E-Bike Research

E-bikes are one of the most powerful tools in a transportation practitioner's toolbox. This emerging mode has the potential to reduce traffic congestion, improve public health, make cities more accessible, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.  

Under the leadership of TREC's sustainable transportation program manager, John MacArthur, TREC has developed a wealth of research around electric mobility options such as e-bikes and e-scooters. 

Browse through some of these projects below, or explore all our projects on e-mobility.

We have also presented a variety of webinars and online seminars focused on this topic, and are always adding more. See the YouTube playlist of our online education in electric vehicles and e-bikes.

E-Bike Incentive Programs in North America

In July 2022, TREC researchers launched a national stated preference survey aimed at learning the potential effects of different rebate methods, cash amounts, demographics and other factors. This will yield even more insight into what affects people's decision-making, and which types of incentive programs may hit the sweet spot.

In May 2022 the research team released a new white paper from this ongoing study, "Using E-Bike Incentive Programs to Expand the Market – Trends and Best Practices", and hosted a recorded online seminar on this white paper.

In January 2022 the team released their live E-Bike Incentive Programs in North America table to track e-bike purchase incentive programs in the United States and Canada. This information is intended to provide a point of reference for the development of future e-bike incentive programs and policies, or for further research on the topic.

Key details are provided for each program, which includes detailed information on:

  • Country, State, Location – Location that the program is available in.
  • Administrator, Admin. Type – The program administrator and the administrator’s entity type.
  • Status – Whether the program is currently active, closed, or otherwise.
  • Incentive Style – How the incentive amount is determined.
  • Discount Mechanism – How the incentive value is delivered to the recipient.
  • Discount Rate – Incentive rate if the incentive is a percentage of e-bike purchase price.
  • Minimum Purchase/Fee – Minimum required purchase price to qualify for the incentive, or the fee required to participate in loan-to-own programs.
  • Maximum Incentive – Maximum incentive amount if the incentive is a percentage of e-bike purchase price. Incentive amount if the incentive is a flat rate.
  • Total Earmark – Total program funding.
  • Income-Qualified? – Is participation in the program restricted to a certain income level?
  • Low-Income Option? – Are additional incentives available to people at certain income levels?
  • Low-Income Threshold – Income limit to receive low-income benefits.
  • Details/Links – Further details if required for program comprehension, links to program websites or news releases.
  • Parent/Child Program – Indication of whether a program exists as a sub-program for a larger piece of legislation, or is a ‘parent’ of other sub-programs.

This was developed using web searches, google alerts, and an existing incentive program tracker provided by PeopleForBikes. The list is updated periodically (see update date at top of sheet) to reflect newly-implemented or proposed programs, current program status, or to include programs not in the current database.

If you have comments, edits, questions or additions, please email John MacArthur (macarthur@pdx.edu)

Novel Approaches to Model Travel Behavior and Sustainability Impacts of E-Bike Use

Researchers at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Portland State University, University of Pittsburgh, and Bosch E-Bike Systems received funding from the National Science Foundation to measure real-world travel behavior and assess the sustainability impacts of those choices. Current practices of tracking e-bike data rely on memory recall and self-reporting from the user. This study instead leveraged smartphones to conduct ad-hoc travel surveys to supplement passive data collection and, using machine learning algorithms, create the largest and richest dataset to support the growth of e-bike use as a transportation option.

Electric Vehicle Incentive Cost and Impact Tool

This online tool enables policymakers, public stakeholders, and advocates to quickly visualize the potential outcomes of an electric vehicle incentive program made up of several vehicle types. The tool estimates the cost efficiency of a proposed program in terms of the cost per kg CO2 avoided by each mode over the course of one year. It also takes the proposed budget into consideration to calculate the potential number of incentives to be made available and the amount of total CO2 that would be avoided due to internal combustion engine automobile VMT displacement.

