Oh, Nine...
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!
MAY THE NEXT YEAR BRING A PROSPEROUS AND PROFITABLE RESURGENCE IN INFRASTRUCTURE INNITIATIVES!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Roundabouts: Efficient or Annoying?
December 30, 2008, 7:40 am — Updated: 12:42 pm -->
By Kate Galbraith Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
More drivers in more states are encountering signs like this one. (Photo: Laura Pedrick for The New York Times)
Still, states are rushing to build them — not least because roundabouts, with no traffic signals to maintain, are comparatively cheap.
Three years ago Arizona had two roundabouts. Now it has around 17, with 23 more under construction, according to Tim Tait, a spokesman for Arizona’s transportation department. In New York, just 16 modern roundabouts were added between 2001 and 2005; since early 2006, 37 more have been built, according to the New York Department of Transportation.
Some businesses near busy intersections are clamoring for roundabouts. In the town of Rutherford, in the Napa Valley, some wineries off a busy highway are lobbying for a roundabout to give visitors easier access.
“While a traffic signal is likely to operate satisfactorily, a roundabout would be more in keeping with the rural nature of the area,” a proposal for the project reads, “and would be expected to operate substantially more efficiently than a signal for extended periods of the day.”
December 30, 2008, 7:40 am — Updated: 12:42 pm -->
By Kate Galbraith Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
More drivers in more states are encountering signs like this one. (Photo: Laura Pedrick for The New York Times)
From Minnesota to Florida, drivers grumble that roundabouts are confusing and dangerous.
But the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety says that modern roundabouts — which have proliferated in this country in recent years — are not only far safer than regular intersections, they are also more fuel efficient. Drivers use about 30 percent less gas when using a roundabout compared with a traffic signal, according to the Institute, because they don’t necessarily have to stop and idle.
Modern roundabouts differ from older traffic circles — like Dupont Circle in Washington or Grand Army Plaza in New York — in a few ways. The new ones are smaller, and also have sharper angles, so that drivers are forced to enter more slowly and are supposed to yield rather than merge. This, at least in theory, makes them safer, though drivers do not always know the rules.Still, states are rushing to build them — not least because roundabouts, with no traffic signals to maintain, are comparatively cheap.
Three years ago Arizona had two roundabouts. Now it has around 17, with 23 more under construction, according to Tim Tait, a spokesman for Arizona’s transportation department. In New York, just 16 modern roundabouts were added between 2001 and 2005; since early 2006, 37 more have been built, according to the New York Department of Transportation.
Some businesses near busy intersections are clamoring for roundabouts. In the town of Rutherford, in the Napa Valley, some wineries off a busy highway are lobbying for a roundabout to give visitors easier access.
“While a traffic signal is likely to operate satisfactorily, a roundabout would be more in keeping with the rural nature of the area,” a proposal for the project reads, “and would be expected to operate substantially more efficiently than a signal for extended periods of the day.”
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The link between private grief and public safety
Memorial to Robert Winkler outside Herrin, Illinois Photo: Stephen Chalmer , c/o HumanFlowerProject.comThe piles of notes and flowers left at the scenes of fatal car crashes can actually make drivers more cautious, a researcher finds
by IAN BAILEY, The Globe and Mail, November 8, 2008
by IAN BAILEY, The Globe and Mail, November 8, 2008
Richard Tay set up fake memorials at four intersections with red-light cameras in Calgary, then monitored how the memorials affected traffic. Prof. Tay, who holds the Alberta Motor Association Chair in Road Safety at the Schulich School of Engineering, found that about 17 per cent fewer drivers ran red lights at the target intersections over the six weeks of the test than in the previous six weeks.
"In terms of safety, these things have a positive benefit," he said in an interview yesterday. "They give us a safety message to drive more cautiously." More than 60 per cent of 810 respondents to an online survey supported municipal policies that allow the memorials, although about half said time limits should be imposed on how long they could remain in place.
"The important thing is we haven't found any negative side effects, but we did find some positive benefits in the short term, so I suggest municipalities allow them, but impose some sort of control on them."
"The important thing is we haven't found any negative side effects, but we did find some positive benefits in the short term, so I suggest municipalities allow them, but impose some sort of control on them."
Policies vary among provinces and in municipalities across Canada; some have specific rules, but others don't take any steps to regulate them. Calgary's traffic department, which helped Prof. Tay with his research, is developing a formal proposal for city council to consider next February. It would cover points such as where memorials are allowed. Troy McLeod, Calgary's traffic-safety manager, said his department is sensitive to memorials. It usually removes them from dangerous, inaccessible high-traffic areas such as highways because of fears for the safety of families maintaining them, but the department contacts families before taking them down.
"There may not be one way to do them, but we're trying to be respectful and sensitive. If you put yourself in anyone's shoes, it's a difficult time." He said that it seems the number of memorials has been growing in the 15 years he has been in the job, but added he has no statistics to back up that perception.
An official with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the issue of roadside-memorial policy has never come up as something the organization would seriously research or take a position on. Prof. Tay, who said he wanted to come up with data to help municipalities form policies on memorials, said communities should let them proceed, but not let them get out of control.
He went to unusual lengths for his research, which had its genesis at a 2006 meeting of traffic experts in Ottawa when questions were raised about municipal policies on roadside memorials and participants realized that policies were inconsistent.
There wasn't much research on the memorials' impact on traffic, he said, only studies that focused on sociology and grieving. In designing the study, it was necessary to build fake memorials. Researchers studied memorials around Calgary and elsewhere in Alberta, trying to understand the basic elements. "We designed our memorial to look like what we normally see on the road. Real memorials normally have a name. For our research, we put, 'This is a research experiment by the University of Calgary,' and the contact information for them to find out more information," he said.
Holly Everett, an assistant folklore professor at Memorial University in St. John's, has written on the subject of memorials, and said yesterday that she had heard about Prof. Tay's study.
"It's interesting because [the study] parallels what many people have told me about roadside memorials during my own research. A number of people that I interviewed told me that they automatically slow down or are more cautious whenever they see a roadside memorial, whether or not they have any connection to the memorial or knowledge about what caused the accident," Prof. Everett said in an e-mailed response to questions from The Globe and Mail.
"Similarly, every individual I interviewed who was directly involved in creating or maintaining a memorial told me that, if the memorial was responsible for even one person being more cautious when driving through that particular area, then it was worth all the effort and care that went into it."
***
ORIGINS
In North America, the memorials originated in the U.S. Southwest with roots in Hispanic culture, Catholicism and funerary rites dating back more than 200 years. "The purpose of these small, white crosses at the roadside was to mark the rest areas for funeral procession pallbearers travelling by foot from the church to the graveyard. These sanctified, holy rest areas which are called Descansos (Spanish for "resting place") have since evolved into markers of the location of traffic fatalities by the side of the road," Richard Tay's study says. "The vast majority of memorials consist of a cross, often white, with flowers, photos, notes, cards, dolls or various other memorabilia."
The authors of one study quoted by Prof. Tay did a survey of bereaved families, who said most memorials were placed for teenagers, whose deaths were considered "unexpected, traumatic and unprecedented." Most of the people who put up the memorials wanted them in place as a focus for their grief with the idea of warning other motorists of the risks in the area of an accident as "an after-thought, or in some cases, a secondary rationale for justifying the placement of the memorial."
-- Ian Bailey
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I-35W Bridge Could Open Next Week...
by Paul Walsh and Jim Foti, Minneapolis Star Tribune staff writers
September 10, 2008
(photo taken from Minneapolis Star Tribune website StribCam http://www.startribune.com/local/18346174.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiacyKUU)
The new Interstate 35W bridge is expected to open to traffic as early as next Tuesday, less than 14 months after its predecessor collapsed into the Mississippi River, state transportation officials said Tuesday.
A news conference with Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other officials will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the 10-lane bridge to announce the exact opening time, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced. The agency said motorists will be able to use the bridge sometime next week.
It won't be known until next week whether the construction team, led by Flatiron Constructors, will be eligible for its full $27 million in bonuses for finishing early, said MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht. Monday is the deadline for the firms to receive the full bonus.
Gutknecht said there will be no public open house on the bridge. "It would be great to be able to do it," he said, but such an event would delay the opening, and there were concerns because the bridge's low, freeway-style railings are not designed to keep pedestrians safe.
Construction on the $234 million project began on Nov. 1, three months to the day after the old bridge collapse collapsed into the Mississippi River on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. The contractually committed date of completion is Dec. 24, 2008.
The replacement span "will be high-quality, safe and last for at least 100 years," MnDOT said.
During the final week of construction, work crews will continue to:
by Paul Walsh and Jim Foti, Minneapolis Star Tribune staff writers
September 10, 2008
(photo taken from Minneapolis Star Tribune website StribCam http://www.startribune.com/local/18346174.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiacyKUU)
The new Interstate 35W bridge is expected to open to traffic as early as next Tuesday, less than 14 months after its predecessor collapsed into the Mississippi River, state transportation officials said Tuesday.
A news conference with Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other officials will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the 10-lane bridge to announce the exact opening time, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced. The agency said motorists will be able to use the bridge sometime next week.
It won't be known until next week whether the construction team, led by Flatiron Constructors, will be eligible for its full $27 million in bonuses for finishing early, said MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht. Monday is the deadline for the firms to receive the full bonus.
Gutknecht said there will be no public open house on the bridge. "It would be great to be able to do it," he said, but such an event would delay the opening, and there were concerns because the bridge's low, freeway-style railings are not designed to keep pedestrians safe.
Construction on the $234 million project began on Nov. 1, three months to the day after the old bridge collapse collapsed into the Mississippi River on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. The contractually committed date of completion is Dec. 24, 2008.
The replacement span "will be high-quality, safe and last for at least 100 years," MnDOT said.
During the final week of construction, work crews will continue to:
- Install and test anti-icing and smart-bridge systems, which monitor the bridge's movements.
