Research Activities
Transportation Engineering research is a well-established component of
Civil Engineering research and plays an important role in the program.
Graduate students, who are the most vital part of this research program,
may find employment as research assistants while working towards their
degrees.
The Department's research program emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature
of Transportation Engineering research, and at the same time encourages
concentrated research in specific areas. The main research areas are: road
safety, transportation planning, and intelligent transportation systems.
Current projects are in road safety, truck impact, transportation system
simulation, traffic engineering, transportation demand and forecasting,
environmental impact of transportation, and intelligent transportation
systems.
The Transportation Group has an active research program with the British
Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Highways in highway engineering
and highway safety. There are also cooperative efforts with the Insurance
Corporation of British Columbia. The Group is a partner in a vehicle testing
facility operated by the Pacific Education Training Centre.
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Facilities
The 20 square metres UBC Drivers Simulation Laboratory houses a fixed-base,
high fidelity driving simulator with an iDrive mock-up of a Hyundai passenger
car cabin, and five, 32” LCD flat screen televisions providing a 200 degree
horizontal field of view. Using the suite of software provided by Oktal,
customized driving scenarios are created and real-time interactive simulations
are run. This driving simulator was designed specifically for studying
the impact of design elements and operational strategies on the behaviour
of drivers and the performance of transportation facilities.
The Bureau for Intelligent Transportation Systems and Freight Security (BITSAFS) office space and lab occupies 68 square metres that supports
three functions: office
space for employees and graduate research assistants; a laboratory section
for the testing and analysis of ITS-related equipment and methods; and
a central area for meetings and lectures. There are 8 PC workstations
used by the members of BITSAFS, of which one is designated for the work
of the ITS lab. Supporting the workstation are a multi-function laser printer/copier/scanner
and a colour laser printer. An 2.5 m long conference table with seating
for 8, and an overhead data projector and screen provide a professional
environment for meetings with clients, staff, and students.
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