{"219371":{"#nid":"219371","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Watkins Tackles Atlanta\u0027s Transit Conundrum","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019re tuned in to transit-related news in Atlanta, you may have recently seen or heard Georgia Tech\u2019s own \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/watkins.ce.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EKari Watkins\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;any number of places.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering \u2014 who is also a Tech alumna (CE 97) \u2014 has several projects related to sustainability, transportation and information, two of which have been the subject of media interest in recent months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWatkins attributes the timing of this attention partly to events such as National Bike Month in May. She also cites an increase in transportation conversations in the metro Atlanta area following last summer\u2019s failed T-SPLOST vote. The referendum would have generated $8.5 billion for a variety of transportation projects around the state.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re all figuring out how we can optimize what we have and make better use of the space that exists,\u201d Watkins said. \u201cEven those who aren\u2019t environmentally minded recognize the congestion and space issues and are tired of it. We have to make all our modes function better, which includes providing better information.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECycle Atlanta\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFeatured by \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/wabe.org\/post\/cycling-atlanta-gaining-momentum\u0022\u003ENPR\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.myfoxatlanta.com\/story\/22073076\/ga-tech-students-help-design-transit-apps\u0022\u003EFox 5\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wFOfguVXMUE\u0022\u003EChannel 2\u0027s People 2 People\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chattanoogan.com\/2013\/5\/20\/251652\/Georgia-Highway-Safety-Officials.aspx\u0022\u003EThe Chattanoogan\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E, Watkins\u2019 Cycle Atlanta app launched in October 2012 with collaboration from the City of Atlanta and Chris Le Dantec, assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u0027s School of Literature, Media and Communication. A second iteration of the app, which uses a smart phone\u2019s GPS to track cycling routes, now lets users add notes and positive or negative feedback about their cycling experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe data is being used in conjunction with a bike push the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is making for bicycle infrastructure along Peachtree Street,\u201d Watkins said. Despite the artery\u2019s lack of infrastructure, she added, \u201cwe\u2019ve learned all these cyclists are already there.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe designers hope to improve the app\u2019s ability to interface with the City of Atlanta, ultimately using the information to improve infrastructure in areas cyclists are already prevalent and to crowd source the best routes that they are already using.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOne Bus Away\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWatkins\u2019 work doesn\u2019t stop at bikes. She\u2019s also busy integrating the Seattle-based \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/atlanta.onebusaway.org\/\u0022\u003EOne Bus Away\u003C\/a\u003E (OBA) app into Atlanta\u2019s transportation culture.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOBA, which has been featured in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.myajc.com\/news\/news\/opinion\/aiding-transit-in-real-time\/nXp5F\/\u0022\u003EAJC\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/blogs.ajc.com\/atlanta-forward\/2013\/05\/13\/marta-streetcar-wait-times\u0022\u003Etwice\u003C\/a\u003E) and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.myfoxatlanta.com\/story\/22073076\/ga-tech-students-help-design-transit-apps\u0022\u003EFox 5\u003C\/a\u003E, enhances the commuting experience for bus riders by providing real-time tracking information for MARTA buses. The idea surfaced during Watkins\u2019 dissertation at the University of Washington.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe goal is to make OBA multiagency, multiregional and multimodal\u201d she said, where it would ideally include bus and rail from local universities, MARTA, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, Cobb Community Transit, Gwinnett County Transit, the Atlantic Station shuttle and other systems equipped with GPS tracking. Future app versions will be multiregional, eliminating a manual switch users must make to tell the app they\u2019re in Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESomeday, Watkins envisions, you will have an app that knows your route to work and what time you want to get there, and alert you if your bus or train is going to be early or late.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt gives back some of the power you give away as a transit rider,\u201d she said. She also plans to evaluate whether the app changes ridership or wait times.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E@transitmom\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EWatkins, who\u2019s also been consulted for transportation stories by both\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/wabe.org\/post\/atlanta-officials-plan-bike-share-program\u0022\u003ENPR\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theatlanticcities.com\/commute\/2012\/07\/how-new-iphone-will-expose-cities-lagging-open-data\/2598\/\u0022\u003EThe Atlantic Cities\u003C\/a\u003E, goes by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/twitter.com\/transitmom\u0022\u003E@transitmom\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on Twitter. After several years of consulting and work in transit planning in Atlanta, she moved with her husband to Seattle to make the switch to research and academia. Once she finished her doctoral work at University of Washington, she was elated to return to Ma Tech as a professor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EWatkins has found a natural correlation between her work and family life. \u201cI loved taking the bus in Seattle with my daughters because it was a great cross section of Seattle society,\u201d she said. \u201cTransportation is a part of having a sense of community, and being a parent makes you think about making our systems more sustainable for the future.\u201d A bike commuter herself, Watkins rides into campus from Virginia-Highland most days, with the occasional bus commute mixed in.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the work on Cycle Atlanta and OBA continues, Watkins will co-teach three courses this fall including one on intelligent transportation systems and another on multimodal transportation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKari Watkins works on sustainability, transportation and information as an assistant professor in civil engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Kari Watkins works on sustainability, transportation and information as an assistant professor in civil engineering."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2013-06-26 17:05:32","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:27","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-07-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-07-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"225991":{"id":"225991","type":"image","title":"Kari Watkins Navigates OneBusAway","body":null,"created":"1449243566","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:39:26","changed":"1475894899","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:19","alt":"Kari 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