- Apply finishing and striping on the bridge deck.
- Install road signs.
- Landscape areas along the corridor.
- Install traffic signals and lights.
Late last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said it is close to identifying the cause of last summer's collapse and plans to discuss its findings at a public hearing in Washington on Nov. 13.
Thirteen people died and 145 were injured in the collapse.
In January, NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said a design error was "the critical factor" in the collapse, pointing to too-thin gusset plates -- which helped connect the bridge's steel beams. The NTSB also has focused on the weight of construction materials placed on the bridge for a resurfacing project.
The new bridge has one more lane in each direction than the one that collapsed and could be restriped to accommodate seven lanes in each direction if shoulders were omitted. The bridge also is light-rail ready, "which may help accommodate future transportation needs," MnDOT has said.
Happy Death Jingle, Mr. Speed, Valley Girls, and Work Zone Pixie?!?!?
This summer, Minnesotans may have heard a few Mn/DOT public service announcements on the radio directing drivers to pay attention while driving and to slow down in work zones.
Four new radio messages were written and produced by students in a radio writing class instructed by David Schutton at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (my daughter's alma mater). Professional voice actors were used to create the final production. The messages will be distributed to some radio stations statewide.
Listen to the work zone safety messages:
- Happy Death Jingle (WAV, 5.4mb)
- Mr. Speed (WAV, 5.7mb)
- Valley Girls (WAV, 5.1mb)
- Work Zone Pixie (WAV, 5.5mb)
(If these links don't work, go here http://www.dot.state.mn.us/workzone/)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Headlines from Anaheim...
I wanted to update you on the general headlines that came out of the International Board of Direction Meeting in Anaheim this past weekend, as well as some other items that occurred during the Annual Meeting itself:
- Strategic Plan -- The International Board of Direction (IBOD) continued its review of ITE's Strategic Plan. Final review and possible acceptance of the plan will occur at the fall IBOD meeting.
- Annual Meeting -- A "perfect storm" occurred this year -- bad economy, continued agency travel restrictions, and a neighboring hotel that decided to drastically reduce their hotel rates during remodeling. Therefore ITE was not able to meet its commitment of sleeping rooms at the Anaheim Marriott. The price competition resulted in ITE meeting less than 50% of its sleeping rooms, while it was contracted for 85%. The attrition resulted in ITE facing a sizable penalty. To offset this penalty, Tom Brahms negotiated a settlement that allows ITE to pay nothing now, but requires ITE to host another conference at the Anaheim Marriott and Convention Center within 8 years (and at a reduced commitment of sleeping rooms). This settlement will require the shuffling of host cities (probably Toronto) for 2016. Ironically, the final attendance at the Anaheim will be one of the highest -- over 2100 delegates.
- Annual ITE Dues -- Annual Membership Dues will increase in 2009 by $5 for the grades of Member, Fellow, and Institute Affiliate. The dues for Retired Members will increase by $2.50. Dues will not increase for students.
- New Mega Issue -- The IBOD has adopted a new Mega Issue -- Energy, Environment and Land Use Issues (i.e., Sustainability) -- to go along with our existing Mega Issues -- Safety; Management and Operations; Designing for all Users; Workforce Development; Public Information/Public Relations; and, International Aspects of ITE.
- Membership -- ITE Headquarters has a new Membership Director - Bill Baldwin. He is an eager young man who is excited about the idea of working with all of us, across every district, section and chapter, to retain current members and to add new ones. He is eager to work with local sections and chapters to capture students as they enter the job market and shortly thereafter -- when young engineers have finished "test driving" ITE and face their first real dues notices.
- Young Engineers -- ITE will be hosting a Student/Young Engineers Conference. Each District will nominate a student and/or young member to represent them at the meeting. ITE will bring them all together in conjunction with Strategic Advance (an annual meeting each April for the Executive Committee of ITE), then spend a day discussing issues vital to youth. More information will be forthcoming on this.
- Traffic Bowl Competition -- Starting next year, the ITE Annual Meeting will host a Traffic Bowl Competition (see attached), pitting teams from every district against one another in various "heats" culminating in a championship round. There will be awards for the competition. (MWITE will need to decide very soon whether we wish to host a qualifying traffic bowl competition at our Annual Meeting in Wisconsin Dells. If so, we will need to work with ITE HQ and other districts to acquire or develop the equipment needed to hold the competition.)
- Elected Leadership Forum -- This annual forum is an opportunity for elected leaders from districts, sections and chapters to interact face-to-face with Tom Brahms, the International President, V.P., and Past President. I was proud that MWITE was the best represented district at this year's forum. In attendance were John Davis, Wayne Sandberg, Armapal Matharu, Matt Selinger, Tom Campbell and myself. In the past, dozens of people from across the country wound sit in on this forum, and share ideas. This year, unfortunately, only a handful of people outside of MWITE members bothered (or remembered) to attend. I realize that this meeting gets buried with all the other sessions and meetings people attend, but it can be one of the most informative and memorable opportunities our elected leadership can have. I will work with ITE staff to see that this forum is more heavily promoted in the future.
- MWITE Welcome Reception -- Our district hosted another successful reception this past Monday night. While the number of attendees was down from the Pittsburgh meeting (+ 60 vs. + 75), the event was well received by those who attended. I even heard from two new vendors (Siemens and Trafficware) who say they would be willing to help sponsor the event next year. Regarding next year's Welcome Reception in San Antonio, we may need to move our welcome reception to a different night because the Texas District may be hosting a Texas BBQ or Roadhouse Dinner that Monday night. Stay tuned.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Something to Think About...
Hello from Anaheim, site of the 2008 ITE Annual Meeting. As the International Board of Direction begins its meetings, I wanted to share something that is quite powerful and enlightening.
Mark Norman, ITE Coordinating Council Chair, shared a YouTube link as a means to generate discussion regarding potential outreach to younger people. The link, called "Did You Know 2.0" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U) , was developed by educators in Colorado to stimulate discussion about what we should be teaching our young children to better prepare them for tomorrow. It is fascinating!
For instance, the video states, "We live in exponential times... THe first commercial text message was sent in December 1992... The number of text messages sent and received today exceeds the population of the planet". Also, it states, "...If MySpace were a country, it would be the 8th largest in the world."
Please watch the video and share it with others. It will certainly make you think about our role in the future!
Friday, August 08, 2008
A New Book For Your Library...
A Washington Post Book Review by Jonathan Yardley
A Washington Post Book Review by Jonathan Yardley
Sunday, August 10, 2008; Page BW15
(Reprinted from the Washington Post website , 08/08/08)
"TRAFFIC", By Tom Vanderbilt
Knopf. 402 pp. $24.95
Tom Vanderbilt's Traffic -- engagingly written, meticulously researched, endlessly interesting and informative -- is one of those rare books that comes out of the depths of nowhere. Its subjects are the road and the people who drive it, which is to say Traffic gets about as close to the heart of modern existence as any book could get, yet what's truly astonishing is that no one else has done it, at least not on the scale that Vanderbilt has achieved. We've had road novels (On the Road) and road movies ("Two for the Road") and road songs ("On the Road Again"), but nonfiction studies of "why we drive the way we do and what it says about us" -- to borrow Vanderbilt's subtitle -- have been almost entirely limited to dry, impenetrable engineering and psychological treatises. Yet think about it, which Vanderbilt obviously has done at great length and to immensely rewarding effect. "Many of us," he writes at the outset, "myself included, seem to take driving a car fairly lightly, perhaps holding on to some simple myths of independence and power, but it is actually an incredibly complex and demanding task."
Then, a bit farther down the road, at the beginning of a chapter entitled "Why You're Not as Good a Driver as You Think You Are," he continues: "For those of us who are not brain surgeons, driving is probably the most complex everyday thing we do. It is a skill that consists of at least fifteen hundred 'subskills.' At any moment, we are navigating through terrain, scanning our environment for hazards and information, maintaining our position on the road, judging speed, making decisions (about twenty per mile, one study found), evaluating risk, adjusting instruments, anticipating the future actions of others -- even as we may be sipping a latte, thinking about last night's episode of American Idol, quieting a toddler, or checking voice mail. A survey of one stretch of road in Maryland found that a piece of information was presented every two feet, which at 30 miles per hour, the study reasoned, meant the driver was exposed to 1,320 'items of information,' or roughly 440 words, per minute. This is akin to reading three paragraphs like this one while also looking at lots of pretty pictures, not to mention doing all the other things mentioned above -- and then repeating the cycle, every minute you drive."
Get only a few pages into Traffic and you'll begin to understand something that probably has never crossed your mind, unless you're a traffic engineer, a behavioral psychologist or a law-enforcement officer: The road is an incredibly complicated place, and driving -- which, after the initial rush of passing the driver's test, most of us take for granted for the rest of our lives -- is fraught with danger and uncertainty at every turn of the wheels. Vanderbilt, a freelance writer who specializes in complex and sometimes arcane subjects, posits "a simple mantra you can carry about with you in traffic": "When a situation feels dangerous to you, it's probably more safe than you know; when a situation feels safe, that is precisely when you should feel on guard. Most crashes, after all, happen on dry roads, on clear, sunny days, to sober drivers."
By way of illustrating the point, Vanderbilt describes "a driving trip in rural Spain" during which a promising shortcut turned out to be "a climbing, twisting, broken-asphalt nightmare of blind hairpin turns" with "few guardrails, just vertigo-inducing drops into distant gulleys." Because "there was little to keep me from tumbling off the edge of the road," Vanderbilt "drove as if my life depended on it," which of course it did. Another time in Spain, he drove "a smooth, flat road with gentle curves and plenty of visibility," and "I just about fell asleep and ran off the road."
