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Projects Updates for theme: Transportation

  1. This Week in Research

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Agrivoltaics: Crop Production and Solar Panels on the Same Land
    Geothermal on Campus
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Support the MTD Bus System
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    What do giant grasses, micro grids, deep wells, and hydrogen-powered buses all have in common? They are all part of a clean energy future that is being imagined, created, and tested here at UIUC. The breadth of our energy research portfolio, across all of the campus and the broader C-U community, is truly impressive. Here are just a few examples:

    Solar Farm 2.0 will soon be home to a newly awarded, $10M project led by Madhu Khanna to optimize the design of "Agrivoltaics," or fields with both crops and solar panels to maintain crop production, produce renewable energy, and increase farm profitability. A few miles to the east, the Energy Farm boasts extensive test plots to study how to grow and use plants as biofuel. The farm is using a biomass boiler to replace propane as the fuel source for its main research greenhouse. The Energy Farm is also home to one of dozens of geothermal wells on campus that are helping scientists like Yu-Feng Lin develop better geothermal systems, while on the north side of campus, the new Campus Instructional Facility is heated and cooled with a state-of-the art geothermal system. Nuclear power is expected to play an important role in meeting our campus ICAP goals, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission hosted a hearing last week to seek input on our plans to site a next-generation, micronuclear reactor near the Abbott Power Plant. Integrating renewable energy sources into the power grid presents unique challenges, and Illinois power system researchers, including Alejandro Domínguez-García, are working to develop microgrid technology to address issues of reliability and resilience. Meanwhile, researchers such as Petros Sofronis are working on a bold new vision for national leadership in the emerging hydrogen economy. (It might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the CUMTD just launched two hydrogen-powered, zero-emission buses—the first in the state!) 

    There is only one way I can wrap up a message about our campus energy research: The future looks bright, indeed!

    Sincerely,

    Susan

  2. Walkability Audit: Training sessions

    Associated Project(s): 
    Walkability Study

    From Nov 1- Nov 6, 2021, Sarthak and Sutapa have been conducting training sessions (Virtual and In-person) for the Walkability Audit project. A total of 31 volunteers have been divided into 9 teams of 3 (or 4) volunteers each and have been assigned map blocks and unique id's to perform the survey. Detailed maps of the assigned blocks showing the sidewalks, buildings, building entrances and other key areas has been sent to each team member. 

    The Virtual training sessions are designed get a walkthrough of the Training Manual in order to get the volunteers familiar with the questions of the survey and key concepts that they might come across while performing the audit. It also introduces how to Download, log into and use the ArcGIS survey 123 app. Any questions or queries the volunteers had regarding the surveys were solved during these virtual sessions.

    The In-person data collection training sessions were designed for the volunteers to get familiar with the ArcGIS survey 123 app and to correctly input their observations for both the surveys. Volunteers were asked to move around map blocks of the Illini union or the F&S building (1501 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL) to collect test data and sample deficiencies were identified during the test walk. The deadline for the volunteers to complete the data collection is 20th Nov 2021.

     

    Timeslot(s) for the Virtual Training Sessions:


    Nov 1, Mon 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM


    Nov 1, Mon 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM


    Nov 2, Tue 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM


    Nov 2, Tue 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM


    Nov 3, Wed 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM


    Nov 3, Wed 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

    Nov 4, Thu 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

    Nov 5, Fri 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

    Nov 5, Fri 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

    Nov 6, Sat 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

     

    Timeslot(s) for the In-Person Training Sessions:


    Nov 2, Tue 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM at Illini Union


    Nov 3, Wed 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM at F&S (1501 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL)


    Nov 4, Thu 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM at F&S (1501 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL)

    Nov 4, Thu 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM at Illini Union

    Nov 5, Fri 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM at F&S (1501 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL)

    Nov 5, Fri 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM at Illini Union

    Nov 6, Fri 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM at Illini Union

    Attached Files: 

  3. October Transportation iCAP Team Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike
    Walkability Study
    Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC)
    Fleet Replacement Plans

    The Transportation iCAP team met on Friday, October 29th for its monthly meeting. The team discussed the plans for the proposed Commuter Program, the Walkability Audit, and the Campus Transportation Advisory Committee. Additionally, steps will be taken to pick up the Fleet Replacement Recommendation and the EV Task Force Member Recommendation.

    Meeting Recording

     

    Attached Files: 

  4. Weekly Update: Busier than expected; Kids' Bikes Giveaway

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, I jinxed it. I said we’d be slower last week sine it rained a lot but then people kept showing up. Finished up a bike for Wednesday or Friday and it didn’t sell immediately, so looks like demand is waning a little.

