👋 Welcome to the first VTC Quarterly Update!

Winter 2025

Dear Readers,

I am honored to introduce myself as the new Executive Director of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University. With this first edition of our newsletter, we aim to keep you informed about our research, projects, and efforts to advance transportation policy and practice. I look forward to connecting with you and sharing updates from our dedicated team.

This newsletter will highlight the studies and initiatives shaping the future of transportation. As Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation said, "Now go find your team. Get to work. Whatever that work is that you find worth doing. Do it, and find some people to love who'll do it with you." At VTC, I am fortunate to work with a talented group of researchers and professionals committed to building a more inclusive and sustainable transportation future. Together, we’re making steady progress, and I look forward to sharing our journey with you in the months ahead. Learn more here.

Let’s get to work,

Leigh Ann Von Hagen

Executive Director

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NEWS

The Road Well-Traveled: Lessons from a Retiring Transportation Leader

After 25 years of dedicated service, Jon Carnegie, Executive Director of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, is retiring. Jon has led numerous significant research and planning projects across topics such as transit-oriented development, transportation equity, and senior mobility.

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Award-Winning Project by VTC's Public Outreach and Engagement Team

VTC-POET recently completed a project for NJTPA’s Vibrant Communities initiative, honoring the historical significance of Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park and its pivotal role in mid-20th-century African American life and culture. This effort earned the APA-NJ 2024 Outstanding Community Engagement Award.

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Preventing Lithium-Ion Battery Fires: Tips for Micromobility Safety

With the growing use of electric bikes and scooters, understanding the risks of lithium-ion battery fires is essential. The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center examines best practices and preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of such fires.

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NJTIP @ Rutgers Provides Mobility Orientations to Inclusive Health Communities Grantees

NJTIP, a program of VTC, provides individual and group travel instruction throughout New Jersey. In 2024, it received grant funding to expand its services to a select current and past grantees from the NJ Division of Disability Services' Inclusive Health Communities program, reaching over 150 individuals to date.

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Bike and Pedestrian Involved Crashes in New Jersey: A Closer Look at Crashes Involving Children and Youth

The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School Resource Center identified that between 2016 and 2020, 50 children lost their lives, with about half of these incidents happening near schools, often in overburdened communities. Implementing Complete Streets and traffic calming measures can prevent such losses.

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Inroads to Innovation: New Jersey’s Technology Transfer Program

The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s technology transfer initiative fosters innovation, from labor-saving inspection drones to safety-enhancing bridge repair techniques. Current and former Rutgers-VTC staff detailed this in “Inroads to Innovation: New Jersey’s Technology Transfer Program,” featured in the October-December 2024 issue of TR News.

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Highlights from the 2024 NJTOD Symposium

The New Jersey TOD Symposium: Cultivating Community, Commerce, and Transit-Oriented Development brought people together for a day of shared ideas and fresh approaches to transit-friendly planning and development.

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Disparities in Ridehailing Travel Times for Accessing Non-Work Destinations

This research contributes to the literature on new mobilities by measuring spatial disparities in travel times for accessing essential non-work destinations via ridehailing.

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Invisible Rides: How Car-Less Americans Access Cars

How and why do zero-car households seek car access? This research used a national online survey of 830 American adults and interviews with 29 low- and moderate-income travelers about their car access behaviors to answer this question.

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The Village of Valley of Stream Community Planning Workshop Report

The Village of Valley Stream partnered with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) to conduct a community planning workshop for their long-range transportation plan, Moving Forward.

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Working from home during COVID-19: flash in the pan or wave of the future?

This research explores the growing trend of remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted its mutual benefits for businesses and employees.

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