By any standard measurement, the first road was "incredibly dangerous" and the second "of course the more objectively safe," yet Vanderbilt argues -- and many traffic specialists agree -- that the first road made him a better driver because it put him on high alert while the second nearly lulled him to sleep. He writes: "The things that work best in the traffic world of the highway -- consistency, uniformity, wide lanes, knowing what to expect ahead of time, the reduction of conflicts, the restriction of access, and the removal of obstacles -- have little or no place in the social world."
That's just one of the many useful tidbits that await you in Traffic. For instance: "Anonymity in traffic acts as a powerful drug, with several curious side effects. On the one hand, because we feel that no one is watching, or that no one we know will see us, the inside of the car itself becomes a useful place for self-expression. . . . The flip side of anonymity . . . is that it encourages aggression." The risks of anonymity are among the almost literally uncountable distractions of the road: "As the inner life of the driver begins to come into focus, it is becoming clear not only that distraction is the single biggest problem on the road but that we have little concept of just how distracted we are." People "drive as if the world is a television show viewed on TiVo that can be paused in real time -- one can duck out for a moment, grab a beer from the fridge, and come back to right where they left off without missing a beat."
Keeping traffic moving safely and freely is the responsibility of traffic engineers, yet most of us are clueless about their daily impact on our lives. They are involved in everything from synchronizing (or not synchronizing) stoplights to building gentle curves into straight interstates in order to reduce boredom and sleepiness. But they aren't perfect: "As a profession, traffic engineering has historically tended to treat pedestrians like little bits of irritating sand gumming up the works of their smoothly humming traffic machines. With a touch of condescending pity, pedestrians are referred to as 'vulnerable road users.' . . . As a testament to the inherent bias of the profession, no engineer has ever written a paper about how 'vehicular interference' disrupts the saturation flow rates of people trying to cross the street."
One of Vanderbilt's best chapters is "How Traffic Explains the World: On Driving with a Local Accent," in which he shows how everything from road signs to motorists' behavior varies from city to city, country to country. It's not all that hard for the traveler to adapt to the basics, as I discovered a couple of years ago while driving on the "wrong" side of the road in Scotland, but the subtleties are something else: "Traffic is a sort of secret window onto the inner heart of a place, a form of cultural expression as vital as language, dress, or music. It's the reason a horn in Rome does not mean the same thing as a horn in Stockholm, why flashing your headlights at another driver is understood one way on the German autobahn and quite another way on the 405 in Los Angeles, why people jaywalk constantly in New York and hardly at all in Copenhagen. These are the impressions that stick with us. 'Greek drivers are crazy,' the visitor to Athens will observe, safely back in Kabul."
As for accidents, Vanderbilt declines to call them that as they are almost always the result of behavior that is not accidental. He calls them crashes, and reports that "more people were killed in the United States on Saturday and Sunday from midnight to three a.m. than all those who were killed from midnight to three a.m. the rest of the week." Stay home on the Fourth of July, "statistically, the most dangerous day to be on the road," and Super Bowl Sunday: "Nearly twenty times more beer is drunk in total on Super Bowl Sunday than on an average day." The drivers most likely to be involved in crashes on those days are males, frequently young ones, especially those driving pickup trucks, "the most dangerous vehicle on the road." Indeed, pickups are more dangerous than big trucks, because "car drivers have less to fear from [big] trucks than from what they themselves do around [big] trucks," which tends to be to drive dangerously. Pickups "are high, heavy, and have very stiff front ends -- meaning other vehicles have to absorb more energy in a crash."
All the above is just a sample of what's to be learned from Traffic, which touches just about every imaginable base, always authoritatively. As a Washingtonian who is both a motorist and (more often) a pedestrian, I wish he'd looked into the tendency of suburbanites to bring bad suburban driving habits into more demanding urban streets -- yes, Maryland and Virginia license plates, I'm talking about you-- but that can be inferred from other discussions in the book. Read it and you're likely to come away a better driver, more cautious and more alert. Certainly I like to think it's made me a better driver, but then as Vanderbilt says, we all think we're better drivers than we really are.
Washington Post excerpt of Chapter 1 of "Traffic": http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/traffic.htm?sid=ST2008080801427&pos=list
(I'm sure I can speak for several fellow traffic engineers who say, "Why didn't I think to write this! -- SJM)
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Miserable Traffic Costs Chicagoans Billions...
STUDY SAYS $7.3 BILLION A YEAR
August 6, 2008
STUDY SAYS $7.3 BILLION A YEAR
Area's clogged roads eat up time, fuel, productivity and pollute air
The toll --
The Metropolitan Planning Council study Tuesday found that congestion costs the Chicago area $7.3 billion a year and 87,000 jobs. The total includes the following:
- $6.98 billion in lost time.
- $354 million in wasted fuel, based on 2005 prices. With today's prices, the cost would be about $681 million.
- $33 million in environmental damages.
The report also found that the cost of wasted time per car due to congestion averages $1,579 per year. Congestion adds 22 percent to travel times during the rush hour, or about 66 minutes each week for the average driver.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For Aaron Miller, who owns Base Limousine Service in Skokie, traffic congestion isn't just aggravation -- it's money. He says it could cost his company about $1,350 a day. "We probably lose the ability of doing two trips a day, per car," Miller said.
Miller said he's been losing money since the Dan Ryan Expy. went under construction three years ago, and the drain has continued with construction on the Edens and I-294. Miller's experience supports a Metropolitan Planning Council study Tuesday that found traffic congestion in the Chicago area costs $7.3 billion a year in lost time, fuel, productivity and environmental damage. The cost is nearly twice the largest previous estimate. That figure is expected to grow by 55 percent by 2030, to $11.3 billion, if nothing is done to solve it.
Up to a point, the more people and goods move through an area, the healthier its economy is, said planning council President MarySue Barrett. "But many of our roads have reached the tipping point, where the costs of congestion outweigh the benefits," Barrett said. "As a region, we must start to identify and invest in smart solutions."
Conducted for the planning council by HDR Decision Economics, the report figures that each vehicle-hour lost to congestion costs $24.03. Congestion on arterial routes like La Grange and Roosevelt roads is actually a bigger problem outside of Cook County than expressway jams, and lead to more air pollution, the report found.
The report notes that congestion solutions must not just take traffic off expressways and dump it onto arterials. Congestion solutions must be regional in scope, and must address wasted time as well as fuel, the report found.
Robert Adelman, president of Roadco Transportation Services, said that congestion has definitely gotten worse in recent years and impacts his Cicero truck company's ability to be on time. He has seen businesses move away from Chicago to Wisconsin or Indiana, to get away from both congestion and Cook County taxes. Adelman thinks the solution is to get more people off the roads and onto mass transit. "But the state doesn't want to fund it, and the U.S. doesn't want to fund it," Adelman said. "Only in America -- other countries fund mass transit."
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Roundabouts Take Off But Leave Drivers a Little Loopy...
Since the roundabout on 66th Street near Hwy. 77 in Richfield opened in October, the revamped intersection has had six accidents, transportation engineer Tom Foley estimated. The problem? Foley thinks some drivers don’t understand cars in the inside lane have the right of way. (Photo by Kyndell Harkness, Star Tribune)
In Richfield, a two-lane roundabout on 66th Street opened in October outside the new Cedar Point Commons retail development. Foley estimated six accidents have happened there. The biggest problem for drivers, he said, is understanding that cars on the inside lane have the right of way when exiting.
Traffic moved toward the roundabout on 66th Street near Hwy 77 in Richfield.
(Photo by Kyndell Harkness, Star Tribune)
While there have been 22 crashes in the roundabout, they've been "minor fender benders," said Cory Slagle, county engineering and construction manager. At the old intersection, drivers going at least 50 miles per hour on both roads ran the risk of T-bone crashes if someone ran a stop sign. Slagle said the rules in a two-lane roundabout are simple: Yield to drivers already in the circle. If you're going straight or making a right turn, stay in the right lane. If you're making a left turn, you should be in the center lane. You can also go straight. "There is a learning curve here," he said. "But crashes should go down."
Since the roundabout on 66th Street near Hwy. 77 in Richfield opened in October, the revamped intersection has had six accidents, transportation engineer Tom Foley estimated. The problem? Foley thinks some drivers don’t understand cars in the inside lane have the right of way. (Photo by Kyndell Harkness, Star Tribune)By MARY JANE SMETANKA, Minneapolis Star Tribune
(Reprinted from www.startribune.com, August 4, 2008)
Judy King of Stillwater is no neophyte driver. But she didn't like the intersection she encountered when she drove to a soccer field in Woodbury. It was a roundabout, one of the circular intersections that are popping up in Minnesota as an alternative to traditional intersections with stop signs or traffic lights. "I've been driving for 30 years, and I don't really know how I'm supposed to go through it," King said. "I think a lot of people are confused."
The chance to be confused is growing, because Minnesota road officials have fallen in love with roundabouts. As of March, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, 86 roundabouts had been built, were under construction or were planned in the state. That was up 39 percent from a tally made just eight months before. Blaine, Burnsville, Rochester, Brooklyn Park, Rosemount and Cottage Grove all have roundabouts. Last year, Edina opened three roundabouts within half a mile on a retail strip of W. 70th Street between York and France Avenues.
One of the most ambitious recent projects is in Richfield, where a two-lane roundabout is replacing the city's most dangerous intersection, at Portland Avenue and 66th Street. The old intersection had traffic lights but no left-turn lanes. It was made riskier by a hill that prevented some drivers from seeing approaching traffic. There have been about 30 crashes there each year, some of them severe.
A roundabout should be "a tremendous improvement," said Richfield transportation engineer Tom Foley. "We have no worry about people zipping through a yellow light like they do at an intersection."
Seeing fewer crashes
National data indicate crash rates drop 35 percent and severe injuries decrease by 76 percent when four-way intersections are converted to roundabouts. MnDOT's analysis of a roundabout built at the intersection of Hwy. 13 and County Road 2 in Scott County shows a similar reduction in crashes. In the five years before the roundabout was built, the intersection had two fatal accidents, 26 crashes with injuries to 50 people, and nine accidents that resulted in property damage. Since the roundabout opened in 2005, four crashes have been reported, with three resulting in injury and none in fatalities.
