Ensuring Work Zone Safety and Mobility:
NTOC Interview with the Maryland State Highway Administration
http://www.ntoctalks.com/articles/workzonesafety.php
Category > Now Available: May 6, 2009 (NTOC)
Each year, approximately 1,000 fatalities and 43,000 serious injuries occur in the United States as a result of vehicle accidents in work zones. NTOC Talks interviewed Jawad Paracha, Assistant Division Chief of the Traffic Development and Support Division, and Michael Paylor, Team Leader of the Traffic Policy and Management Team, from the Maryland State Highway Administration (MD-SHA) Office of Traffic and Safety to discuss the state’s work zone safety and mobility efforts.
To read the article about the office’s development of a Work Zone Safety and Mobility Policy, click on the link above. To listen to the audio recording of the NTOC Talks interview, visit:
http://www.ntoctalks.com/recordings/default.php
Talking Operations Webinar: Work Zone Performance Measurement
https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webConfID=17055
Category > Opportunity: May 6, 2009 (NTOC)
This free NTOC Webinar will address the rationale for work zone performance monitoring and discuss some specific measures, data, and methods that can be used to monitor work zone performance. Speakers will share examples and lessons learned from a pilot test of performance monitoring at five work zones and from several years of experience collecting and analyzing data at a State DOT. Presentations will include: Work Zone Performance Monitoring and the Safety and Mobility Rule (Tracy Scriba, FHWA); Results of Work Zone Performance Measures Pilot Test (Jerry Ullman, Texas Transportation Institute); and Collection and Use of Work Zone Performance Measurement Data in Ohio (Dave Holstein, Ohio Department of Transportation).
The Webinar will take place May 28 from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern Time. To register, click on the link above.
Work Zone White Paper Now Available
http://www.its.dot.gov/press/2009/road_construction_tech.htm
Category > Now Available: May 6, 2009 (U.S. DOT)
The U.S. Department of Transportation prepared a white paper titled, “Coordinating, Planning, and Managing the Effects of Roadway Construction with Technology,” to inform public agencies about the use of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to manage construction work zones. This is a particularly relevant topic given the large number of construction projects that are expected from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. The paper contains information about examples of ITS applications and their benefits in work zones. A number of resources are also referenced. The white paper provides information and does not reflect a U.S. DOT policy position.
FHWA Exploratory Advanced Research Program: Broad Agency Announcement
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/index.cfm
Category > Opportunity: May 6, 2009 (FHWA)
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Exploratory Advanced Research Program has posted its spring Broad Agency Announcement covering 12 topics in four focus areas: nanoscale research; concepts for integrated highway safety and systems operations; new technologies and advanced policies for energy and resource conservation systems; and macro, mega and national scale modeling systems. Proposals are due Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Please see http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/index.cfm.
FHWA Office of Operations Publishing Congestion Pricing Primer Series
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/
Category > Opportunity: May 6, 2009 (FHWA)
The FHWA Office of Operations has begun posting online a Congestion Pricing Primer Series. This series is part of FHWA’s outreach efforts to introduce the various aspects of congestion pricing to decision-makers and transportation professionals in the United States. The primers are intended to lay out the underlying rationale for congestion pricing and some of the technical issues associated with its implementation in a manner that is accessible to non-specialists in the field. Primers that provide a basic overview of congestion pricing, and the technology to enable congestion pricing, have been posted, with additional volumes to follow soon.
ITS Strategic Planning Workshop: June 4, 2009
http://www.itsa.org/ITS_Strategic_Planning.html
Category > Opportunity: May 6, 2009 (ITS JPO)
The ITS Joint Program Office and its modal partners are hosting a workshop at the ITS America Annual Meeting at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, to engage stakeholders in their strategic planning effort. The meeting will be held on June 4, 2009, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The goal of the workshop is to elicit discussion on the vision and direction for ITS research for the next five years and beyond. Specifically, the Department seeks input and insights into a proposed set of goals and objectives for the ITS Program. Additionally, the Department is interested in exploring new opportunities for research and development, technology transfer, and evaluation of next generation ITS technologies.
The workshop is designed to present the results-to-date of the strategic planning effort and to invite discussion from the public. Participants will be offered the opportunity for question and answer exchanges as well as engaged in break-out sessions. Feedback will be captured and incorporated into the ITS strategic planning effort.
Using this input, the Department expects to be able to develop a research agenda that reflects the critical role of advanced technologies in achieving transformative change in the areas of safety, mobility, environmental stewardship, and deployment policy; and to develop a Strategic Plan that reflects the current and future needs of the ITS industry.
There is a limited number of space, all participants must register prior to event. You can register at http://www.itsa.org/ITS_Strategic_Planning.html. There are also a limited number of grants for state and local agency public sector travel; these are available on a first come first serve basis, limited to one representative per agency. If interested and for more information please contact Chris Lane at clane@itsa.org or 202-721-4225.
