Stories
104th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting
January 5-9, 2025, Washington, DC
The Positive Zero Transport Futures research group took part in the 104th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, from January 5-9, 2025.
The annual transportation conference brings together thousands of transportation professionals to exchange ideas, share research, and explore innovations shaping the future of the field. Our team contributed to this dynamic exchange by presenting our latest findings, sharing posters that highlighted key aspects of our work, and engaging with experts and peers across disciplines.
Positive Zero founding director Prof. Marianne Hatzopoulou serves as chair for the TRB’s standing committee on Air quality and GHG mitigation (AMS10). As part of this role, she chaired a workshop on Optimizing the Selection of Traffic-Related Air Pollution Mitigation Strategies from the Lens of Environmental Justice and the Built Environment and presided over two lectern sessions on Technological and Behavioral Levers to Successful Emission Reduction and Societal and Environmental Justice Implications of Climate Change and Air Quality.
Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Jad Zalzal presented his research titled “Bridging Chemical Transport Models and Land-Use Regression: A High-Spatial Resolution Approach to Simulate Air Pollution Exposure Disparities Under Major Transportation Policy Scenarios” in the Societal and Environmental Justice Implications of Climate Change and Air Quality session. In this research, Jad developed a method to simulate the impact of different transportation emissions scenarios on air pollution exposure at a high spatial resolution by combining chemical transport models with land use regression models. This approach was used to assess the impact of different transportation decarbonization pathways on disparities in exposure to air pollution in the Greater Toronto Area.
PhD candidate Sara Torbatian presented her work on “Implications of Off-Peak Commercial Deliveries for Air Quality and Environmental Justice” as part of the poster session for Current Issues in Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation. This study aims to investigate the potential impacts of Off-peak delivery (OPD), which refers to the delivery of goods during evening and overnight hours, on population exposure to air pollution and assess its environmental justice implications, over the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) by using a chemical transport model. The findings reveal that the overall effect of OPD is minimal on daily air quality while causing considerable spatiotemporal shifts. While ambient air quality improves during the daytime, air pollutant concentrations increase at night, mostly due to increased emissions under more stable atmospheric conditions. Under the OPD scenario, the most disadvantaged communities generally experience the highest variations in air pollution as they often live close to major highways and arterial roads.
PhD candidate Jiaoyang Li presented her work on “Using Deep Learning to Forecast the Urban Heat Island Effect Using a Network of Temperature Sensors” during the postern session on Pathways to Climate Resilience: New Tools, Models, and Approaches for Transportation Systems Analysis. This study analyzed the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in the Greater Toronto Area using extensive monitoring data and advanced models like ARIMA and DNN. It revealed variations in UHI impacts across different landscapes and highlighted the role of environmental and architectural factors in temperature disparities. The use of high-resolution temporal data ensured accurate and representative predictive models for understanding UHI dynamics. Promoting green infrastructure and reflective materials can help mitigate UHI effects while improving urban microclimates. These strategies offer valuable tools for urban planners and policymakers to create sustainable and resilient cities.
PhD Candidate Emily Farrar presented a poster titled “Exploring the impacts of public transit service levels on GHG and air pollutant emissions”. Her research seeks to address the extent to which we can reduce air pollutant and GHG emissions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) without changes to existing public transit scenarios. Her work implemented an integrated modelling approach that assessed public transit policy impacts on traffic emissions, exposure to air pollution, and accessibility to jobs. The research indicates that public transit service improvements alone can make a small difference in emissions. For large reductions, infrastructure additions to the public transit network are likely needed to drive mode shift from private automobiles to public transit. This shift would have beneficial outcomes for the GTHA, leading to improvements in both air quality (~30% reduction in emissions) and job accessibility (+16% jobs accessible within 30 minutes).
PhD Candidate Joao Vieira presented his poster “Longitudinal Analysis of Trends in Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fleet Renewal for Transportation Network Companies in Toronto, Canada”, where he investigates the evolution of ride-hailing (RH) in Toronto, focusing on its growth, operational characteristics, and environmental impact. The research examines key challenges such as deadheading, vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT), and emissions, emphasizing the sector’s transition toward electrification. By analyzing trends across driver profiles and fleet types, the study identifies barriers to low-carbon adoption, such as infrastructure gaps and high driver turnover. It provides actionable insights into how targeted policies and incentives can support the electrification of RH fleets and promote sustainable operations, contributing to broader goals of climate mitigation and transport decarbonization.
Click here to check out our posters and presentations at TRB 2025.
TRB is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and serves as a global leader in transportation research, connecting professionals and policymakers with cutting-edge insights, resources, and expertise to address complex transportation challenges. Learn more about TRB here.