Scene from the PATH luncheon during day one of the research symposium at Richmond Field Station

Workshops, Demonstrations and Dedication of the Parsons Traffic and Transit Lab Are Among the Featured Events

The PATH @ 20 celebration, marking the anniversary of the 1986 founding of Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways, held last October at PATH headquarters at the Richmond Field Station, brought together past and present researchers, faculty and partners from government, academia and industry to review PATH's past accomplishments, provide some highlights of its current work and sketch some possibilities for the future.

Some 100 people attended, from organizations including the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the UC campuses of Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles and Riverside and the University of Southern California (USC) and federal and regional transportation agencies and transportation research consulting firms. Technical sessions and breakout sessions were held over the course of a day and a half.

Additionally, demonstrations were given of various PATH research projects, including a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle researchers are using for various studies, a Segway Human Transporter, cars that communicate with the roadside via wireless radios, warning systems that use sensors to alert drivers when it is unsafe to make a left turn and automated precision bus docking using magnets embedded in the roadway.

Guests were also invited to attend the inauguration of the Parsons Traffic and Transit Laboratory, named after founding PATH Director Robert E. Parsons, where traffic lab researchers have collected detailed, real-time traffic and transit data from a number of arterials and transit systems to be used for research on traffic and driving behaviors. More about the lab dedication and demonstrations.

A gala dinner was held the night of October 26, where longtime PATH friends and supporters exchanged anecdotes and watched a commemorative film marking milestones in the organization's growth.

The event started with a plenary session, which was led by PATH Director Alexander Skabardonis, with talks by Larry Orcutt, Division Chief, Research and innovation, Caltrans, Neil Schuster, CEO, ITS America, and Lyle Saxton, FHWA, retired.

Technical sessions and breakout sessions followed, on the following topics:

ATMIS, moderated by Roy Bushey, Caltrans, Retired

AVCSS, moderated by Roberto Horowitz, UC Berkeley Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Traffic Operations & Safety, moderated by Frank Quon, Caltrans

Transit Operations, moderated by Jim Cunradi, AC Transit

Future Directions Breakout Discussions, Day 2

Traffic Operations & Safety, moderated by Robert Copp, Caltrans

Transit Operations & Policy, moderated by Mark Miller, PATH

Link to complete PATH @ 20 Agenda.