Near Edina's three single-lane roundabouts, Police Chief Mike Siitari said, there have been eight minor accidents in nine months. "There does not appear to be a significant problem with accidents there," he said. "It slows the traffic significantly."
Therein lies the attraction for traffic engineers: Ideally, traffic never stops moving in roundabouts, but they're quite safe because drivers must slow to 15 to 20 miles per hour to enter the circles. Accidents usually are fender benders.
In Maple Grove, where three roundabouts opened on busy roads in 2005, there haven't been any serious accidents, said city traffic engineer Marc Culver. "Every once in a while we would see a piece of a turn signal [lying in the road]," he said. "We did have an initial negative reaction, but there haven't been any big complaints in 18 months. They've been working very well."
But drivers are still getting used to them, Culver said. "Sometimes at peak hours we'll see a car stop and two or three cars stop behind them," he said. "Generally, it clears out very quickly. But for some people, the comfort level's not there yet."
But drivers are still getting used to them, Culver said. "Sometimes at peak hours we'll see a car stop and two or three cars stop behind them," he said. "Generally, it clears out very quickly. But for some people, the comfort level's not there yet."
Education on the round
In Richfield, a two-lane roundabout on 66th Street opened in October outside the new Cedar Point Commons retail development. Foley estimated six accidents have happened there. The biggest problem for drivers, he said, is understanding that cars on the inside lane have the right of way when exiting.
Many drivers seem go out of their way to be considerate, he said. He's seen some drivers who have the right of way encourage timid drivers by stopping and tooting their horn to get them to enter the circle. "It's kind of a community education program," Foley said.
King wants more than courtesy from other drivers. She thinks a public service campaign is needed to explain how roundabouts work. She was impressed when she saw drivers in Australia smoothly navigating two-way roundabouts. "Everyone knew what that inside lane was used for," King said. "Here, it's very, very new. Everyone is just a little puzzled."
King wants more than courtesy from other drivers. She thinks a public service campaign is needed to explain how roundabouts work. She was impressed when she saw drivers in Australia smoothly navigating two-way roundabouts. "Everyone knew what that inside lane was used for," King said. "Here, it's very, very new. Everyone is just a little puzzled."
Traffic moved toward the roundabout on 66th Street near Hwy 77 in Richfield.
(Photo by Kyndell Harkness, Star Tribune)
Cities have started to use "fishhook signs" that illustrate how traffic is supposed to flow in two-lane roundabouts. In Washington County, where a two-lane roundabout opened last year at Radio Drive and Bailey Road in Woodbury, the county has changed pavement striping and signs to help people understand how to approach the roundabout. They've run "Roundabout U" sessions and are doing newsletters on the subject, too.
While there have been 22 crashes in the roundabout, they've been "minor fender benders," said Cory Slagle, county engineering and construction manager. At the old intersection, drivers going at least 50 miles per hour on both roads ran the risk of T-bone crashes if someone ran a stop sign. Slagle said the rules in a two-lane roundabout are simple: Yield to drivers already in the circle. If you're going straight or making a right turn, stay in the right lane. If you're making a left turn, you should be in the center lane. You can also go straight. "There is a learning curve here," he said. "But crashes should go down."
Friday, August 01, 2008
(Photos from Minneapolis Star Tribune website, 08/01/08)
One Year Later...
Disaster struck I-35W bridge a year ago today
By Elizabeth Mohr and Debra O'Connor Pioneer Press
Article reprinted from Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 08/01/08)
It was 6:05 p.m. a year ago today when the Interstate 35W bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River. Thirteen people died; 145 were injured. The scene of twisted metal and bloody agony shocked the nation. Victims were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A new bridge is quickly taking shape. But lives aren't fixed so easily. The collapse left the victims to cope with financial, physical and psychological problems. The effects were as varied as the people who experienced the disaster. Some seem to have moved on with few scars. But the lives of many were forever changed.
(Note -- This bridge disaster has become an emotional and political lightning rod for this area -- one that will not end any time soon. People are still grieving and politicians are still arguing over monies to fix all the other infrastrucutre needs in the state. Nevertheless, on this date, in a little over an hour from now, we Minnesotans will pause... pray... and remember... -- SJM)
Institute of Transportation Engineers
International Director Report
(This is the report that the International Director writes prior to ITE International Board of Direction Meetings to brief the ITE staff and others on the Board as to what is happening in their District.)
International Director: Stephen J. Manhart, P.E., PTOE, PTP
Date Submitted: July 22, 2008
District: Midwestern District (MWITE)
I. Issues or topics discussed at chapter, section and district board meetings that may need to have ITE Board and/or staff discussion/action (please list for each issue/topic—the chapter, section or district person to contact for further information):
a. MWITE Strategic Plan -- This effort was begun by the MWITE Board in December 2006, when Ken Voigt led the District Board through the planning efforts. Board members are at the point of adoption of the District Strategic Plan, but will wait to incorporate elements of the Institute’s recent Strategic Plan Update into their own.
b. FOLLOW-UP -- Personal Employment Advertising in District and Section Newsletters – Last spring, I discussed this item with the Board, and had promised to keep everyone informed of this new service, and subsequent reaction from the membership. To review, this past February, Illinois Section President Amarpal Matharu informed the District Board that he had received two requests from Illinois Section members to post personal ads for employment in the Illinois Section Newsletter, Items. He asked the District Board for direction on whether he should post these ads. After much deliberation among the District Board, I asked the IBOD to share any experience their districts or sections had with posting personal ads for employment. Many of you replied, and asked others from your districts to reply. In the end, the spring issue of Items was published with the two personal ads included. I was told one of the two individuals was hired, but it is unknown whether his hire was the result of his ad. The Midwestern Newsletter Editor has kept this option open for others to use, but no one else has requested an ad.
c. FOLLOW-UP -- Transportation Lobbying – This past May, ITE HQ hosted a webinar for the elected leadership regarding Lobbying and Advocacy. The webinar was well attended by many chapter, section, district and IBOD elected members. It was an informative session that basically allowed ITE units to support and/or promote legislative issues pertinent to the organization, but warned of monetary restrictions, as well as against promoting particular candidates. This information provides ITE units with legal guidance as they consider future lobbying or legislative advocacy in their areas. Thanks to the ITE Staff for hosting this important webinar for all to hear.
II. “New” topics and papers that you feel the other Board members and ITE Staff should be aware of that were presented at one of the chapter, section or district:
§ Illinois Section presentation – The Illinois Section hosted the recent Midwestern District Annual Meeting at the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown Chicago, IL. The two keynote speakers during the opening session spoke on two large-scale issues. Mr. John Murray, Chief of Bid Operations for the 2016 Olympic Bid Committee spoke of Chicago’s activities involved in bidding to be the host city for those Olympic Games. Ms. Rosemarie Andolino, Executive Director of the O’Hare Modernization Program, spoke of that airport’s efforts to leap into the 21st Century, and to increase capacity for the future. Both presentations provided the attendees with information on how traffic and transportation improvements assist with each interrelated activity.
§ North Central Section presentation – “How ‘Forgiving Highways’ Can Help Prevent Needless Deaths”, by Mike Dreznes from the International Road Federation. At the April 2008 Section Meeting, Mr. Dreznes’ presentation focused on highway safety by design. His presentation focused on lane departure problems and solutions since one-third of all single vehicle fatal collisions were the result of a vehicle leaving the roadway. His informative presentation laid out the six AASHTO options for increasing safety effects of roadside obstacles. He also detailed the recent improvements in impact attenuators, His presentation was well received, and has been recommended to other groups.
III. Student Chapter or student-related innovative activities and/or products that the ITE Board and/or staff should be aware of:
§ Nothing at this time.
IV. Unique programs or projects of the chapter, section or district:
§ MOVITE Section – Make a Difference -- MOVITE is going MAD this year with some group volunteer activities taking place at the chapter level. MOVITE Section President Matt Selinger has challenged his section and chapters with the following: Find a need in your community that is related to transportation and creates a way to make a difference for the public or for those in need. Each chapter has been contacted and will be proceeding as they desire. The Lincoln and Omaha, NE local chapter, LOCATE, has a MAD Committee put together and they have decided to conduct presentations at the local high schools on seat belts, drinking & driving and driver distractions with the goal of saving lives. By the time the fall section meeting is here, they will have presented this life saving message to hundreds (or maybe thousands) of teens in Nebraska and Iowa. What about your chapter? How can you make a difference in 2008?
§ NCITE New Member Welcome Packets – At the recent Midwestern District Board Meeting held in Chicago, North Central Section President Wayne Sandberg discussed a new effort to welcome new members to NCITE and ITE. He showed off a smart-looking backpack emblazoned with the NCITE logo. He stated that each new member will receive one of these new bags, as well as a Section Membership Certificate and welcome letter from the section president, and several pieces of information to orient the new member with ITE and the North Central Section. Wayne stated that so often in the past, new members never knew whether they were officially members of the section – they would start receiving the ITE Journal and meeting notices, but there was no official notice. It is intended that these new Welcome Packets will increase Section affiliation and loyalty – important early factors toward member retention!
V. General Comments / Other Significant Issues to bring to the attention of the Board and HQ Staff:
§ Talking Traffic Blog – I was searching around the internet for some traffic information, and stumbled upon a very interesting blog that a fellow traffic engineer has posted. The website is http://www.talkingtraffic.org/ and is posted by Bill Rusham, P.E., PTOE, from Marietta, GA. He is currently employed by Greenhorne & O'Mara, inc., and previously worked in the Traffic Office of the Texas Department of Transportation in the Lubbock District. Bill says his professional focus areas are traffic operations, traffic impact studies and highway design.
