- Winner Announcement: 2021 Roadway Safety Poster Contest for Children
- Safety Matters: All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Safety
- Signal Spotlight: Bicyclists at Signalized Intersections
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Town Crier: Tiger Trail Named After New Canaan DPW Head Tiger Mann
- Innovation Station: 2008 CT Creative Solutions Award Winner - Reuse of Sweeper Brooms on a Bobcat
- Pedestrian Resources to Help Talk the Walk
- Lawmakers Greenlight Pedestrian Safety Bill
- States Ramp Up Traffic Safety Initiatives Ahead of Deadly Summer Travel Season
- Sustainable CT: Congratulations Spring 2021 Certified Towns!
- Congratulations to the 2020 and 2021 New England American Public Works Association's Connecticut Award Recipients!
- DEADLINE EXTENDED: Transportation Leadership Program Cohort 7 - Applications Due July 15th
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Winner Announcement: 2021 Roadway Safety Poster Contest for Children |
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Earlier this year, the Connecticut Training and Technical Assistance Center invited students from around the state to help promote roadway safety—with a special focus on pedestrian safety—through art. After visiting the new CT Roadway Safety Poster Contest for Children website (a site with access to resources, including fun games and videos, to encourage kids to learn about roadway and pedestrian safety), students in grades K-5 submitted their posters depicting how to be a safe pedestrian, bicyclist and driver. This year we had over 140 entries! Submissions were reviewed by a panel of roadway safety professionals from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and other local Connecticut agencies, and a winner and honorable mention were selected for three age categories: K-1st grade, 2nd-3rd grade and 4th-5th grade.
Watch the video below to see this year's winners.
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All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Safety |
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All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, are a popular mode of recreation across the country and here in Connecticut. Similar to other recreational activities, following safety procedures can keep a fun outing from turning into a tragedy. In 2019, according to the US Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 259 people nationwide died in ATV crashes. That same year in Connecticut, there were four fatal ATV crashes and an additional twenty-nine injury crashes. So far in 2021, there have already been three reported serious injury or fatal ATV crashes in Connecticut. These crashes and the resulting injuries and deaths are preventable. |
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The ATV Safety Institute’s website has valuable information for parents of children who want to ride ATVs and for adults who want to ride as well. Learning how to properly handle the vehicle, the safety precautions one should take prior to and while riding it, and knowing the relevant state laws about ATVs are essential tools to keep the activity safe and fun.
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If you have any questions about local road safety concerns, you can contact:
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Signal Spotlight: Bicyclists at Signalized Intersections |
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As towns develop multimodal transportation plans, signalized intersections should be considered. According to the 2021 Traffic Safety Facts published annually by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 27% of bicyclist fatalities and 55% of bicyclist injuries occur at intersections. Signalized intersections are typically designed to accommodate motorized vehicles and pedestrians, but accommodations for bicyclists are rare. There are several ways signalized intersections can be designed to facilitate bicycle travel. |
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Bike Boxes
According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), a bike box is a “designated area at the head of a traffic lane at a signalized intersection that provides bicyclists with a safe and visible way to get ahead of queuing traffic during the red signal phase.” A bike box is typically painted with an image of a bicyclist in white, sometimes with a green background, and places the rider in a conspicuous place in the intersection where drivers can see him or her.
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If you have traffic signal systems questions, please contact:
Theresa Schwartz, P.E., P.T.O.E. - Traffic Signal Circuit Rider
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Tiger Trail Named After New Canaan DPW Head Tiger Mann |
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The new road between New Canaan High School and Waveny Park has been named after the Director of Department of Public Works Tiger Mann.
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Above: Superintendent Bryan Luizzi stands to the left of DPW head Tiger Mann and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan soon after they surprised Mann with the sign for the trail between New Canaan High School and Waveny Park on Thursday, May 20, 2021.
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2008 CT Creative Solutions Award Winner - Reuse of Sweeper Brooms on a Bobcat |
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Through the summer months, we will be running a special Innovation Station theme in our monthly Crossroads. We are going to highlight past CT Creative Solutions Award (CCSA) winning designs and showcase Connecticut Public Works' great innovations through the years. This month, we are shining a spotlight on the 2008 CCSA winner, the Town of Mansfield's Reuse of Sweeper Brooms on a Bobcat.
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Problem Identified:
We were sweeping with our Bobcat with a rotary broom.
Solution:
Adapted the front broom attachment of the Bobcat Skid-steer loader so that used sweeper brooms could be reused on the Bobcat.
Cost Estimate:
No cost to implement the program. However, there have been substantial savings associated with the program.
Benefit:
A cost savings has been realized in reusing brooms that would otherwise be thrown away.
