Transportation Research Board 2021 Annual Report (2022)

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8 / TRB 2021 AnnuAl RepoRT Covering Timely and Persistent Issues By conducting, sharing, and promoting re- search, TRB creates and expands access to knowledge on current and future issues in transportation. TRB research is particularly focused on innovative and implementable prac- tices and technologies. In 2021, TRB comple- mented 2019’s Critical Issues in Transporta- tion report to provide a way to frame future areas of research, policy analysis, and debate with COVID-19 Addendum to Critical Issues in Transportation and Racial Equity Addendum to Critical Issues in Transportation. At the same time, TRB continues to administer research into the day-to-day issues fac- ing transportation, including, for example, understanding emissions, network design, and traffic interchanges. TRR’s Editorial Board, staff, reviewers, and authors contributed to the journal’s largest single jump in im- pact per the Journal Citation Reports impact factor. The impact factor is a key measure of a journal’s prestige and can improve the career opportuni- ties of authors published in journals with a high impact factor. TRR also continues to lead the transportation field in policy and patent cita- tions, a measure of its impact in the practitio- ner community. The journal’s editors and staff are working more than ever to reach new audi- ences by getting papers of exceptional merit or interest featured in media outlets such as The Conversation and many others.³ TRB’s most downloaded publications in 2021 show the country’s focus on future improve- ments to transportation’s role in climate change, as well as improving safety. Strengthening Research on Transportation and the Environment TRB Executive Committee member and National Academy of Engineering member Chris T. Hendrickson served on a National Academies committee that produced Accelerat- ing Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy System. The report charts a path to achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the U.S. by 2050 in a way GOAL 2 Research Released in October, the well-received Racial Equity Addendum to Critical Issues in Transportation aims to identify and address inequities and injustices caused and contributed to by transportation.

TRB 2021 AnnuAl RepoRT / 9 that would help address climate change, build a more competitive economy, increase high-qual- ity jobs, and help address social injustice. TCRP and ACRP explored their respec- tive sectors’ role in climate change emissions through the following: • TCRP Research Report 219: Guidebook for Deploying Zero-Emission Transit Buses, • TCRP Research Report 226: An Update on Public Transportation’s Impacts on Green- house Gas Emissions, • TCRP Research Report 221: Redesigning Tran- sit Networks for the New Mobility Future, • ACRP Research Report 220: Guidebook for Developing a Zero- or Low-Emissions Roadmap at Airports, and • ACRP Web-Only Document 51: Commercial Space Vehicle Emissions Modeling. Understanding emissions is only a piece of the puzzle. Transportation also is concerned with the changes we already see occurring from climate change. Knowledge gaps and a five-year research plan to address them are outlined in National Cooperative Highway Research Pro- gram (NCHRP) Research Report 975: Transpor- tation System Resilience: Research Roadmap and White Papers. Advancing Research on Effective Safety Measures A new forum for coordinated and collaborative research, TRB’s Behavioral Traffic Safety Coop- erative Research Program (BTSCRP) is a part- nership between GHSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and TRB. The program develops practical solutions to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce costs of road traffic crashes associated with unsafe behaviors. The year 2021 saw the publication of BTSCRP’s inaugural report, BTSCRP Research Report 1: Using Electronic Devices While Driving: Legislation and Enforcement Implications, which received coverage by Forbes, ITS International, Collision Week, Westat, AASHTO, and Staten Is- land Live. Policy makers and other stakeholders can reference the newly compiled resources, toolkits, and best practices to identify ways to enhance enforcement and education efforts. Jurisdictions with strong traffic safety laws — supported by enforcement, public education, and outreach—tend to have lower overall traffic fatality rates. Automated vehicles hold great promise for improving safety and are slowly moving in the right direction. TCRP Research Report 220: Low-Speed Automated Vehicles (LSAVs) in Public Transportation and a related webinar present a practitioner guide and current uses of LSAVs. As noted in coverage by Government Technology and Smart Cities Dive, an unexpected safety benefit was the use of these vehicles in trans- porting COVID-19 tests and food deliveries without exposing drivers unnecessarily during the pandemic. MOST DOwNLOADED CRp AND CONSENSuS REpORTS puBLiShED iN 2021 1. An Update on Public Transportation’s Impacts on Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2. Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future 3. The Role of Transit, Shared Modes, and Public Policy in the New Mobility Landscape 4. Guide for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety at Alternative and Other Inter- sections and Interchanges 5. Diverging Diamond Interchange Informational Guide, Second Edition 6. Guidebook for Deploying Zero-Emission Transit Buses 7. Investing in Transportation Resilience: A Framework for Informed Choices 8. Mainstreaming System Resilience Concepts into Transportation Agencies: A Guide 9. Options for Reducing Lead Emissions from Piston-Engine Aircraft 10. Low-Speed Automated Vehicles (LSAVs) in Public Transportation