Access the online Electric Vehicle Incentive Cost and Impact Tool, or read more about how to use the online tool. Learn about the 2021 proposed E-Bike Act, citing our e-bike studies, from Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)

Estimating the Effect of E-Bikes on Person Miles Travelled and Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

Many U.S. cities have climate crisis goals for reducing automotive vehicles miles traveled (VMT) in order to reduce tailpipe emissions. How do we reach the untapped potential for new bicyclists? Wider adoption of e-bikes might be the answer. This white paper found that, given a 15% e-bike mode share in Portland, Oregon, the city's CO2 emissions would be reduced by over 900 metric tons per day. The researchers conclude that the strategy of increasing e-bike mode share can be used confidently as a tool to help meet carbon emission reduction goals. Learn more about Estimating the Effect of E-Bikes on Person Miles Travelled and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. 

Read the 2020 journal article "The E-Bike Potential: Estimating regional e-bike impacts on greenhouse gas emissions" (updated model and findings) or the original 2019 white paper (PDF).

How E-Bike Incentive Programs are Used to Expand the Market

Research has demonstrated that the high cost of e-bikes was a barrier to entry. This white paper explores techniques to develop and structure e-bike incentive programs to reduce that barrier. Four main program structures were identified: Partial Purchase Subsidies, Vendor-Funded Discounts, Employer-Sponsored Programs, and Government Sponsored Loans. After an international inventory of existing programs, the researchers found that the most popular were partial purchase subsidies.

Download the White Paper "How E-Bike Incentive Programs are Used to Expand the Market" (PDF).

Taxonomy and Classification of Powered Micromobility Vehicles

As a member of SAE International's Powered Micromobility Vehicles Committee, MacArthur helped co-author a technical report on Taxonomy and Classification of Powered Micromobility Vehicles. These vehicles may be privately owned or available via shared- or rental-fleet operations. This report does not provide specifications or impose design requirements for powered micromobility vehicles. SAE International, previously known as the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a U.S.-based, globally active professional association that develops standards for engineering professionals in the mobility industry.

A North American Survey of Electric Bicycle Owners

Widespread adoption of bike commuting could improve public health through increased physical activity and reduced carbon emissions, as well as ease the burden on congested roads. However different lifestyle demands, physical ableness, and varied topography create an unequal playing field that prevents many from replacing their car trips. E-bikes could bridge this gap. If substituted for car use, e-bikes could substantially improve efficiency in the transportation system while creating a more inclusive biking culture for people of all ages and abilities.

Learn more about the North American Survey of Electric Bicycle Owners.

Evaluation of Electric Bike Use at Three Kaiser Permanente NW Employment Centers in Portland Metro Region

In 2015, participants from three Kaiser Permanente Northwest campuses were issued an e-bike for 10 weeks and were asked to complete surveys about the experience. Results show that participants biked more often and to a wider variety of places than before the study; they become more confident cyclists; and they cited fewer barriers to cycling when given the opportunity to use an e-bike. This study’s findings support the general hypothesis that e-bikes enable users to bike to more distant locations, bike more frequently and allow a broader participation in cycling for certain segments of the population.

Learn more about this Evaluation of Electric Bike Use at Three Kaiser Permanente NW Employment Centers in Portland Metro Region.

Differences of Cycling Experiences and Perceptions between E-Bike and Bicycle Users in the United States

This paper investigates the differences of the cycling experience and perceptions between e-bike and conventional bicycle users. The results show that e-bikes play a more important role in utilitarian travel, such as commuting and running errands, compared to a conventional bicycle. Conventional bicycle-owning respondents use their bicycles more for recreation and exercise. Also, e-bike owners tend to bike longer distances and take more trips per week. These findings begin to provide insight and a profile of potential new markets for e-bikes in the United States.

Access the journal article on "Differences of Cycling Experiences and Perceptions between E-Bike and Bicycle Users in the United States."

Active Transportation Data Fusion

Active Transportation Data Fusion

One major research effort at TREC has to do with active transportation data fusion.

What is Data Fusion?

Data Fusion refers to the combining of multiple data sources into one model, in order to leverage the advantages of each source and ensure the model is as accurate as possible.