    This week I’ll work on doing preliminary checks/sorting of Kids’ Bikes for our giveaway. I also ordered a rebuild kit for each of our truing stands, which’ll help get those back in good working order. I’ll get those installed this week as well.

    I’ll also poke around on the LGL database as to why it is not registering new membership forms.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 31
    Sales: $281
    Tires/tubes: 6 for $35

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  6. Walkability Audit Training Information Packet

    Associated Project(s): 
    Walkability Study

    Hello all,

     

    Thank you so much for helping out with data collection for the Walkability Audit project. As you all already know, the primary objective of this project is to conduct a thorough analysis of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus sidewalk network. Two surveys will be used to assess the walkway infrastructure on campus:

    1. Walkability Audit questionnaire: Assesses the general walkability of the map blocks
    2. Deficiency Reporting survey: Identifies specific deficiencies within a map block

     

    This project will help us identify the areas that are good for walking and areas that require attention. Data collected from this study will create a prioritization list of sidewalk preservation and improvement projects that will subsequently be used to create a Campus Walking Master Plan.

     

    All volunteers are required to fill out this form (https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/461765201) by Monday, November 1, 2021 12:00 PM for your preferred (3 preferences for each training) date and time for the

    • Virtual Training sessions (1 virtual training required) via Zoom
    • In-Person Test Data Collection training sessions (1-test data collection is required, more encouraged) at Illini Union and F&S (1501 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL)

     

    Please see attached the Walkability Audit Volunteer Training Manual. I recommend that you all go through this document before the training sessions. We will go over the training manual during the virtual training and answer any question you many have there. During the test data collection training, we will walk around a block and test the surveys.

     

    All volunteers will use their smart phones to collect data. So make sure that your phones are fully charged because the ArcGIS Survey123 app will use your current location and it will drain your battery. You all need to download the ArcGIS Survey123 app:

    1. For android users: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.esri.survey123
    2. For iOS users: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/arcgis-survey123/id993015031

     

    Once downloaded, you will all use the same F&S Data Collector login for this study! Once you have downloaded the app,

    • Click on “Sign in using ArcGIS Online”
    • On the next screen, use the following login information
      • Username: FandSDataCollector
      • Password: 2022UIwalk
    • On the Top-right corner of the screen, click on the initials
    • Click on Download Surveys
      • Download the 2021 UI Campus Deficiency Reporting survey
      • Download the 2021 UI Campus Walkability Audit survey

     

    I have divided all the volunteers in teams of fours (our own Fantastic 4s!) and assigned map blocks that each team has to cover. I will send more details about the teams and your assignments in a separate email (to the teams) in a bit. You can begin collecting data after you have completed both of the training sessions. I want this data by before the Fall break (Saturday, November 20, 2021).

     

    I highly appreciate your time and effort! Your help is invaluable to us and this project will have a real long-term impact on the University! Thank you,

    Sarthak

     

    Sarthak Prasad

    Sustainable Transportation Assistant

    Facilities & Services

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    Phone: 217-300-9575

    Email: sprasad9 at illinois.edu

     

  7. Walkability Audit: Group meeting before training sessions begin

    Associated Project(s): 
    Walkability Study

    On Tuesday October 26, 2021, all members involved in the Walkability Audit project met to discuss the Final draft of the Walkability Audit Training manual. The Training Manual covers the following sections:

    1. Objective of the project, introduction and timeline

    2. Map of the campus divided into larger map blocks and smaller mini blocks

    3. Volunteer assignment

    4. Directions to perform the audit

    5. Detailed steps to download and use the ArcGIS survey 123 App.

    6. Instructions for '2021 UI Campus Walkability audit survey' (General questionnaire of 40 questions with explanation and diagrams)

    7. Instructions for '2021 UI Campus Deficiency reporting survey' ( Specific questionnaire detailing deficiencies under 8 categories)

     

    Previous comments/suggestions for both the surveys were taken into account and incorporated in order to create the final list of questions for the surveys. (Please see attached pdf) During the meeting, Stacey brought up the possibility of having a multiple choice option for the Deficiency reporting survey since there is a possibility of encountering more than 1 deficiency at the same location. However, due to the inability of the ArcGIS survey 123 app to register more than one deficiency per submission, we had to move forward with the previously decided 1 deficiency per submission option. 

