Transportation Policy
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The transportation policy collection includes a series of research reports, white papers, and proceedings of public policy forums that have focused on transportation policy and infrastructure issues, including mobility friendly design, interconnectivity, healthy/walkable communities, transit-oriented development, integration of transportation/transit planning and land-use planning, Northeast Corridor transportation policy and infrastructure issues—particularly freight movement, and transit studies—including paratransit, specialized transportation, and bus rapid transit. Visit the IPA website for more information.
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Item Intelligent Transportation Systems: Future Directions for Delaware(Institute for Public Administration, 1999-02) Lockwood, Stephen C.; Slevin, Jonathan; Corder, Bill; Roberts, Ed; Gendell, David; Donaldson, Gene; Kirk, Gary; Eadicicco, MichaelItem Moving People: Transportation Options for Delaware(Institute for Public Administration, 2001-03) Moreland, Lisa; Sappé, NicoleItem Atlas of Transit Resources in Delaware(Institute for Public Administration, 2001-09) Schlosser, Christian; Warren, Robert; Settles, Alexander; Moreland, LisaItem Business Leadership for Better Employee Transportation Choices(Institute for Public Administration, 2002-04) Moreland, Lisa; Fortner, Michael; Weng, AnjaItem The Impact of Federal Transportation Policy on the State of Delaware: TEA-21 Reauthorization(Institute for Public Administration, 2003-12) Moreland, Lisa; Brennan, Lisa; McClurkin, DenaItem Mobility Friendly Design Standards: A Framework for Delaware(Institute for Public Administration, 2004-06) Moreland, Lisa; McClurkin-Brummer, DenaItem Report on Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) for the State of Delaware(Institute for Public Administration, 2004-11-30) Settles, Alexander; Settles, Elena; Brennan, Lisa; IPA Planning TeamItem Summary Report of the Mobility Friendly Design Standards Summit 2(2005-10-11T12:25:51Z) DeCoursey, William J.The Mobility Friendly Design Standards Summit 2 was held on April 11, 2005, at the University of Delaware’s Clayton Hall Conference Center and was sponsored by IPA in conjunction with the Delaware Department of Transportation and Transportation Management Association of Delaware with assistance from the Office of State Planning Coordination. Stakeholders from the business community joined representatives from state and local government and civic leaders to discuss the issues of mobility friendly design and the recommendations that have been formulated specifically for the state.Item Infrastructure Security in Delaware: Organization and Assessment(2006-03-03T16:10:26Z) Brennan, Lisa; Warren, Robert; Moreland, LisaBased on research conducted between January and July of 2005 by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) at the University of Delaware with funding from the Delaware Department of Transportation, this report gives a general picture of the national homeland security framework and the way in which infrastructure security organization and policies have evolved within that framework. The report studies the national overview of infrastructure security, including the history of federal involvement and influence, and evaluates the risks, threats, and vulnerabilities for three critical infrastructure sectors. In addition, it offers specific analysis on some of the specific risks, threats, and vulnerabilities for Delaware. It outlines the organization of infrastructure security with an assessment of the current structure’s effectiveness. Lastly, the report provides recommendations for change to improve the organization of infrastructure security.Item Building Inter-Metropolitan Rail Corridors(2006-09-21T18:04:01Z) Mitchell, Ivan; Moreland, Lisa; Warren, RobertBuilding rail capacity and efficiency in the United States is critical for both effectively meeting projected increasing transportation demands over the next several decades and reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. To achieve this, there is a need to expand rail infrastructure and shift a portion of the movement of people and freight from highway to rail. The policy forum acted as a venue to discuss progress that is being made, problems that need to be overcome, and which steps should be given priority to move corridor development forward and create wider public understanding, support, and use.Item Forum Summary Report - Interurban Rail Transportation: Moving People and Goods in the 21st Century(2007-07-19T14:17:01Z) Moreland, Lisa; Brennan, Lisa; Craig, JannaFinding more efficient and environmentally sustainable ways of transporting people and goods among cities is a key component of America’s future mobility. Rail transportation, an important resource in accommodating mobility, is receiving far less attention than it deserves. Historically, railroads have played a major role in the spatial organization of the United States and the growth and prosperity of urban centers. Although much of the movement of people and commodities has shifted to automobiles and trucks, rail service has remained important for economic growth and development. The policy forum focused primarily on East Coast routes and Delaware’s strategic location within the Northeast Corridor. It is hoped that the discussion generated by this forum will encourage new thinking and productive first steps toward building stronger rail passenger and goods movement within urban corridors. Planners and policy analysts joined state