Learn more about how this works in a recorded seminar from March 2025.

The Basic Idea

Traditional permanent and short-term counting methods can directly provide counts, but are limited to certain locations or short periods of time. Meanwhile, crowdsourced data (such as Strava or StreetLight) can cover a wider area but with less accuracy, as they only capture a subset of users. Fusing the two methods together–potentially with the use of deep learning algorithms–is a promising way to get the best of both. 

The Research

These research efforts got underway in 2018 with funding from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC). NITC launched a pooled fund project with support from the DOTs of Oregon, Virginia, Colorado, Utah, and the District of Columbia, as well as Central Lane MPO and the Cities of Portland and Bend, Oregon. With matching funds from NITC, those agencies came together to fund the initial project Exploring Data Fusion Techniques to Estimate Network-Wide Bicycle Volumes, with a research team led by Sirisha Kothuri.

Subsequent projects by Kothuri and her team include:

This emerging method allows transportation agencies and state departments of transportation (DOTs) to track changes in walking and bicycling mode share over time, prioritize projects, plan and design new infrastructure, conduct safety analyses, and estimate public health impacts.

Friday Transportation Seminar (PBOT Edition): Safe Speeds Save Lives: How Portland is Managing Speeds for Safety

Seminar or Event
Friday Seminars
SPEAKERS
Matt Kelly, Portland Bureau of Transportation

Periodically, we're teaming up with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to bring you special editions—featuring guest speakers from PBOT—merging our seminar series and the long-standing PBOT Lunch & Learn. This seminar is part two of a two-part series on Vision Zero. See part one with Anamaria Perez.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

THE TOPIC

Speed is a key factor in how people experience Portland’s streets. Appropriate speeds help prevent crashes, reduce the harmful consequences of crashes, and can help streets become more comfortable and sociable spaces that support a variety of travel modes and uses. The Portland Bureau of Transportation will share information on how the City of Portland is supporting safe travel speeds through its Vision Zero work. Topics will include the left turn calming pilot project, speed safety cameras, speed limit reductions, and road reorganizations. Data on the results of these interventions will be shared, along with discussion of next steps for helping people travel at safe speeds in Portland.

Visit the City of Portland's Vision Zero site for their 2019 update to Portland's Vision Zero Action Plan.

KEY LEARNING TAKEAWAYS

  • Speed is a core aspect of designing streets for safety and comfort.
  • Portland is using a variety of tools to support safe speeds, including at intersections.
  • Managing speeds on multilane arterial streets remains a challenge.

SPEAKER

Matt Kelly, Portland Bureau of Transportation

Matt Kelly is a Vision Zero Specialist at the Bureau of Transportation in Portland, Oregon; it is a position he has held since 2015. He has two Master’s degrees from the University of Michigan in Urban Planning and in Communications.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

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Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

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The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

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Webinar: Connected Vehicle System Design for Signalized Arterials

Seminar or Event
Webinars
SPEAKERS
Xianfeng (Terry) Yang, University of Utah

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

OVERVIEW

It can be expected that connected vehicles (CVs) systems will soon go beyond testbed and appear in real-world applications. To accommodate a large number of connected vehicles on the roads, traffic signal control systems on signalized arterials would require supports of various components such as roadside infrastructure, vehicle on-board devices, an effective communication network, and optimal control algorithms. In this project, we aim to establish a real-time and adaptive system for supporting the operations of CV-based traffic signal control functions. The proposed system will prioritize the communication needs of different types of CVs and best utilize the capacity of the communication channels. The CV data sensing and acquisition protocol, built on a newly developed concept of Age of Information (AoI), will support the feedback control loop to adjust signal timing plans.

Our multidisciplinary research team, including researchers from transportation engineering and electrical engineering, will carry out the project tasks along four directions that capitalized on the PIs’ expertise:

  1. Data collection and communication, in which the proposed system will be based on the AoI, prioritize the data needs of different types of CVs, and optimize the communication network;
  2. Dynamic traffic signal coordination, which will concurrently facilitate the progression of traffic flows along multiple critical paths;
  3. Smart traffic signal control, where both operational efficiency and safety improvement are accounted for at signalized intersections; and
  4. Multimodal system design, which will integrate transit signal priority (TSP) and suppression controls for accommodating connected buses.

