The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) will be hosting a FREE, 1.5 hour online training event.

  

This Safety Center sponsored webinar will provide a background on the rural safety problem and how the systemic safety approach is used to help address these problems. Some examples of systemic safety applications will be summarized and non-engineering application discussed. An overview of the High Five Rural Traffic Safety Project administered through the Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB), a non-engineering application, will be provided. This project uses 10 years of crash data and seat belt compliance data to determine annually which five rural counties will receive additional funding in order to increase enforcement, engineering, and education related to traffic safety in those counties. This webinar will discuss how the project works, its ongoing outcomes, and how to develop a similar program in your area.

Standard data collection and aggregation processes including condition and collision diagram forms. Overview of special circumstances for younger and older drivers to illustrate mitigation strategies.

The design, maintenance, and operation of low volume rural roads poses a challenge to many local highway agencies, particularly when considering the financial constraints involved in also needing to address the more heavily traveled roadways within the same jurisdiction. It is estimated that there are 2.5 million miles of low volume public roads in the U.S., under the responsibility of counties, townships, tribal lands, the U.S. Forest Service and others.

When addressing low volume road issues, it is often economically impractical to apply the same design or operations treatments that would otherwise be suggested on a high volume road, particularly when most motorists on these roads tend to be familiar with the roadway and its geometrics. For this reason, organizations such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the U.S. Forest Service have developed policies and guidelines that recognize the need for more flexible design standards and operational practices for low volume roads.

This webinar will provide an overview of the various design policies and guidelines that can be considered for the construction, reconstruction, maintenance and operation of low volume roads. As a part of this discussion, the differing traffic volume thresholds used when applying these guidelines will be described, as well as the influence of constraints that involve right-of-way, topography, and environmental issues. Maintenance and operations issues concerning paved versus unpaved roads, and use of traffic signing and other traffic control devices will be included.

Key management issues to be considered when developing policies for low volume roads will also be discussed. Low volume road safety concerns and potential low cost counter-measures will be covered, particularly in light of the difficulty involved in statistically assessing sparse crash data.

The Designing for Pedestrian Safety course is intended to help state and local transportation engineering professionals address pedestrian safety issues through design and engineering solutions. The training course includes a field exercise in the application of the principles, concepts, and strategies covered in the course. Also the participants will share and prioritize potential policies, programs, and strategies.

This course instructed by Juan M. Morales, P.E. is designed to provide local and rural agencies with practical and effective ways to mainstream safety solutions into their day-to-day activities and project development process. This one-day workshop focuses on processes for incorporating safety into all aspects of local and rural projects, and on making safety a priority through inclusion in the traditional decision-making process - 365 days a year. The course stresses the importance of road safety, and illustrates how it can be integrated into rural/local transportation project development at all stages: planning, design, construction, implementation, operations, and maintenance. Through practical exercises and facilitator-led discussions, the emphasis is on operations and maintenance to reflect the predominant, day-to-day responsibilities of rural/local transportation agencies. The benefits and potential cost savings of safety initiatives are shown using examples from rural/local agencies

The workshop audience ranges from decision-makers to road crews. It is aimed primarily at local and rural road and public works supervisors. Others who would benefit include: elected officials, public safety advocates, State DOT personnel, law enforcement, consultants, regional and rural development organizations, municipal associations.

The ASCE International Conference on Transportation & Development (ICTD 2016) will focus on projects and best practices that truly contribute to smart transportation and development, essential components of competitiveness and prosperity. It will provide a forum for relevant engineering research, applications, and innovations that contribute to competitiveness, efficiency, convenience, safety and well-being.

Presentations and panel discussions will cover transportation and development planning, financing, functional design, construction, operation, and management: how practitioners are improving performance to meet the critical mobility and development challenges of a changing operational and competitive environment. Presentations, papers, and posters are sought to address transportation applications, innovations, and critical needs.

The meeting content will include a mix of interactive presentation, Ignite sessions, and workshop formats. Sessions will be focused on state-of-the practice, advancement of the profession, and emerging issues designed to provide transportation professionals in the public and private sectors with tools and resources that can be adapted to meet their organizational needs.