NJ Transportation Research Ideas Ideas

New Jersey has the third highest percentage of commuters that use public transportation, behind only New York and the District of Columbia. NJ Transit is the largest statewide public transit system in the United States covering more than 5000 square miles of service area. Given this tremendous expanse and scope, the role of NJ Transit in upholding superior environmental and sustainability standards cannot be overstated. ...more »

We often see plastic bags or other garbage hanging on trees, along the roadside, slipping down the storm drain, and floating in the ocean. There are over 51 billion pieces of litter on our nation's roadways, 4.6 billion of which are larger than four inches in size. Plastics takes 19 % of 51.2 billion pieces of litter on roadways nationwide. 1.4 billion beverage containers on our nation's roadways: Beer bottles: 30%; Soft ...more »

NJ TRANSIT rail stations operate as multimodal hubs, often with access to at least one other transit mode in addition to vehicle and non-motorized access. Over the past five years, select stations on the rail network have experienced significant increases in bicycle parking demand. This study will consist of three phases, with an end goal of developing a methodology for prioritizing locations of future bicycle parking ...more »

Developing a comprehensive Bus Ridership Data Analysis System would allow NJ TRANSIT to better anticipate travel demand, more effectively ensure that all communities are provided equitable service, and better target its customer outreach efforts. Currently, NJ TRANSIT uses fare revenue as an indicator of passenger ridership. The agency also relies on passenger surveys to obtain samples of ridership demographics as well ...more »

Conduct research to identify best practices used by transit agencies to better understand the needs of current and potential bus riders. The research should explore the survey methodologies used which could include telephone surveys, online surveys, face-to-face interviews, onboard surveys, public outreach events, interviews with local stakeholders or other innovative techniques to reach users, non-users, and former users ...more »

While there is a broad consensus that TODs induce additional ridership on the 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 to explore the attitudes, values and preferences in the choice of living adjacent to a transit station or stop. An additional task may seek to survey customers of TOD retail. The results ...more »

In the science of global warming, there is a term I have learned called, "Heat Island." It is where the large areas of dark surfaces, and heat generating facilities in cities creates a bubble of artificially high temperature; an island of heat. As reported in the article located at the link below, there is a viable solution coming out of Los Angeles. They are coating their streets in a light colored asphalt based sealant ...more »

Lead Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) are utilized at signalized intersections to allow pedestrians a three to seven second head-start to enter the crosswalk before turning traffic may proceed. This allows pedestrians to better establish their presence in the intersection, improving their visibility and safety. A study exploring the potential effectiveness of LPIs on New Jersey state highways, and the considerations that ...more »

Green streets use green infrastructure practices within the public right-of-way to manage stormwater while preserving the primary function of a street as a conduit for vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. In a densely populated state like New Jersey, the management of stormwater runoff is an important consideration for developed areas as impervious surfaces like roofs, roads and parking lots prevent ...more »

The recent investment (estimated at $2.6 billion) in Newark real estate development will have a significant impact on Newark Light Rail and Rail ridership. This proposed study will assess ridership and current service, analyze potential growth, and allow for future adjustments to address service needs. Mayor Baraka has expressed an interest in the redevelopment of Newark and in the investment in transportation. This ...more »

Renovation of local roads should depend primarily on the condition state of roads, and secondarily on traffic volume. However, those two important criteria are ignored by local governments while prioritizing roads for repairing upon receiving the state aid. State leverages local funds to renovate or resurface the roads with pedestrian paths and bike lanes. As a result, roads receiving state aid are only renovated or ...more »

On a daily basis, approximately 10,000 pedestrians walk or bicycle from the City of Hoboken to the Hoboken Terminal, with many people heading to the PATH Station and others headed to the trains, buses, light rail or ferry. The pedestrians, cyclists and motorists (including private autos, taxis, transportation network company vehicles like Uber and Lyft, trucks and buses) make the area around the Hoboken Terminal very ...more »

The Portal Bridge, an important commuter rail bridge connecting New Jersey to the hub of New York City, is a vital component of our transportation system. When it gets stuck, commuters get delayed, complaints go up, and satisfaction with NJ TRANSIT services go down. Underfunding has delayed a bridge repair or replacement, and it may be worthwhile to look into ways of funding and creating a repair/replacement for the Portal ...more »

Environmental conditions have significant effects on performance of both flexible and rigid pavements. In the current AASHTO Pavement ME, an Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM) uses climatic data to simulate internal pavement temperature, moisture, and freeze-thaw conditions as a function of time. EICM requires historical records of five weather-related parameters reported on an hourly basis: air temperature, precipitation, ...more »

Utilizing the existing rail infrastructure of the surrounding urban-suburban areas, connect the Newark Light rail with points north. Using a defunct section of the Erie R.R along the north section of Branch Brook Park to connect the existing Newark Light Rail to a portion of the Norfolk and Southern that runs along the Passaic River. Connecting to the Norfolk and Southern owned portion would further connect the system ...more »