This project addresses the urgent needs in CV system designs and offers control foundations to support the operations of urban signalized arterial in a CV environment.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Identify the data collection and communication challenges in connected vehicle-based systems.
  • Design dynamic signal coordination plan under the connected vehicle environment.
  • Develop smart and multi-modal traffic signal control system.

THE RESEARCH

This webinar is based on a study funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) and conducted at the University of Utah. Read more about the NITC research: Connected Vehicle System Design for Signalized Arterials.

SPEAKERS

Xianfeng Terry Yang, University of Utah

Dr. Yang is an Assistant Professor in Transportation Engineering at the University of Utah. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from University of Maryland, College Park and received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Tsinghua University (Beijing, China). His current research areas includes evacuation planning and operation, traffic operations with connected automated vehicles, intelligent transportation system, traffic safety, network flow modeling, and unconventional intersection design. His research is sponsored by NSF, USDOT, FHWA, UDOT, and MSHA. He is the member of TRB Traffic Signal System and Emergency Evacuations committees. He is also an Associate Editor of ASCE Journal of Urban Planning and Development and panelist of NSF and NCHRP.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute webinar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

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Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on our events.

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This webinar is hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University. The research was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), a program of TREC and one of five U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation centers. The NITC program is a Portland State-led partnership with the University of Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Utah and new partners University of Arizona and University of Texas at Arlington. We pursue our theme — improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities — through research, education and technology transfer.

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Friday Transportation Seminar (PBOT Edition): A No-Crash Course in Vision Zero Data

Seminar or Event
Friday Seminars
SPEAKERS
Anamaria Perez, Portland Bureau of Transportation

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

Periodically, we're teaming up with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to bring you special editions—featuring guest speakers from PBOT—merging our seminar series and the long-standing PBOT Lunch & Learn. This seminar is part one of a two-part series on Vision Zero. See part two with Matt Kelly.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

THE TOPIC

Vision Zero was adopted unanimously by Portland City Council in 2015 with the goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries on Portland streets in a way that is equitable, accountable, and data-driven. But what does it mean to be data-driven? And should we stop there? 

In this presentation, learn how Portland’s Vision Zero Action Plan was developed and how the Vision Zero team is using data to move into a future where all Portlanders can travel safely, regardless of the travel mode they use. Explore the datasets used in Vision Zero implementation and the challenges that come with them. Learn about the projects where creativity and innovation play a critical role by stretching beyond what is traditionally thought of as transportation safety, including automated enforcement and citywide crash analysis. 

KEY LEARNING TAKEAWAYS

  • What it means to be data-driven vs data-informed, especially in a long-term program setting
  • What datasets the PBOT Vision Zero team uses for program implementation
  • Data limitations and how to stay aware of them

SPEAKER

Anamaria Perez, Portland Bureau of Transportation

Anamaria Perez is a Vision Zero Data Analyst at the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT). She conducts crash and safety analysis to advance the Vision Zero program, supports planners and project managers on safety, and creates innovation around how PBOT thinks about data. Leading her work with integrity as one of her core values, Anamaria is an advocate for transportation, environmental, and mobility justices. She holds a B.S. in Meteorology from San Jose State University and an M.S. in Environmental Management and a GIS Certification from the University of San Francisco.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

Image by Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT)

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

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Friday Transportation Seminar: Creating And Using A Publicly Available Multimodal Transportation Data Archive

Seminar or Event
Friday Seminars
SPEAKERS
Tammy Lee and Kristin Tufte, Portland State University

We are committed to making decisions that promote the success and well-being of our campus community. Like an increasing number of universities nationwide, Portland State is taking steps to respond to the global pandemic. Until further notice, all live events hosted by TREC will be online only.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

