Recent ucla_its items

Transit Finance at a Precipice: Major Policy Changes Are Needed to Stabilize Public Transit Budgets

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Public transit systems in California sit at a financial crossroads. Ridership has recovered slowly and unevenly since the pandemic, with commuter-focused transit services to and from downtowns continuing to struggle the most. While other sources of transit funding such as sales taxes have recovered, fare revenues have not. As one-time federal relief funding is spent down, some transit agencies in California and across the U.S. sit at the edge of a fiscal cliff. To better understand the scale of this challenge and how agencies are responding, researchers at the UC Institute of Transportation Studies analyzed financial data from transit agencies, examined federal databases, and conducted surveys and interviews with agency staff. This work provides a clearer picture of current conditions and the strategies agencies are considering to stabilize their budgets.

What Happens When Cities Eliminate Minimum Parking Requirements?

Mon, 1 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What Happens When Cities Eliminate Minimum Parking Requirements?

Parking Requirements Drive Up Housing Costs

Mon, 1 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Parking Requirements Drive Up Housing Costs

Minimum Parking Requirements Fuel Driving

Mon, 1 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Minimum Parking Requirements Fuel Driving

A radical idea: Eliminating all curbside parking

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A radical idea: Eliminating all curbside parking

Do Cities Have Too Much Parking?

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Do Cities Have Too Much Parking?

Ambiguity in Defining High-Quality Transit Shapes Where Housing Can Be Built in California

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

“Major transit stop”—how these three words are defined determines what can be built where, throughout much of California. To address housing shortages and reduce reliance on driving, California has enacted a number of laws that streamline housing approvals and remove zoning constraints in areas near high-quality transit. Many of these laws allow for greater density, less parking, and faster permitting within half a mile of a “major transit stop,” defined in California Public Resources Code § 21064.3 as “an existing rail or bus rapid transit station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service,” or “the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 20 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.” In some cases, planned future transit stops included in long-range regional transportation plans may also qualify.

What Are the Best Ways to Organize, Coordinate, and Deliver Public Transit Service in Large Metropolitan Areas? A Research Synthesis

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This report analyzes the optimal organization of public transit service in large U.S. metropolitan areas—like Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area—where multiple operators serve overlapping markets. We synthesize over 50 international and U.S. studies of: (1) regional transit governance and coordination, (2) economies of scale and scope in transit operations, and (3) service contracting. We find that regions gain the most from coordinating front-end, customer-facing functions such as marketing, fares, information, and service planning through a regional association or authority, while leaving back-end service-production and delivery decentralized among sub-regional operators. This approach enhances riders’ travel experience, increases ridership, and improves cost efficiency. Conversely, large-scale transit agency mergers rarely save money and often introduce diseconomies of scale due to increased organizational complexity and higher labor costs. For some large agencies,...

Policies to Improve Transportation Sustainability, Accessibility, and Housing Affordability in the State of California

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This report presents analytical review of empirical research on the interactions between housing availability and production, and travel behavior, accessibility, land use policies, and transportation policies. It identifies lessons from this review for California state legislative efforts to improve housing and transportation linkages, and to increase both transportation sustainability and housing affordability. Relevant California state efforts include legislation to influence parking standards; to require up-zoning near transit stations; to influence regional housing and transportation planning goals; and to change environmental review to focus on reducing vehicle miles traveled instead of accommodating road traffic.

Report from the 2026 UCLA Arrowhead Symposium: New Mobility, Automated Vehicles and Cities

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Automated vehicles are no longer a “coming soon” technology; they are an operational reality reshaping the physical and digital real estate of our cities. The question is no longer if the technology will work, but how we will govern the complex ecosystem it inhabits. The 2026 UCLA Arrowhead Symposium on New Mobility, Automated Vehicles, and Cities shifted the focus beyond technological hype and market speculation to the urgent work of public stewardship.

Tax parking, not housing

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This discussion paper argues that cities should discourage off-street parking by levying a tax — a parking impact fee — on new development. Parking generates environmental and social costs or externalities, and developers, left to their own devices, will provide too many spaces from a societal perspective. A parking impact fee can account for these externalities and provide incentives for developers to reduce the oversupply of parking. One practical way to implement such a fee is to repurpose the transportation impact fees that cities already levy on new development. Rather than the current practice of charging a fee for each housing unit or square foot, which discourages housing and commercial development, cities should charge for each new parking space — discouraging parking instead.

