversation It takes almost two times as long to get responders to a crash scene in RURAL areas. (NHTSA, 2006) LEARN MORE & GET INVOLVED: December 4-7, 2018 Savannah, GA www.ruralsafetycenter.org/news-events/bridging-the-gap-summit/ ® 1 2 3 4 America helped define the future for “Moving Rural America” How do we create awareness and a unified voice What rural-specific solutions exist and how do you Figure 8. 2nd National Summit on Rural Road Safety save-the-date card.

Activities and Findings 31   is activity resulted in one deliverable: 1. Roadmap Database Version 5. e research needs identied by the Georgia workshop participants were added to version 5 of the database. More information on the 2nd National Summit on Rural Road Safety can be found here: https://ruralsafetycenter.org/news-events/bridging-the-gap-summit/. Policy Needs e objectives of the TRB Executive Committee Meeting were to explore and identify potential rural transportation research needs in the areas of economic development and social and health wellbeing. e research needs identied in this meeting were added to the roadmap. e 4-hour workshop entitled “Transportation’s Role in the Wellbeing of Rural Communities: Identifying Research Priorities” was held on Wednesday, January 16, and continued the morning of ursday, January 17, 2019, during the TRB Annual Meeting. Overview e overview for this activity describes the participants and methodology. Participants e TRB Executive Committee is a 25-member senior policy group of TRB. e members of the committee are multi-disciplinary, multimodal, and represent multiple levels of govern- ment and communities. e TRB Executive Committee Meeting, held at the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., is one of two meetings per year for this group. It is a closed-door meeting specically for the TRB Figure 9. Collecting safety research needs at the 2nd National Summit on Rural Road Safety, Georgia.

32 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Executive Committee and its guests. Along with the TRB Executive Committee, this meeting included the project panel, the Research Team, and four invited speakers. Methodology The meeting agenda is presented in Figure 10, Figure 11, and Figure 12. The workshop began with a 3-hour meeting on day 1 and a follow-up 1-hour meeting on day 2. Day 1 included project panel presentations on TRB’s existing rural wellbeing activities, the NCHRP Project 20-122, and social and economic wellbeing. The group then split into three self-selected breakout sessions to discuss research needs on three specific topics, including the big picture, social wellbeing, and economic wellbeing. On day 2, the facilitators of each group provided an overview of the previous day’s breakout sessions. It should be noted that, due to the second day’s session over- lapping with the NCHRP Project 20-122 TRB workshop, the project panel and Research Team were unable to attend. Results The TRB Executive Committee Meeting yielded additional research needs on policy-related themes. At the meeting, the project panel was also invited to submit problem statements related to policy for potential funding because policy-related research projects are not typically funded through the CRP programs. At the project panel meeting in October 2019, the panel prio ritized and selected three policy-related topics to be expanded and submitted to the TRB Executive Committee. More information on these topics can be found in Chapter 4. This activity resulted in one deliverable: 1. Roadmap Database Version 6. The research needs identified from the TRB Executive Committee Meeting participants were added to version 6 of the database. Researcher Needs The objectives of the TRB workshop were to describe the NCHRP Project 20-122 background and process to additional stakeholders, identify additional safety research needs to be included in the roadmap, and prioritize research needs by theme. All additions and changes suggested during this workshop were added to the roadmap. The 4-hour workshop entitled “NCHRP 20-122 Rural Transportation Issues Research Roadmap” was held on Thursday, January 17, 2019, during the TRB Annual Meeting. Overview The overview for this activity includes additional information on the participants and methodology. Participants More than 70 attendees participated in this workshop, including the Research Team, project panel, and TRB staff. Most attendees were from federal and state agencies, academic research institutions, or consulting firms, including DOTs, FHWA, agricultural departments, domestic and international universities, and AASHTO representatives. However, there were also a smaller number of boots-on-the-ground staff representing regional planning organizations, transit associations, counties, metropolitan planning organizations, and tribal nations. This led to a mix of ideas that included issues of theory or fundamental science as well as the applied and implementable side of research.

