As traffic deaths among people walking and biking continue to rise—and as new mobility technologies rapidly reshape how we all move—Portland State University (PSU) has been selected to lead a major national effort to improve roadway safety and accessibility.
The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at PSU has been awarded a contract from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) to develop a new Modern Active Transportation Research Roadmap. This roadmap will help the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) set priorities and guide future investments in active transportation across the country.
The new project builds on previous work by PSU. In 2021, TREC partnered with Toole Design Group to create the existing Council on Active Transportation (CAT) Research Roadmap. The coming update—led by PSU's Jennifer Dill, Nathan McNeil, Sirisha Kothuri, and John MacArthur in collaboration with Toole Design and Safe Streets Research & Consulting—will provide a refreshed plan that reflects a rapidly changing transportation landscape.
Why a New Roadmap Is Needed
A lot has changed since 2021. New federal legislation and funding programs, updated national guidelines—such as the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG)—and new design guides have reshaped agency priorities. Emerging technologies, from e-bikes and shared micromobility to AI-powered mapping tools, are creating both opportunities and new questions for planners and engineers.
At the same time, safety trends are deeply concerning. While fatalities among vehicle occupants decreased in 2022, deaths increased 0.7% for pedestrians and a staggering 13% for bicyclists.
“The need for a new roadmap is driven by two factors,” the PSU team notes. “The practice of active transportation has changed significantly in just a few years—and a large volume of new research is emerging that needs to be synthesized and put into action.”
What the Research Team Will Deliver
The PSU-led team will engage with the AASHTO CAT and a wide range of other organizations to help prioritize research needs. The previous roadmap included six research problem statements that were all funded through the NCHRP program. Those projects, along with other new research over the past four years, have helped fill some of the gaps identified in the previous roadmap. There are some areas however, such as technology, micromobility, and designing for all ages and abilities, where new high priority research needs will likely be identified.
"Our priority is to contribute effectively to change on the ground, not research that sits behind paywalls," the research team stated in their proposal.
The team will also conduct workshops with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) as well as broad outreach with researchers, state DOTs, local governments, and groups representing people of all ages and abilities, in order to translate the research into practice. The result will be a practical, forward-looking roadmap that helps agencies make informed decisions, strengthen mobility networks, and save lives.
The updated Research Roadmap will help ensure that active transportation remains a central part of creating safer, more accessible communities nationwide.
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. To get updates about what's happening at TREC, sign up for our monthly newsletter or follow us on social media.