Multi-dimensional Prioritization Tool for Capital Improvement of Hillside Streets in Los Angeles

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This report presents a comprehensive framework for prioritizing capital investment in urban road infrastructure, with a focus on resilience, safety, and equity. The framework addresses the growing challenges of aging road networks, increased traffic demand, and the risks posed by natural hazards such as landslides and wildfires. Using a multi-dimensional tool, the report evaluates road segments in Los Angeles hillside regions based on their importance within the transportation network, physical condition, and hazard exposure. Additionally, it incorporates demographics to ensure that infrastructure investments prioritize underserved communities. The results are further enhanced through a probabilistic framework designed to assess landslide risks in earthquake-prone regions. By combining structural importance with demographic data and hyperlocal assessments, cities can make more informed and equitable infrastructure investment decisions. Recommendations include prioritizing investments...

From Data to Decisions: A Road Prioritization Framework for Resilience, Risk, and Fairness

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ensuring the resilience of urban road networks is essential for public safety and economic stability, especially in cities like Los Angeles that face frequent natural hazards, such as earthquakes, wildfires, and flooding. When making capital investments in such environments, it is equally important to consider fairness in both the decision-making process and its outcomes.In this research study, we developed a data-driven framework and implemented it using a web-based software tool to identify priority road segments for investment. To do this, we rated individual roads on several key attributes, including the importance of the road in the network, level of physical deterioration, and hazard risks such as steep slopes or flood-prone areas. We complemented publicly available data on roads and their attributes with fine-grained “hyperlocal” geospatial information from sensors. Finally, we considered equity by applying socioeconomic indicators of roadway users, which prioritizes roadway...

"Stop” and Think about It: How the Different Interpretations of What Counts as a “Major Transit Stop" in California Make a Difference

Fri, 6 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

“Major transit stop”: how these three words are defined determines what can be built where, throughout much of California. In order to address housing supply constraints, the state legislature has enacted a number of laws that streamline approval and remove zoning constraints in areas close to high-quality transit. But what, exactly, is a “major transit stop”? Planners, developers, and elected officials construe the sparse definition in state law in many ways — though genuine interpretive disagreement, due to modeling and data constraints, and/or in order to serve political goals of encouraging or stymying development. Differences in interpreting the definition of “major transit stop” collectively make a big difference in what areas are covered by state zoning incentives. A maximal approach to defining “major transit stop” grows the eligible area by over three times more than a minimal approach. The area within half a mile of a major transit stop has generally increased over time....

Capturing Transit Rider Perspectives on Safety and Harassment: Lessons from San Francisco

Thu, 5 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Personal safety concerns continue to be one of the most critical issues among transit riders and women and gender minorities in particular. These safety concerns stem from the experience of sexual harassment that people who identify as women face frequently. While harassment can be a common occurrence, the vast majority of these experiences go unreported to transit agencies, leaving agencies without information about the magnitude of this problem on their system. This report details work with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) in their efforts to understand and address this problem. The SFMTA, working with two UCLA graduate students, designed a survey that drew from previous survey efforts and was tailored to address their interests and needs. This report documents the process of developing and deploying the questionnaire, in an effort to help other agencies take the first steps to better understanding rider safety and harassment. Through breaking down SFMTA’s...

Building Transit Safety Surveys that Matter: Lessons from San Francisco Muni

Thu, 5 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Personal safety is a critical issue for transit riders, particularly for women and gender minorities. Safety concerns can stem from experiences of sexual harassment that those who identify as women frequently face. However, most incidents go unreported, leaving transit agencies without information about the magnitude of the problem. UCLA graduate student researchers worked with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) staff to conduct and analyze a survey on their transit system (Muni) of riders’ experiences with harassment, feelings of safety, and potential policy responses. This effort collected 1,613 responses over a two-week period in February and March 2023 through a partnership with the Transit App, a downloadable service for real-time schedule and location tracking of buses and trains. Similar to previous studies, harassment was common: two-thirds of respondents experienced harassment themselves, and around the same share witnessed it. Safety perceptions...