Activities and Findings 33   Page 1 of 3 January 2019 TRB Policy Session: Purpose and Agenda ti Role in the Wellbeing of Rural ti Identifying Research ti Marquis, Liberty L&M 901 Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. Purpose On Wednesday, January 16, 2019, the TRB Executiv Committee, with the help of experts, will explore and ti ti rural transportation research needs in the areas of economic v and social and health wellbeing. Research needs tifi during the Policy Session will be fed into the phase-two, one-day NCHRP workshop taking place on Thursday, January 17, 2019. Rural areas in v y state experience a myriad of challenges related directly or indirectly to ti For the purpose of the Policy Session, the focus on economic v will include challenges related the v of rural products to market, as well as business and employment v in rural areas. In terms of rural social and health wellbeing, the Executive ttee will pay ti atte ti to health care access, especially for those that cannot driv ; health and social issues ti the rural elderly, and to the issue of access to community and social v and ti --esse ti those s vices that help support a v community. Agenda Wednesday, January 16, 2019 2:30 p.m. Speaker and Panelist ti by tiv ttee Chair, Katherine Turnbull, Exe tive Associate Director, Texas A&M ti titute ti 2:35 p.m. Stephen Andrle, Program Manager, Technical tiv ti v Transp ti Research Board TRB Existing Rural Wellbeing Activities Panel ti and Breakouts 2:40 p.m. Charles Carr, Director, ffi of Intermodal Planning, Mississippi Department of ti General Overview 2:55 p.m. Peter Schauer, Principal, Peter Schauer Associates Social Wellbeing Figure 10. TRB Executive Committee meeting agenda Part 1.

34 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Page 2 of 3 3:10 p.m. Carrie Kissel, Associate Director National Association of Development Organization’ Research Foundation Economic Wellbeing 3:25 p.m. Initial Reactions: • TBD 3:40 p.m. Plenary Committee and Panel Discussion All/Turnbull 4:20 p.m. Move to Breakouts 4:35 p.m. Breakouts Begin 1. The Big Picture (Liberty Room I) The relative sparseness of the population in rural areas is one of many factors that influence economic, social, and health wellbeing of rural communities. Rural areas have histories, economies, and cultures that differ from those of cities and from one rural area to another. Starting to understand these differences is critical to taking steps to improve wellbeing in rural areas and reducing wellbeing disparities among rural populations. This break out will explore more broadly the impacts of economic, social, and health issues in rural communities and examine transportation potential role in addressing these challenges. On a more micro level this breakout will also address how accessibility and mobility of the elderly and poor disproportionally impacts this sectors’ ability to obtain adequate health services. Panelists: Charles Carr, Director, Office of Intermodal Planning, Mississippi Department of Transportation Facilitator: Nuria Fernandez, General Manager/CEO, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Rapporteur Chris Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University 2. Social Wellbeing (Liberty Room N) This breakout will delve into how transportation can assist in building and maintaining vibrant, enduring rural communities that fulfill the societal needs of existing residents and attract new residents as well? What policies are needed to enhance transportation role as a means to preserve rural communities by encouraging rural development, promoting housing choices, enhancing access to educational opportunities, and fostering interaction among residences of rural communities? Panelists: Peter Schauer, Principal, Peter Schauer Associates Facilitator: Roger Huff, President, HGLC, LLC Figure 11. TRB Executive Committee meeting agenda Part 2.

Activities and Findings 35   Page 3 of 3 Rapporteur Susan Shaheen, Adjunct Professor and Co-Director, TSRC, University of California, Berkeley 3. Economic Wellbeing (Liberty Room O) This breakout will examine ways for transportation to support important sources of employment for rural America such as manufacturing, the delivery of government services, and wholesale and retail trade? The breakout will also discuss transportation’s role enhancing the movement of agricultural and mining products to market as a means support employment and earnings for rural America? Panelists: Carrie Kissel, Associate Director, National Association of Development Organization Research Foundation Facilitator: Paul Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association Rapporteur S. Jack Hu, Vice President, Research; and J. Reid and Polly Anderson Professor of Manufacturing, University of Michigan 5:30 p.m. Breakouts conclude/Policy Session adjourns for the evening Thursday, January 17, 2019 8:30 a.m. Policy Session Reconvenes – Breakout Rapporteur Presentations/Ideas for future TRB Activities 1. Report on breakout on The Big Picture - Hendrickson 2. Report on breakout on Social Wellbeing – Shaheen 3. Report on breakout on Economic Wellbeing - Hu 8:45 a.m. Policy Session Wrap-Up Discussion – Moderated by Katherine Turnbull 9:30 a.m. Policy Session Concludes Figure 12. TRB Executive Committee meeting agenda Part 3.