transportation department employees from around the region to discuss the issues surrounding moving people and goods in the twenty-first century via freight and passenger rail.Item Healthy & Walkable Communities(2007-09-21T18:24:58Z) Lehman, Megan Dively; Boyle, Michelle; DeCoursey, William J.; Mix, TroyThis document is intended to serve as a resource for Delaware municipalities wishing to improve the walkability of their towns and, in so doing, the activity levels and health of their residents. In addition to conducting research, IPA staff and students are working with a handful of Delaware towns to identify a study area. Each study area is jointly walked and assessed with regard to its strengths and deficiencies. Phase one of this project will be completed in June 2007, with each municipality having received a written report with suggested implementation items from IPA. Also, potential sources of funding will be identified. During phase two, and possible subsequent phases, the Healthy/Walkable Communities team will offer continued assistance to the initial set of towns and begin the process with new communities.Item Framing the Issues of Paratransit Services in Delaware - Final Report(2008-01-31T18:48:50Z) Scott, Marcia; Tuttle, Douglas F.Public transit agencies nationwide have struggled to develop cost-effective paratransit services and service delivery methods that both provide access to transportation and meet the mobility needs of disabled persons, as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Paratransit service providers must meet the challenge of managing the delivery of complex service mandates in the face of increasing demand and customer service expectations, shifting demographics, and changing technology, compounded by the growing fiscal pressures of rising costs and increasing competition for revenues. Delaware’s policy decision to have service delivery practices that significantly exceed the federal ADA mandate has proven to be costly. Paratransit ridership is expected to continue to increase by at least 11% each year. Confronted with projected exponential cost increases associated with paratransit operations, a population with increasingly elderly demographic characteristics, and burgeoning rural land development, DTC faces a “perfect storm” as it seeks to fund future paratransit service.Item Transit-Oriented Design: Illustration of TOD Characteristics(2008-03-14T14:59:49Z) DeCoursey, William J.; Athey, LoreneThe recent interest in Transit-Oriented Design (TOD) in Delaware goes back to the mid-1990s when a study was commissioned by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), in coordination with New Castle County, to review the literature and make recommendations for TOD in Delaware. That report, Transit Overlay Districts and Transit Friendly Design Standards for New Castle County, was completed in 1997. Since that time, the national research has continued, especially relating to effectiveness measures and successful implementation of TODs. Additionally, much progress has been made in Delaware, and conditions have changed since the 1997 study was completed. Some recommendations have been implemented. Although the transit system remains predominantly fixed-route bus, commuter rail has been instituted in New Castle County, with long-range plans to extend the rail service west into Maryland, and south to Middletown, Dover and eventually Sussex County. Over the past several years, the Institute for Public Administration at the University of Delaware has conducted a number of studies for DelDOT and New Castle County related to transportation and land use issues, including Mobility Friendly Standards: A Framework for Delaware (2004), Interconnectivity (2006), and Sidewalks and Shared-Used Trails: Safety, Security, and Maintenance (2007). This project follows previous efforts and updates the 1997 study. Part 1 defines what TOD is and why it is useful. Part 2 reviews the plethora of current research and recommendations related to the design of transit-oriented developments. Part 3 focuses on lessons learned from existing TODs and best practices for successful implementation. Part 4 describes visits to four nearby TODs with local community leaders and agency staff, including their recommendations. All the recommendations from the literature and visits are summarized in Part 5.Item Sidewalks and Shared-Use Paths: Safety, Security, and Maintenance(2008-06-18T14:24:06Z) O'Donnell, Edward; Knab, Andrew; Athey, LorenePart I of this report examines the issue of security by analyzing common security incidents on trail or sidewalk facilities, problems with perceptions of security among users and the public, and vandalism-related facilities. As two interviewees noted, there is no way to ensure total security on trail facilities, but governments and agencies can enhance security (Bustos; G. Smith). Secure facilities are those that reduce the risk of security incidents and the fear of potential incidents through educational efforts directed at users, design, and management policies that increase the number of users on the facility and provide adequate visibility. The issue of safety is explored through several different viewpoints in this report. Safe sidewalks and shared-use paths are designed and managed to reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians and other users of the facility. This means safe facilities are constructed and maintained to provide a safe environment for all ages and skill levels. Part II of this report, the safety section, examines common problems plaguing the current sidewalk and shared-use