Professional Drivers: Automobile Debt and Financial Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thu, 5 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This report synthesizes three primary data sources—credit data, unemployment claims data, and small business loan and grant data—to explore the financial conditions of those who drive for a living before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in California. Automobile debt was high among groups likely to contain professional drivers. The occupational categories in which many drivers fall had high absolute and relative levels of automobile debt compared to other workers. After the onset of the pandemic, unemployment rose dramatically in the transportation industry and in transportation occupations, peaking at rates higher than the national average. However, state unemployment claims data, among transportation employee claimants only, show less of a spike. Contractor drivers lived in areas with more Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, a special program for self-employed workers like gig drivers. Finally, contractor drivers received unprecedented but uneven federal small business...

Women Have Smaller Activity Spaces Than Men, Especially in Households with Children

Thu, 5 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Differences in how men and women travel have long been a focus in transportation research. Many studies have explored how socially-defined gender roles influence travel decisions and behaviors, consistently highlighting disparities between men’s and women’s travel patterns. For example, compared to men, women tend to make more caregiving and household-related trips, have shorter commutes, and are more likely to combine multiple destinations or purposes into a single tour. This body of research often concentrates on standard measures of travel—such as the number of trips taken, how far and for how long people travel, and travelers’ experiences— while also considering the influence of neighborhood design. However, travel patterns also are shaped by broader social structures and inequalities, which are not captured by these traditional measures

Mapping the Potential of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Across Transportation Sectors in California

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This report develops a transportation hydrogen roadmap for California projected to 2045, building on previous UC ITS work, in part for the ARCHES hydrogen hub for trucks and ports. This study adds modes such as airports, aircraft, rail systems, and fuel-cell light-duty vehicles. Based on a scenario of high adoption of hydrogen-fueled transport, these modes and sectors would use 1000 tonnes/day of hydrogen by 2035 and 5000 tonnes/day by 2045. To 2035, about 40% of the expected growth occurs in heavy-duty trucking. Another 20% is used by other truck types, about 20% by light-duty vehicles, and 20% by other modes, notably shipping and aviation. These shares remain similar to 2045. Trucking remains the dominant driver of demand. Shipping, aviation, and rail are not anticipated to account for an increasing share of demand in the scenarios in this study. This hydrogen fuel system would support around 6,000 jobs per year. Hydrogen vehicle adoption will depend on strong policy support,...

The Impacts of Minimum Parking Requirements: A Research Synthesis

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This report synthesizes research on the impacts of parking infrastructure, the effects of minimum parking requirements, and the outcomes in cities that have repealed them. Parking infrastructure has negative impacts on urban design, environmental sustainability, and walkability, while increasing car ownership and driving. Minimum parking requirements contribute to parking oversupply and constrain new development. Research finds that eliminating minimums not only slows the expansion of new parking but also encourages adaptive reuse, supports more housing development in areas where minimums are removed, and expands housing options by enabling smaller units. Ultimately, the evidence indicates that repealing mandates facilitates more affordable, sustainable, and economically vibrant cities.

Organizing and Delivering Public Transit Service in California

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California’s large metropolitan areas, particularly greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, are each served by dozens of distinct transit operators. This fragmentation creates a disjointed experience for many riders—who face different fares, schedules, and route maps—and can create inefficiencies in service delivery. Accordingly, we reviewed international and U.S. studies of organization and coordination for insights on the most effective governance structures for public transit. Specifically, we examined whether consolidating transit agencies into larger entities or coordinating specific functions across existing agencies can improve ridership, cost-efficiency, and equity.

No Such Thing as Free Parking: Construction Costs in 17 U.S. Cities

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Across the United States, zoning codes require new developments to provide a minimum number of parking spaces, which carry substantial construction costs. In this report, we use 2025 construction cost estimates from Rider Levett Bucknall to calculate the cost per space in 17 U.S. cities and combine these data with local minimum parking requirements to estimate how parking mandates increase total construction costs across building types. We find that parking construction costs have risen substantially faster than inflation since 2012 and that required parking can account for a large share of total project costs—adding tens of thousands of dollars per housing unit and, in some cases, increasing total construction costs by more than 50%. These findings can help inform evaluations of the economic and development impacts of maintaining minimum parking requirements.

How California cities respond to state-level parking reform

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In 2022, California became the first state to eliminate parking requirements in certain neighborhoods. Assembly Bill 2097 (AB 2097) prohibits, in most circumstances, local governments from imposing parking requirements within a half-mile of an existing or planned major transit stop such as a rail station, ferry terminal, or the intersection of frequent bus routes. We examined how cities are responding to this new statewide law and draw out lessons for parking policy as well as other types of state preemption of local land use regulations.