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Pedestrian Resources to Help Talk the Walk |
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Over the past decade, state departments of transportation (DOTs) have worked to fulfill a federal U.S. DOT policy to incorporate “safe and convenient walking and bicycle facilities into transportation projects.” If, for instance, you want more bus riders, you have to consider pedestrians. The quality of walkways for reaching a bus stop along with the amenities there show measurable differences in transit ridership and customer satisfaction. |
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Improving and maintaining pedestrian infrastructure are shared responsibilities between a transit agency and other local and regional departments. A new synthesis of data from TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) includes information from nearly 50 transit agencies in Transit Agency Relationships and Initiatives to Improve Bus Stops and Pedestrian Access. Results reaching from Athens, Georgia to San Francisco, California found notable benefits in communication channels with members of the public, as well as city, DOT, and metropolitan planning organizations. Increases in infrastructure funding could make this research even more relevant as new facilities are planned.
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Lawmakers Greenlight Pedestrian Safety Bill |
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The Senate gave final passage last month to a host of traffic law changes intended to make Connecticut roadways safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. The bill includes provisions to ease crosswalk use and increase distracted driving fines. |
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Senators approved the legislation on a 32 to 3 vote. The House passed the bill unanimously last week after removing controversial provisions that would have allowed test programs to install speed enforcement cameras around work zones, hospitals and schools.
The bill is a wide-ranging attempt to curb an increase in traffic fatalities involving pedestrians and bicyclists. Sen. Will Haskell, a Westport Democrat who is co-chairman of the Transportation Committee, said 65 pedestrians were killed in auto accidents last year and traffic fatalities climbed to 308, up from 249 the previous year.
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States Ramp Up Traffic Safety Initiatives Ahead of Deadly Summer Travel Season |
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With more Americans returning to the road and millions expected to take summer road trips, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is alerting motorists that State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) and their partners are stepping up programs to make sure the nation’s roads are safe for everyone.
The Connecticut Highway Safety Office is conducting a public outreach campaign about the dangers of speeding that is coupled with high visibility enforcement.
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Currently the CT Highway Safety Office has five major cities and the CT State Police on board to conduct high visibility enforcement starting July 1st and running through Labor Day weekend. Along with the enforcement, they will be running a media campaign “When Speeding Kills It’s Never an Accident” that will consist of TV spots in both Spanish and English language, radio spots (terrestrial and streaming) in both Spanish and English, outdoor digital billboards, and internet ads. The CTDOT Highway Operations Center will run digital displays on its variable message boards “When Speeding Kills It’s Never an Accident” during the summer months as well, in between other important safety messages and enforcement campaigns.
To find out what other states are doing, click here.
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Congratulations Spring 2021 Certified Towns! |
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Sustainable CT honors these four newly certified communities for a broad range of sustainability accomplishments: |
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Cheshire, Durham, Litchfield and Milford met high standards to qualify for bronze-level certification. The highest level of certification currently offered is silver.
Certified communities demonstrate significant achievements in at least eleven sustainability impact areas, ranging from community building, thriving local economies and vibrant arts and culture to clean transportation and diverse housing. In addition, certified municipalities address issues of belonging, equity, diversity and inclusion when implementing sustainability actions. Sustainable CT provides free coaching and a virtual equity classroom to help municipalities with issues related to equity and racial justice.
“Sustainable CT Certified communities are models for all forward-looking local governments,” said Joe DeLong, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM). “These municipalities have shown great leadership in completing many actions that increase sustainability while also saving money, promoting health, and deepening residents’ connection to community.” CCM will hold an awards ceremony to recognize Sustainable CT certified towns at their annual convention later this year.
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Congratulations to the 2020 and 2021 New England American Public Works Association's Connecticut Award Recipients! |
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We would like to extend our congratulations to the Connecticut transportation professionals who received awards from the New England American Public Works Association (NEAPWA) in 2020 and 2021. |
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Thomas Modzelewski, Town of Ellington, is the recipient of the 2020 George R. Crombie Emerging Leaders PWX Scholarship. With the 2020 conference having been canceled due to COVID-19, he will be attending the 2021 PWX conference.
Sean Doolittle, Town of Windsor, is the recipient of the 2020 NEAPWA Timothy J. O'Leary Scholarship.
Lindsey Rivers, City of Bristol, is the recipient of the 2021 George R. Crombie Emerging Leaders PWX Scholarship.
For more information about the NEAPWA Award opportunities, click here.
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DEADLINE EXTENDED: Transportation Leadership Program Cohort 7 - Applications Due July 15th |
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We have extended our Transportation Leadership Program (TLP) application deadline. Applications for TLP's Cohort 7 are due by Thursday, July 15, 2021.
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.
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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! |
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If you have any ideas or suggestions for future Connecticut Crossroads topics, please feel free to email the designer Regina Hackett at [email protected]
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