A DIRECTORY of RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT and DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Fiscal Year 1978 U.S. Department of Transportation Urban Mass Transportation Administration Washington, D.C. 20590 : I For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock Number 050-014-00016-9 Table of Contents Introduction 1 8. Transportation Services for Special User Groups 92 SECTION ONE: Identifying and Reaching the Transportation Handicapped 93 Accessibility Programs 93 Technology Development and Deployment 6 Coordinated Services for the Elderly and Handicapped 95 1. Bus and Paratransit Vehicle Technology 8 User Subsidy Demonstrations 98 Bus Development 9 9. Fare and Pricing Policies 104 Paratransit Vehicle Development 10 Transit Improvement Demonstrations 105 Energy Conservation and Environmental Projects 10 Fare Prepayment Programs 106 2. Bus and Paratransit Operational Technology is Fare-Free Off-Peak Transit Service 107 Paratransit Integration 19 Research and Design Studies 108 Advanced Area-Coverage Automatic Vehicle Monitoring 22 Transit Resource Productivity Demonstrations 108 Attitude Measurement 109 3. Rail and Construction Technology 28 Vehicle and Equipment Technology 29 10. Conventional Transit Service Innovations 113 Requirements, Analysis and Evaluation 31 Transit Malls 1 14 System Integration and Deployment 31 Auto Restricted Zones 115 Construction Technology 35 Vehicle Innovation 116 4. New Systems and Automation 47 Innovative Studies 116 Advanced Group Rapid Transit 48 Priority Treatments for High-Occupancy Vehicles 116 Automated Guideway Transit Supporting Technology 49 11. Paratransit 122 Accelerating Walkways 52 Integration of Paratransit and Fixed-Route Systems 123 Brokerage 5. Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) Applications 53 Transportation 125 Downtown People Mover (DPM) Program 59 Vanpool Demonstrations 127 Other Paratransit Innovations 128 Other Projects Relating to Downtown People Mover Systems ... 52 Morgantown People Mover (MPM) Demonstration Project 53 AIRTRANS Urban Technology Program 54 SECTION THREE: Transportation Planning and Management 134 6. Safety and Product Qualification 70 12. 135 Development of a Safety Program Plan 71 Planning Methods and Support Mission of the Urban Transportation Planning System 137 Safety and Product Qualification Training Program 71 Current Program Plans 137 System Safety and System Assurance Support 71 Recent Program Products Mass Transit System Safety and Product Qualification 72 138 Current Contents of UTPS Software 138 16 (b) 2 Vehicle Problems and Qualifications 72 Upcoming UTPS Improvements 140 Fire Safety in Transit Systems 73 13. Special Planning Studies 7. Socio-Economic Research and Special Projects 76 145 Impact Studies Socio-Economic Research 77 Rail Rapid Transit 146 Transportation System Management Planning (TSM) System Studies, Support and Development 78 146 Planning Transportation for Elderly and Handicapped Persons . 148 SECTION TWO: Energy Contingency Planning Prototype Studies 150 Service and Methods Demonstrations 90 Short-Range Transit Planning 150 i 14. Transportation Management T56 Human Resources Division 156 Marketing Division 158 Operations and Maintenance Division 159 Information Services Division 160 SECTION FOUR: Policy Development and Research 167 15. Policy and Program Development 168 Office of Policy Development 169 Office of Policy Research 170 Office of Program Evaluation 172 16. University Research and Training Grant Program 178 Transportation Analysis, Planning, and Evaluation 179 Transportation and Land Use Interactions 180 Transportation System Management (TSM) 180 Improving Transportation in Center Cities 181 Public Transportation Systems and Service for Low Density Areas 181 Transit Productivity and Efficiency 181 Transportation and Energy Conservation 182 Transportation for tfie Elderly and Handicapped 183 Transportation Pricing and Financing 183 Transportation Education and Training 184 Appendix A Information About Federal Research and Development in Urban Mass Transportation 198 Appendix B Uri3an Mass Transportation Grants and Contracts: Application and Procurement Procedures 199 Agency/Contractor Index 204 Project Index 208 Subject Index 217 ii Introduction portion of these Technical Studies funds by UMTA to the expected completion are also used annually for Special Studies date. Except where otherwise indicated, This annual directory contains to help local planning agencies and UMTA dollar amounts presented for each project descriptions of current research, improve the quality of information used for represent federal funds provided by UMTA development and demonstration (RD&D) local transportation planning. and do not include funds from other projects sponsored