Vehicle access and falling transit ridership: evidence from Southern California

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We examine pre-COVID declines in transit ridership, using Southern California as a case study. We first illustrate Southern California’s unique position in the transit landscape: it is a large transit market that demographically resembles a small one. We then draw on administrative data, travel diaries, rider surveys, accessibility indices, and Census microdata for Southern California, and demonstrate a strong association between rising private vehicle access, particularly among the populations most likely to ride transit, and falling transit use. Because we cannot control quantitatively for the endogeneity between vehicle acquisition and transit use, our results are not causal. Nevertheless, the results strongly suggest that increasing private vehicle access helped depress transit ridership. Given Southern California’s similarity to most US transit markets, we conclude that vehicle access may have played a role in transit losses across the US since 2000.

An Abundance Agenda for Transportation

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Transportation provides physical links between geographic places and across geographic scales. Mobility allows people to meet their needs by providing physical access to opportunities, goods, and services. An abundance policy for transportation should support broader abundance through access: making it easier for everyone to get to what they need. Allowing people to access their needs means 1) supplying more mobility choices, especially increasing the quality of more affordable and efficient choices, and 2) supporting land use policy and government programs that facilitate access within neighborhoods, multimodal hubs, or over smaller distances.

Reconnecting Communities: Recommendations for Caltrans Excess Land

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What changes to policies and procedures at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) would increase transfers of agency-owned excess land to California Native American Tribes and groups negatively impacted by freeway development? Using case studies on LandBack and reparations and qualitative research with Caltrans staff and community advisory groups, the research team developed recommendations for Caltrans’ excess land process, community performance measures, an overview of relevant policies, and examples of land return around the state.

A Path Forward for Transit Rider Experience and Safety: Lessons from the LA Metro Ambassador Pilot Program

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A growing number of U.S. transit agencies are adding transit ambassadors to their systems to improve the customer service and safety experience for passengers. These personnel can play a variety of different roles, including providing wayfinding, system navigation, fare payment support, and other passenger support roles that enhance the customer experience. This research examines the Los Angeles Metro’s transit ambassador program, which began as a pilot in 2022 and is moving in-house in 2025 as a permanent program. Ambassadors provide key customer service functions that are not filled elsewhere. Ambassadors spend most of their time with vital, basic tasks of orienting and aiding riders; they also assist with the first level of homelessness response, with crisis de-escalation, and by administering Narcan to prevent overdoses. Broadly, they provide more eyes on the system and offer a highly visible presence to riders. Training during the pilot period was customer-service oriented...

Equity in Transportation Payments: A Study for the California Department of Transportation

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study identifies equity challenges in current transportation payment systems, specifically for transit, parking,and vehicle tolls. The methodology included comprehensive literature reviews, an inventory of 49 global transitsystems, seven case studies, and expert interviews to assess payment accessibility, technical rules,interoperability, and user privacy.The study found that current systems disproportionately burden low-income, unbanked, and disabled usersthrough high complexity and lack of cash-equivalent options. To mitigate this, the report recommends designingand deploying a California Mobility Card (CMC). The CMC would be a reloadable, prepaid transportation cardoperating on an existing, widespread payment network, offering cash-equivalent anonymity, seamless crosssystemtravel, and automatic access to discounts like fare capping.

The LA Metro Transit Ambassador Pilot Program Shows Promise in Improving Customer Experience and Safety on Transit

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Transit agencies across the country are rethinking how to improve the customer service and safety experience for riders. One promising approach is the use of transit ambassadors that provide a visible, customer-focused presence at stations and on vehicles. Ambassadors help riders navigate the system; answer questions about schedules, routes, and fare payment; and help riders access assistance when needed. Los Angeles Metro launched its transit ambassador program as a pilot in 2022, initially contracting with two private firms to deploy ambassadors across its system. Within a year, the program expanded to roughly 300 ambassadors systemwide. Figure 1 illustrates LA Metro’s public safety ecosystem at the time of the program’s launch, showing how ambassadors fit alongside other unarmed and enforcement-based teams in supportingrider safety.

