RSG is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). More than words, these principles that inform our values also require action on our part as an employer. For this reason, we have joined dozens of other businesses in opposition to New Hampshire House Bill 544, An Act Relative to the propagation of divisive concepts.

HB 544, if it became law, would restrict our ability to offer DEI training to our employee-owners, many of whom live and work in New Hampshire. This restriction would not only have a chilling effect on businesses like ours, but it would also put us at a competitive disadvantage as we seek to attract, retain, and empower diverse talent.

As an employer with a national reach and reputation built on trust, it is important we engage in the difficult conversations required as part of our DEI work. Through these conversations, we better ourselves as individuals. This, in turn, allows us to serve our clients more effectively, many of whom now are also engaged in similar DEI work.

DEI training is just one way we seek to confront systemic racism, white supremacy, and unconscious biases. By restricting our capacity to offer these types of trainings, this bill significantly limits our ability to support our employee-owners and confront the important issues facing our clients and communities.

At the end of the day, HB 544 is just one bill. We will continue to challenge ourselves and others to oppose laws, policies, and actions that run counter to the values we seek to embody as an employer. We encourage other businesses and organizations to join us in opposing HB 544 and bills like it as we seek to create and model a more inclusive workforce and society.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed transportation. The initial and dramatic shift to teleworking in the spring of 2020 occurred alongside a steep initial decline in air and rail travel. Understanding the how and why underlying these changes is more important than ever.

On Thursday, April 8 at 10:00 a.m. ET, RSG Senior Director Matthew Coogan will discuss these changes and explore what they mean for the future of transportation during a webinar sponsored by the International Air Rail Organisation. He will present findings on teleworking and vehicle miles traveled from RSG's COVID-19 Transportation Insights Survey. His presentation will also include recent behavioral data collected in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

The webinar, titled “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Year on Transportation,” will also feature information on how the pandemic has affected air passenger numbers and cargo volumes.

RSG Director Dana Lodico, PE, INCE Bd. Cert. recently coauthored an article that was published in the latest issue of the Noise Control Engineering Journal. The article, titled “Acoustical longevity and durability of pavements,” examined findings from four long-term pavement studies to determine how quieter pavements held up over time when compared to their more rigid counterparts. The long-term studies reviewed by Dana and her coauthor looked at pavements in Arizona and California. Their paper concluded that quieter pavements, which experience some noise level increase over time due to wear, continued to offer noise reduction benefits years later when compared to some rigid pavements. This paper adds to a growing body of research that will help US regulatory agencies assess the feasibility and practicality of employing quieter pavement technologies as one method to help reduce overall vehicle noise levels from our nation's roadways.

We are thrilled to welcome Dana Lodico, PE, INCE Bd. Cert. as a Director at RSG. Dana brings 21 years of experience in acoustical consulting, civil engineering, and acoustical research. She is also Vice President of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering. Dana's experience and expertise will help us continue to identify creative solutions to acoustics problems.

Yesterday, during recorded testimony at the Vermont Senate Committee on Transportation, an employee of Resource Systems Group, Inc. (RSG) was overheard making an on-mic racial slur. In response to this, RSG CEO Stephen Lawe issued the following statement:

“On behalf of the entire company, I apologize to anyone affected by these deplorable remarks. The outburst by an employee of RSG is both regrettable and unforgivable. This kind of behavior is not at all tolerated and the employee was terminated immediately.

“RSG takes great pride in the quality of work and the quality of employees in our organization. We have immediately begun to put in place additional safeguards to assure that our current employees are aligned properly with our company values and uphold them – as well as assure that all future employees uphold those critical values.”

Activity-based models offer more functionality than standard trip-based models. However, user concerns about activity-based models’ cost, complexity, and support have limited their wider adoption.

ActivitySim is different. It is open source, purpose-built, and grounded in the principles of collaboration and modern software engineering.

ActivitySim was developed by RSG and is the product of a consortium of member agencies overseen by the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO). Most importantly to users, it is a state-of-the-practice modeling platform that is always improving.

Want to learn more? Check out our latest white paper that describes ActivitySim’s key advantages, applications to date, and future development.

We’re excited to moderate and present at the Transportation Research Board's (TRB's) 100th Annual Meeting this month. Our presentations will cover a range of topics—from mitigating the noise impact of drone deliveries to quantifying the impacts of COVID-19 on willingness to pay for travel time savings.

The event, which covers all transportation modes, normally attracts over 13,000 transportation professionals from around the world who gather in Washington, DC. For the first time in TRB's history, however, this will be a month-long virtual event! The TRB Annual Meeting program covers all transportation modes, with sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions.

RSG President Tom Adler coauthored an article for the latest issue of TR News. The article summarizes research RSG conducted into how transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft have impacted airport revenues and operations. Specifically, it discusses findings from ACRP Research Report 215: Transportation Network Companies (TNCs)—Impacts to Airport Revenues and Operations—Reference Guide, which was published in 2020.

ACRP Research Report 215 follows work done as part of ACRP Synthesis 84: Transportation Network Companies—Challenges and Opportunities for Airport Operators, which was published in 2017. ACRP Synthesis 84 concluded more research was needed into the topic. In response, ACRP Research Report 215 describes strategic approaches and practical tools that airports can reference to develop ground access programs that align with their policy goals. Both ACRP Research Report 215 and ACRP Synthesis 84 surveyed 100 of the largest airports in the United States. These findings helped the research team understand TNC operations at each of these airports, the resulting access mode shares, and the revenues received from TNC fees. The data also helped the research team develop integrated supply and demand models to estimate the effects of TNC growth and TNC-related pricing policies on airport access mode shares and revenues.

The application of the models confirmed the complex (and often counterintuitive) relationship between pricing, revenue, and mode choice in the context of airport ground access. While the work completed for ACRP Research Report 215 occurred prior to COVID-19, the research team's methods remain relevant as airports look for ways to attract customers and increase revenue. Given these changes, airport operators can still consider the specific tools, guidelines, and policy levers described in ACRP Research Report 215 to support their decision-making in a rapidly evolving travel environment during and after the pandemic.

To learn more about how air travel is changing, visit RSG's COVID-19 Transportation Insights Panel page.

TR News is copyright, National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; posted with permission of the Transportation Research Board

RSG Consultant Alex Levin was recently nominated and selected by a group of industry peers to be featured in the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Young Member Council – Aviation (YMC-A) Quarterly Spotlight.

Since joining RSG in 2016, Alex has worked on several major airport ground access transportation projects across the United States. He played a major role in the Logan Airport Ground Access and Trip Reduction Strategy Study, which RSG completed in 2019. He also contributed to TRB's ACRP Research Report 215: Transportation Network Companies (TNCs): Impacts to Airport Revenues and Operations—Reference Guide.

Alex has a bachelor’s degree in geography and economics from McGill University and a master’s degree in sustainable urban development from DePaul University. He is a Chaddick Scholar and a StartingBloc Fellow.

Commercial drone technology is here to stay, with many US companies currently operating delivery drones in urban airspaces. In response, cities need to begin thinking about how they can proactively plan for commercial drone operations in their neighborhoods and downtown areas.

On Wednesday, December 16 at 1:00 p.m. ET, RSG Director Eddie Duncan and RSG Senior Director Ken Kaliski will discuss commercial drone noise and local noise ordinances during a webinar sponsored by the National League of Cities (NLC).

The event, titled “Planning for Drones: How Cities Can Get Ahead on Urban Air Mobility,” will also feature unique insights from several elected officials along with a groundbreaking announcement on the future of urban air from one of NLC's member cities.