The interesting thing about Bill's blog is that he has posted several "episodes" involving traffic engineering topics. Not only are these episodes in print, but he has posted audio MP3 files that are playable and downloadable from his website. He narrates each topic himself. His episodes cover a range of topics from "Functional Classification" and "Project Development Process" to "How to Get a Signal Installed" and "Institute of Transportation Engineers".
I e-mailed Bill and complemented him on his blog. I asked him if he would mind if I promoted his blog on my blog (http://www.midwestern-ite.blogspot.com/). He replied, "... I've no problem with you discussing Talking Traffic on the MWITE blog. I'm always happy to find another transportation engineer's webspace as it makes me feel I'm not alone out in the cold, cruel web 2.0." You are not alone, Bill, you are not alone... I invite you to go to Bill's blog, read it over, listen to some of his episodes, and then e-mail him. Let Bill know that "web 2.0" is not so cold and cruel after all!
International Director Report
(This is the report that the International Director writes prior to ITE International Board of Direction Meetings to brief the ITE staff and others on the Board as to what is happening in their District.)
International Director: Stephen J. Manhart, P.E., PTOE, PTP
Date Submitted: July 22, 2008
District: Midwestern District (MWITE)
I. Issues or topics discussed at chapter, section and district board meetings that may need to have ITE Board and/or staff discussion/action (please list for each issue/topic—the chapter, section or district person to contact for further information):
a. MWITE Strategic Plan -- This effort was begun by the MWITE Board in December 2006, when Ken Voigt led the District Board through the planning efforts. Board members are at the point of adoption of the District Strategic Plan, but will wait to incorporate elements of the Institute’s recent Strategic Plan Update into their own.
b. FOLLOW-UP -- Personal Employment Advertising in District and Section Newsletters – Last spring, I discussed this item with the Board, and had promised to keep everyone informed of this new service, and subsequent reaction from the membership. To review, this past February, Illinois Section President Amarpal Matharu informed the District Board that he had received two requests from Illinois Section members to post personal ads for employment in the Illinois Section Newsletter, Items. He asked the District Board for direction on whether he should post these ads. After much deliberation among the District Board, I asked the IBOD to share any experience their districts or sections had with posting personal ads for employment. Many of you replied, and asked others from your districts to reply. In the end, the spring issue of Items was published with the two personal ads included. I was told one of the two individuals was hired, but it is unknown whether his hire was the result of his ad. The Midwestern Newsletter Editor has kept this option open for others to use, but no one else has requested an ad.
c. FOLLOW-UP -- Transportation Lobbying – This past May, ITE HQ hosted a webinar for the elected leadership regarding Lobbying and Advocacy. The webinar was well attended by many chapter, section, district and IBOD elected members. It was an informative session that basically allowed ITE units to support and/or promote legislative issues pertinent to the organization, but warned of monetary restrictions, as well as against promoting particular candidates. This information provides ITE units with legal guidance as they consider future lobbying or legislative advocacy in their areas. Thanks to the ITE Staff for hosting this important webinar for all to hear.
II. “New” topics and papers that you feel the other Board members and ITE Staff should be aware of that were presented at one of the chapter, section or district:
§ Illinois Section presentation – The Illinois Section hosted the recent Midwestern District Annual Meeting at the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown Chicago, IL. The two keynote speakers during the opening session spoke on two large-scale issues. Mr. John Murray, Chief of Bid Operations for the 2016 Olympic Bid Committee spoke of Chicago’s activities involved in bidding to be the host city for those Olympic Games. Ms. Rosemarie Andolino, Executive Director of the O’Hare Modernization Program, spoke of that airport’s efforts to leap into the 21st Century, and to increase capacity for the future. Both presentations provided the attendees with information on how traffic and transportation improvements assist with each interrelated activity.
§ North Central Section presentation – “How ‘Forgiving Highways’ Can Help Prevent Needless Deaths”, by Mike Dreznes from the International Road Federation. At the April 2008 Section Meeting, Mr. Dreznes’ presentation focused on highway safety by design. His presentation focused on lane departure problems and solutions since one-third of all single vehicle fatal collisions were the result of a vehicle leaving the roadway. His informative presentation laid out the six AASHTO options for increasing safety effects of roadside obstacles. He also detailed the recent improvements in impact attenuators, His presentation was well received, and has been recommended to other groups.
III. Student Chapter or student-related innovative activities and/or products that the ITE Board and/or staff should be aware of:
§ Nothing at this time.
IV. Unique programs or projects of the chapter, section or district:
§ MOVITE Section – Make a Difference -- MOVITE is going MAD this year with some group volunteer activities taking place at the chapter level. MOVITE Section President Matt Selinger has challenged his section and chapters with the following: Find a need in your community that is related to transportation and creates a way to make a difference for the public or for those in need. Each chapter has been contacted and will be proceeding as they desire. The Lincoln and Omaha, NE local chapter, LOCATE, has a MAD Committee put together and they have decided to conduct presentations at the local high schools on seat belts, drinking & driving and driver distractions with the goal of saving lives. By the time the fall section meeting is here, they will have presented this life saving message to hundreds (or maybe thousands) of teens in Nebraska and Iowa. What about your chapter? How can you make a difference in 2008?
§ NCITE New Member Welcome Packets – At the recent Midwestern District Board Meeting held in Chicago, North Central Section President Wayne Sandberg discussed a new effort to welcome new members to NCITE and ITE. He showed off a smart-looking backpack emblazoned with the NCITE logo. He stated that each new member will receive one of these new bags, as well as a Section Membership Certificate and welcome letter from the section president, and several pieces of information to orient the new member with ITE and the North Central Section. Wayne stated that so often in the past, new members never knew whether they were officially members of the section – they would start receiving the ITE Journal and meeting notices, but there was no official notice. It is intended that these new Welcome Packets will increase Section affiliation and loyalty – important early factors toward member retention!
V. General Comments / Other Significant Issues to bring to the attention of the Board and HQ Staff:
§ Talking Traffic Blog – I was searching around the internet for some traffic information, and stumbled upon a very interesting blog that a fellow traffic engineer has posted. The website is http://www.talkingtraffic.org/ and is posted by Bill Rusham, P.E., PTOE, from Marietta, GA. He is currently employed by Greenhorne & O'Mara, inc., and previously worked in the Traffic Office of the Texas Department of Transportation in the Lubbock District. Bill says his professional focus areas are traffic operations, traffic impact studies and highway design.
The interesting thing about Bill's blog is that he has posted several "episodes" involving traffic engineering topics. Not only are these episodes in print, but he has posted audio MP3 files that are playable and downloadable from his website. He narrates each topic himself. His episodes cover a range of topics from "Functional Classification" and "Project Development Process" to "How to Get a Signal Installed" and "Institute of Transportation Engineers".
I e-mailed Bill and complemented him on his blog. I asked him if he would mind if I promoted his blog on my blog (http://www.midwestern-ite.blogspot.com/). He replied, "... I've no problem with you discussing Talking Traffic on the MWITE blog. I'm always happy to find another transportation engineer's webspace as it makes me feel I'm not alone out in the cold, cruel web 2.0." You are not alone, Bill, you are not alone... I invite you to go to Bill's blog, read it over, listen to some of his episodes, and then e-mail him. Let Bill know that "web 2.0" is not so cold and cruel after all!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Roads Can Be Safer, Top Federal Highway Official Says...
By eTrucker Staff ( www.etrucker.com )
Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray has issued a “call to arms” on highway safety, urging state Departments of Transportation to adopt more coordinated, systemwide approaches to reduce crashes. "Safety is our top priority, and while the fatality rate on our nation’s roads is the lowest in history, we are always seeking new ways to prevent tragedies where lives are lost," says Ray, the nation’s top highway official. "We owe it to the traveling public to work even more creatively."
Each year, nearly 43,000 people – motorists, passengers and pedestrians – die on America’s roads. Though the fatality rate – 1.41 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled – is the lowest in the nation’s history, the number of fatalities has hovered at about the same point for nearly five years.
FHWA safety officials met with transportation officials and safety experts Friday, July 25, in an online conference – a "webinar" – as part of a new effort to improve roadway safety nationally. In it, the agency strongly recommended better use of nine tools that are key to reducing roadway fatalities each year:
By eTrucker Staff ( www.etrucker.com )
Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray has issued a “call to arms” on highway safety, urging state Departments of Transportation to adopt more coordinated, systemwide approaches to reduce crashes. "Safety is our top priority, and while the fatality rate on our nation’s roads is the lowest in history, we are always seeking new ways to prevent tragedies where lives are lost," says Ray, the nation’s top highway official. "We owe it to the traveling public to work even more creatively."Each year, nearly 43,000 people – motorists, passengers and pedestrians – die on America’s roads. Though the fatality rate – 1.41 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled – is the lowest in the nation’s history, the number of fatalities has hovered at about the same point for nearly five years.
FHWA safety officials met with transportation officials and safety experts Friday, July 25, in an online conference – a "webinar" – as part of a new effort to improve roadway safety nationally. In it, the agency strongly recommended better use of nine tools that are key to reducing roadway fatalities each year:
- Roadway safety audits: State DOTs should formalize the use of these audits, which are comprehensive evaluations of existing or planned roads or intersections to identify potential safety improvements.
- Rumble strips and rumble stripes: Used in centerline and shoulders, these cost-effective devices have shown demonstrable improvement in warning drivers of lane departure, reducing by 14 percent head-on collisions and opposite-direction sideswipe crashes. Shoulder rumble strips and stripes have shown a 38 percent reduction in run-off-road crashes on freeways, and between 13-18 percent on rural roads.
- Median barriers: Used to separate opposing traffic on divided highways, these barriers have a long track record of reducing cross-median collisions. States are encouraged to consider using cable median barriers where appropriate to further heighten roadway safety.