A Century of Transportation Studies at UCLA: 1925-2025

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

UCLA has been a leader in transportation research and education for better than a century. This history spans five distinct eras: (i) beginning the in 1920s with a focus on street traffic; (ii) expanding after World War II to encompass traffic safety, environmental issues, and transportation engineering; (iii) focusing on the social and behavioral aspects of travel in the 1970s and 1980s; (iv) establishing a new transportation research center focused on policy and planning from the early 1990s; (v) and finally becoming part of a multidisciplinary, multi-campus research consortium in the mid-2010s. This white paper documents that history and the key individuals who made it possible.

The Equity and Policy Implications of Long-Distance Commuting in the Greater Los Angeles Region

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The phenomenon of very long commutes, or “super-commutes,” has long interested the public, planners, elected officials, and researchers. US researchers define super-commuting as one-way commutes over 50 miles or 90 minutes. We draw on multiple data sources to examine the prevalence, characteristics, and location of super-commuters in the greater Los Angeles region. We then use individual and household data to examine super-commuting and housing and transportation (H+T) expenditure burdens in California. We find that super-commuters are a relatively small, albeit growing, share of workers in the greater Los Angeles region who are more likely to be higher-income than other workers. Low-income super-commuters are about six times as likely as higherincome super-commuters to travel by bus. Across all income groups, super-commuter households have slightly higher H+T burdens than non-super-commuter households. However, the contribution of super-commuting to the H+T expenditure burden...

The Equity and Policy Implications of Long-Distance Commuting in California and the Greater Los Angeles Region Research Brief

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Equity and Policy Implications of Long-Distance Commuting in California and the Greater Los Angeles Region Research Brief

Advancing Procedural Equity in Environmental Benefit Programs: Insights from California’s Electric Vehicle Purchase Programs

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) offers several benefit programs that support residents with the transition to electric vehicles. The Clean Vehicle Assistance Program (CVAP) provided grants and financing to help low-income households purchase or lease electric vehicles from 2018–2024. The Access Clean California (ACC) program streamlines access to clean transportation incentives through a network of community outreach partners. This study examines procedural equity in these two programs through interviews with CARB staff, program administrators, community partners, and program participants. We conclude CVAP fell short in several ways, including insufficient community engagement and a lack of targeted outreach, funding instability resulting in frequent program closures, and challenges insuccessfully distributing low-interest loans, while the ACC program has not fully simplified incentive access. We recommend improved transparency in program reporting, regular third-party...

Bridging the Procedural Equity Divide in California’s Electric Vehicle Incentive Programs

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California’s goal of transitioning all vehicles sold in the state to zero-emission models by 2035 is pivotal to addressing climate change and advancing environmental justice. However, achieving this transition equitably requires targeted efforts to address the financial and social barriers that low-income and disadvantaged communities face. As a leader in clean transportation initiatives, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has long offered several benefit programs that support residents with the transition to electric vehicles, including the Clean Vehicle Assistance Program (CVAP) and Access Clean California (ACC). CVAP, which operated from 2018-2024, provided grants and loan financing to help low-income households purchase or lease electric vehicles. ACC, launched in 2018, uses an extensive statewide community outreach network of community-based organizations (CBOs) to connect eligible residents with a range of clean transportation and energy benefits.

Putting Automobile Debt on the Map: Race and the Geography of Automobile Debt in California

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Most U.S. metropolitan areas developed alongside the automobile, producing neighborhoods of relatively low density. Consequently, access to opportunities in these neighborhoods is predicated on having an automobile, yet many households do not have the resources to purchase one outright, relying on automobile loans to spread out the purchase price. While automobile loans can enable automobile ownership, they also significantly increase the vehicle purchase price, particularly for non-white consumers subject to discriminatory lending practices.In this study, we rely on data from the University of California Consumer Credit Panel from Experian to examine the determinants and geography of automobile debt and its consequences in California, testing whether various automobile debt measures disproportionately affect non-white neighborhoods.We find that, controlling for other factors associated with automobile lending including income, Black and Latino/a neighborhoods have higher total...

State of the BART: Analyzing the Determinants of Bay Area Rapid Transit Use in the 2010s

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Peaking on public transit—the concentration of ridership in peak times and directions into and out of central areas—has waxed in the U.S. over the past century, as public transit has lost more mode share at off-peak times, in off-peak directions, and among non-commute trips. A notable pre-pandemic manifestation of this chronic problem was on Bay Area Rapid Transit, the San Francisco Bay Area’s regional heavy rail system. While BART staved off an absolute ridership decline longer than most American transit operators in the mid- and late-2010s, it did so almost entirely due to peak gains in riders offsetting off-peak losses. As a result, the system experienced worsening passenger crowding at some times and places, expanding underutilization of capacity at many others, and the prospect of enormous expenditures to accommodate rising transbay passenger demand. To examine the factors driving transit use in the 2010s, we model peak and off-peak BART trips as a function of station...