    Training sessions will be held next week, everyday from Nov 1- Nov 6 (Virtual training sessions and in-person training sessions) for 1 hour each. These sessions are for the volunteers to understand how to use the ArcGIS survey 123 app and the nuances of the questions included in the audit for both the surveys. The deadline for the volunteers to complete the data collection is 20th Nov 2021.

     

  8. Weekly Update: Slow week; Outside event with Urbana Parks District; Kid's Bike Giveaway

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Slower week as per usual with the coming of fall. We’re still mostly sold out of bikes as the ones we have been getting in are finicky and in need of uncommon parts.

    Last week, I tentatively set up an outside event for the spring with the Urbana Parks District. More details as that event develops.

    This week we’ll also get to planning for our participation/role in this winter’s Kid’s Bike Giveaway. We’ve certainly got the bikes for it!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 32
    Sales: $366
    Memberships: 6 for $180
    Tires/tubes: 8 for $35

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  9. EV Procurement Law in Illinois

    Associated Project(s): 
    Electric Vehicle (EV) Task Force
    Use Electric Vehicles (EV)
    Fleet Replacement Plans

    EO 2108, ELECTRIC VEHICLE PROCUREMENT. The executive order provides that the state shall: (1) develop and implement a program for procurement of electric and other low emission or zero emission vehicles for state purposes; (2) establish a State Fleet Working Group convened by the Department of Central Management Services and composed of representatives from the Department of Transportation, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the Illinois Commerce Commission; (3) set forth the responsibilities of the working group; (4) direct the Department of Central Management Services, in conjunction with other state agencies, to develop a plan to install electric vehicle chargers on state property; and (5) direct the Illinois State Board of Education to collaborate with the Department of Transportation and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to develop tools and provide information to assist school districts in assessing the benefits and costs of zero emission bus options when replacing school buses. The executive order became effective 22 APR 21.

    https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2108&GAID=16&DocTypeID=EO&SessionID=110&GA=102

    https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/Executive-Orders/ExecutiveOrder2021-08.a...

  10. Walkability Audit: Week 9 meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Walkability Study

    On Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, Oct 19, 22, 23, 2021, Sutapa and Sarthak met to work on the Training Manual for the Walkability Audit. 

    The training manual is designed for the volunteers to understand the project better before starting their audits next week. The training manual entails the following sections (more details included in the attached word doc):

    1. Introduction to the Project

    2. Maps of the site of intervention

    3. Directions for volunteers

    4. Understanding the Walkability Audit questionnaire- Each question explained with figures for key concepts

    5. Understanding the Deficiency Reporting questionnaire- Categories of deficiencies with an example of how to collect data

    The draft manual has been sent to everyone involved in the project for their perusal before finally sending it to the volunteers.

    Volunteer list has also been processed. They have been divided into teams and assigned map blocks to audit. The list of teams along with the training manual will be sent to all the volunteers shortly after 26th Oct ( Tuesday's meeting).

  11. Vision Zero - Final report presentation by Ray and Jacob + meeting recording

    Associated Project(s): 
    Vision Zero
    Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC)

    Dr. Ray Benekohal and Jacob Mathew met with Stacey DeLorenzo, Sarthak Prasad, and Stacy Gloss, and they presented the findings from their Vision Zero project in 2020-21. They collected information on campus locations with

    1. Potential problems
    2. Near misses
    3. Collisions

    They received more than 500 responses, of which nearly 475 were on campus. They analyzed the crash report data from IDOT from 2014-18, and they also organized two focus group studies.

    Please see attached the final presentation and the full report. See the full report from this study online at: https://uofi.box.com/s/zyuqv8p11tleiuqzsvwge3utsuuutipp

    See the meeting recording (45 minute presentation) here: https://uofi.box.com/s/wjybgfpjdz1nyl6hahw09utub8162ynd

    See the preliminary report shared during CTAC Fall 2020 presentation

    Attached Files: 

  13. Weekly Update: Fixing bike pump; fixing bicycles; student employment

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last Tuesday we had our Green Quad Day event. We had a few people stop by later in the week after talking with them and one potential student application for employment. We were also generously resupplied with clothes for making into rags. (Thanks, Morgan!) The beautiful weather was certainly an added perk.

    On Thursday I picked up the remaining bikes from the warehouse that are worth our time. We’ll get to rehabbing those bikes this week. There are a good 20 – 30 bikes left there that are destined for the scrap heap. Unfortunately, 3 of the 10 bikes didn’t pass even a basic inspection so they’ll be fodder for parts.

    We’re currently very low on used 26” tires. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.