- Safety Edge: This paving technique, giving a 30- to 35-degree slope to the road’s edge, reduces the risk to drivers if their tire inadvertently falls over an otherwise near-vertical road edge, leading to loss of vehicle control and rollover crashes. Safety Edge makes such notoriously severe crashes far less likely.
- Roundabouts: Roundabouts have demonstrated a 60- to 87-percent reduction in crashes.
- Turning lanes at stop-controlled intersections: At intersections with significant turning volume, turning lanes for right- and left-turns on major road approaches can reduce crashes dramatically – in some cases, by as much as 55 percent.
- Yellow change intervals: Red-light running crashes at intersections, which too frequently result in fatalities, can be reduced by setting yellow-light signals properly. Studies show a one-second increase in the yellow signal interval can reduce red-light violations by as much as 50 percent.
- Medians and pedestrian refuge areas in urban and suburban areas: Raised medians or pedestrian refuge areas at pedestrian crossings at marked crosswalks have shown a 46 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes. FHWA recommends that medians be between 4 and 8 feet wide to improve pedestrian safety.
- Walkways: Ensuring a sidewalk or pathway exists near a roadway can reduce pedestrian crashes by as much 88 percent. FHWA recommends a pathway of at least 4 feet wide of stabilized or paved surface in areas routinely used by pedestrians.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Olympic Countdown...
Wang Li gives the speech at the press conference.
Wang outlined the services and measures taken by the municipal government to ensure satisfactory public transportation during the Olympic Games. Beginning July 20, for example, vehicles began operating on alternate days based on even or odd plate numbers, and Olympic-designated traffic lanes became effective on some roads.. In the past week, traffic conditions across Beijing have seen significant improvement, with far fewer reports of traffic jams and accidents than just a week prior.
"The Olympic Games are approaching, and we have established a very good network and highly efficient system to guarantee a high-quality public transportation system. We are confident that we will satisfy the international community, athletes and tourists from various countries. We are confident about implementing all the control measures. We are ready," said Wang.
BOCOG's Transport Department, Yu added, is responsible for providing transportation services for accredited client groups, including members of the Olympic family, athletes, team officials, technical officials, accredited media and journalists. The client group population is expected to reach 50,000."
Between July 20 and September 20, Olympic transportation services will cover all the competition venues and standard training venues in Beijing as well as non-competition venues such as Olympic Family hotels, the Olympic Village, the Media Village, the MPC (Main Press Center) and the IBC (International Broadcast Center). The hotels of International Sports Federations (IFs) VIPs, restaurants and other officially designated places will also be covered by the system.
The vehicles are ready and there are in all 7,000 vehicles -- not counting the vehicles for use at venues in the co-host cities. Of these, 3,200 vehicles are for members of the Olympic Family and NOCs, 1,660 vehicles are for athletes, technical officials and accredited media, and 80 vehicles are for the transportation of luggage and operations as outlined by BOCOG's Transport Department. Another 1,000 large coaches and more than 1,000 rate card small buses will be provided to sponsors.
BOCOG's Transport Department has recruited 13,000 professional drivers from passenger transport companies as well as volunteers in Beijing. They will be allocated to more than 50 service vehicle fleets of eight transport service operating teams. All the drivers have service qualifications and have undergone special Olympic training programs.
In addition to the special transport services for the delegations, it will provide shuttle buses for athletes, and technical officials and accredited media journalists. During peak hours, more than 170 shuttle bus routes will be in operation.
Wang Li gives the speech at the press conference.Transport Services and Traffic Control Running Smoothly for the Olympics
(reprinted from the Official website of the Bejing Olympics, 07/29/08 -- http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/official/preparation/n214488571.shtml)
(BEIJING, July 29) -- Transport services in Beijing are able to meet the requirements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Wang Li, vice director of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, and Yu Chunquan, director of BOCOG's Games, Wang Li, vice director of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, and Yu Chunquan, director of BOCOG's Transport Department, assured reporters at a press conference held at 11:00 a.m. on July 29.
(BEIJING, July 29) -- Transport services in Beijing are able to meet the requirements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Wang Li, vice director of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, and Yu Chunquan, director of BOCOG's Games, Wang Li, vice director of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, and Yu Chunquan, director of BOCOG's Transport Department, assured reporters at a press conference held at 11:00 a.m. on July 29.
Wang outlined the services and measures taken by the municipal government to ensure satisfactory public transportation during the Olympic Games. Beginning July 20, for example, vehicles began operating on alternate days based on even or odd plate numbers, and Olympic-designated traffic lanes became effective on some roads.. In the past week, traffic conditions across Beijing have seen significant improvement, with far fewer reports of traffic jams and accidents than just a week prior.
"The Olympic Games are approaching, and we have established a very good network and highly efficient system to guarantee a high-quality public transportation system. We are confident that we will satisfy the international community, athletes and tourists from various countries. We are confident about implementing all the control measures. We are ready," said Wang.
BOCOG's Transport Department, Yu added, is responsible for providing transportation services for accredited client groups, including members of the Olympic family, athletes, team officials, technical officials, accredited media and journalists. The client group population is expected to reach 50,000."
Between July 20 and September 20, Olympic transportation services will cover all the competition venues and standard training venues in Beijing as well as non-competition venues such as Olympic Family hotels, the Olympic Village, the Media Village, the MPC (Main Press Center) and the IBC (International Broadcast Center). The hotels of International Sports Federations (IFs) VIPs, restaurants and other officially designated places will also be covered by the system.
The vehicles are ready and there are in all 7,000 vehicles -- not counting the vehicles for use at venues in the co-host cities. Of these, 3,200 vehicles are for members of the Olympic Family and NOCs, 1,660 vehicles are for athletes, technical officials and accredited media, and 80 vehicles are for the transportation of luggage and operations as outlined by BOCOG's Transport Department. Another 1,000 large coaches and more than 1,000 rate card small buses will be provided to sponsors.
BOCOG's Transport Department has recruited 13,000 professional drivers from passenger transport companies as well as volunteers in Beijing. They will be allocated to more than 50 service vehicle fleets of eight transport service operating teams. All the drivers have service qualifications and have undergone special Olympic training programs.
In addition to the special transport services for the delegations, it will provide shuttle buses for athletes, and technical officials and accredited media journalists. During peak hours, more than 170 shuttle bus routes will be in operation.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Check out SAFEROADMAPS.ORG...
Road less traveled is the more deadly one
By JEFF SHELMAN, Minneapolis Star Tribune
(Originally published on Star Tribune website, July 28, 2008)
Getting behind the wheel of an automobile has significant consequences, a list that includes death. But how often do people really think about that when they turn the key of their car or truck? The Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota would like people to ponder just what might happen if they are distracted, tired, had a couple too many beers or decide that that seat belt is a pain.
That's why the U's center dedicated to rural highway safety plotted more than 42,000 traffic fatalities in the United States in 2006 -- the equivalent of 115 each day -- and placed them on an interactive map on the Internet.
Today, its "Safe Road Maps" website will be officially launched at http://www.saferoadmaps.org/ during an annual conference on rural safety. There, visitors can enter their address or ZIP code and see where automotive fatalities occurred that year. They can see whether anyone died in their area or on oft-traveled routes. The listing for each fatality also indicates whether speeding or alcohol was a factor in the crash or the victim was wearing a seat belt. Federal data for 2007 data will be available this fall and added to the site.
"It gives people another opportunity to see the news and personalize it a little more," said Lee Munnich, the director of the center. Munnich added: "Hopefully it will help people improve their driving behavior." Especially in rural areas. Because while the vast majority of people reside in urban areas, a disproportionate number of U.S. fatal traffic accidents happen on rural roads.
"It's not something that the general public knows about," Munnich said. "There's some sense that maybe it's safer to drive in a rural area. The reality is that because people think that, they tend to drive at higher speeds. The statistics show that there is a higher percentage of people drinking alcohol before driving [in rural areas]. They may feel more comfortable doing that in rural areas because there aren't as many people around. "And people are less likely to wear seat belts in rural areas."
CERS researcher Tom Horan summed it up simply. "More congestion occurs on urban roads, but more fatalities occur on rural roads," he said. But Horan said that this isn't a problem that affects only places such as Waseca, Warroad and Willmar. "One out of every two drivers that dies in a rural area is an urban dweller," Horan said. "It was startling to see just how much rural safety significantly effects residents of the Twin Cities."
Research done by CERS also found that in Minnesota, the most dangerous time isn't necessarily in the winter. "The summer months is when there should be extra caution," Horan said. "You have more travel. You have travel to unfamiliar places. You have holiday weekends. "People are driving too fast, they are driving in unfamiliar areas. There are sharp curves, only two lanes. Then there is the use of alcohol and people not using seat belts. Put it all together and people need to be careful."
That's why Munnich and Horan hope people look at where traffic fatalities have taken place and realize that the open road isn't necessarily a safe road.
© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
Road less traveled is the more deadly one
By JEFF SHELMAN, Minneapolis Star Tribune
(Originally published on Star Tribune website, July 28, 2008)
Getting behind the wheel of an automobile has significant consequences, a list that includes death. But how often do people really think about that when they turn the key of their car or truck? The Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota would like people to ponder just what might happen if they are distracted, tired, had a couple too many beers or decide that that seat belt is a pain.
That's why the U's center dedicated to rural highway safety plotted more than 42,000 traffic fatalities in the United States in 2006 -- the equivalent of 115 each day -- and placed them on an interactive map on the Internet.
Today, its "Safe Road Maps" website will be officially launched at http://www.saferoadmaps.org/ during an annual conference on rural safety. There, visitors can enter their address or ZIP code and see where automotive fatalities occurred that year. They can see whether anyone died in their area or on oft-traveled routes. The listing for each fatality also indicates whether speeding or alcohol was a factor in the crash or the victim was wearing a seat belt. Federal data for 2007 data will be available this fall and added to the site.