Transit's Financial Prognosis: Findings from a Survey of U.S. Transit Systems during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic occasioned significant financial distress and uncertainty for many U.S. transit operators. In the face of this crisis, the federal government provided substantial supplemental operating support. To understand how this fiscal turmoil and relief have affected U.S. transit systems, we conducted two nationwide surveys of transit agency staff in 2020 and 2021-2022. While pandemic-induced financial shortfalls affected service in 2020, with capital projects delayed too, these effects became much more muted by 2021/2022. Most systems reported moderate to substantial increases in federal funding during the pandemic, more so than other funding categories. However, nearly half foresee financial shortfalls once federal relief funding expires. Agencies with higher pre-pandemic ridership and farebox recovery are particularly affected by fare revenue losses and more likely to anticipate shortfalls. In the near term, difficulty hiring and retaining front-line workers was...

Capacity Building is Key for Accelerating Open-loop Payments Adoption Among Transit Agencies

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Open-loop payments systems allow riders to pay fares using general-purpose payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, or mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), rather than being limited to a single transit agency’s own payment system. Broad adoption of open-loop payments offers major benefits for public transit, including lower costs, greater convenience for riders, and improved operational efficiency. The California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) has helped pave the way for transit agencies interested in this technology by providing resources, guidance, and hands-on support. Cal-ITP works directly with transit agencies to address known challenges and identify solutions to emerging barriers. Understanding how agencies decide whether to adopt open-loop and other technologies is key to ensuring the effectiveness of programs like Cal-ITP. To explore this, we surveyed transit agencies in California to identify the factors that influence adoption of open-loop payments.

Evaluating All-Way Stops, Neighborhood Traffic Circles and Mini-Roundabouts in Los Angeles

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Evaluating All-Way Stops, Neighborhood Traffic Circles and Mini-Roundabouts in Los Angeles

Intersection Traffic Calming Treatments: A Comparative Analysis

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This capstone evaluates the effectiveness of three residential intersection treatments, all-way stop control, neighborhood traffic circles, and mini-roundabouts, in reducing vehicle speeds, a key factor in traffic safety. In response to growing cut-through traffic on residential streets and the City of Los Angeles’ efforts through Vision Zero and the Mobility Plan, this study combines a literature review with a before-and-after analysis of 33 intersections across the city using weighted averages and paired t-tests. Results show mixed outcomes for all-way stop conversions, with some intersections showing reduced speeds and others showing little change or increases, likely due to limited driver compliance. Neighborhood traffic circles, on the other hand, consistently reduced both average and 85th percentile speeds, especially at locations with greater physical deflection, confirming their effectiveness as a traffic calming tool. Mini-roundabouts, while promising in the literature,...

Connecting the First and Last Mile: A Systematic Review of StudentUse of E-scooters for First/Last-mile Connections to PublicTransit

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

"Students on university campuses have several available options for travel, including cars, buses, and micromobility, the latter of which encompasses bicycles and more recently, shared e-scooters (e-scooters). E-scooters are lightweight, electric vehicles which can be rented or purchased easily. They offer an ideal option to close the first/last-mile gap between a public transit stop or station and someone’s origin or destination, a niche use for students that has not been well studied. To address this gap in the literature, this paper offers a systematic review of literature from 2017 to 2025, focusing on the characteristics of students who rent e-scooters specifically for first/last-mile transportation. It also examines how these students differ from the broader population of e-scooter users. Limited yet growing evidence suggests that although students are not at present a key user base for e-scooters for first/last-mile connections, those currently using micromobility express...

Who’s to Blame for E-scooter Collisions?: An Analysis of the Language Used in E-scooter Collision Reporting

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The growing popularity of electric scooters (e-scooters) in urban environments has led to increased media coverage on their perceived danger both to the rider and to other users of the roadway. Media surrounding traffic collisions has long been criticized by safety researchers and activists for implicitly assigning blame to more vulnerable road users through the passive voice, and through framing roadway deaths as tragic accidents, rather than a systemic public health issue. In this paper, I analyzed recent news articles on e-scooter collisions in the United States to determine how e-scooters, a relatively new form of mobility, are described in collision narratives. Most articles discussing e-scooter collisions with vehicle drivers used the passive voice to remove explicit blame, but used the active voice when describing a collision between an e-scooter and a pedestrian. This pattern indicates a continued motor vehicle bias in social conceptions of traffic collisions and a potential...

