Timothy Gates
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Professor
Biography
Dr. Timothy Gates is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He has more than 20 years of research experience in the following subject areas: innovative traffic control devices, motorist behavior, speed limits, road safety, statistical methods, traffic operations, pedestrians and bicyclists, and transportation economics. Since 2007, he has served as PI or co-PI on more than 100 grants totaling more than $15 million from agencies that include MDOT, FHWA, NCHRP, OHSP, and other state DOTs. His research has resulted in more than 100 peer-reviewed journal or compendium publications. His recent research includes projects related to driver response to traffic control devices, safety impacts associated with raising speed limits, guidelines for setting speed limits, revisions to the AASHTO Green Book, driver acceleration and deceleration behavior, safety impacts of roadway sight distance, work zone safety, driver behavior at signalized intersections, and pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Dr. Gates is a former chair of the TRB Committee on Traffic Control Devices (ACP55) and is currently a member of the TRB Committee on Road User Measurement and Evaluation (ACH50) and the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD). He is a licensed professional engineer in Michigan.
Education
- Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Transportation), University of Wisconsin 2007
- M.S., Civil Engineering (Transportation), Michigan State University 2000
- B.S., Civil Engineering, Michigan State University 1999
Research Interests
- Innovative Traffic Control Devices
- Motorist Behavior
- Speed Limits
- Road Safety
- Statistical Methods
- Traffic Operations
- Pedestrians and Bicyclists
- Transportation Economics
Selected Publications
- Chakraborty, M.*, Gates, T. Relationship between Horizontal Curve Geometry and Single-Vehicle Crash Occurrence on Rural Secondary Highways. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, TRB, Washington, D.C., 2023.
- Hankin, J.*, Chakraborty, M.*, Gates, T., Savolainen P. Holpuch, T.*, Motz, M.* Evaluation of Auxiliary Signing for Driveway Assistance Devices at Low-Volume Access Points within One-Lane, Bidirectional Work Zones. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, TRB, Washington, D.C., 2023.
- Mahmud, M.*, Gates, T., Megat-Johari, M.*, Jashami, H., Bamney, A.*, Savolainen, P. Do Dynamic speed feedback signs impact drivers differently based on speeding tendencies? Insights from applications at select critical roadway contexts. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour 98, 157-169, 2023.
- Chakraborty, M.*, Mahmud, M.*, Gates, T. Quantifying the Environmental Effects of Speed Limit Policy–A Case Study from Michigan, ITE Journal 93 (8), 2023.
- Chakraborty, M.*, Gates, T., Sinha, S. Causal analysis and classification of traffic crash injury severity using machine learning algorithms, Data Science for Transportation 5 (2), 12, 2023.
MSU Scholar
Google Scholar
Awards
- Withrow Exceptional Service Award, MSU College of Engineering, (2024)
- Best Paper by First Author under Age 35, Traffic Control Devices Committee, Transportation Research Board, TRB (2022)
- Best Paper by First Author under Age 35, Traffic Control Devices Committee, TRB (2021)
- Best Paper, Traffic Control Devices Committee, TRB (2020)
- Best Paper, Operational Effects of Geometrics Committee, TRB (2017, 2012)
- Best Paper, Pedestrian Committee, TRB (2017)
- William Bradley Outstanding Faculty Member Award, MSU ASCE Chapter (2017)
- AASHTO Research Advisory Committee High Value Research Award (2013)
- Favorite Professor, Wayne State University, Department of Athletics (2013)
- Eno Transportation Fellow (2004)
- FHWA Dwight D. Eisenhower Graduate Fellow (2003 – 2005; 1999 – 2000)
- Student of the Year, Midwest Region University Transportation Center (2004)
- First Place, Quixote Student Essay Competition (2004); Finalist (2005)
- Wisconsin Section ITE Martin Bruening Student Paper Award (2004)
- Texas Transportation Institute New Researcher Award (2002)