"It gives people another opportunity to see the news and personalize it a little more," said Lee Munnich, the director of the center. Munnich added: "Hopefully it will help people improve their driving behavior." Especially in rural areas. Because while the vast majority of people reside in urban areas, a disproportionate number of U.S. fatal traffic accidents happen on rural roads.
"It's not something that the general public knows about," Munnich said. "There's some sense that maybe it's safer to drive in a rural area. The reality is that because people think that, they tend to drive at higher speeds. The statistics show that there is a higher percentage of people drinking alcohol before driving [in rural areas]. They may feel more comfortable doing that in rural areas because there aren't as many people around. "And people are less likely to wear seat belts in rural areas."
CERS researcher Tom Horan summed it up simply. "More congestion occurs on urban roads, but more fatalities occur on rural roads," he said. But Horan said that this isn't a problem that affects only places such as Waseca, Warroad and Willmar. "One out of every two drivers that dies in a rural area is an urban dweller," Horan said. "It was startling to see just how much rural safety significantly effects residents of the Twin Cities."
Research done by CERS also found that in Minnesota, the most dangerous time isn't necessarily in the winter. "The summer months is when there should be extra caution," Horan said. "You have more travel. You have travel to unfamiliar places. You have holiday weekends. "People are driving too fast, they are driving in unfamiliar areas. There are sharp curves, only two lanes. Then there is the use of alcohol and people not using seat belts. Put it all together and people need to be careful."
That's why Munnich and Horan hope people look at where traffic fatalities have taken place and realize that the open road isn't necessarily a safe road.
© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Closing the Gap...
(Photos and story originally posted on Mn/DOT's website, 07/21/08)
Crews to close final gap on main river span of I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge this week
Construction crews this week will close the final gap in the main river span of the Interstate 35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge, according to Minnesota Department of Transportation officials.
Workers poured concrete to close the gap in the northbound span last Wednesday night, leaving only the southbound side of the main span to be completed. Once the concrete in the closure pours cures, construction vehicles will begin driving across the river and crews will focus on the project's remaining work. This work includes completing Span 4, paving approach roadways, painting, installing railings, lights and signage, striping the roadway, landscaping and other work that must be complete before the bridge opens to public traffic.
(The bridge is still scheduled to open well ahead of the original Christmas Eve opening date -- possibly as early as mid- to late-September. The earlier opening will result in a windfall in incentive bonuses for the contractors. - sjm)
Friday, July 18, 2008
Blogger to Blogger...
I was searching around the internet for some traffic information, and stumbled upon a very interesting blog that a fellow traffic engineer has posted. The website is http://www.talkingtraffic.org/ and posted by Bill Rusham, P.E., PTOE, from Marietta, GA. He is currently employed by Greenhorne & O'Mara, inc., and previously worked in the Traffic Office of the Texas Department of Transportation in the Lubbock District. Bill says his professional focus areas are traffic operations, traffic impact studies and highway design.
The interesting thing about Bill's blog is that he has posted several "episodes" involving traffic engineering topics. Not only are these episodes in print, but he has posted audio MP3 files that are playable and downloadable from his website. His episodes cover a range of topics from "Functional Classification" and "Project Development Process" to "How to Get a Signal Installed" and "Institute of Transportation Engineers".
I e-mailed Bill and complemented him on his blog. I asked him if he would mind if I promoted his blog on this one. He replied, "... I've no problem with you discussing Talking Traffic on the MWITE blog. I'm always happy to find another transportation engineer's webspace as it makes me feel I'm not alone out in the cold, cruel web 2.0."
You are not alone, Bill, you are not alone... I invite you to go to Bill's blog, read it over, listen to some of his episodes, and then e-mail him. Let Bill know that "web 2.0" is not so cold and cruel afterall!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
What’s coming ’round the bend
But even as DOT officials increasingly promote roundabouts as a safer, time-saving and more fuel-efficient alternative to traditional four-cornered intersections, roundabouts continue to be controversial in almost every community where they are proposed.
Improved safety cited
National studies have shown roundabouts reduce fatal crashes by 90%, injury crashes by 76% and crashes involving pedestrians by 30% to 40%. In addition, DOT officials say roundabouts save time because traffic moves through them in a continuous flow and there is no more sitting at red lights when there’s no cross traffic. Roundabouts also are said to conserve gas because there’s no stopping and starting of vehicles as traffic lights change because there aren’t any traffic lights.
Currently, there are 30 roundabouts on state highways plus about another 27 on local roads in Wisconsin, Fleming said. But as many as another 150 roundabouts are in various stages of planning on state highways and an undetermined, but increasing, number on local roads, he said.
Plans for a large new interchange at I-94 and Sawyer Road at Pabst Farms in Oconomowoc, for example, includes four roundabouts. A new three-lane roundabout is planned at I-43 and Moorland Road in New Berlin. It will join a two-lane roundabout already at that intersection. A roundabout is in the works for Highways 18 and 83 in Wales in Waukesha County.
By AMY RINARD, Milwaukee Jounral Sentinel, 07/13/08
Drivers can expect more roundabouts
Wisconsin motorists will be driving in circles more often over the next 10 years as there is likely to be six times the number of traffic roundabouts on state highways.
And that’s not counting the growing number of the circular intersections being built on local roads. “They’re going to be like dandelions; they’re going to be everywhere,” said state Department of Transportation spokesman Dennis Shook.
But even as DOT officials increasingly promote roundabouts as a safer, time-saving and more fuel-efficient alternative to traditional four-cornered intersections, roundabouts continue to be controversial in almost every community where they are proposed.
In Oconomowoc, where a roundabout on state Highway 16 downtown is under construction and set to open later this year, residents continue to debate its merits. Ald. David Nold, who was not on the Common Council when the plan was approved, said he hasn’t heard one person who wasn’t associated with the project say it was a good idea. He questions the roundabout’s price tag, including the city’s cost to buy and remove several downtown buildings to make way for it, and said DOT officials leaned on the city to approve the roundabout. “All over the place they’re putting in these roundabouts, somebody has this idea that it’s a good thing and they’re pushing it,” Nold said.
In 2004, the DOT implemented a policy requiring roundabouts to be considered for construction every time a four-way stop or a major improvement in an intersection on a state highway was planned. “A roundabout has equal weight to a traffic signal and the safety benefits are substantial,” said Patrick Fleming, a DOT standards development engineer who specializes in roundabouts. “You can’t go through a roundabout at high speed and your T-bone crashes are virtually eliminated.”
In a modern traffic roundabout, motorists enter an intersection by yielding the right-of-way on their left to vehicles already moving around a central, often-grassy circle. Drivers continue around the circle until they reach their destination street then turn right to exit the roundabout. If they miss their turn, motorists simply go around the circle again. The speed limit in a roundabout is usually 20 mph or 25 mph and it’s deliberately designed to make it very difficult to go faster than that. “The chances of killing someone at 20 mph are substantially less than the chances of killing someone at 55 mph,” Fleming said.
Improved safety cited
National studies have shown roundabouts reduce fatal crashes by 90%, injury crashes by 76% and crashes involving pedestrians by 30% to 40%. In addition, DOT officials say roundabouts save time because traffic moves through them in a continuous flow and there is no more sitting at red lights when there’s no cross traffic. Roundabouts also are said to conserve gas because there’s no stopping and starting of vehicles as traffic lights change because there aren’t any traffic lights.
Currently, there are 30 roundabouts on state highways plus about another 27 on local roads in Wisconsin, Fleming said. But as many as another 150 roundabouts are in various stages of planning on state highways and an undetermined, but increasing, number on local roads, he said.
Plans for a large new interchange at I-94 and Sawyer Road at Pabst Farms in Oconomowoc, for example, includes four roundabouts. A new three-lane roundabout is planned at I-43 and Moorland Road in New Berlin. It will join a two-lane roundabout already at that intersection. A roundabout is in the works for Highways 18 and 83 in Wales in Waukesha County.
Fleming acknowledges the controversy about roundabouts and said many people are just unfamiliar with them. “There’s probably a low sense of comfort when you’re going through them, maybe you’re a bit nervous,” he said. “But that may be a good thing; now you’re going slow, you’re watching everything, you’re more aware of the cars around you.”
Monday, July 14, 2008
An Open Letter to All MWITE Members:
July 11, 2008
To Midwestern ITE District Members:
Thanks to all who attended the ITE Midwestern District Meeting in Chicago earlier this week. What a great venue and insightful technical program! Thanks to the Local Arrangements Committee for being great hosts!
I am writing to remind everyone of the ITE Annual Meeting coming up August 17-20, 2008, in Anaheim, California. ITE is promising another great meeting. Here are some things to consider:
July 11, 2008
To Midwestern ITE District Members:
Thanks to all who attended the ITE Midwestern District Meeting in Chicago earlier this week. What a great venue and insightful technical program! Thanks to the Local Arrangements Committee for being great hosts!
I am writing to remind everyone of the ITE Annual Meeting coming up August 17-20, 2008, in Anaheim, California. ITE is promising another great meeting. Here are some things to consider:
Who Should Attend This Meeting --
Nearly 2,000 transportation professionals are expected to attend the ITE 2008 Annual Meeting and Exhibit. The meeting, which is divided into six tracks, offers 53 technical sessions. The tracks are Traffic Engineering and Design, Safety, Planning, Management and Operations, Discussion Sessions and Professional Development Seminars.
Registration --
All participants are urged to register at special, reduced rates using the Advance Registreation Form here:
http://www.ite.org/AnnualMeeting/default.asp
Please note that these ADVANCE REGISTRATON RATES expire next Friday, July 18, 2008!.
Accommodations --
Anaheim Marriott Hotel
700 West Convention Way
Anaheim CA 92802-3483 USA
Phone: 714-750-8000
Fax: 714-750-9100
http://www.marriott.com/default.mi
SPECIAL ITE GROUP RATE expires at 5:00 p.m. PDT, on Tuesday, July 22, 2008!