THE TOPIC

Portland State University's Portals - also known as PORTAL and BikePed Portal - together form a publicly available multimodal transportation archive. The presenters will share their experiences creating and managing the Portals. They will present an overview of the freeway, travel time, and vehicle length information available on PORTAL and will demonstrate how you can get valuable information on these data sources from PORTAL. Finally, the team will include a sneak peek at the new BikePed Portal web site and an analysis of the impact of coronavirus on Portland area traffic done with PORTAL data.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Learn what data is readily available in PORTAL.
  • Learn how to use the basic visualization tools provided on the PORTAL website.
  • Learn what will be available in the new BikePed Portal website.
  • See an example of analysis using PORTAL data.

SPEAKERS

Tammy Lee, Transportation Data Program Administrator, TREC

Tammy is working on a variety of projects for TREC, including documentation, data synthesis, analysis, and visualization supporting ongoing work with PORTAL and Bike-Ped Portal. Prior to joining TREC, she worked as a data scientist for a political digital media consulting firm.

Kristin Tufte, Research Assistant Professor, Portland State University

Kristin Tufte has 25+ years experience in data management research and implementation. She was a team member on the design and implementation of three novel research data management systems, including one sold to NCR Corporation. For the past 15 years, she has collaborated with Portland-area public sector agencies on PORTAL, the Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA regional transportation data archive and more recently on Smart Cities efforts. In addition, Kristin teaches courses in database systems and implementation, cloud data management and data science.

THE PORTALS

PORTAL provides a centralized, electronic database that facilitates the collection, archiving, and sharing of data and information for public agencies within the region. The data stored in PORTAL includes 20-second granularity loop detector data from freeways in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region, arterial signal data, travel time data, weather data, incident data, VAS/VMS message data, truck volumes, transit data, and arterial signal data. Many of these data feeds are received by PORTAL in real time or on a daily basis and for most, the retrieval and archiving process is fully automated.

BikePed Portal: Jurisdictions around the country are collecting non-motorized traffic count data, but the lack of a centralized database inhibits data sharing and greatly reduces the utility of this important and growing dataset. In response, we created a national online non-motorized traffic count archive. This archive allows users to upload, view and download data.  Access to a centralized non-motorized traffic data archive opens the door to innovation in research, design, and planning.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

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Friday Transportation Seminar: Moving Toward Equitable Transit-Oriented Developments by Integrating Transit and Housing

Seminar or Event
Friday Seminars
SPEAKERS
Hongwei Dong, Cal State, Fresno

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online at 11:30 AM.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

THE TOPIC

Prior studies show that transit-oriented developments (TODs) increase property values and raise property tax revenue. Property owners reap economic benefit from TODs and public officials use it as evidence to justify the high cost of rail transit. However, renters, who rely on transit more than homeowners, may have to pay higher rent to live in TODs. The location affordability index at the neighborhood level suggests that renters can also benefit from TOD by saving money on transportation costs. Recent studies at the individual level, however, found little evidence that living in TODs reduces transportation expenditure. Using rental data scraped from Craigslist listings and travel data from 2010-12 California Household Travel Survey, this ongoing study contributes to this debate by quantifying and comparing the rental premium and transportation-cost saving for renters in TODs in eight Californian metropolitan areas. To address the potential self-selection bias, I estimate propensity score to match renters in TODs with similar renters outside of TODs. The findings from this study will inform transportation planning and practice that aim to promote more equitable TODs.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • The positive property-value effect of TOD is well known but the affordability implication of TOD for renters is more complicated.
  • This ongoing study quantifies and compares the rental premium and transportation-cost saving for renters in TODs in eight Californian metropolitan areas.
  • Findings from this study will inform transportation planning and practice that aim to promote more equitable TODs.