and funded by the U.S. federal, local Section 1 1 authorizes state, or private sources. Department of Transportation's Urban a program of Funding figures are provided to give an Mass Transportation Administration University Research and Training Grants. These grants are designed to indication of the scope of individual tasks (UMTA). One of UMTA's major objectives contribute to UMTA's research and to stimulate and, in most cases, these figures are is to make public information regarding its professional growth in fields relating to cumulative. Small support tasks and RD&D activities readily available, and this transportation. Summaries of the Special contracts under $10,000 are not always publication is one of the principle vehicles Studies and the University Research calculated into the project totals. The for reporting such information. and Training Grant projects appear in Chapter figures in this volume, therefore, should This directory focuses on activity that 16 of this report, along with listings of not be used for budget analysis. took place in fiscal year 1978, which began available publications. The project charts also identify other on October 1 , 1977 and ended September 30, 1978. All of the projects described in UMTA's organizational structure is federal organizations which support and this volume are funded under Sections 6, illustrated on the preceding page. The complement UMTA's RD&D in the field of offices 9, or 1 1 of the Urban Mass Transportation responsible for administering urban mass transportation. The Federal Act of 1964, as amended. research, development and Highway Administration (FHWA) funds or Section 6 of the Act has authorized demonstrations are shaded. The projects performs projects jointly with UMTA, the Secretary of Transportation "to described in Section One of this document generally in the areas of transportation undertake research, development and are administered by the six offices listed planning and traffic management. The demonstration projects in all phases of under the Office of Technology Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) urban mass transportation. ..which he Development and Deployment. The manages the DOT Transportation Test determines will assist in the reduction of projects described in Section Two are Center (TTC) at Pueblo, Colo., which urban transportation needs, the administered by the Office of Service includes urban rail test facilities and the rail improvement of mass transportation Methods and Demonstrations. The Offices dynamics laboratory. The Transportation service, or the contribution of such service of Planning Assistance, Planning Methods Systems Center (TSC) at Cambridge, toward meeting total urban transportation and Support, and Transportation Mass., supports UMTA by conducting needs at minimum costs." The Act also Management are responsible for the in-house research, analysis, and authorizes "the development, testing, and projects included in Section Three, and the development, and by managing related demonstration of new facilities, projects described in Section Four are RD&D contracts. TSC is a major equipment, techniques, and methods." administered by the offices listed under component of the DOT Research and In November 1978, Congress passed Policy and Program Development. Special Programs Administration, and performs the Federal Public Transportation Act of Table 1 shows funding for major technological and 1978, which shifted the responsibilities RD&D program areas. Charts summarizing socio-economic research in all modes of under Section 9 of the Urban Mass funding and other important information transportation. Transportation Act to Section 8. about individual UMTA projects follow the Most of the completed projects Under the former Section 9 of the Act, descriptive material in each chapter. included in this 1978 edition have either funds are authorized each year to conduct In these project summary charts, issued technical documents or are local transportation planning studies, dates are listed for each project indicating currently preparing reports for publication. otherwise known as Technical Studies. A the time at which the project was approved These reports are listed in a bibliography 1 following each chapter and usually may be 1 aoie 1 obtained from the National Technical Urban Mass Transportation Administration Information Service (NTIS) of the U.S. Summary of RD&D and Related Funding Department of Commerce. In addition, UMTA periodically publishes collections of CV 1070 report abstracts. Details on how to obtain FY 1977 rY 13/0 these and other technical reports are And Prior Actual Estimates (Dollars in thousands) provided in Appendix A. Forms for ordering publications from NTIS are also Technology Development and Deployment included.