path system: facilities that are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and are difficult for older and disabled individuals to travel on; design flaws or policies (or lack thereof) that increase the chances of user conflicts (i.e., bicycle-on-bicycle collisions or bicycle and pedestrian collisions); and conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. The issue of maintenance is related to both the security and safety of facilities. Maintained facilities are in good repair, accessible, and regularly inspected. Part III of the paper explores routine maintenance tasks and the use of volunteers and equipment and also specifically addresses the problem of snow removal on sidewalks and shared-use paths. Additional attention is given to the problem of sidewalk repairs and long-term maintenance needs. Unsurprisingly, both the interviews and literature review revealed that the higher the quality of initial design and construction, the less maintenance the facility will require.Item Anticipating 2025 in Northeast Corridor Transportation: Aerial, Highway, Marine, and Rail Technologies and Linkages(2009-01-16T20:23:35Z) Warren, Robert; Anderson, William P.; Rodrigue, Jean-Paul; Wakeman, T. H., III; de Cerreño, Allison L. C.The dynamics and productivity of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) are recognized as key drivers of the United States’ economy as well as for the eastern part of the nation. Especially important, in this context, is the capacity of the NEC’s multimodal transportation system to efficiently move people and freight into, around, and out of the Corridor. This is especially important for its central portion linking Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. The papers that follow are written as part of a project undertaken by the University of Delaware’s Institute of Public Administration that focuses on the factors that will influence the likely attributes of the transportation infrastructure for moving people and freight into, around, and out of the NEC in 2025. Their goal is to provide one of the first steps in stimulating forward-oriented research, speculation, and planning and policy discourse that takes into account the likelihood that what will or should be the character and dimensions of the Corridor’s multimodal transportation structure two decades from now cannot be anticipated using straight-line, single modal projections.Item Sidewalks and Shared-Use Paths: Improving Mobility and Designing Transit-Ready Communities(2009-02-03T14:30:28Z) O'Donnell, Edward; Athey, Lorene; Skolnick, GiladThis report consists of summaries of the presentations given at the February 21, 2008, forum: Sidewalks and Shared-Use Paths: Improving Mobility and Designing Transit Ready Communities, held at the Clayton Hall conference center on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus. This project is the continuation of a multi-stage process that involved evaluating techniques to improve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), to better design and engineer trail infrastructure and pedestrian facilities to meet ADA mandates, and to encourage land-use patterns/development practices that integrate transit with the planning and design of transportation facilities.Item Feasibility of Bus Rapid Transit Within the Mid-Atlantic Region(2009-08-18T20:18:47Z) Scott, Marcia; DeCoursey, William J.; Franzen, ToddIs bus rapid transit (BRT) a viable transit option in Delaware? Findings of IPA research indicate that a regional BRT system is indeed worthy of further consideration. An assessment of domestic BRT systems and operations reveal substantial progress towards solidifying the position of BRT as a viable transit mode. The strength of the mode lies in its ability to develop incrementally, respond to regional mobility needs, adjust to budget constraints, and its potential to attract choice riders for a relatively low capital cost.Item Transportation Policy and Governance in the Northeast Corridor: An Overview of Major Public Agencies(2009-11-20T19:58:42Z) Beauchamp, David; Warren, Robert; Edwards, Geoff; Jiang, XuanThe lack of systematic planning and policy-making to optimize the NEC’s overall transportation infrastructure is obviously not due to an absence of agencies and organizations that focus on the Corridor and its subareas. The opposite is true. A mosaic exists, and the intent of this report is to provide an overview of the array of public entities that, in addition to those of the national government and state departments of transportation, have formal responsibility for planning and policy-making for some portion of the NEC’s primary transportation infrastructure and service operations.Item Scoping Out Delaware's Role Role in Facilitating Business Travel as it Relates to the Wilmington Redevelopment Area, Wilmington Train Station, and New Castle County Airport(2009-11-20T20:57:58Z) Franzen, Todd; Anderka, Sebastian; O'Donnell, EdwardIf the Wilmington Redevelopment Area is to continue as an economic engine for job growth, a growing source of tax revenue, and a marketable residential area, travel access is critical. The Institute for Public Administration (IPA) is completing a project to study how to best facilitate travel access to the Wilmington Redevelopment Area by regional rail and air. Specifically, the project is studying how to maximize business travel to the Wilmington Redevelopment Area via the New Castle County Airport and Wilmington Train Station—via north/south Amtrak trains and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) R2 train route from Newark to Philadelphia).