SPEAKER

Hongwei Dong, Associate Professor, California State University, Fresno

Dr. Hongwei Dong is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at California State University, Fresno. He received his Ph.D. in Urban Studies from Portland State University in 2010. His research lies at the intersection of transportation, housing, and urban health. His research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and California SB1 Grant. His research findings appear in top-notch planning Journals such as Journal of the American Planning Association and Journal of Planning Education and Research.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

Photo by SounderBruce, Cascadia Wikimedians User Group

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

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Webinar: Letting Bike Riders Catch the Green Wave

Seminar or Event
Webinars
SPEAKERS
Stephen Fickas and Marc Schlossberg, University of Oregon

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

Miss the webinar or want a look back?

OVERVIEW

The "Fast Track" project at the University of Oregon focuses on a mode of transportation that is sometimes left out of vehicle-to-infrastructure, or V2I, conversations: Bicycling. NITC researchers developed an app based on a new technology being integrated into modern cars: GLOSA, or Green Light Optimized Speed Advisory. GLOSA allows motorists to set their speed along corridors to maximize their chances of catching a "green wave" so they won't have to stop at red lights.

This project demonstrates how GLOSA can be used by bicyclists in the same way it is used by motorists, with a test site on a busy car and bike corridor feeding the University of Oregon campus: 13th Avenue in Eugene, Oregon. Researchers developed a smartphone app that tells a cyclist whether they should adjust their speed to stay in tune with the signals and catch the next green. The project demonstrates how university researchers, city traffic engineers, and signal-controller manufacturers can come together to help bicyclists be active participants in a smart transportation system.

THE RESEARCH

This webinar is based on a study funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) and conducted at the University of Oregon. Read more about the NITC research: Riding the Green Wave: Researchers Test "Green Light Optimized Speed" App for Bicyclists.

SPEAKERS

Stephen Fickas, University of Oregon

Dr. Stephen Fickas is a professor in the department of Computer and Information Science at the University of Oregon. Fickas received a B.S. degree from Oregon State University in Math, an M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. degree from the University of California at Irvine in 1983. From 1978 to 1983, Fickas worked at USC Information Sciences Institute in Marina del Rey, California. In 1983, Fickas joined the faculty at U of Oregon. In 1988 he was awarded a Distinguished Visiting Researcher position at Cambridge University. In 1991 he was selected as a Fulbright Research Scholar to the Hungarian Academy of Science. He was promoted to Full Professor in 1996. Professor Fickas has a general interest in software engineering. His recent focus has been on how software engineering concepts can be applied to non-tech domains, e.g., education, the humanities, and urban planning.

Marc Schlossberg, University of Oregon

Dr. Marc Schlossberg is a professor of city & regional planning and co-director of the Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI) at the University of Oregon. He works on the interconnected and interdisciplinary issues around sustainable cities, with particular focus on active transportation, urban design, public health, participatory mapping, and social change. Schlossberg's applied research focuses on redesignining cities so that more people can walk and bike more of the time. This work has ranged from bottom-up, participatory GIS planning to more standard analysis of urban form and transportation. He was a Distinguished Fulbright Scholar to the United Kingdom in 2009-10, and a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Israel in 2015-16. He is a member of the NITC executive committee and is the faculty advisor for LiveMove, the University of Oregon's transportation and livability student group.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute webinar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

LEARN MORE

Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on our events.

This webinar is hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University. The research was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), a program of TREC and one of five U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation centers. The NITC program is a Portland State-led partnership with the University of Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Utah and new partners University of Arizona and University of Texas at Arlington. We pursue our theme — improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities — through research, education and technology transfer.

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Friday Transportation Seminar: From Confrontation to Partnership: City Regulation of Micromobility

Seminar or Event
Friday Seminars
SPEAKERS
William Henderson, Ride Report

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us in person at 11:30 AM, or you can also watch online.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

Miss the seminar or want a look back?

THE TOPIC

It has been more than two years since shared scooters first appeared in Santa Monica, California and more than four years since the first dockless bikeshare bikes appeared in China. As shared micromobility has experimented in its deployment and operations across the globe, cities have also been experimenting with ways to regulate and manage this phenomenon in a way that best achieves public outcomes. But how do we best protect individual rights' while still protecting the right-of-way?