Glossary of Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations Terms
http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=10302&utm_medium=etmail&utm_source=Transportation%20Research%20Board&utm_campaign=TRB+E-Newsletter+-+04-28-2009&utm_content=Customer&utm_term
Category > Now Available: May 6, 2009 (TRB)
Now available from the Transportation Research Board, the Transportation Research Circular E-C133: Glossary of Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations Terms is designed to provide clear definitions of terms as they are typically used in the context of regional transportation systems management and operations. To access the document, click on the link above.
Presentations Now Available: ITE 2009 Technical Conference and Exhibit
http://www.ite.org/meetcon/2009TC/default.asp
Category > Now Available: May 6, 2009 (ITE)
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 2009 Technical Conference and Exhibit, Transportation Operations in Action, took place March 22-25, 2009 in Phoenix, AZ, USA. Presentations from the technical sessions are now available online at http://www.ite.org/meetcon/2009TC/default.asp.
Presentations Now Available: Planned and Unplanned Events
http://www.ite.org/meetcon/2009TransOps/default.asp
Category > Now Available: May 6, 2009 (ITE)
The 2009 National Conference on Transportation Operations for Planned and Unplanned Events specifically addressed nonrecurring congestion and its associated safety impacts as part of a Traffic Incident Management-Planned Special Events-Emergency Transportation Operations continuum. Presentations from the sessions are now available online at http://www.ite.org/meetcon/2009TransOps/default.asp.
Bottom Line Report Projects Price to Reduce Congestion, Improve Safety
Category > Breaking News: May 6, 2009 (AASHTO)
http://bottomline.transportation.org
According to the Bottom Line Report, released by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Public Transportation Association, governments at all levels will need to more than double their spending on highways and bridges by 2015 to keep up with increased traffic; freight congestion; the demands of aging highways and bridges; and the growth of the nation’s population. Transit spending would need to quadruple to serve increased ridership. In exchange, smoother roads, less time lost to congestion, expanded transit service and substantial savings in vehicle owner costs are the benefits Americans can expect.
In addition, the report finds that another $13 billion would be needed annually for areas such as environmental mitigation, highway operations, safety programs and security. Using modeling techniques to project the impacts of highway improvement projects, the Bottom Line Report indicates that roads will be markedly smoother, speed levels will increase by about 5 percent and hours of delay will decline by 16.5 percent, meaning drivers will save about 12 hours per year they would otherwise spend sitting in traffic. User costs would drop by about $27 per 1,000 miles driven, for a savings of more than $400 per car each year.
The Bottom Line Report can be accessed on the AASHTO Web site at http://bottomline.transportation.org.
Traffic Signal Timing Ranked Among 20 Transportation Priorities for Stimulus Funding
http://stimulus.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/20-projects-report-compressed.pdf
Category > Breaking News: May 6, 2009 (NTOC)
Smart Growth America’s report, Spending the Stimulus, lists 20 ways that state officials can spend the federal funding on ready-to-go projects that will address long-neglected transportation priorities while providing speedy and robust job creation and economic recovery. The report, which references ITE as a resource, lists improving traffic signal operations and implementing congestion management programs as part of the proposed investments.
Smart Growth America partnered with state and local groups across the country to release the report showing the many ways the money can be used in each state to address their citizens’ transportation priorities. The report is available at http://stimulus.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/20-projects-report-compressed.pdf.
The Old Streetlamp of the Past Gets Updated for a Green Future
(Link to article by Rebecca Smith, Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124035903357241327.html
Category > Breaking News: May 6, 2009 (NTOC)
Streetlights were the first big users of electricity. Now, they are being re-engineered to improve efficiency, but at a cost that today’s municipalities might have a tough time covering. San Jose, CA, USA, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is testing a concept called “adaptive lighting,” in which streets can be made brighter, darker or even illuminated with flashing strobes upon command.
By summer, the city will have installed 125 streetlamps using LED technology, in one of the biggest urban tests of the science so far in the United States. The city hopes to cut down on energy use, and, hopefully, lower its utility costs, by tapping LED lighting’s greater flexibility. The test in San Jose coincides with a broad push by federal and state agencies to modernize the nation’s lighting infrastructure.
Unlike regular streetlamps, LED lights can be programmed to respond to specific commands. For example, a city could dim the lighting on commercial strips after business hours, or turn up the lights after bars close, says Jim Helmer, director of San Jose’s transportation department. Streets around Little League baseball diamonds could be made brighter as people walk to their cars, and then turned down afterward.
San Jose expects to spend $150,000 to $200,000 on a pilot project in its Hillview North neighborhood, and it is seeking an additional $2 million in federal stimulus funds to enlarge the test. The LED streetlights being tested in San Jose could save anywhere from 10 to 60 percent on energy use, depending on their brightness. The white LEDs will have a range of between one and 82 watts and will replace 55-watt, yellowish sodium-vapor lamps.
