SELECTED ON-GOING PROJECTS
Below are some major projects that we’re working on. We’re also involved in other (often smaller) projects on related topics — check the finished products here.
Health impacts of exposure to traffic-related air pollution, heat, and noise (4 projects)
These projects aim to assess the exposure level of road users to on-/near-road air pollution, heat, and noise, and their physical and mental health impacts. We focus on the marginalized communities of Columbus, OH to estimate the equity/ disparity in exposure and health impacts across socio-economic strata.
The pilot study was funded by OSU TDAI and SI (PI Le). The ongoing projects are funded by US EPA STAR (PI Hood) and Energy Transition (PI Bielicki).
Electric vehicle (EV) transition: environmental and social impacts
What are the social and environmental impacts of EVs? We’re exploring this topic as part of the US EPA-funded project Energy Transition (PI Bielicki) and independent research.
Online shopping and travel
This project focuses on the effects of online shopping on travel demand and accessibility.
Mood state in transport environments
This project explores the relationship between satisfaction, affinity (a.k.a. the positive utility of travel), and well-being during everyday travel and exposure. The data were collected in Blacksburg-Roanoke, VA; Washington, DC; and Minneapolis, MN from Fall 2016 to Spring 2018 using a smartphone app with real-time survey and GPS tracking for 1-2 weeks.
We are also working on similar studies using mobile app tracking.
Impacts of bicycle networks on bicycle traffic and health
We are investigating the longitudinal effects of bicycle facilities on the rate of bicycling in ~20 metropolitan areas in the US.
OTHER COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
We are collaborating with other research groups on various projects:
Exposure and health / well-being – Dr. Yingling Fan (UMN), Dr. Trevin Glasgow (VCU), Dr. Steve Hankey (VT)
Mobile health and mobile cognition, everyday travel and activities – Dr. Joseph Bayer’s research group (OSU + beyond)
ICT and sustainable transportation – Dr. Andre Carrel’s research group (OSU)
Spatio-temporal patterns of suicides and drug abuse — Dr. Cynthia Fontanella (OSU) research group
COMPLETED PROJECTS
Effects of COVID-19 on travel behavior and accessibility
We investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel patterns and people’s ability to travel. We’re thankful that the pandemic is over and we’re now able to get back to our non-COVID work!
Health and equity of urban bicycling
We used health impact assessment to understand the distributional benefits and risks associated with exposure to crashes and air pollution with a focus on equity. This is a collaborative project with Drs. Lindsay M. Braun (UIUC), Carole Voulgaris and Rachel Nethery (Harvard).
National scale direct demand model of pedestrian and bicycle traffic
This project employs NBPDP data and other count data obtained from local agencies to model peak-period bicycle and pedestrian traffic at the national level. The project enhances the generalizability and transferability of the existing direct-demand models. The final models would aid communities with few or no non-motorized traffic counts in selecting suitable sites to invest bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, as well as quantifying and predicting pollution exposure and crashes.
PI: S. Hankey (Virginia Tech). Funded by MATS-UTC through the USDOT University Transportation Centers Program.
Street Noise Relationship to Vulnerable Road User Safety
This study develops a method for evaluating street noise and documented crash rates for roadways in Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C. using crowdsourced data collected from a smartphone app.
We developed bicycle models to predict bike traffic, which will become inputs to the street noise models.
PI: G. Griffin (Texas A&M University, now at UTSA). Funded by Safe-D UTC through the USDOT University Transportation Centers Program.
Women and Cycling
This study explores women’s cycling behavior through a national survey on women conducted by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP).
[Link to study website] and [Exploratory Analyses]