April 2022
Issue 95
Workshop Calendar

Click here to view training opportunities available. 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 the T2 Center at [email protected].
Our mission is to foster a safe, efficient, environmentally sound transportation system by improving skills and knowledge of local transportation providers through training, technical assistance, and technology transfer.
In This Issue:
  • REMINDER: TLP Cohort #8 Applications Due June 1st
  • Leaders to Watch: Frank Petise – City of Stamford
  • Signal Spotlight: Norwalk's New Adaptive Traffic Signals
  • Safety Matters: Spring Into Safety With an RSA
  • Innovation Station: Puerto Rico Advanced TIM Training with Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Town Crier: Town of Griswold Employee Saves the Day in Willimantic
  • Social Media Corner: New Milford Public Works Facebook Page
  • Planning for a "Fill a Public Works Truck" Food Drive
  • Complete Streets Spotlight: City of New Britain – Bicycle Network Improvements (Video)
REMINDER: TLP Cohort #8 Applications Due June 1st
A friendly reminder that applications for the Transportation Leadership Program's Cohort 8 are due by Wednesday, June 1, 2022.

For the program application and overview, click here.

Don't hesitate to contact Donna Shea if you have any questions or would like to discuss potential candidates.
Frank Petise – City of Stamford
On April 6, 2022, Mayor Caroline Simmons from the City of Stamford announced the promotion of Frank Petise to the position of Transportation, Traffic & Parking Bureau Chief. All of us at the T2 Center could not be prouder of Frank and are so happy for him on his accomplishments.

We have watched Frank grow professionally as a senior civil engineer with the Town of Greenwich and then as a traffic engineer with the City of Stamford. Frank has always been interested and excited about professional development and is always willing to share his expertise to help his peers in towns throughout Connecticut. Frank graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in civil engineering. In 2016, Frank completed the CT Transportation Leadership Program along with colleagues from Connecticut municipalities and the Department of Transportation. Frank then became a member of the T2 Center’s Advisory Committee where he has given thoughtful feedback on public works and engineering training needs and suggestions for future T2 programs.
Frank had been serving as the Acting Chief of Transportation since 2021, where in addition to overseeing the Transportation, Traffic and Parking Bureau, he has overseen the Local Traffic Authority (LTA) for the City and managed the Transportation Engineering & Planning Division, Traffic Operations Division, Parking Enforcement, Parking Operations, and the Parking Fund.

Congratulations, Frank! We look forward to seeing all the great things you accomplish in the future! 
Signal Spotlight: Norwalk's New Adaptive Traffic Signals by Fred Eshraghi, City Engineer, City of Norwalk
The City of Norwalk has begun to implement new “Adaptive Traffic Signals” that will automatically adjust the cycle length and distribute green light time. The system will accommodate changing traffic patterns and helps ease congestion.

What are adaptive traffic signals?
Adaptive Traffic Signals adjust the timing of their green light cycles to match current traffic conditions on the roadway. The system constantly collects data of approaching vehicles and creates new timing sequences and adjusts accordingly. The signals will change based on traffic patterns in the area rather than a standardized shift from red to green.
The main benefits of adaptive signal control technology over conventional signal systems are that it can:
  1. Automatically adapt to unexpected changes in traffic conditions.
  2. Continuously distribute green light time equitably for all traffic movements.
  3. Improve travel time reliability by progressively moving vehicles through green lights.
  4. Reduce congestion by creating smoother flow. 
The City of Norwalk began to imagine a citywide Traffic Adaptive System program in 2018.
The 1st phase of the Adaptive Signal System was completed in 2019 with implementation of 8 adaptive traffic signals on West Avenue as part of the SoNo Collection project.

The 2nd phase of the Adaptive Signal System will add 8 more signalized intersections on West Avenue and Belden Avenue to the Adaptive Signal System Network under LRARP funding. This project will be completed by the end of 2022.

To continue this article, click here.
Spring Into Safety With an RSA
Happy Spring! As the weather improves and we all start to get back outside walking and biking, roadway safety becomes even more important. Many of you are familiar with RSAs or Road Safety Assessments/Audits, but for those who may not be, an RSA is a formal safety evaluation of a location, performed by a multidisciplinary team. It is different than a traditional safety review in that it considers all potential road users, includes team members with varied expertise, accounts for human factor issues and results in a formal written report. These assessments, which are a Federal Highway Administration Proven Safety Countermeasure, are a valuable tool for municipalities of all shapes and sizes to evaluate roadway safety for all users.

