Short Range Transit Plan for Chapel Hill Transit: Fiscal Years 2006-07--2010-11

Chapel Hill Transit provides fixed-route, demand-responsive and special events services for the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This short-range transit plan is intended to guide decisions over a five-year time period. The planning period for this plan is from Fiscal Year (FY) 2006-07 through 2010-11. In sum, this plan outlines an estimated $9.12 million in weekday daytime service improvements for Chapel Hill Transit, including coverage expansions, headway reductions, service-hour increases and productivity enhancements. Completing all service improvements outlined in this plan would require the operation of an additional 69 peak-hour buses, more than doubling the current peak bus usage. Midday operations would rise from 27 buses in FY 2004-05 to 52. Table I.1 (from Chapter 3 but reproduced here) lays out one possible application of the plan in terms of peak buses needed. Restructuring evening services would take an additional 4 to 10 buses, depending on the time of evening, while Saturday and Sunday operations add another 4 and 9 buses, respectively. The plan provides general recommendations and detailed analyses of current conditions. It should be used as a basis for decision-making, including further analysis when necessary.Master of City and Regional Plannin

Curb ramp and accessibility element upgrade prioritization: A literature review and analysis of multi-state survey data

Curb ramps are a universally beneficial element of the built environment, providing improved access for all users. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires compliant ramps to be installed with new construction or when a facility is altered. The large quantity of ramps and other facilities that must be upgraded to achieve full compliance, coupled with limited budgets, often requires states to prioritize ramps for retrofit over time. Users with varying disabilities might prioritize curb ramp improvements differently. This study assessed the state of the practice for prioritizing curb ramp upgrades and retrofits. A background review of national standards and guidance related to curb ramps was conducted. Prioritization processes for similar accessibility elements, including sidewalks and accessible pedestrian signals, were gathered through a literature review. State representatives were contacted through an email survey to identify existing prioritization processes for curb ramps. Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines and Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way provide similar standards and guidelines for accessibility. Three studies found that pedestrians with vision disabilities found domed surfaces most detectable, although users with mobility disabilities experienced negative safety and negotiability impacts with detectable warning surfaces. Compliance with accessibility standards and citizen requests were most commonly used for prioritization at the state level; localities were more likely to consider proximity to pedestrian generators and transit. These findings provide a foundational resource for agencies developing or revising prioritization processes for curb ramp retrofits.Peer Reviewe

Improving Ridership Projections of Proposed Bus and Rail Transit Projects to Evaluate Congestion Reduction Effects

119790Transit ridership data comprise one of the performance metrics examined when allocating funding to transportation projects, especially for those designed to reduce traffic congestion. The better the quality of the data, the more efficient the project prioritization process. The purpose of this study was to obtain better ridership data by answering three questions using Virginia-based data: How is transit ridership affected by changes to infrastructure and transit service such as the addition of real-time information systems, shelters, and lighting or increases in service frequency? What percentage of transit ridership occurs during peak hours of congestion? How does crowdsourced transit activity data compare to ridership data from Virginia transit agencies? Study methods included conducting extensive literature reviews to determine previous findings related to ridership effects of stop improvements and then conducting a before-after study in Virginia using ridership data from one Virginia transit agency

Einsatz digitaler Lehrformen in Zeiten von Corona

Als im Frühjahr 2020 die Corona-Pandemie weite Teile des gesellschaftlichen Lebens in Deutschland lahmlegte, waren hiervon auch die Hochschulen in starkem Maße betroffen. Eine Studie mit 669 Hochschuldozierenden untersucht das Verhalten und Erleben der Lehrenden in dieser Zeit

Academic teaching in times of COVID-19

Befragt wurden 669 Dozent*innen und 279 Student*innen zu ihrem Erleben der Hochschullehre in Zeiten der Corona-Pandemie im Sommersemester 2020. Die Ergebnisse zeigen in beiden Gruppen, dass die Präsenzlehre mit einer höheren Zufriedenheit einhergeht und die Befragten auch nach der Pandemie mehrheitlich eine Rückkehr zur Präsenzlehre präferieren. Unter Dozent*innen sind diese Präferenzen stärker ausgeprägt als unter Student*innen. In Zeiten der Pandemie präferieren beide Gruppen die digitale Lehre. Im Bereich der digitalen Lehre sind Formate, in denen Dozent*innen und Student*innen zeitgleich miteinander interagieren (synchrone Lehre), gegenüber Formaten, in denen dies nicht möglich ist (asynchrone Lehre), in beiden Gruppen mit größerer Zufriedenheit assoziiert. Die Vorerfahrung der Befragten mit digitaler Lehre sowie die Informationspolitik der Hochschule im Sommersemester 2020 nehmen positiv Einfluss auf das Erleben sowie die Präferenzen für digitale Lehre. Hingegen wirkt sich in beiden Gruppen der im Corona-Semester zu verzeichnende Workload negativ aus.669 lecturers and 279 students were interviewed about their experience of university teaching during the corona pandemic in the summer semester 2020. The results show in both groups that face-to-face teaching is associated with higher satisfaction and that the majority of those interviewed prefer a return to face-to-face teaching after the pandemic. These preferences are more pronounced among lecturers than among students. In times of the pandemic, both groups prefer digital teaching. In the field of digital teaching, formats in which lecturers and students interact with each other simultaneously (synchronous teaching) are associated with greater satisfaction in both groups than formats in which this is not possible (asynchronous teaching). The respondents' previous experience with digital teaching and the university' s information policy in the summer semester 2020 have a positive influence on their experience and preferences for digital teaching. In contrast, the workload recorded in the Corona semester has a negative effect in both groups

The Effect of Innovative Pavement Markings to Facilitate Bicycle Travel

This article is part of the Proceedings of the 6th Annual International Cycling Safety Conference held in Davis, California, USA on September 20th through 23rd in the year 2017.<br><br>Paper ID: 1