36 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Methodology e meeting agenda is presented in Figure 13 and Figure 14. e workshop began with a 20-minute presentation on the project background. Participants were then asked to 1. Provide comments on the current research needs (e.g., if there was a study on the topic they already knew about, if they believed the need was not a research need, or if they recommended that additional information be added to the need); 2. Provide additional research needs to ll any gaps; and 3. Prioritize the research needs by theme by placing dots on the posters displaying the needs. To accomplish these tasks, participants could be part of facilitated roundtable discussions with printouts of the information for adding comments and prioritization (see Figure 15), could provide their input on index cards (see Figure 16), and could use dots for prioritization NCHRP 20-122 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Agenda - TRB Workshop #1799 January 17, 2019 8 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern Convention Center 207B 8 : 0 0 - 8 : 1 0 A M (10 min) W elcom e Charles Carr, Panel Chair Stephan Parker, CRP 8 : 1 0 - 8 : 3 0 A M (20 min) Proj ect B ack g round & G oals • Background of project • Goal of workshop J aime Sullivan, WTI J ohn Shaw, InTrans 8 : 3 0 - 9 : 2 0 A M (50 min) Facilitated Roundtables – Session # 1 * Multiple WTI/ InTrans Facilitators 9 : 2 0 - 9 : 3 0 A M (10 min) B reak 9 : 3 0 - 1 0 : 2 0 A M (50 min) Facilitated Roundtables – Session # 2 * Multiple WTI/ InTrans Facilitators 1 0 : 2 0 – 1 1 : 1 0 A M (50 min) Facilitated Roundtables – Session # 3 * Multiple WTI/ InTrans Facilitators 1 1 : 1 0 - 1 1 : 2 0 A M (10 min) B reak 1 1 : 2 0 A M - 1 2 : 0 0 PM (40 min) Poster Session* Multiple WTI/ InTrans Facilitators * Additional details are available on the back of the agenda Figure 13. TRB workshop agenda Part 1.

Activities and Findings 37   NCHRP 20-122 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Facilitated Roundtable Details • Attendees will divide into three groups for the roundtable sessions. • Each roundtable will have a facilitator who will discuss two themes with the group for approximately 25 minutes each. Facilitator 1 Passenger & Active Transportation (Themes 1 and 10) Access & Mobility (Theme 3) Facilitator 2: Roadway Infrastructure (Theme 13) Connected and Automated Vehicles and Emerging Technologies (Theme 11) Facilitator 3: Rural Transportation Safety (Theme 14) Law Enforcement, Crime & Drugs (Theme 9) • Please note that due to the tight time schedule the facilitators, not the attendees, will rotate between the roundtables. Poster Session • The remaining themes will be discussed using a poster session format. • Attendees will be encouraged to review each poster and submit written comments using the index cards available throughout the room. • One facilitator will be available for every two posters to answer questions. • Poster Themes: Station A Theme 2: Workforce Development Theme 15: Funding, Policy and Economy Station B Theme 4: Intersection of Health and Transportation Theme 5: Generational Expectations, Work and Lifestyles Station C Theme 6: Transporting Rural Products to Market Theme 8: Aviation Station D Theme 7: Weather, Climate and Resilience Theme 12: Tourism and the Natural Environment Figure 14. TRB workshop agenda Part 2. Figure 15. TRB workshop roundtables and posters.

38 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap while circulating around printed posters (see Figure 17) that were set up around the room. is methodology was used for several reasons: 1. e workshop was held on the last day of the 2019 TRB Annual Meeting, and some partici- pants were unable to stay for the entire 4-hour session. ese options allowed them to pro- vide feedback via the index cards and posters if they were unable to stay for the facilitated discussion; 2. Some participants are more comfortable providing comments verbally (i.e., at roundtables) while some are more comfortable providing written comments (i.e., on posters); Figure 16. TRB workshop index card examples. Figure 17. TRB workshop poster and dot exercise examples.

