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MOBILITY MONDAY

Guest Column From

Lauderhill Vice Mayor Lawrence "Jabbow" Martin

This week, I welcome our first guest columnist for Mobility Monday, City of Lauderhill Vice Mayor Lawrence “Jabbow” Martin, who recently stepped in to represent the Broward MPO in my place in Washington, D.C. I’m proud to partner with our board members to secure funding for critical infrastructure that will improve the quality of life in Broward County.  – Greg Stuart 

My role as a local elected official and an MPO board member means looking at our region as one interconnected system. While in Washington, D.C., recently, our team had the opportunity to engage with key policymakers in the offices of Representatives Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, Senator Rick Scott, and Senator Marco Rubio. We had candid conversations and discussed the real-world impact of the transportation issues we face. Their receptiveness to our endeavor to create a SMART region, where data is collected, analyzed, and disseminated in real-time to allow for informed decision-making across all levels, was thoughtful. We also discussed the impacts of emerging weather patterns on our communities and received interest from these decision-makers in supporting the MPO’s efforts to prepare for the future. The team also spent several days with the U.S. Department of Transportation, sharing data, discussing federal programs, and communicating our aspirations for positive change. We fostered relationships with our legislative delegation, who expressed a commitment to championing our cause. These meetings were instrumental in building rapport and a deeper understanding of our mission. The Broward MPO received positive feedback about our initiatives to make our region a better place for our two million neighbors. Collaborative efforts are crucial to amplifying our impact, and these connections will strengthen our efforts to bring home funding for transportation projects. 

BROWARD MPO IN ACTION

New Podcast Episode Available on December 15

In the upcoming episode of our Let's Talk Transportation podcast, the stage is set for a thoughtful discussion on the unique intersection of public service, leadership, and community betterment. Titled “Collaboration and the Athenian Oath,” this engaging episode introduces us to a distinguished guest, Monica Cepero, who serves as the Broward County Administrator. Recognized for her immense passion for public service, Monica talks at length about her approach to leadership, rooted in the essence of the Athenian Oath - leaving your community in a better state than you found it. This is an episode you don’t want to miss! Listen on December 15 on all major podcast platforms, and click here to listen to past episodes.

"Think Like a Planner" Series Encourages Middle School Students to Solve Roadway Issues

Last week, Broward MPO staff hosted students from Sawgrass Springs Middle School for an interactive, hands-on exercise as part our "Think Like a Planner" Workshop series. Students had an opportunity to learn about transportation planning, build complete streets and propose solutions to issues they identified out in the field. This year, we partnered with Broward County Schools Civically Relevant Experiences for Students & Teachers (CREST) Program which is designed to expose them to different careers across multiple industries. We are so excited to offer our "Think Like a Planner" initiative in partnership with Broward County Schools. We look forward to working with students in Broward County next school year! 

Broward MPO Workshop Focuses on Innovation

to Enhance Roadway Safety 

Roadway safety is a critical concern in Broward County. The Broward MPO is collaborating with Broward County and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to develop an innovative approach to proactively enhance safety of all users of the County’s multi-modal transportation system using advanced detection technology and data analytics.  Following a Concept Design Workshop in September 2023, the Broward MPO hosted a second Workshop with Broward County and FDOT on Thursday, December 7, 2023. The focus of this workshop was to present and discuss a Pilot project through which innovative detection and analytics will be implemented at a group of signalized intersections in Broward County. The implementation will utilize advanced detection currently being evaluated by Broward County as part of its Advanced Traffic Management System upgrade and a data analytics platform developed by Accenture in partnership with the Broward MPO. The Pilot will analyze video of traffic at each intersection to identify the frequency of various scenarios such as high- speed red light running, conflicts between through and left turning vehicles and pedestrians not crossing within established crosswalks. Based on this analysis countermeasures will be identified that reduce potential for these scenarios to occur. As resources allow countermeasures will be implemented and their effectiveness assessed through the Pilot. The workshop also served as a forum for envisioning future evolution and application of the analytics platform. The application of advanced detection and data analytics to facilitate proactive delivery of safety improvements reflects a new paradigm in the Broward MPO’s ongoing effort to coordinate continuous and cost-effective safety enhancement with its transportation partners and the Pilot puts Broward County at the forefront of innovative delivery of enhanced roadway safety for its residents and visitors.