May 2023
Issue 108
In This Issue:
  • Town Crier: Fairfield DPW Hosts Local Girls Scouts for Scouts in Government Day!
  • Safety Matters: May is National Bicycle Safety Month
  • Innovation Station: States Use Data to Drive Road Safety Improvements
  • CTDOT Launches Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Pilot Program
  • NEAPWA Spring Conference Fill a Public Works Truck Food Drive
  • REMINDER: TLP Cohort #9 Applications Due June 1st
  • U.S. DOT Releases Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program FY23 Notice of Funding Opportunity
  • CT T2 2023 Photo Contest
  • NEAPWA Chapter Connects: Entry Level Driver Training and Your Organization (Video)
Fairfield DPW Hosts Local Girls Scouts for Scouts in Government Day!
Girl Scouts from two local troops visited the Fairfield Department of Public Works for Scouts in Government Day. They had a busy morning and were immersed in many different public works activities to earn their Inside Government badge! First, they had the opportunity to lead a roundtable discussion with the Assistant Director about topics impacting families in Town. Then, they learned about Fairfield’s fleet of cars, trucks, boats, and other vehicles as well as basic automotive mechanics and how to check your engine oil. Next, they spent some time repairing downtown memorial benches with the Building Maintenance Team to earn community service hours. After that, they visited the Transfer Station for a hands-on learning experience about the Town’s solid waste and recycling services. Finally, they planted a hornbeam in the Town right of way with the Department’s Tree Crew. Which aligns perfectly with the Girl Scout slogan “Do a good turn daily.”

Great job Fairfield Department of Public Works for helping these Girl Scouts achieve their Inside Government badge!
May is National Bicycle Safety Month
There are over 51 million people who ride bikes in the United States and they come in all shapes and sizes — from kids riding to school or out with friends to adults who cycle for exercise or as a means of transportation. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), 966 bicyclists were killed in traffic crashes in 2021 (the most recent year of complete data). In 2022, Connecticut had 446 crashes that involved a bicycle resulting in four fatalities and forty serious injuries. The month of May begins the most dangerous time of the year for cyclists, as crashes increase with the warmer weather and continue to remain high until the fall. As vulnerable road users, cyclists involved in a traffic crash are more likely to sustain injury than occupants of a vehicle.
Here in Connecticut, we are doing good work to increase awareness of bicycling safety and add cycling infrastructure to our roadways. The League of American Bicyclists ranks Connecticut as the #20 bike-friendly state and we are one of only four states that has taken all five of the League’s Bicycle Friendly Actions every year since they were identified in 2015.

To continue reading, click here.
For more information and assistance with local road safety in your community, contact Melissa Evans, Safety Circuit Rider, at melissa.evans@uconn.edu.
States Use Data to Drive Road Safety Improvements
We’ve all heard of big data. Big data in software, healthcare, economics, and many other parts of our lives. Did you know transportation practitioners are now using big data to save lives?

It’s called data-driven safety analysis (DDSA). DDSA is a suite of tools and approaches that harness the power of information to help agencies make more informed decisions, better target their investments, and reduce severe crashes nationwide.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently developed 20 case studies that demonstrate the power behind DDSA.
Learn about Connecticut's Transportation Enterprise Data 2022 case study, here.

Continue reading the complete article, here.
CTDOT Launches Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Pilot Program
On March 29, 2023, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announced the implementation of a program to reduce speeding in work zones and improve Connecticut roadway safety. The Know The Zone: Speed Safety Camera Program will be active on April 10, 2023, in Connecticut at work zones in Norwalk and East Hartford, followed by the Route 8 corridor between Shelton and Seymour shortly thereafter.
The Know the Zone: Speed Safety Camera Program is a way to increase safety for the workers on these jobs and the drivers and their passengers traveling through them. Statistics from the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse show in 2020, the last year of nationally available data, there were 774 fatal crashes in work zones resulting in 857 deaths. Out of the 857 fatalities, 117 were work zone workers demonstrating that the vast majority of those killed were drivers, their passengers, and pedestrians.

To continue reading, click here.
NEAPWA Spring Conference Fill a Public Works Truck Food Drive
On April 19, 2023, the New England Chapter of the American Public Works Association (NE APWA) held their annual Spring Conference at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. Participants were asked to bring non-perishable food to donate to the Fill a Public Works Truck Food Drive that was held at the conference. The 2023 Fill a Public Works Truck Food Drive collected 195 lbs of donated food and over $250 in cash donations. All donations went to the Connecticut Foodshare organization.
REMINDER: TLP Cohort #9 Applications Due June 1st
A friendly reminder that applications for the Transportation Leadership Program's Cohort 9 are due by Thursday, June 1, 2023.

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.
U.S. DOT Releases Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program FY23 Notice of Funding Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) opened the second round of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Discretionary Grant Program and released the FY23 Notice of Funding Opportunity. The SS4A Grant Program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The program supports the National Roadway Safety Strategy and the U.S. DOT's goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways. A webinar series is available for more information. Applications are due by 5:00 PM ET on July 10, 2023.

The T2 Center has a webpage with resources related to SS4A and BIL, you can access it here.
NEAPWA Chapter Connects: Entry Level Driver Training and Your Organization (Video)
On February 7, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) instituted a new regulation, the Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT): a year later, there is much confusion regarding the requirements of the rule. Do you need to send applicants to a training school? Who needs ELDT and when? What are the training requirements of the rule?

We cover these questions and more. This session was geared towards people obtaining/upgrading a CDL license and for folks managing/training team members with CDL licenses.
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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 regina.hackett@uconn.edu