Free Paper for You: Report on the TRB's 97th Annual Meeting Report

The 97th Transportation Research Board (TRB) meeting was held from 9th to 11th January 2018. The conference covered several issues of interest. One significant problem is the future's mobility in regards to the transport sector (Wright, 2010). The Transportation Research Board agreed that they should pay close attention to the road users including motorcyclists. Firstly, the TRB executive committee realized that there is need to adopt new transformational technologies to improve and advance transportation. They also discussed ways to strengthen cybersecurity especially in the urban freight sector, air transport and even the impact on the use of Uber on road transport and how to best manage it.

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Secondly, they discussed the need to have transportation agencies to harness systems that are safe to the public, fair to the users, available on a daily business and affordable. Furthermore, they deliberated on the necessary measure to curb the negative impacts of transportation to the health sector, such as transport-related accidents (Teich, 2009). As such, the TRB decided there is need to provide access to medical services. They also realized that they should identify ways to minimize the impacts of the environment and reduce the possibility of contracting diseases. The executives also deliberated on creating a 21st-century urban transportation authority. However, this would require innovation, creativity and future research.

They also agreed that some requirements are essential for this modern urban transportation system to take place. It is important to note that a metropolitan transportation authority requires much more output than green transportation (Edenhofer, 2008). An example of green transport is the use of electric trains, bicycle riding and walking. The executives agreed that they need adequate funds are required for the project. Additionally, they also need to redevelop the road and water transport. The Transportation Research Board further concurred that they needed to inform and remind the public about road safety, their causes and the safety measures (Teich, 2009). For instance, traffic police officers should take stringent measures by arresting speeding drivers, drunk users and those who fail to adhere to the traffic rules. They discovered with much concern that there had been many casualties related to transportation in the past year.

With that said, they realized the road safety measure needs to be continually improved. The TRB agreed in the annual meeting that sustainable transport is creating mobility without negatively impacting the environment through pollution, global warming, and depletion of resources. They, however, realized that sustainable urban transport had been compromised and they needed to rethink the strategies that would make downtown transportation much better. The elements that they discovered should be prioritized to ensure sustainable transit are the economy, equity, governance and the environment (Wright, 2010). The executives also presented innovations in the urban transport which they believed would enhance economic growth in transportation. One is creating a smartphone app for public transit services.

Even though Uber is available, there needs to be more mobile app providing transport services. The TRB executives also documented some of the economic benefits generated from these shared mobility futures. One economic advantage is that it is possible to reduce congestions and be useful in cases of an emergency. One outstanding innovation however which is already in the transport market is to install Wi-Fi in public transit vehicles (Edenhofer, 2008).

The members noted that it would attract more passengers while at the same time increasing revenue for the transportation agency. The use of cable vehicles is yet another innovation that some members suggested (Wright, 2010). The members argued that it would reduce congestion in the public transport industry and enhance efficiency. Another economic benefit is that shared mobility helps users to get the transport services as when needed (Teich, 2009). Moreover, a shared movement is cost-effective, and it also creates job opportunities. The Transportation Research Board did contend that the automotive industry requires testing and certification. The service will enhance safety among the shared mobility users while ensuring that they conform to the international regulations and standards. As such they would require professional and expert personnel to provide these services. They decided to formulate risk analyses for autonomous vehicles.

Some of the merits of automated driving system testing and certification is providing support and expertise services and the urban transport sector as a whole (Edenhofer, 2008). It also provides a competitive advantage based on innovation. Additionally, the TRB officials discovered that it also enhanced better understanding of the international standards and requirements for driving motorized vehicles.

Another advantage is that the idea is cheap since it reduces development costs and also saves time. TRB officials also made a comparison of the traditional and emerging shared mobility. The popular divided movement involves the concept of traveling to a specified destination using public transport such as bus, taxi, ship, train or plane (Wright, 2010). The members agreed that it was still a viable option if necessary measures were taken into account. On the emerging shared mobility, the executives concurred that the idea is still feasible. Since it is involving hiring transport, for instance, renting cars for a short period, they unanimously supported the idea.

The renting of vehicles helps individuals to perform many tasks at once. Moreover, they realized it is faster than public transport. Another advantage is that hiring a car is much more prestigious and can be used in ceremonies. Another trending model is the use of ridesharing mobile apps such as Uber. It is quite reliable since it is an on-demand delivery service. It is also quite fast and efficient. The TRB executives also agreed that the terminals for passengers and cargo carrying trucks are very important. They decided to research the locations where these intermodal hubs are required (Teich, 2009). They realized that the terminals make it easier for the passengers to get transportation services. The terminals also guide the drivers on where to ship goods or alight passengers based on orderliness.

Another subject of discussion was the cost of transport (Wright, 2010). The TRB officials concurred that passengers using public transportation have the right to pay for the services using any method of payment including credit cards. Furthermore, they attempted to find out if it was possible to lower the cost of transport for passengers. They also agreed that children, under the age of five years should not pay transport fare, if they are accompanied by a fare-paying customer (Edenhofer, 2008). Pass services such as a day pass should also be available to passengers using public transport such as the bus all day. They also concurred that once in a while, open transit vehicles should offer promotion services, for instance, and paying reduced fare after applying for a bus pass.

References

Edenhofer, R (2008). The 97th transportation research board annual meeting. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Teich, A. (2009). Transportation Research Board: 97th Annual Meeting. New York: Wadsworth Publishing.

Wright, R. (2010). Inside TRB's 97th annual meeting. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.