Peter G. Furth
Professor,
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Office
- 437 Snell Engineering Center
- 617.373.2447
Research Focus
Traffic signal control; transit signal priority; transit operations modeling; transit data collection and sampling
Education
- Ph.D., Transportation Systems, MIT, 1981
- M.S., Civil Engineering, MIT, 1980
- B.S., Civil Engineering, MIT, 1977
Honors & Awards
- 2004 Best Paper – Committee on Traffic Signal Systems, Transportation Research Board
- 1987 Best Paper – Committee on Transit Performance and Management, Transportation Research Board
- 1985 Excellence in Teaching – Northeastern University Chi Epsilon chapter
Professional Affiliations
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
- Institute of Transportation Engineers
- National Academy of Sciences
- Transportation Research Board
Research Overview
Traffic signal control; transit signal priority; transit operations modeling; transit data collection and sampling
Selected Research Projects
- Low-Stress Bicycle Network Planning: New Methods for Network Analysis and Improvement, with Application in Greater Boston
- – Principal Investigator, Helen and William Mazer Foundation
- Traffic Signal Design and Operations Strategies for Non-Motorized Users
- – Principal Investigator, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Department Research Areas
Selected Publications
- P.G. Furth, A.T.M. Halawani, How Well Does the Traffic System Protect Transit from Congestion? Measuring Route-Level Costs that Traffic Congestion Imposes on Transit Operators and Users, Journal of Advanced Transportation, 2018, 6060898
- P.G. Furth, P. Moser, T.V.V.K. Putta, Measuring Low-Stress Connectivity in Terms of Bike-Accessible Jobs and Potential Bike-to-Work Trips: A Case Study Evaluating Alternative Bike Route Alignments in Northern Delaware, Journal of Transport and Land Use, 11(1), 2018, 815–831
- M.B. Lowry, P. Furth, T. Hadden-Loh, Prioritizing New Bicycle Facilities to Improve Low-Stress Network Connectivity, Transportation Research, 86, 2016, 124-140
- B. Cesme, P. Furth, Self-Organizing Traffic Signals Using Secondary Extension and Dynamic Coordination, Transportation Research Part C, 48, 2014, 1-15
Jun 11, 2019
A New Push to Expand Ferry Service in Boston Harbor
CEE Professor Peter Furth was interviewed by Boston 25 News in the article "A New Push to Expand Ferry Service in Boston Harbor" about the impact this idea would have for the city.
Apr 09, 2019
FY20 TIER 1 Award Recipients
25 COE faculty and affiliates were recipients of FY20 TIER 1 Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grants for 18 different projects representing up to $900K dollars of investment in research.
Feb 08, 2019
Northeastern researchers proposed steps two years ago to make Centre Street in West Roxbury safer for pedestrians
A proposal created by CEE Professor Peter Furth and Huijie Gao, MS'17 about making a traffic area safer in West Roxbury was featured in the Universal Hub article "Northeastern researchers proposed steps two years ago to make Centre Street in West Roxbury safer for pedestrians."
Sep 04, 2018
Civil Engineering Student Receives Amtrak Engineering Scholarship
Ariella Liebman, BSCE 2020, was one of only five students to win a 2018 Amtrak Academic Scholarship.
Aug 31, 2018
Local Towns get Creative to Curtail Cut-Through Traffic from Map Apps
CEE Professor Peter Furth was interviewed by Boston 25 News in the article “Local Towns get Creative to Curtail Cut-Through Traffic from Map Apps” for his expertise in traffic flows.
Apr 02, 2018
In With the New: the Green Line Fleet is Getting Bigger
CEE Professor Peter Furth was quoted in the Daily Free Press article “In with the new: the Green Line fleet is getting bigger.”
Mar 05, 2018
Highway Breakdown: Unclear Signs, Poor Lines Lead to Confusion on I-95
CEE Professor Peter Furth was interviewed by NECN in the article “Highway Breakdown: Unclear Signs, Poor Lines Lead to Confusion on I-95” for his expertise in traffic safety.
Dec 19, 2017
Low-Stress Bicycle Networks
CEE Professor Peter Furth was awarded a grant from the Helen and William Mazer Foundation for a proposal entitled “Low-Stress Bicycle Network Planning: New Methods for Network Analysis and Improvement, with Application in Greater Boston.”
Nov 07, 2017
MBTA invests in winter resilience as seasons change
CEE Professor Peter Furth was quoted in BU’s Daily Free Press article “MBTA invests in winter resilience as seasons change” describing how the trains break down when it snows.
Nov 02, 2017
Are Rotaries about to Become a Thing of the Past in Massachusetts
CEE Professor Peter Furth was interviewed by Fox 25 in the story "Are Rotaries about to Become a Thing of the Past in Massachusetts" for his expertise in traffic safety.