Air Transportation --
The Local Arrangements Committee recommends flying into John Wayne Orange County Airport as opposed to LAX for quicker access to the meeting site and less hassles.
MWITE Welcome Reception --
The Midwestern District (MWITE) will hold it's Second Annual Welcome Reception on Monday evening, August 18, 2008, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., in Room 202A of the Anaheim Convention Center. Like last year's reception, this event will be open to past and present members and vendors from the eleven-state MWITE area. It will provide a great opportunity to network, meet old friends, make new ones, and to arrange dinner plans for the night. Make sure to attend and invite any present and past District members and vendors to join us!
If you have questions or comments about any of these items, feel free to contact me (see above) or ITE HQ.
Thanks! See you there!
Steve Manhart
ITE Midwestern District Director
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Can bikes and cars co-exist on Twin Cities roads?
KSTP Channel 5 Eyewittness News Report
As gas prices soar, more Twin Citians are biking to get around. But, bikes and cars have not always had the best relationship on local roads.
A new federally-funded initiative aims to keep more people on bikes and less people on the roads in the Twin Cities. Transit for Livable Communities has received $1.8 million from the federal government to make certain areas in the Twin Cities more bike-friendly. The group announced five new projects Thursday morning including, creating a marking system to designated bike lanes on streets in Richfield, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and three northeast suburbs.
The projects will connect to hundreds of miles of bike-marked trails already in Minneapolis. "What we need to do is build our version of the interstate highway system for those who bike," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.
Education is also a part of this project. Some of the money will be used to educate residents on the fact that roads aren’t only for cars.
Watch the report here: http://kstp.com/article/stories/S506792.shtml?cat=210
KSTP Channel 5 Eyewittness News Report
As gas prices soar, more Twin Citians are biking to get around. But, bikes and cars have not always had the best relationship on local roads.A new federally-funded initiative aims to keep more people on bikes and less people on the roads in the Twin Cities. Transit for Livable Communities has received $1.8 million from the federal government to make certain areas in the Twin Cities more bike-friendly. The group announced five new projects Thursday morning including, creating a marking system to designated bike lanes on streets in Richfield, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and three northeast suburbs.
The projects will connect to hundreds of miles of bike-marked trails already in Minneapolis. "What we need to do is build our version of the interstate highway system for those who bike," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.
Education is also a part of this project. Some of the money will be used to educate residents on the fact that roads aren’t only for cars.
Watch the report here: http://kstp.com/article/stories/S506792.shtml?cat=210
Group says Roundabouts Pose Perils for the Blind
Janet Barlow of Accessible Design for the Blind offers guidance to Shelley Bruns of Littleton as she crosses a Golden roundabout. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post )
Boosting safety is studied in Golden, CO
By Jeffrey Leib The Denver Post
GOLDEN — With cameras filming discreetly from a distance, Shelley Bruns stops with her white cane at the roundabout crosswalk at Johnson and South Golden roads and listens to the traffic exiting the circle.
Many vehicles drive past her at the double-lane roundabout, but finally a car in the right lane stops, followed by one in the inside lane.
Recognizing the yield, Bruns walks in front of the cars to the island that separates traffic flowing in and out of the circle. There, she listens for vehicles to similarly yield, or for a gap in traffic, before she completes the crossing.
In recent weeks, Bruns and 15 other blind volunteers helped a national team of researchers study ways of improving the safety of blind pedestrians at traffic circles. The team has examined roundabout safety in other cities as well, including Nashville, Tenn.; Tampa, Fla.; and Raleigh, N.C. "I have taught orientation and mobility myself," said Bruns, who works for the Colorado Center for the Blind in Littleton. "But I never have dealt with a roundabout."
Many U.S. communities are installing roundabouts as a way to slow traffic and reduce auto accidents, yet they present special challenges for the blind, said Richard Long, a Western Michigan University professor of blindness and low-vision studies who is leading the $11.8 million research effort. The study is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute and National Academy of Engineering, a unit of the National Academies of Science.
At traditional intersections regulated by traffic signals or stop signs, blind pedestrians rely on audible cues offered by the predictable starting and stopping of traffic, Long said. Because modern roundabouts, by design, have a free flow of vehicles, blind pedestrians trying to cross them at designated crosswalks must listen carefully and judge when there is a safe gap in traffic or when vehicles have stopped and are yielding, Long said, as he watched Bruns at the Johnson Road roundabout, a research-team associate at her elbow.
The new generation of ultra-quiet hybrid vehicles adds even more challenges because they reduce the audible cues available to blind pedestrians. For the study, the associate, Janet Barlow of Accessible Design for the Blind, offers minimal guidance to the blind participants. "This is an exit-lane crossing; traffic is approaching from your left; cross when you are ready," she told Bruns during one film sequence. Barlow will stop Bruns if she makes a mistake. Researchers count the number of these "interventions" to assess an intersection's risk.
Posted signs at roundabout crosswalks tell drivers to yield to pedestrians.
"Some cars yield; some blow right by," Long said, noting that "double-lane roundabouts present a multiple threat" because the blind pedestrian must ensure that vehicles in both lanes have stopped and are yielding.
Film studies of those crossing at two roundabouts here are linked to testing new methods for improving safety. http://videocenter.denverpost.com/services/link/bcpid934052406/bctid1655754279
One test calls for Golden to install a crossing signal that pedestrians can activate to briefly stop traffic entering or exiting a roundabout. The signal clicks each second to alert blind pedestrians of its presence. By pushing a button, the pedestrian actuates a red stoplight to halt traffic and an audible message tells pedestrians the walk signal is on.
In the other, engineers will install a raised crosswalk to test the tendency of motorists to slow down and yield to blind pedestrians. "A driver's propensity to yield is directly related to speed," Long said.
The study team, which includes engineers from North Carolina State University's Institute for Transportation Research and Education, plans to reassemble in Golden in September to film the same volunteers crossing the roundabouts with the new technologies in place. "If these things work, they may be applied nationwide with the support of the U.S. Access Board," Long said, referring to the agency that develops regulations for the Americans With Disabilities Act.
After several hours of filming, Bruns assessed some of the challenges of crossing at roundabouts.
"I'd rather have a yield," she said. "But if I hear a gap, I'll go for it."
Janet Barlow of Accessible Design for the Blind offers guidance to Shelley Bruns of Littleton as she crosses a Golden roundabout. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post )
Boosting safety is studied in Golden, CO
By Jeffrey Leib The Denver Post
GOLDEN — With cameras filming discreetly from a distance, Shelley Bruns stops with her white cane at the roundabout crosswalk at Johnson and South Golden roads and listens to the traffic exiting the circle.
Many vehicles drive past her at the double-lane roundabout, but finally a car in the right lane stops, followed by one in the inside lane.
Recognizing the yield, Bruns walks in front of the cars to the island that separates traffic flowing in and out of the circle. There, she listens for vehicles to similarly yield, or for a gap in traffic, before she completes the crossing.
In recent weeks, Bruns and 15 other blind volunteers helped a national team of researchers study ways of improving the safety of blind pedestrians at traffic circles. The team has examined roundabout safety in other cities as well, including Nashville, Tenn.; Tampa, Fla.; and Raleigh, N.C. "I have taught orientation and mobility myself," said Bruns, who works for the Colorado Center for the Blind in Littleton. "But I never have dealt with a roundabout."
Many U.S. communities are installing roundabouts as a way to slow traffic and reduce auto accidents, yet they present special challenges for the blind, said Richard Long, a Western Michigan University professor of blindness and low-vision studies who is leading the $11.8 million research effort. The study is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute and National Academy of Engineering, a unit of the National Academies of Science.
At traditional intersections regulated by traffic signals or stop signs, blind pedestrians rely on audible cues offered by the predictable starting and stopping of traffic, Long said. Because modern roundabouts, by design, have a free flow of vehicles, blind pedestrians trying to cross them at designated crosswalks must listen carefully and judge when there is a safe gap in traffic or when vehicles have stopped and are yielding, Long said, as he watched Bruns at the Johnson Road roundabout, a research-team associate at her elbow.
The new generation of ultra-quiet hybrid vehicles adds even more challenges because they reduce the audible cues available to blind pedestrians. For the study, the associate, Janet Barlow of Accessible Design for the Blind, offers minimal guidance to the blind participants. "This is an exit-lane crossing; traffic is approaching from your left; cross when you are ready," she told Bruns during one film sequence. Barlow will stop Bruns if she makes a mistake. Researchers count the number of these "interventions" to assess an intersection's risk.
Posted signs at roundabout crosswalks tell drivers to yield to pedestrians.
"Some cars yield; some blow right by," Long said, noting that "double-lane roundabouts present a multiple threat" because the blind pedestrian must ensure that vehicles in both lanes have stopped and are yielding.
Film studies of those crossing at two roundabouts here are linked to testing new methods for improving safety. http://videocenter.denverpost.com/services/link/bcpid934052406/bctid1655754279
One test calls for Golden to install a crossing signal that pedestrians can activate to briefly stop traffic entering or exiting a roundabout. The signal clicks each second to alert blind pedestrians of its presence. By pushing a button, the pedestrian actuates a red stoplight to halt traffic and an audible message tells pedestrians the walk signal is on.
In the other, engineers will install a raised crosswalk to test the tendency of motorists to slow down and yield to blind pedestrians. "A driver's propensity to yield is directly related to speed," Long said.
The study team, which includes engineers from North Carolina State University's Institute for Transportation Research and Education, plans to reassemble in Golden in September to film the same volunteers crossing the roundabouts with the new technologies in place. "If these things work, they may be applied nationwide with the support of the U.S. Access Board," Long said, referring to the agency that develops regulations for the Americans With Disabilities Act.
After several hours of filming, Bruns assessed some of the challenges of crossing at roundabouts.
"I'd rather have a yield," she said. "But if I hear a gap, I'll go for it."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