Activities and Findings 39   3. Some participants attended to provide comments on a single theme, so the posters allowed them to provide this information and then leave; and 4. There was not enough room to provide tables for a roundtable discussion on every theme. Therefore, the Research Team selected eight themes with high levels of attendee interest for roundtable discussions and encouraged participants to submit comments on the remaining themes using the posters. The themes covered by roundtable discussions included workforce development; funding, policy and economy; intersection of health and transportation; generational expectations; work and lifestyles; transportation of rural products to market; aviation; weather, climate, and resilience; and tourism and the natural environment. The TRB workshop yielded more than 160 single-sided index cards full of notes. These notes recommended both suggested changes and deletions for current research needs as well as additional research needs. These changes were incorporated into the roadmap. Participants also provided prioritization for the research needs by theme, which was also incorporated into the roadmap. This activity resulted in two deliverables: 1. Posters. These posters were displayed, covering 15 themes, and over 500 research needs. 2. Roadmap Database Version 7. The research needs identified from the TRB workshop participants and their prioritization were added to version 7 of the database. Additional Practitioner and Researcher Needs At the project panel meeting during the 2019 TRB Annual Meeting, the panel discussed (1) how to continue prioritizing the research needs and (2) how to fill in the modes, disciplines, and communities that had not yet been represented at the previous stakeholder meetings. Overview The overview for this activity describes the participants and methodology for the webinar. Participants The Research Team invited all previous workshop participants, all experts identified for the Colorado workshop that were not able to attend or were not invited due to the limited fund- ing, all relevant TRB committees, all university transportation research centers [through the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) listserv], and others that had been recommended along the way. The Research Team also tried to identify and invite additional experts in the modes, disciplines, and communities where gaps currently existed. The topics most in need of filling gaps included freight, aviation, school transportation, health (EMS), non-public lands tourism, environment, and frontier and remote communities. Methodology The Research Team conducted a stakeholder webinar in March 2019. At the webinar, the Research Team provided an overview of the project to date and instructions for gathering final stakeholder input. Webinar attendees were also asked to share the recording of the webinar and the method for submitting stakeholder input with other experts. The Research Team created a numbered list of current research needs by theme and sub- category for each of the 15 themes and then created a subsequent form in Qualtrics for each theme, which allowed participants to prioritize research needs as well as add comments, sugges- tions, and additional research needs in open-ended boxes. These theme reports and Qualtrics forms were posted to a website and left open for 2 weeks to capture input.

40 Rural Transportation Issues: Research Roadmap Results This activity resulted in three deliverables: 1. Fifteen Themed Reports. These reports were created based on version 6 of the Excel sheet and provided to participants on the website for their feedback. 2. Fifteen Qualtrics Forms. These forms matched the themed reports and allowed online stakeholders to prioritize needs (or skip them with a no answer) and provide feedback in open-ended boxes. 3. Roadmap Database Version 8. The research needs identified from the stakeholder webinar participants and their prioritization were added to version 8 of the database. Along with prioritization, this process resulted in 46 additional research needs. Table 5 shows the new research needs identified by the rural transportation theme. Chapter 4 will discuss in more depth what happened in the overall project after these activities and deliverables were complete. Rural Transportation Theme New Research Needs Identified Active Transportation 6 Aviation 0 Connected and Automated Vehicles and Emerging Technologies 1 Cross-cutting Funding, Economic, and Policy Issues 1 Driver Education and Licensing 1 Economic Development and Tourism 8 Intersection of Health and Transportation 1 Law Enforcement, Crime and Drugs 2 Roadway Infrastructure and Balancing Capacity with Demand 0 Rural Public and School Transportation 9 Transportation Access and Mobility 1 Rural Transportation Safety 10 Transporting Rural Products (Freight) to Market 2 Weather, Climate, Resilience, and Environment 2 Workforce Development 2 Table 5. New research needs identified during the webinar.