February 2018
Issue 45
2018 Workshop Calendar Now Available!

The 2018 T2 Training Calendar is Available!
Click here to view training opportunities available in 2018.


We will continue to update the schedule with dates and locations, so check in with us regularly. If you are interested in hosting a class please email Shelly Desjardin at shelly.desjardin@uconn.edu .
2018 Roadway Safety Poster Contest for Children is Underway!

The CT Technology Transfer Center and the Governor's Highway Safety Program are happy to announce the Eighth Annual Roadway Safety Poster Contest for Children ! We want to make roadway safety a priority and are asking the children of Connecticut to help us promote roadway safety through art. Students grades K-6 are invited to submit their original artwork for the chance to win big prizes and be recognized at the Work Zone Safety Week Press Conference, held in April.

The PBS KIDS' "Ruff Ruffman-Driving" digital initiative provides resources to encourage kids to become better passengers and to play an active role in helping parents to keep their eyes on the road. The campaign's unusual approach tunes into the idea that kids are acutely aware of their parents' distraction especially when they are driving. To visit the website click here .
New Tailgate Talk - Working Safely Near Power Lines
The T2 Center has published our newest Tailgate Talk informational brief. Each Tailgate Talk focuses on one on-the-job safety topic and is designed to be shared with your crew at the beginning of their day. When employees are presented with safety material in small chunks, in a setting in which they are comfortable, they are more likely to retain that information and put it into practice.

The newest Tailgate Talk focuses on Working Safely Near Power Lines . It is not uncommon to work around power lines. However, the potential hazards to workers are enormous, and workers must use extreme caution.
Tips from Tony
Speed feedback signs can be useful tools for roadway speed management.
Do you know how to properly install a speed feedback sign?
Find the answer at the bottom of the newsletter.
If you have roadway safety questions, please contact:
Anthony Lorenzetti, P.E. - Safety Circuit Rider
(860) 486-5847 or anthony.lorenzetti@uconn.edu
UConn: 'Complete Streets' Improve Campus Environment

As the spring 2018 semester gets underway, drivers on North Eagleville Road can breathe a temporary sigh of relief. Two-way traffic has started again on the road, while upgrades to the underground utility network have been placed on hiatus for the semester. Work to finalize the infrastructure improvements will resume this summer.

In the meantime, the community can experience the benefits of surface improvements to North Eagleville Road, an example of the "Complete Streets" initiative on campus, which includes such projects as the recent improvements to Hillside Road and the construction on Discovery Drive.

Complete Streets include environmentally friendly features, improved universal access, and increased pedestrian and vehicular safety attributes.

According to Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition: "There is no singular design prescription for Complete Streets; each one is unique and responds to its community context. A complete street may include: sidewalks, bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders), special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, and more."

Click here to continue this article.
Innovation Station: Pocket Guide to Transportation
The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released the 2018 Pocket Guide to Transportation , which serves as a quick reference guide to transportation statistics. It provides key information and highlights major trends on the U.S. transportation system.

This year’s Pocket Guide features a new and improved mobile app that includes enhanced navigation, shareable graphics to social media and email, and dynamic data updates to highlight the most recent up-to-date statistics. The mobile app is available for free. To download the Pocket Guide to Transportation app, text USDOT BTSPG to 468311 or search for “BTS Pocket Guide” in your app store.
What Do Fleet Operators Think About Telematics Solutions?
A recent study shows that a high percentage of fleets using GPS fleet management systems are very satisfied with what the solutions have to offer, and some feel that these systems are indispensable. So, why don't all fleets use them and what is necessary to have the market for these solutions continue to grow at the current rate of 10-15% in the coming years?

Answering these and other questions were among the goals of C.J. Driscoll & Associates, a strategic consulting and market research group focused on GPS and wireless products and services, in conducting their "2017-2018 Survey of Fleet Operator Interest in MRM Systems and Services."

The study surveyed over 500 U.S. fleets between April and June 2017, with participating fleets varying in size from five to over 10,000 vehicles.

Click here to continue this article.
Introducing T2 Center's "Resource of the Week"
This week the T2 Center will launch a Resource of the Week. We will highlight different resources for you to share with your crews.

We will post on the CT Public Works Listserv (if you are not on the CT PW Listserv please contact Mary McCarthy at mary.c.mccarthy@uconn.edu, to get subscribed) and on the T2 Center Facebook Page .

Stay tuned...
Tips from Tony ~ Answer
A speed feedback sign provides the most value when the posted, legal (regulatory) speed limit is installed above it in the same location. A driver can judge his/her speed in relation to the regulatory speed when both signs are used. The variable speed sign would be used as a warning to the driver. The speed on the feedback sign should shut off at a maximum of 20 mph over the regulatory speed so that the sign cannot be used to encourage speeding.

The speed feedback sign should be installed below the regulatory speed sign because it is a warning sign and regulatory signs have primacy over warning signs. Sign supports should conform to breakaway standards or be installed behind protective guiderail at a distance that allows for adequate guiderail deflection. 

Also note that v iolation warnings, such as the white strobe or slowdown, and other symbols, like a smiling face, that are shown when you’re at the speed limit are non-compliant. Installation on state roads will require an encroachment permit from the CT Department of Transportation.
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Use these links to get more information about the Connecticut Technology Transfer (T2) Center:
If you have any ideas or suggestions for future  Connecticut Crossroads  topics, please feel free to email the designer Regina Hackett at  regina.hackett@uconn.edu