PSU at TRB highlights

The 104th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board will take place in Washington, DC. from January 5–9, 2025. PSU faculty and students will be sharing their expertise in multiple sessions, speaking on topics including active transportation to school, pedestrian data, safety analysis and more. Catch PSU students Evan Howington, Sophia Semensky and Elizabeth Yates as they share their research on bike buses, traffic signal control strategies and shared transit platforms. Remember our project on using data fusion to estimate bicycle volumes? Stop by the Tuesday evening poster session for the latest on that research, including its applications to statewide prediction and corridor analysis before and after COVID-19. And don't miss TREC's transportation data program manager Tammy Lee at Wednesday's Visualization in Transportation Lightning Talks, as she shares the latest capabilities and newest features of our two transportation data repositories, PORTAL and BikePed Portal! Browse the links below for more highlights from PSU at TRB.

Reducing Conflicts Between Bicycles and Turning Motor Vehicles

One of the most common locations for fatal motor vehicle–bicyclist crashes is at intersections. A newly published National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) report offers guidance for improving intersection safety, especially in situations where a bike is traveling straight through an intersection and a car is turning across the cyclist's path. The research was led by Toole Design in partnership with Portland State University (PSU), Safe Streets Research and Consulting (SS) and Oregon State University (OSU). The PSU team members were Chris Monsere, Sirisha Kothuri, Jason Anderson and Nathan McNeil. The decision tool and supplemental design guidelines shared in this report provide an expanded framework for practitioners to assess trade-offs between various intersection treatments, as well as decision-making guidance to manage conflicts between bicyclists and turning motorists. 

Winter 2025 Transportation Courses at Portland State

Winter term classes begin January 6 at Portland State, and there are some exciting transportation courses available this term. Not a current PSU student? You can still take a course: Anyone interested can register for classes through the non-degree application process, as a post-baccalaureate student, or for free if you're a senior citizen. Taking a course can be a good way to see if one of our graduate degree programs is right for you. Check out the listings below to see what's on offer at PSU, including a new enrollment option: the Urban Studies and Planning Bachelor + Master (B+M) program, which provides a cost-effective option that ensures enrollment in a master’s program while still completing an undergrad degree. 

IBPI Study Abroad: Sustainable Transportation in Denmark

June 21–July 5, 2025

"I was amazed at how far I could walk and still be in a walkable part of the city."

"What I found was a biking paradise in Copenhagen."

"With IBPI, you’ll not only look at world class bicycle facilities, you’ll meet some fantastic colleagues."

The Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) presents an introduction to sustainable transportation and land use applications in the context of Denmark through a two-week study abroad program in summer 2025. The curriculum features material that compares the U.S. and Denmark, and daily field excursions offer firsthand experience of Denmark's bikeways, pedestrian infrastructure, and public transit systems. This program is open to college juniors/seniors, graduate students from any university, and professionals. Capacity is limited to 15 participants, so apply early!

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

• 2025 Mobility Matters Conference: Registration is open now for this virtual conference, to be held Feb 27, 2025. This year's theme is Mapping and Community Partnerships.

• Design Innovations In Active Transportation: A design-focused course for transportation professionals, offered in person and online by PacTrans. Feb 6, 2025.

• UC Davis Webinar: Using High-Performance Computing to Understand Extreme Weather Impacts on Vulnerable Transit Riders, January 30, 2025

• WTS Portland Scholarship Applications Are Open: WTS Portland offers scholarships to students pursuing transportation careers. Applications are due Jan 7, 2025.

• Call for Project Proposals: The PSU Computational And Data Enabled Sciences (CADES) Lab is accepting consulting requests for the Winter term, due Dec 30, 2024.

• Fare-Free Transit Programs Boost Youth Ridership: News from WSDOT about the success of fare-free transit for riders under 18, implemented in Washington State.

Transportation Research and Education Center, PSU

Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) is a multidisciplinary hub for all things transportation. We are home to the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), the data programs PORTAL and BikePed Portal, the Better Block PSU program, and PSU's membership in PacTrans, the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium. Our continuing goal is to produce impactful research and tools for transportation decision makers, expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engage students and professionals through education, seminars, and participation in research.