Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations

Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Our ability to get from Point A to Point B is something lots of us take for granted. But transporting people and products across town or across the country every day is neither simple nor easy. Join us as we explore the challenges on Thinking Transportation, a podcast about how we get ourselves — and the things we need — from one place to another. Every other week, an expert from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute or other special guest will help us dig deep on a wide range of topics. Find out more: https://tti.tamu.edu/thinking-transportation/ read less

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Will AI Help Us Realize Our Highest Hopes or Our Deepest Fears?

Will AI Help Us Realize Our Highest Hopes or Our Deepest Fears?

Artificial intelligence seeks to replicate the analytical and creative capabilities of the human brain. Perhaps that lofty ambition helps to explain why so many humans are leery of the idea.

Episodes

Will AI Help Us Realize Our Highest Hopes or Our Deepest Fears?

Will AI Help Us Realize Our Highest Hopes or Our Deepest Fears?

Artificial intelligence seeks to replicate the analytical and creative capabilities of the human brain. Perhaps that lofty ambition helps to explain why so many humans are leery of the idea.

More Transit Agencies Are Jumping on the Battery-Powered Bandwagon.

More Transit Agencies Are Jumping on the Battery-Powered Bandwagon.

Cities working to become leaders in clean transportation are electrifying their bus fleets, and learning that the road to success can be a bumpy one.

Neil Pedersen Has a Question: Are we willing to stick our necks out?

Neil Pedersen Has a Question: Are we willing to stick our necks out?

The former leader of TRB may have stepped away from full-time employment, but he hasn’t stepped away entirely from the industry he has helped to guide for half a century.

Roadside Mysteries: When utilities pose unique challenges for roadway construction.

Roadside Mysteries: When utilities pose unique challenges for roadway construction.

Every road construction project involves the hidden element of utilities in the right of way. That work isn’t necessarily as visible, but it’s every bit as consequential.

Is Public Transit Back to Pre-pandemic Normal? That depends on where you look.

Is Public Transit Back to Pre-pandemic Normal? That depends on where you look.

The transit industry is better equipped to work through a public health crisis than it was before COVID-19. And even as it faces persistent challenges, public transportation continues to play a central role in everyday mobility.

Crash Data and an Aging Population Raise an Issue: How old is too old to drive?

Crash Data and an Aging Population Raise an Issue: How old is too old to drive?

Drivers over age 80 are more prone to serious and deadly crashes. As this population segment grows, researchers are working toward fresh countermeasures.

Behind the Wheel, What We Think and What We Do Can Define Who We Are.

Behind the Wheel, What We Think and What We Do Can Define Who We Are.

Attitudes and behaviors related to driving reveal our traffic safety culture. Like other forms of culture, it has a way of changing over time— and not always for the better.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How it’s easy to overlook our reliance on GPS.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How it’s easy to overlook our reliance on GPS.

With near-magical precision, GPS applications reliably guide multiple functions for us every moment of every day. But as they hold great promise, those applications also face vulnerabilities.

How to Ensure That US Infrastructure Remains Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts.

How to Ensure That US Infrastructure Remains Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts.

America’s infrastructure was built to last, but it wasn’t built to last forever. The Center for Infrastructure Renewal is focusing on how to ensure the resilience of the collective physical systems that America runs upon.

Can Imperiled Creatures Survive and Thrive amid Widespread Roadway Construction?

Can Imperiled Creatures Survive and Thrive amid Widespread Roadway Construction?

The well-being of creatures protected under the Endangered Species Act is a high priority for transportation agencies. That’s good for the critters, and for agency operations as well.

Can Solar Panels in Highway ROW Be the Next Big Step in Renewable Energy?

Can Solar Panels in Highway ROW Be the Next Big Step in Renewable Energy?

In using roadsides for the collection of solar power, can we succeed in achieving both environmental and economic goals? It all depends on how you define “success.”

We Rank the 2,138 Most Congested Roads in Texas. Is your daily drive on the list?

We Rank the 2,138 Most Congested Roads in Texas. Is your daily drive on the list?

Traffic congestion is relative, because what constitutes gridlock depends a lot on where you live. Clearly, though, it’s no longer just a big city problem.

Revisited--Big and Bright: The view from TxDOT CEO Marc Williams’ Chair.

Revisited--Big and Bright: The view from TxDOT CEO Marc Williams’ Chair.

As we gather for the 97th Annual Transportation Short Course, we're revisiting our interview with Texas Department of Transportation CEO Marc Williams from approximately one year ago. Despite some Texas-sized mobility challenges and worldwide supply-chain obstacles, the guy in charge of the Texas Department of Transportation wants you to know he’s never been more optimistic about our transportation future.

Alone in the Crowd: Long-haul truckers fight isolation through satellite connections.

Alone in the Crowd: Long-haul truckers fight isolation through satellite connections.

Thousands of long-haul truck drivers in America share a common and constant challenge of remoteness. They find insight and community through the vast reach of satellite radio.

When Mobility Needs Are Like Snowflakes: TTI’s outposts focus on singular urban challenges.

When Mobility Needs Are Like Snowflakes: TTI’s outposts focus on singular urban challenges.

It’s been said that all politics is local. Given the unique nature of major population centers everywhere, the same could be said for transportation.

Minor Stress Factors Can Cause Major Problems, Even in the Best Driving Conditions

Minor Stress Factors Can Cause Major Problems, Even in the Best Driving Conditions

Obvious pressures when we’re driving on the roadways—like aggressive drivers, stormy weather, and unruly passengers—are widely recognized. But less conspicuous triggers can compromise safety, too.

Lofty Ambitions Are Fueling the Move Toward Sustainable Transportation

Lofty Ambitions Are Fueling the Move Toward Sustainable Transportation

Decarbonizing the transportation sector—the single-biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions—won’t happen overnight. But the U.S. Department of Energy has a plan.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Pedestrian deaths are at a 40-year high.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Pedestrian deaths are at a 40-year high.

The dangers for those who travel on foot have constituted a public health challenge for as long as we’ve had motor vehicles. Why are pedestrian deaths increasing so fast? And what can be done to stem the tide?

What If? ... How modelers envision the worst to enable the best response.

What If? ... How modelers envision the worst to enable the best response.

Disasters – whether natural or man-made – can cripple transportation systems. Sophisticated modeling can go a long way in minimizing disruptions and restoring routine conditions.

Is America’s Infrastructure Turning a Corner?

Is America’s Infrastructure Turning a Corner?

Two years have passed since America’s last road and bridge report card, and we’ll wait another two years for the next one. An unofficial mid-term grade suggests that conditions are improving.