NJ Transportation Research Ideas Multi-Modal System Components and Users

The rapid growth of transportation network companies (TNC) in the US has prompted some researchers/planners to predict a future marked by coordinated services provided by TNCs and transit agencies that would benefit TNCs, transit agencies, and people at large. However, it has also led others to predict the annihilation of conventional public transit by TNCs because of the convenience of the latter. It has thus become... more »

The existence of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) may provide opportunities for cost-savings to Access Link, NJ TRANSIT’s statewide advance-reservation, shared ride, ADA complementary paratransit service. Presently, all Access Link trips are delivered directly by five (5) service providers that NJ TRANSIT has contracts with, serving separate geographic regions of the State. As Access Link ridership increases... more »

While there is a broad consensus that TODs induce additional ridership transit system, the actual net impact remains unclear. This project will seek to survey residents of TODs to determine how their trip patterns have shifted and the priorities the resulted in their living adjacent to a transit station or stop. An additional task may seek to survey customers of TOD retail. The results of this survey should try to... more »

The chief cause of highway accidents is frontal collisions. Platooning is the act of automating the speed of a number of trucks in a chain, using radar and V2V communications. Platooning may prevent truck (and other crashes), resulting in lower crash rates and less travel delay. There is a financial aspect to safety. Trucks and other vehicles get damaged in crashes, and insurance companies have to pay crash costs.... more »

The mobile application of NJ TRANSIT has the potential to expedite vehicle dwell times by simplifying the fare payment process at bus stops. Therefore, NJ TRANSIT would like to evaluate the impact of the mobile application on bus dwell times as compared to traditional fare media. This evaluation can use automatically collected data (such as farebox records or vehicle location data) and/or field work to record dwell... more »

A two-part study is proposed: 1) a survey of the customers of the NJ TRANSIT Newark Light Rail Line (NRL) to understand their trip patterns and socio-economic characteristics, and 2) a survey of automobile drivers exiting I-280 at Exit 13 in Newark to understand their trip patterns and socio-economic characteristics, as a case study for improving intermodal travel options. Part I (NRL) will provide information for NJ... more »

There is need for a long-term plan for regional or light rail to be extended through Southern New Jersey beyond Glassboro. This generational project could move along the Delaware River parallel to Route 130 and South and East along the 55 corridor. These corridors would jumpstart residential and commercial development in economically challenged areas. The State should also consider an Amtrak or regional rail line that... more »

Despite its early start in the 1960s and high expectations of positive contributions to the environment, health, and congestion relief, bike sharing has not made a significant impact on travel modal shift until recently, when dockless technology has been implemented in China, West Coast of US, and a few selected international locations. A comprehensive research on dockless bike sharing is needed in order to gather information... more »

The recent development in shared mobility and mobile computing may have potential to improve the paratransit service in NJ. An in-depth study of existing mobility needs and current supply of such services will help reveal the potential for such applications to be applied to improve paratransit. Specific applications may be tested to demonstrate the effectiveness of such.

Agencies across the country are using technology and new mobility options to expand their focus from being a provider of fixed route public transit to being the manager of public and private mobility options. This customer-focused approach seeks to capitalize on new technologies and mobility options to improve the efficiency of fixed route services, enhance the transit customer’s experience and in some case deliver service... more »

The dense population of the northeastern United States makes the Northeast Corridor the most heavily traveled portion of the American passenger rail system. Nearly two-thirds of rail passengers in the United States live in New York City, also home to the nation's busiest passenger rail station, Penn Station. High speed trains can compete with airliners, New Jersey State also has a unique location in the Northeast on... more »