February 2015                      Issue 10
In This Issue
New Series: Tailgate Talks
T2 Hosts New Listserv
EDC Exchange at T2 Center
Preventing Slips & Falls
Social Media & Local Govts.
Roadway Safety Poster Contest
Introducing Our New Series: Tailgate Talks!

 

The T2 Center is excited to announce our newest safety series "Tailgate Talk". 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 they are comfortable with, they are more likely to retain that information and put it into practice. This series will cover real safety concerns that your crews face at work, such as operating vibrating equipment, how to be safe when using compressed air, and being alert of moving equipment. Click here to download and share Tailgate Talks.

T2 Center Hosts New Traffic Signal Listserv

 

The T2 Center has created a new listserv for Connecticut's traffic signal community. This listserv provides a way to pose questions among those responsible for municipal traffic signals such as: 

  • Traffic Signal Management Plans
  • Setting performance goals
  • Timing and system issues
  • Training needs and opportunities

This listserv will serve as a communication tool for the T2 Center and Traffic Signal Systems Circuit Rider to forward materials and information on best practices, new technology and training resources, upcoming T2 trainings, and other information relative to traffic signal timing and maintenance.

 

To subscribe email Mary McCarthy, the listserv administrator.

EDC Exchange Webinar On Road Diets Will Be Hosted By T2 Center

 

Four-lane undivided highways experience relatively high crash frequencies. One option for addressing this safety concern is a Road Diet, which typically involves converting an existing four-lane undivided roadway segment to a three-lane segment consisting of two through lanes and a center two-way left turn lane. This EDC Exchange will highlight how local agencies are using this low cost safety countermeasure to improve safety in their communities.


 

Please join FHWA, the T2 Center and the CT DOT for a presentation on Road Diets via a live webinar on April 9, 2015 from 2pm-4pm. For more information email Lisa Knight.

CIRMA: Preventing Slips & Falls

As major winter storms with heavy snow and freezing rain hit Connecticut, there is an increased possibility of slips and falls on icy sidewalks, roadways and parking lots. Indoors, wet boots and coats can shed water onto floors creating additional slip and fall hazards that could injure employees. Check out this article from CIRMA to find out six ways to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls.
 
Social Media Trending In Local Governments
Are you still wondering if Facebook and Twitter are the right tools for you to communicate with your residents? Check out this article to see why social media is becoming so popular in local governments. It explains how social media helps disseminate important information faster, keeps residents up-to-date on positive changes that occur within their town, humanizes the people 
who do the work and helps 
keep residents calm during 
times of crisis.
In Bangor, Maine the town uses social media to get residents more familiar with their local police officers.
There's Still Time To Enter Your Child In The Roadway Safety Poster Contest!
There is still time to enter your child into this year's Roadway Safety Poster Contest. To enter, here's what you do:
  1. Watch our animated video about roadway safety with your child.
  2. Have them draw a poster about pedestrian, bicycle, passenger or work zone safety.
  3. Send your poster to us for a chance to win cool prizes (like new Kindle Fires!) Click here for contest guidelines.

For each poster we receive we will enter your agency into a drawing for a FREE T2 TRAINING- Make sure to include your agency name on the back of your child's poster!

If you have any ideas or suggestions for future Connecticut Crossroads topics, please feel free to email the designer Nicole Creaturo at creaturo@engr.uconn.edu.