- New T2 Training Program: Traffic Signal Technician Certificate Program
- Safety Matters: Teen Driver Safety
- Signal Spotlight: New Resource: Decision-Making Guide for Signal Phasing
- Warren's Words of Wisdom: Hot Stick Voltage Detectors — A False Sense of Safety?
- Innovation Station: FHWA Supporting Seven Innovations Via EDC Program
- Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center Receives 5-year Extension to Improve and Expand Safety Analysis Tool
- Town Crier: 20 is Plenty for New Haven
- SAVE THE DATE — CT Department of Transportation Virtual Safety Summit
- Upcoming NE APWA's Managing Winter Operations During COVID-19 a Virtual Education Seminar
- SAVE THE DATE — AAA Technology Takes the Wheel: Ride Into the Future
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New T2 Training Program: Traffic Signal Technician Certificate Program |
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The T2 Center will soon add a Traffic Signal Technician Certificate Program to its list of offerings. The program consists of a series of workshops designed to provide Connecticut’s municipal traffic signal personnel with knowledge of the fundamentals of traffic signal maintenance and operations procedures and techniques. The program will be of interest to new municipal traffic signal technicians and those who wish to assume the position in the future. |
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Connecticut municipalities have expressed a need for trained, qualified professionals to maintain the specialized and increasingly technical traffic signal systems that contribute to the safety and efficiency of our transportation network. Operating and maintaining this significant infrastructure investment requires a force of municipal personnel with sound training in the fundamentals of traffic signal maintenance procedures and techniques. The Connecticut Traffic Signal Technician Program will provide an opportunity for municipal traffic signal technicians to receive this specialized training.
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National Teen Driver Safety Week is October 18-24 this year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has good reason to highlight teen driver safety, as motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, ages 15-18 years old, in the United States. Teen drivers are two-and-a-half times more likely to engage in one or more potentially risky behaviors when driving with another teen in the vehicle, compared to when driving alone, according to the results of a study analyzed by NHTSA. According to that same study, the risk increases with the addition of teen passengers. |
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In Connecticut, in an effort to reduce teen fatalities on the roadways, graduated license laws were put into effect in 2008. The stricter rules for teen drivers have resulted in teen car crash fatalities dropping from an average of 18 per year in 2001-2007 to seven per year in 2009-2016, according to a 2018 press release from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Unfortunately, teen drivers and passengers are still dying on our roads. Much like any other law, the graduated license laws are only effective when followed.
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If you have any questions about local road safety concerns, you can contact:
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Signal Spotlight: New Resource: Decision-Making Guide for Signal Phasing
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Earlier this year, the TRB released NCHRP Web-Only Document 284: Decision-Making Guide for Traffic Signal Phasing. The document outlines the existing best practices on signal phasing along with the results of NCHRP Project 03-118, under which researchers developed new safety performance functions (SPFs) and crash modification factors (CMFs) for various left-turn phasing scenarios at the intersection level. The document covers guidance on left-turn phasing mode, right-turn phasing mode, phase sequence and pedestrian phasing.
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Five Key Takeaways:
According to the results of a survey conducted as part of the study, only 29% of responding agencies reported having formal policies, guidelines or procedures for selecting the most appropriate phasing for a signalized intersection.
The CTDOT Traffic Control Signal Design Manual outlines the acceptable options for left-turn phasing along with some general requirements for implementation. The Decision-Making Guide for Signal Phasing provides additional guidance relating to safety and operational considerations, as well as other unique contexts, such as transitways and separated bike lanes. Various alternatives to left-turn phasing are also provided.
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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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Hot Stick Voltage Detectors — A False Sense of Safety? by Warren Rogers, C.S.P.
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There are several versions of voltage detectors I’ve seen firefighters and public works folks have purchased. Then they’ve asked me what I think of them. I have always told them the only 100% way that I can guarantee the power is shut off and safe for a first responder or public works to do anything (touching, pushing, rescuing) is when the utility has shown up and done whatever they need to do to make the situation safe. That means the utility has opened taps, fuses, grounded wires or whatever they have needed to do to tell you that you can safely do your work.
In a storm or emergency, many justify not waiting for the utility and take matters into their own hands, and sometimes rely on the voltage detectors as the all clear to do what they need to do. Let me point a few things out.
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FHWA Supporting Seven Innovations Via EDC Program |
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The Federal Highway Administration plans to support seven transportation “innovations” via the sixth round of its Every Day Counts or EDC program. Created in 2010 in collaboration with state, local, and tribal transportation agencies, the EDC program promotes the “accelerated use” of tools, technologies, and methods nationwide to improve road and bridge projects: reducing their cost and shortening completion times as well.
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The EDC program “is about finding new ways to leverage our collective resources to provide state, local, and tribal transportation leaders the opportunity to deploy ready-to-use innovations,” explained U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in video remarks during a virtual meeting hosted by the FHWA to highlight the EDC awards. |
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Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center Receives 5-year Extension to Improve and Expand Safety Analysis Tool |
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The Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center has received a five-year extension from the Connecticut Department of Transportation for their project to develop a customized highway safety analysis tool for improving the safety of Connecticut’s roads.
Since 2015, the Center, located at the University of Connecticut’s Connecticut Transportation Institute, has been developing a data-driven process to determine the most effective way to approach road safety problems.
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This extension will allow UConn’s research team to expand the capabilities of the current system.
The tool developed under the current safety grant and the new five-year grant is the “Connecticut Roadway Safety Management System (CRSMS)”, which is different but closely related to the “Connecticut Crash Data Repository” tool.
Click here to continue this article.
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20 is Plenty for New Haven |
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20isPlenty aims to make New Haven streets safer for everyone by asking drivers to commit to traveling at 20 mph throughout the city.
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Why should I drive 20 mph?
Driving 20 mph makes the streets safer for everyone - walkers, cyclists, and motorists.
- Improves driver's ability to avoid crashes
- Improves stopping distance
- Uses less fuel, which makes the environment and your wallet happy!
- Reduces the wear and tear on your car
Most importantly, it saves lives!
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Click here to learn more.
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SAVE THE DATE — CT Department of Transportation Virtual Safety Summit |
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Join us and other Connecticut Safety Stakeholders for a virtual summit to collaborate on transportation safety strategies and initiatives. Together we can save lives on Connecticut's roadways. To register today, click here.
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Upcoming NE APWA's Managing Winter Operations During COVID-19 a Virtual Education Seminar |
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Managing Winter Operations During COVID-19, A New England APWA Chapter Connects Series. Please join us for this interactive discussion on how New England States are preparing to manage winter operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When: November 19, 2020, 11:00am to 12:00pm EST
Agenda Topics:
- What will your Agency be doing differently to manage winter storms during this COVID-19 situation? What protocols have you put in place to minimize COVID exposure?
- Have you had budget impacts due to the pandemic and how will they affect your snow operations? Have you had to readjust community expectations?
- What new practices are you implementing this coming snow season?
- What are your biggest challenges during a typical winter season and how do you overcome them?
- Open Questions from Attendees
This seminar will be hosted by UConn's T2 Center via Zoom. To register, click here.
If you would like to watch past seminars that you may have missed you can find them here.
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SAVE THE DATE — AAA Technology Takes the Wheel: Ride Into the Future |
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AAA is excited to share news of their first ‘virtual’ Technology Takes the Wheel in partnership with the University of Connecticut School of Engineering Transportation Safety Research Center — a timely event, a timely subject and two outstanding presenters. |
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Join AAA and the University of Connecticut School of Engineering for a free virtual event on the future of transportation and self-driving vehicles, on November 10, 2020, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm EST.
Click here to register today.
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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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