This seminar will discuss experiences from cities with micromobility programs and considerations for agency staff and elected officials when launching and overseeing a program, including: data sharing and privacy, goal setting, approval approach, equity targets, caps, fees, safety, and approaches for minimizing negative impacts.

KEY LEARNING TAKEAWAYS

  • The best programs reflect true private / public collaboration built on trust and respect.
  • Different actors have different definitions of success, but there is significant overlap.
  • Equity is complicated.
  • Your analysis is only as good as the data you rely on. 

SPEAKER

William Henderson, CEO, Ride Report

William Henderson is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Ride Report, a tool that helps cities manage micromobility. Ride Report empowers cities to bring new, clean forms of transportation to life. The company handles data for cities and operators around the world. Henderson also co-founded Business for a Better Portland (BBPDX) and Knock Software, Inc.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

 LEARN MORE

Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.

Photo Credit: Cait McCusker, Portland State University

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education.

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Webinar: Evaluating Urban Arterial Reliability Performance Metrics

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Jason Anderson, Portland State University

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

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OVERVIEW

With worsening congestion, travel time reliability is increasingly becoming as critical as average travel times in affecting travel choices. Researchers from Portland State University (PSU) partnered with Washington County, Oregon to offer data-driven strategies in prioritizing funding for travel time reliability improvements on their urban arterials. The vast majority of existing research on travel time reliability has focused exclusively on freeways. Avinash Unnikrishnan, Sirisha Kothuri and Jason C. Anderson leveraged Bluetooth sensors provided and deployed by Bluemac Analytics to identify problem areas in the county. Set up at intersections throughout Washington County, the sensors are able to calculate travel time from one intersection to another by matching Bluetooth signals from devices in people's cars. The researchers evaluated the Bluetooth travel time data to understand the temporal variation in travel time reliability metrics on these urban arterials, including factors related to time of day, weather, and holidays. They also provided the County with an automated process to clean up their data and remove outliers.

The researchers determined that Tualatin-Sherwood Road has the lowest travel time reliability of the three corridors. Now that Tualatin-Sherwood Road has been identified as having the most unreliable travel times out of the three arterials studied, the County is in a position to focus its efforts in that area. This work sets the groundwork for future work of identifying corridors with high unreliability, thus enabling transportation system engineers to prioritize funding in projects. This webinar will provide an overview of the project, its findings and methodology, and key takeaways for transportation engineers and policymakers.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Importance of data quality through outlier detection.
  • Travel time reliability can be contingent on direction, day of the week, time, and various exposure-based characteristics (i.e., transit stops, number of entrances and exits, being close to major highways, etc.).
  • The temporal effects of expected average travel time and travel time variability are also contingent on temporal-related factors, such as morning peak hours, evening peak hours, off-peak hours, and weekend peak hours.
  • The proposed methods can identify corridors with low reliability and high increases in expected travel time and travel time variability.

THE RESEARCH

This webinar is based on a study funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) and conducted at Portland State University. Read more about the NITC research: Exiting the Freeway: Travel Time Reliability on Urban Arterials.

SPEAKERS

Jason Anderson, Portland State University

Jason Anderson is a research associate at Portland State University. Dr. Anderson’s current area of research include: transportation safety modeling, spatial econometrics and statistics, and big data analysis focusing on various concepts (e.g., traffic flow, travel time, freight commodity analyses, methodological approaches, etc.). Dr. Anderson’s methodological expertise offers unique opportunities to conduct research in various fields, including water resources and waste management, construction management, structural engineering, and social/behavior sciences. He is especially interested in emerging technologies and data fusion techniques as it pertains to smart vehicles, infrastructure, cities, and their impacts on safety. Dr. Anderson also loves his Sacramento Kings and NASCAR.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOMENT

This 60-minute webinar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

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This webinar is hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University. The research was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), a program of TREC and one of five U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation centers. The NITC program is a Portland State-led partnership with the University of Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Utah and new partners University of Arizona and University of Texas at Arlington. We pursue our theme — improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities — through research, education and technology transfer.

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