Older Adults are Driving Later in Life, but Getting Out Less

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Like much of the developed world, the U.S. is aging. Between 1920 and 2020, the number of people 65 and older in the U.S. grew almost five times faster than the population as a whole. Between 2000 and 2010, the 65+ population grew from 15.1 percent of the U.S. population to 16.8 percent (to 55.8 million people) between 2010 and 2020 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Given this substantial growth, the mobility patterns of older travelers are consequential but have only been lightly studied post-pandemic. To address this gap, we analyzed data from the National Household Travel Surveys (NHTS) for 2001, 2009, 2017, and 2022 on the travel behavior of older adults in their 60s, 70s, and up compared with middle-aged and younger travelers. The NHTS contains information about trips taken by all household members on a designated survey day for a representative set of U.S. households.

Headed Out Less: Analyzing Teen and Young Adult Travel Trends in the 21st Century

Mon, 4 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Since the turn of the millennium, daily travel per person in the U.S. has been declining. Leading up to the pandemic, travel by older teens and young adults declined even more steeply than among older adults. After collapsing early in the pandemic, per capita travel by all ages has rebounded, but remains below pre-pandemic levels. To explore changes in personal travel, particularly among younger travelers, we examine National Household Travel Survey data from 2001, 2009, 2017, and 2022 to compare measures of everyday travel by youth (aged 15 to 29) with middle-aged adults (aged 30 to 59). The data presented in this report point to even lower levels of youth travel compared to pre-pandemic levels. Trips for all purposes have declined in absolute terms, especially for shopping/errands and, for youth in particular, social/recreational purposes. In relative terms, private vehicle use has increased, and travel by public transit and active modes has decreased. These shifts in personal...

Balancing Climate Goals and Housing Needs in California

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Balancing Climate Goals and Housing Needs in California

Who’s Missing a Ride? Unequal Mobility Support in Los Angeles County’s Social Programs

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Who’s Missing a Ride? Unequal Mobility Support in Los Angeles County’s Social Programs

Investing in the LA RiverWay: Aligning Development with Community Benefits

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Investing in the LA RiverWay: Aligning Development with Community Benefits

Past Pathways, Present Inequities: Historical Transit Access in San Francisco’s Lakeview, Oceanview, Merced Heights and Ingleside Terraces Neighborhoods

Tue, 1 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Past Pathways, Present Inequities: Historical Transit Access in San Francisco’s Lakeview, Oceanview, Merced Heights and Ingleside Terraces Neighborhoods

Closing Gaps in EV Fast Charging for Urban Renters in Los Angeles County

Tue, 1 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Closing Gaps in EV Fast Charging for Urban Renters in Los Angeles County

Broxton Plaza: An Avenue for Revitalization and Mobility in Westwood Village

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Broxton Plaza: An Avenue for Revitalization and Mobility in Westwood Village

Improving walkability, bikeability and transit connections in Sawtelle

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Improving walkability, bikeability and transit connections in Sawtelle

The Concrete Solution: Rethinking Parking Garages for Urban Vehicle Residency

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This report examines the growing yet understudied phenomenon of urban vehicle residency, wherein economically active individuals, including professionals, retirees, and students—reside in personal vehicles due to housing constraints and shifting employment norms. Despite their stable engagement in urban economies, these residents are systematically excluded from infrastructure access through restrictive parking policies and service models misaligned with their needs. Using ethnographic interviews and spatial analysis, the study identifies three distinct resident typologies: Strategic Budgeters, Lifestyle Optimizers, and Self-Sufficient Nomads. While their motivations vary, all emphasize the need for legal, safe parking and basic infrastructure, while expressing resistance to institutionalized or service-heavy programs. The report reframes vehicle residency as a form of housing innovation and proposes the adaptive reuse of underutilized municipal parking garages as a scalable,...

