Passing the torch...

At last Friday's Midwestern District Business Meeting, the next MWITE District Director to the International Board of Direction was announced. He is Robert K. Seyfried, P.E., PTOE.

Congratulations, Bob!

An Open Letter to the District Membership...

June 10, 2009

Dear ITE Midwestern District Members:

I would like to extend an invitation for you to attend the Institute of Transportation Engineers 2009 Annual Meeting and Exhibit in San Antonio, TX, USA, August 9–12, 2009. This year’s meeting is chock full of opportunities to meet and network with peers, vendors and influential industry leaders

Now more than ever, you want to make the most of your learning experiences. ITE realizes the challenges facing transportation professionals in these trying economic times and has developed a meeting program to maximize your collaboration and networking experience.

Some highlights from the Annual Meeting and Exhibit include:

·         If your company registers three or more people for the meeting you will receive a 20 percent discount.

·         Positions available/wanted booklets to assist members in hiring the best and the brightest and to find employment.

·         An exhibit catered to making the most of your limited time and resources.

·         52 technical sessions ranging from roundabouts and pedestrian bike issues to new trends in parking and emerging green technologies.

·         Discussion on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and its impact on our community.

·         Student poster sessions where you can meet the next generation of transportation professionals.

For information about these opportunities and a complete list of technical and special sessions, tours and exhibit information, visit www.ite.org/annualmeeting. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sallie Dollins at +1 202-289-0222 ext. 149 or sdollins@ite.org. We hope to see you in San Antonio!

Sincerely,

 

  

Stephen J. Manhart, P.E., PTOE, PTP

ITE Midwestern District Director

Roundabout voted down...

reprinted from the Tokepa Capital-Journal

By Rick Dean

Created June 9, 2009 at 10:48pm

Updated June 9, 2009 at 11:34pm

Susan Helbert, her voice breaking as she spoke, talked about how her life and home on the corner of S.W. 17th and MacVicar would be forever affected by a proposed roundabout that would bring traffic “right to my bedroom window.”

Helen Gaither, who has lived for nearly 60 years in the neighborhood, talked about escorting three generations of children through the heavily traveled intersection on trikes, bikes and foot. She wondered if she could ever cross the intersection again without the four-way traffic signal she has depended on for years.

Jorge Nobo, a Washburn University teacher and resident of the College Hill neighborhood, acknowledged that roundabouts are an effective way of slowing down traffic, something everyone says needs to happen on the busy northwest corner of the WU campus.

“It’s like rush hour every hour,” Nobo said of the traffic during class changes. “But a roundabout isn’t the most effective way to control that intersection. It’s like saying Hondas are good cars, but the one particular Honda I’m considering may have been underwater in New Orleans for six weeks. You have to look at each particular case.”

Consequently, when the Topeka City Council heard overwhelming opposition — 11 of 14 speakers Tuesday night spoke against it — to its proposed roundabout at the central city intersection, it voted 8-1 not to proceed with the proposed $1.2 million project, $800,000 of which would have come from the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Councilman Jeff Preisner was the lone dissenting vote. “Change is hard in Topeka,” he noted.

Not that the neighborhood doesn’t want changes in dealing with an intersection traffic engineers say has become dangerous. They recommended new traffic signals to replace the 1976 signal system, signs warning of heavy pedestrian traffic, stepped-up police patrols. They gave city officials high marks for a tree-trimming project that increased visibility at the intersection following public concerns voiced last week at a public hearing. They also credited the council for listening to their concerns.

“Now we hope that they’ll continue to implement some of the recommendations that came out of his whole thing,” said Helbert, no longer concerned about losing part of her front yard to accommodate the roundabout.