New METRANS Website Provides Valuable Tools for UTC Professionals

METRANS (California State University, Long Beach)

Los Angeles, CA -- The METRANS Transportation Center launches its new website this month, offering powerful research tools for all professionals in the urban transportation industry. The website address is www.metrans.org.

In addition to general news and information, the site features a research database, providing access to many years' worth of studies and reports with a simple click. There's also a multi-site search tool to find research from other University Transportation Centers. Researchers can find information by UTC, topic, website, or keyword.

METRANS funds research that addresses transportation problems of large metropolitan areas and that contributes to the development of improved technology, policies, operations, or management practices. The new online database and search tools, designed and hosted by Los Angeles based Urban Insight, will enable transit industry professionals to make informed decisions more quickly.

"We're thrilled that all these features are up and running in time for the National Urban Freight Conference," said METRANS deputy director Marianne Venieris. "The new site will be invaluable to promote the conference and provide up-to-date information on the event."

The new website includes an opt-in email newsletter, helping interested parties keep abreast of METRANS activities. Visitors can also download recent and past issues of two print publications, METRANS News and Building Bridges.

There is extensive information on the upcoming Urban Freight Conference, scheduled to be held in Long Beach, California from February 1-3. Visitors can learn more about the conference at the METRANS website, register online, explore opportunities for corporate sponsorship, and even arrange hotel accommodations. There is also a link providing sightseeing and entertainment information in Long Beach.

The website provides additional information on other recent and future METRANS events.

The new METRANS website is fully accessible, conforming to Section 508 guidelines, as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (Level A) recommended by W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative.

"METRANS' mission is to solve transportation problems of large metropolitan regions through interdisciplinary research, education and outreach," said Genevieve Giuliano, director of METRANS. "We're committed to addressing the transportation challenges of regions such as Los Angeles."

The Los Angeles region is the most congested metropolitan area in the US and the only one in the 2004 State of California "extreme" non-attainment category for ozone. The Los Angeles/ Long Beach port complex is the largest container port in the US, and LAX is the 3rd largest air freight center in the US. The region has one of the largest transit-dependent populations in the country.

The METRANS Transportation Center is a US Department of Transportation University Transportation Center (UTC). It is the only one of its kind in Southern California.