So why should you perform an RSA? There are several reasons actually! Maybe you have an area where residents are concerned about children walking and biking to school. Perhaps you are planning changes to a roadway and want to ensure that all users are accommodated in the final improvements. Or maybe your community has an area that experiences seasonal increases in vulnerable users and you’re interested in potential safety improvements. All of these, and more, are reasons to conduct a Road Safety Assessment.
For example, the City of Stamford requested assistance from the Safety Circuit Rider with an RSA for Strawberry Hill Avenue, one of their busiest north/south corridors. The area has a mix of schools, businesses and residences and has some pedestrian amenities, but some are outdated and in need of improvement. According to Frank Petise, P.E., Bureau Chief of Transportation, Traffic and Parking for the City of Stamford, “For those of you who haven’t taken advantage of the program, I highly recommend it. Melissa did a great job.” The City plans to use the RSA report to support future improvement projects and potential grant funding.

Whether you have been thinking about conducting an RSA and just haven’t scheduled it, or you have never considered one before, now is the time! Many of the recommendations that come from these assessments are short-term and could be implemented within the next several months, before cold weather sets in again.

If you would like to schedule a Road Safety Assessment or are looking for assistance with local road safety in your community, contact Melissa Evans, Safety Circuit Rider, at [email protected].
Puerto Rico Advanced TIM Training with Unmanned Aerial Systems
The National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program advances the state of the practice nationally for TIM. More than 500,000 U.S. responders have been trained in person or online, including more than 50 percent of police, fire, EMS, transportation, and towing professionals in Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rico Police Academy has taken their TIM training to the next level by using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to bring a different perspective to their TIM practicum. After several hours of classroom training, students are taken to a closed roadway section, where the training is transformed into a live demonstration with real responder vehicles, crash vehicles, and temporary traffic control devices. The unique aspect of the Puerto Rico Police Academy approach is that they use two drones to capture video of the exercise from unique angles and then bring those images back into the classroom for additional discussion. Where practicum brings the classroom experience to life, merging the two leverages the best qualities of each learning medium.

To learn more about Next Generation Traffic Incident Management, please contact Paul Jodoin or James Austrich, FHWA Office of Operations.
Town of Griswold Employee Saves the Day in Willimantic
The driver of a dumpster truck and a couple of detectives are being hailed as heroes for helping to rescue people from a fire in Willimantic.
Social Media Corner: New Milford Public Works Facebook Page
Did you know that almost 50% of adults in the United States use social media as a source of news? Social media is part of our everyday lives and is a great tool to have in your agency's communication toolbox. Some Connecticut Public Works Departments (DPW) have created their own social media accounts so that they can get information out to their residents in real time. The results have been extremely positive; the accounts have become a great resource for the agencies' residents. We are going to feature a DPW social media account each month to highlight the great things being shared with Connecticut's residents.
The Town of New Milford's Public Works has an amazing Facebook page. They have gained over 1,400 followers! New Milford Public Works Facebook has become a useful resource for their residents. They are constantly posting real time updates for their road users. While the Town was installing a new roundabout the agency used their Facebook account to educate their residents of the benefits of a roundabout. They also posted short "how-to" videos showing the proper way to use a roundabout for the residents.

Take a few moments today to visit their account (and don't forget to follow them), New Milford Public Works.
Planning for a "Fill a Public Works Truck" Food Drive
National Public Works Awareness Week is May 15-21, 2022. Have you started planning your Fill a Public Works Truck Food Drive?
The primary goal of the Fill a Public Works Truck Food Drive is to collect food and household provisions for local community food banks and raise awareness of public works departments' (DPW) operations, including highlighting the things that residents can do to help the DPW crews do their jobs. This is an opportunity to unite all public works departments during a positive annual event.

Food and goods donations are critical during the early summer months as schools get out.


Remember, every little bit HELPS!
Complete Streets Spotlight: City of New Britain – Bicycle Network Improvements (Video)
Learn about New Britain’s Bicycle Network and its progression from sharrows and segments to more than 55 miles of bicycle infrastructure and some of the treatments that are working well for them.
Follow Us!
Along with our Facebook page, the T2 Center now has an Instagram page! Click on the icons below to like the T2 Center on Facebook and follow the T2 Center on Instagram!
Visit T2Center.uconn.edu for more information and resources.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for future Connecticut Crossroads topics, please feel free to email the designer Regina Hackett at [email protected]