Beyond Removal, Toward Repair: An Assessment of Restorative Justice and Gentrification Prevention in Reconnecting Communities Pilot Projects

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Beyond Removal, Toward Repair: An Assessment of Restorative Justice and Gentrification Prevention in Reconnecting Communities Pilot Projects

Learning from Bike Boulevards in Long Beach, Albuquerque, and Minneapolis

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Learning from Bike Boulevards in Long Beach, Albuquerque, and Minneapolis

Broxton Plaza: A Strategy for Community Revitalization in Westwood

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study evaluates the impacts of pedestrianizing a segment of Broxton Avenue in Westwood Village, Los Angeles. Broxton Plaza was developed as a through-block pedestrian plaza to promote walkability, support local businesses, and revitalize Westwood’s identity as a pedestrian-oriented college town, especially in lieu of the upcoming Metro D Line, and 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.For this research, a variety of methods were used including surveys, interviews, counts, and field observations between January 2025 to May 2025. The analysis focused on the plaza’s impacts on pedestrian activity, business engagement, traffic and delivery logistics, design and accessibility, transit and traffic patterns, event programming, and overall community perception.Key findings include strong support for the plaza with survey respondents rating its impact on Westwood an average of 4.45 out of 5, which indicates a highly positive perception of its contribution to the neighborhood. There...

Los Angeles County Joint Development

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Los Angeles County is experiencing a worsening housing affordability crisis, with 46.8% of renters classified as housing cost-burdened and median home prices increasing by over 40% since 2020. These pressures have contributed to rising homelessness, with 65,312 unhoused individuals counted in 2024. Concurrently, both the County and the City of Los Angeles are falling short of their Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) targets, underscoring a persistent supply-demand imbalance. However, the County’s expanding transportation system—funded through Measures R and M—presents an opportunity to advance Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) as a tool for addressing housing, equity, and climate goals. TOD not only facilitates affordable housing near high-quality transit but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports mobility for low-income communities. LA Metro’s existing Joint Development Program, which aims to deliver 10,000 housing units across 20 transit sites, offers a successful...

Sawtelle Mobility Study

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

By 2027, the Sawtelle neighborhood on Los Angeles’ westside will be uniquely positioned between the existing Metro E Line and the upcoming Metro D Line. The introduction of the D Line is expected to bring changing mobility demands and travel patterns as more people enter and pass through Sawtelle. This shift, along with the city’s implementation of pedestrian and bicycle improvements outlined in its Mobility Plan 2035, creates an opportunity to prioritize safe, multimodal transportation for all Sawtelle residents and visitors. In light of these developments, the West Los Angeles Sawtelle Mobility and Environmental Committee (MEC), a standing committee of the West Los Angeles Sawtelle Neighborhood Council, partnered with the researcher to launch the Sawtelle Mobility Study. Through an online survey, pop-up events, and a walk audit, the study gathered direct input from community members about their mobility needs and priorities.Key findings from the community outreach events reflect...

Strategic Scoring and Selection: Balancing Tradeoffs in the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California faces significant challenges related to housing affordability and climate vulnerability, especially in rural and disadvantaged communities. The Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grant program, administered by the California Strategic Growth Council, seeks to address these issues by funding affordable housing projects near public transit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This research critically examines the AHSC program’s scoring and selection methodologies, highlighting structural biases that disadvantage rural applicants due to lower scores on greenhouse gas reduction metrics. Utilizing quantitative analysis of historical application data from four recent funding cycles and qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with program administrators and stakeholders, the study identifies key areas of imbalance, such as geographic allocation practices leading to suboptimal environmental outcomes and scoring methodologies inadequately capturing...

Unlocking the Potential of the LA Riverway: TOD and Land Value Capture Strategies

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This policy brief examines the potential for land value capture (LVC) strategies to fund the completion of the Los Angeles River Bikeway (LARiverWay) through the San Fernando Valley, a critical gap in the city’s active transportation network. Despite strong regional momentum around river revitalization, several segments remain unfunded. This report analyzes three incomplete segments—4, 5, and 7—through a one-mile radius land use, demographic, and zoning study. Findings reveal divergent development patterns north and south of the river. The north side exhibits more flexible zoning, higher renter-occupancy rates, and stronger housing demand, suggesting greater LVC feasibility. In contrast, the south side is constrained by single-family zoning and lower growth. The report recommends tailoring LVC tools, such as commercial linkage fees, to fit neighborhood conditions. It also proposes reclassifying the bikeway as a transit corridor to unlock Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) incentives...

EV Public Fast Charging for Urban Renters