Surface Transportation Environmental Research A Long-Term Strategy -- Special Report 268 (2002) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix A: Research Priorities Workshop: Summary Report
Appendix A: Research Priorities Workshop: Summary Report
Pages 197-207
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From page 197... ...
convened a broad spectrum of transportation and envi ronmental professionals for a focused 2-day workshop designed to iden tify future research priorities for the surface transportation community. Prior to the "Research Priorities Workshop," the Advisory Board mem bers identified six critical research areas and outlined three pertinent ques tions for each area.
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From page 198... ...
The Advisory Board queried participants during this segment of the workshop to consider how research can be structured to best aid agencies and institutions that develop and deliver surface transportation. Each panelist and invited workshop participant was requested to respond to the following three questions, tailored to the individual critical research areas: What should be the priority for future research in the area of human health?
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From page 199... ...
In its final report the Advisory Board intends to outline a national research agenda, which will be accompanied by recommendations for structuring and managing research programs and institutions. Research and Technology Partnership Forum The Research and Technology Partnership Forum was created by FHWA, TRB, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to promote an awareness of research and technology activities in the surface transportation arena and to create more efficient and effective partnerships.
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From page 200... ...
Second, the workshop served as a forum for promoting the goals of the Research and Technology Partner ship Forum. During the workshop the Advisory Board solicited and received input from individuals representing the following organizations and con stituencies: FHWA, EPA, the Department of Housing and Urban Develop ment, the National Environmental Respiratory Center, the Health Effects Institute, the American Lands Alliance, the Institute for Ecosystem Studies, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sky Trust International, People in Defense of Earth Resources, Natural Resources Defense Council, Arcadia Land Company, Honda Motor Company, Defenders of Wildlife, and various academics and university research centers.
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From page 201... ...
to encompass both community health and social well-being along with individual quality-of-life indicators. The issue of tracking human incapacity rates resulting from transportation-related causes was an area cited as an example of a quality-of-life issue requiring addi tional research along with access issues for the elderly, the poor, and the tradi tionally disenfranchised communities.
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From page 202... ...
While the presenters were not charged with enumerating or elaborating on specific ecological impacts associated with transportation, they effectively conveyed an overarching theme of the need to incorporate ecological considerations into the transportation planning and maintenance processes. Many of the presenters and participants concurred, and echoed the need to focus future research efforts on the various intersection points between transportation systems and habitat networks.
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From page 203... ...
The majority of presenters and panelists agreed on the need for conducting further research to comprehensively evaluate the existing array of strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, emphasizing economic and social costs, secondary benefits, and societal acceptance. It was noted that strategies should be researched and evaluated in light of their ability to hold society "harmless." The issue of using alternative fuels as a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas 2Year of measurement 1997; baseline of 1990.
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From page 204... ...
Some participants asserted that research on alternative fuels should be curtailed until a corresponding infra structure is established; in particular, mass-market sales of such fuels may not occur as long as alternative-fuel vehicles are restricted to niche markets. In conclusion, the overarching theme expressed during this session was the need to incorporate social marketing research into existing and future pro grams designed to explore reduction strategies for greenhouse gas emissions.
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From page 205... ...
Goldstein, future long-term transportation research should also explore the impacts of location efficiency and the development of least cost planning templates for transportation investments. For example, long-term research in these areas could explore the potential directions of causality, such as the extent to which the ability to access transit leads to higher density, and what is the actual price elasticity for gasoline, holding other variables constant.
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From page 206... ...
The presenters noted that to accomplish timely research, secure funding sources must be identified. It was also noted that frequently many research projects require multiple sources of funding and that oftentimes these sources may not be working on the same time schedules, leaving the coordination of funding to the research institution -- which may not be equipped to serve as the "banker." Several pre senters also noted that research institutions must secure sufficient funding to attract top researchers and to complete complex research projects.
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From page 207... ...
While no clear consensus was reached concerning the formation of NCM PORP, both panelists and several workshop participants concurred with the need to develop an approach or system whereby solutions to transportation planning issues are truly multimodal in scope. In other words, the current prac tice of "stovepiping" research or decision-making processes by modes or plan ning functions needs to be rectified.
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