Page 8 - CEGE Magazine Spring 2021

FACULTYRESEARCH
INTEGRATING AVs:
Transportation in the New Century
Automated vehicle technologies are closer and more practical than ever before. They promise numerous and broad benefits in terms of safety and efficiency. The next steps are to integrate these new technologies safely into our existing transportation infrastructure. In CEGE, researchers Alireza Khani, Michael Levin, and Raphael Stern are studying the integration of autonomous vehicles (AVs) with transit, intersection controls, and traffic streams.
AVs AND TRANSIT
ALIREZA KHANI
is a transit en- thusiast with a background in engineering. His research focus is on modeling the
impacts of emerging technologies on public transit systems, and optimization of the system for more efficient and reli- able service. He uses network modeling
Dand optimization techniques.
espite societal and environmen-
tal benefits that arise from transit systems, ridership has declined in recent years due to affordability of driving, emergence of ride-hailing
and bike-sharing systems, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Khani and his re- search group tackle issues facing transit agencies in light of these challenges. They research riders’ travel needs and behavior, optimizing cost-effectiveness and the utilization of limited resources, and most importantly, providing fast, reliable, and safe transit systems to gain riders, reduce congestion, and better serve communities with the greatest need for public transportation.
The technological development of AVs is being pursued at a near-reckless pace, but investigation of the impacts
8 CEGE | CSE.UMN.EDU/CEGE
on transit systems is lagging. Khani counters this trend with his focus on integrating AVs and ride-hailing systems
with fixed-route transit systems to maximize the social benefits.
Most cities do not have
enough street capacity
for the desired number of
cars. Cities rely on transit
systems to transport
people. Yet in the sub-
urbs or rural areas with
low demand, transit may
not be a cost-effective
option. Khani develops
optimization models and
algorithms to integrate
high-capacity fixed-route transit sys- tems in a core urban area with flexible, shared-mobility options in low-density suburban or rural areas. Such optimi- zation models are built upon behavioral models reflecting people’s choices in complex multimodal transportation net- works. In an integrated transit system, high-density areas and corridors most suitable for transit would be served by LRT or BRT services, low-density areas would be served by on-demand AVs as first-mile/last-mile access. Simulations show that the integrated system can benefit residents by providing better transportation options and benefit trans-
Fig. 1. Transportation optimization model
portation agencies by better utilizing their limited resources (Fig. 1).
When the COVID-19 outbreak reached US cities in March 2020, transit systems lost more than two-thirds of their rider- ship virtually overnight. Many commut- ers started to work remotely or switched to personal transportation modes. However, people who had to work on- site or those without other transporta- tion options continued to rely on transit for their daily travel needs. Khani’s team proactively initiated a collaboration to use Metro Transit’s system data to help inform policies that would ensure great- er safety for riders.