    This week I’ll also get the ball moving on fixing the outdoor pump, which is broken again.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 40
    Sales: $586.50
    Bike (refurb): 1 for $190
    Memberships: 7 for $210
    Tires/tubes: 8 for $32

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  15. Walkability Audit: Week 8 meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Walkability Study

    On Tuesday, October 12, 2021, Sarthak briefly presented the Walkability study in the general monthly SPO meeting of Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP). The presentation aimed at getting as many students to volunteer for the project as possible. Project description, timeline and expectations from the volunteers were made clear during the meeting. The 'Call for volunteers' prompt has been sent out to various departments in their newsletters, group chats, course announcements etc. So far 32 students have registered to be volunteers.

    Call for volunteers- sign-up sheet link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14bxthUQCLzZp8Yc0eBJPrnrHpfuQYOyKMzzfIvC...

    On Thursday, October 14, 2021, Sutapa and Sarthak met to work on the Training Manual for the Walkability Audit. This manual is designed as a guide to help volunteers correctly perform the walkability audit. Training sessions for volunteers will be held at the end of the month of October after finalising the draft.

     

     

  16. Archive Description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Walkability Study

    Old description:

    The Wellness Center on campus is working to promote a Culture of Wellness for our University students, faculty, and staff.  This office has been collecting information on the Walkability of campus pathways.  By working with volunteers to perform walking audits, the Wellness Center is collecting detailed comments and notes about walking around campus.  This information will be shared with Facilities and Services and incorporated into project prioritization for sidewalk improvements.

    http://wellness.illinois.edu/iWalk/walkFeatured.html

     

    This description has been moved to the Background

  17. Weekly Update: Green Quad Day; Abandoned bicycles

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    All, Slower week, which was welcome. Sold a couple bikes and were able to get a handle on the influx of drop off repairs. The Green Quad Day event that was supposed to happen on Thursday was rescheduled to Tuesday, so we’ll staff for that event and hobnob with the larger sustainability community.

    I’ll make a run out to the abandoned bike emporium this week, too, and see if there’s anything worth our time. Was planning that for last week but it didn’t happen.

    We’ve got a couple bikes in the shop build queue, but I’ll grab a few from Urbana unless we get more donations this week.

    The numbers:


    Visitors: 35
    Sales: $850.50
    Bike (refurb): 3 for $490
    Memberships: 5 for $150
    Tires/tubes: 5 for $20

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  18. Walkability Audit: Week 7 meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Walkability Study

    On Friday, October 09, 2021, Sutapa and Sarthak met to work on the Training Manual for the Walkability Audit. 

    The training manual is designed for the volunteers which will include background information about the project, directions for executing the audit in an efficient way and details about each question with graphics for clarity.

  19. America Walks webinar: Walking and Walking Campaigns

    Associated Project(s): 
    Encourage Walking
    Vision Zero

    America Walks sponsored a webinar in 2016 about Walking and Walking Campaigns. Here is the link to this webinar: https://vimeo.com/180652941

    The 1st discussion was about a Walking Campaign from Seattle. Basically, they started a campaign called “Walktober”, which had a goal of recording 25,000 miles on foot during the month of October. That is nearly equivalent to cover the world, hence their slogan “Walk the World.”

    The 2nd discussion was about Vision Zero from San Diego. What to look for when creating a VZ campaign, how to formulate it, and ideas for how to implement it.

  20. Weekly Update: Bike Center tours; Green Quad Day

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Starting to slow down a bit. This week’ll be absolutely perfect riding weather: cool but not cold. Still get folks asking for bikes every day—yet to get any 4’ 11” folks or 6’ 3” racing folks for the tall and small bikes we have, though. We’ve got 3 more that should be for sale this week sometime. Soon, we’ll be having the “it’s too cold to ride” conversation with people. No bad weather, just bad gear and so on.

    Had a class come by on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to tour the Bike Center and I talked about our operations, history of CBC, and the like. Always nice to get people into our space who might not otherwise have reason to visit.

    Last week I talked with Parking about the remainder of the bikes at the warehouse. I’ll make a trip out there this week to see if there’s anything worth our trouble.

    A gentleman came in looking for a small pin for his vintage brake levers and was able to find a workable solution in our used parts bins. He generously donated $10 for his 10 minutes of digging while bemoaning that regular bike shops could only offer to replace the brake levers outright. A happy customer who understands and appreciates our value and services—always a good interaction!

    This Thursday is the Green Quad Day event, from 10  - 4p. Will be good to get our name out there with other environmental/sustainability efforts on campus.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 64
    Sales: $1,052.60
    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $440
    Memberships: 8 for $240
    Tires/tubes: 10 for $76

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

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