Detroit’s New Traffic Management System Up and Running
(Link to article in Traffic Technology Today)
http://www.traffictechnologytoday.com/news.php?NewsID=11585
Category > Breaking News: May 6, 2009 (NTOC)
Detroit’s new $3.6 million Traffic Management Center has been opened by Mayor Ken Cockrel. The center will be part of the city’s ITS system and will be operated under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works Traffic Engineering Division. Information from traffic signal-mounted cameras is transported via a wireless communications network to the center, where street conditions are monitored on six separate large screen monitors to provide a 3×1.5m videowall. The wall can also be configured to display up to 12 separate camera feeds from the city.
Phase I of the new traffic management system is now complete and includes the conversion of 30 selected traffic signals in the downtown area. Phase II is currently under way and involves the installation of ITS hardware at 29 traffic signals along East Jefferson from Rivard to Alter. Phase III will see the installation of ITS hardware at 65 traffic signals in the Wayne State University, Cultural Center and Detroit Medial Center areas. Phase III is expected to be completed during 2010. Future expansion of the system will include installing additional units on other major streets throughout the city.
Notice of Intent to Adopt ITE ITS Standard NTCIP 1103 v02
http://www.ite.org/standards/NTCIP_1103v02_RS.pdf
Category > Opportunity: May 6, 2009 (ITE)
The final draft version of the Recommended Standard of NTCIP 1103 v02, Transportation Management Protocols Version 02, has been approved by the National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) Joint Committee of ITE, AASHTO and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). ITE intends to adopt this standard assuming no final appeals are received. When adopted, this standard will be jointly published by ITE, NEMA and AASHTO.
ITE intends to move to the next step of approval for this standard by seeking approval from the ITE International Board of Direction as of June 8, 2009, unless an appeal is received. The final draft version of the standard and the standards development report are available at http://www.ite.org/standards/NTCIP_1103v02_RS.pdf
If no appeals are filed, the ITE International Board of Direction will ballot the standard and it will be available for purchase from ITE.
For information on filing an appeal, visit http://www.ite.org/standards/NOI%20-%20NTCIP%201103%20v02%20RS.DOC.
Upcoming ITE Webinars
Category > Opportunity: May 6, 2009 (ITE)
The following Webinars will be offered by ITE:
Access Management at Intersections Part I
http://www.ite.org/education/webinars_accesste.asp#ACCESS_PART_I
Background: This web seminar will provide an overview of the principles of access management techniques as principally related to intersections. Participants will be introduced to the concepts of intersection physical and functional area and how to calculate and draw a schematic “windows of opportunity” for various access management intersection configurations along an arterial highway.
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Intended Audience: Traffic engineers, transportation engineers and consultants
Access Management at Intersections Part II
http://www.ite.org/education/webinars_accesste.asp#ACCESS_PART_II
Background: Building from the “Access Management at Intersections Part I” web seminar, this web seminar will highlight major classifications of access management techniques at intersections, such as objective of separating conflicts, geometric access management and operational techniques.
Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Intended Audience: Traffic engineers, transportation engineers and consultants
Traffic Signal Operations Specialist® (TSOS) Refresher Courses
http://www.ite.org/education/webinars_tsos.asp#TSOSSuite
Background: The suite of courses includes five (5) learning modules on traffic signal control, signal design and installation, signal phasing and timing, signal system timing and operations and signal operations and safety review. See individual modules below for course details and learning objectives.
Dates: Thursdays, May 28- June 25, 2009 (Modules 1-5 )
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Intended Audience: Transportation Planners, Traffic/Transportation Engineers, Consultants and prospective TSOS exam takers
Professional Traffic Operations Engineer® (PTOE) Refresher Courses
http://www.ite.org/education/webinars_ptoe.asp#PTOE__SUITE
Background: The suite of courses includes five (5) learning modules on traffic engineering studies, traffic operations analysis, operational effects of geometric design, traffic safety and traffic control devices. See individual modules below for course details and learning objectives.
Dates: Tuesdays, June 2-30, 2009 (Modules 1-5)
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Intended Audience: Transportation Planners, Traffic/Transportation Engineers, Consultants and prospective PTOE exam takers
Traffic Operations Practitioner Specialist® (TOPS) Refresher Courses
http://www.ite.org/education/webinars_tops.asp#Suite%20REFRESHER
Background: The suite of courses includes six (6) learning modules on traffic operations studies, traffic devices, elements of design, traffic safety, incident management and transportation management. See individual modules below for course details and learning objectives.
Dates: Wednesday, August 19 – September 23, 2009 (Modules 1-6 )
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Intended Audience: Transportation Planners, Traffic/Transportation Engineers, Consultants and prospective TOPS exam takers
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