Ph.D. candidate Andrew Berthaume of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department was one of five finalists at the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) competition for the Ken Cross Scholarship for Student Research to honor excellence in the profession of bicycle and pedestrian transportation. Berthaume presented a poster based on his research about “Hazardous Bicycle Maneuvers at Single-lane Roundabouts in Massachusetts: A Conflict and Events Study.” Berthaume’s paper on this same subject also won 2nd place in the Institute of Transportation Engineers student paper competition in May, when judging was based on technical merit, clarity and organization, completeness as related to stated purpose, and applicability to current issues facing the transportation engineering profession.
Berthaume is currently participating in the Volpe Center Pathways Program for students and recent graduates while he completes his Ph.D. at UMass Amherst. Located in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Volpe Center is an internationally recognized center of transportation and logistics expertise, which seeks talented and entrepreneurial students and recent graduates to join its world-class, multi-disciplinary scientific and technical teams to help resolve real-world transportation problems.
For the APBP contest, student members of the organization were invited to enter the 2013 Poster Contest by submitting an abstract of a completed research project related to bicycle or pedestrian studies. The awards committee selected five finalists to present posters of their projects at APBP’s Professional Development Seminar in Boulder, Colorado, from September 9 to 12. Seminar attendees voted on the Grand Prize winner.
Berthaume’s research abstract explained that roundabouts have been known to relieve congestion, reduce travel times, and decrease crash rates. Nevertheless, studies have shown that despite the overall reduction in crash rates, roundabouts show a significant increase in the proportion of crashes that involve cyclists. These crashes are primarily due to cyclists who create a bicycle lane through the roundabout.
From the peanut gallery: