August 1999 Ohio/WV Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers http://www.ite.uc.edu
 
 

The classical definition of traffic engineering is "the safe and efficient movement of people and goods from one place to another." This may be the basis of our profession, but in this day of public participation, road rage and more lawyers than good tort cases, it hardly is all encompassing.

Traffic engineering really is the customer service portion of the street and highway system. The traffic engineer is the one who performs most of the customer contact, many times one on one with an individual, or one on many while attending various public meetings. He or she is in a unique position to understand what the traveler desires and how to translate that desire into some approximation of reality.

The traffic engineer is the person who provides the link between the public, in our case basically the users of the highway system, and the owner, usually a government agency. He (which includes she in all cases) is the one who has the education, training and experience to be able to come up with an estimate of what traffic volumes may be in the future, given certain types of development. These estimates are based upon what is going on in other places along with the aid of some assorted computer models. He is the one who is able to take these growth projections and determine what kind of transportation system will be needed. Will a highway system work? If it will, how many lanes will be needed? How many traffic signals will it tolerate before a free flow system is needed? Will the demand become so dense that some other type of transportation system will be needed, one that is capable of moving large amounts of people and/or freight?

The traffic engineer is the one who has seen traffic jams on the streets throughout his entire career, and has a good intuitive sense on how to take care of them. Sometimes it is a simple matter of a little bit of pavement here and there, reworking a signal or reworking the pavement markings, or adjusting the use of on-street parking. Sometimes he applies some flow theory and computer modeling to the problem. Sometimes he applies some of the black art and magic that one picks up from working in the streets for a while. Sometimes the solutions are not so minor. A major infrastructure modification or extension is needed, and it will cost the owner a considerable sum of money.

The traffic engineer is also the person who deals with traffic accidents on a regular basis along with safety on the road. He deals with the abstract data when working with the overall system, and identifying troublesome areas. Beyond that, he occasionally gets called to a scene to take care of some damaged equipment or set up temporary traffic controls. He also gets called by relatives and friends of those involved in traffic crashes, and by the media as the result of a high profile crash. In these instances, any accident, especially the results of a design compromise, can become real up close and personal.

The traffic engineer is the person who has experience and background with the theory behind traffic flow and human behavior. He knows how many vehicles can get through an intersection and how many lanes it takes to carry the demand. He has an understanding of how drivers think, what they are looking for, why they make some of the decisions they do, and why they exhibit some of the behaviors that they do. Undesirable behaviors can be the result of a misinterpretation of a traffic control device, the lack of credibility of the traffic control device, or in some cases, just plain arrogance on the part of the traveler. In most instances, these undesirable behaviors are only a nuisance, but occasionally they cause accidents, injuries and death. This can create a substantial liability for the owner and/or the agency that is not aware of their influence upon the way people drive, walk and bike within their jurisdictions.

The traffic engineer is the person who gets the transportation system to work. He is the one who enables people to get from home to work, from home to school, from home to shopping and back again. He has the ability and the duty to keep the streets flowing smoothly and fairly safely for use by the public. When there is a problem, he has the ability to maintain the best level of service possible, and look at the system to see if some practical correction would be applicable.

Why hire a traffic engineer? Certainly not just to quote the "Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and say "no." Anybody can do that. The traffic engineer establishes the link between the traveler and the highway owner. He will make sure the facility fits the traveler's needs. He does indeed see that people and goods are moved safely and efficiently, but it takes more than just looking up some standards in the book or punching some numbers in the computer. It takes an understanding of efficient traffic controls, effective infrastructure and two way communications with the driver. It takes a traffic engineer, an advocate for the traveler.
 
 

The 21^st Century is expected to bring a fresh emphasis on accessible pedestrian signals - audible and tactile.

Audible pedestrian signals have been available for over 25 years. They have not been installed widely in the United States due to community opposition to noise pollution and disagreement among the blind community on the need for and effectiveness of the device. Contractors have historically avoided installing audible pedestrian signals because there were no standards governing its operation.

Technology and the passage of time are removing the above reasons for not installing audible pedestrian signals. New devices adjust signal strength based on ambient noise levels. Consensus exists for audible signals at complex intersections. And, in June, the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices drafted language on audible pedestrian signals to be included in the Year 2000 revision of the MUTCD. (This language must be finalized and printed in the Federal Register for comment period before acceptance in the MUTCD.)

Two factors have given rise to the recent push for audible signals. Firstly, modern intersection controls provide an unpredictable sequence of permitted movements so that each time a blind person approaches the crosswalk, he is uncertain if the next phase conflicts with his path. Secondly, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century (TEA 21) specifically states "Safety considerations (in the planning and design of pedestrian facilities) shall include the installation, where appropriate, and maintenance of audible traffic signals and audible signs at street crossings.

Before rushing to place audible signals at an intersection, many design and operation issues still must be addressed to best assist blind pedestrians. New "accessible" devices promise to alleviate some of these concerns, with raised pavement markings on curb ramps, vibrating push buttons and melodic signals that alternate between sides of the street. However, until standards are adopted at the national and local levels, the agency installing the audible signals will bear the burden of liability for the device’s operation.

Items to Consider When Installing Accessible Ped Xings

• Locating the street: The removal of curbs for wheelchair ramps makes it difficult for blind people to identify whether they are on the street or sidewalk.
• Finding the pushbutton: Actuated audible signals appear to be a good idea to reduce noise pollution, until the blind person must locate the pole and push the correct button to receive a signal on the desired crosswalk.
• Orientating self to crosswalk: When only one button is installed on a pole, it is often not oriented in such a way as to help a blind person face the proper direction to cross the street.
• Following sound: The sound which is meant to guide the person across the street is typically emitted from both sides of the street and can confuse a pedestrian.
• Operational differences: Some audible signals only emit a constant pitch during the WALK interval, some continue a solid pitch through the flashing DONT WALK and others chirp during the flashing interval.
• Local standards: If the national standard does not match the common law standard established by communities near the proposed installation, should the new installation follow the national or local standard?
• Malfunction monitoring through conflict monitor: Should the traffic signal enter a flashing mode if the audible unit malfunctions?
• Ohio Revised Code: Until a standard is adopted in the Ohio MUTCD or other State specification, any audible pedestrian signal violates the Ohio Revised Code section 4511.11 since it is a non-standard device.

NEWSLETTER EDITORS

Newsletter editors come and go ... and then they come back. Dave Stewart recently stepped down from his position as publications chair after conquering the mammoth job of publishing the newsletter. Unable to find a single person to commit to filling his shoes, Steve Bailey volunteered all of the past newsletter editors to publish the remaining newsletters for 1999.

Two people have tentatively committed to publishing the newsletter in 2000. Anyone who is interested in helping should notify Dick McGuiness.

NEWSLETTER ADS

If you are interested in advertising in the OhioITE or updating your ad artwork, please contact Steve Bailey or Julia Wilkie.

NEW WEB SITE

Since Julia could not find the section web site, we had to rename it so search engines could locate us. The new address is http://www.ite.uc.edu. The University of Cincinnati student chapter updates our web site as a service to the parent section. If you have any items to be posted on the web site, send them to Prahlad Pant at prahlad.pant@uc.edu.

The Ohio Section site is also linked to the ITE web page on chapters and sections at www.ite.org.

ROSTERS SENT

If you have not received your 1999 roster, please contact Jim Riley at 216-522-1140 or jriley@hntb.com to correct your mailing address.
 
 

ODOT SUPPORT

The Section is sending a letter to ODOT offering many means of support for maintaining District Traffic Engineers in all district offices.

ITE DISTRICT III

The Section did not make our usual contribution to District III this year due to the District’s comfortable financial status.

MISSION & VISION

The board has drafted the following statements. Please provide your comments to Dick McGuiness.

Mission Statement

Be an advocate for safe and efficient transportation in Ohio and West Virginia.

Vision Statement

Be a champion of transportation practices and projects which directly enhance safety and efficiency of travel in Ohio and West Virginia.

Educate transportation professionals, transportation decision makers and the public that congestion, delay, accidents and environmental decline are not indigenous to the transportation system.

Promote the profession as a specialty practice of engineering that is the closest to the ultimate customer – the travelling public.
 
 

Student chapters need involvement from the parent section to grow into their professional roles. If you have an interesting project or topic, please contact any of these student chapters to make a presentation.

University of Akron Ping Yi pyi@uakron.edu 330-972-7294

University of Cincinnati Prahlad Pant prahlad.pant@uc.edu 513-556-3690

University of Dayton Joe Saliba jsaliba@engr.udayton.edu 937-229-3847

Ohio Northern University Subhi Bazlamit 419-772-2377

Ohio State University Mark McCord mccord.2@osu.edu 614-292-2388

University of Toledo Jiwan Gupta jgupta@uoft02.utoledo.edu 419-530-8120

University of West Virginia Ron Eck 304-293-3031
 
 

It’s time to take a new approach to meetings.

ITE meetings are rare opportunities to meet your peers, learn the latest innovations, share ideas and relax among friends. Meeting gatherings offer opportunities that will never be realized on the internet and they cost less than a monthly web access subscription.

Meeting attendance has been down recently. The section is trying new approaches to make it easier, more interesting and less expensive for you to attend.

• The September meeting was moved from the 2^nd to the 9^th since ODOT is offering a telecommunications seminar on September 9^th which will likely draw many members to Columbus.
• The format of this meeting was also changed from a technical session to a non-technical dinner speaker.
• The section is considering luncheon meetings to reduce meal costs.
• It is also considering meetings in each major locality (Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, University of West Virginia). These meetings would be like mini section meetings once or twice per year, during the months without centralized meetings.

Making the Most of ITE Meetings

• Introduce your self to new faces.
• Bring a guest to ITE meetings. Ideal guests are people you would like to introduce to traffic engineering, government employees, elected officials, young engineers and students.
• "Come as you are." If you wear a suit to the office, we’ll likely see you in one at the meeting. However, if your company has gone casual, there is no need to go formal to ITE.

Voting members of the Section were mailed ballots to elect officers for 2000 and a survey regarding the certification test for Professional Traffic Operations Engineers.

Please send your completed ballots to Dave Samuelson by August 29 or bring them to the September 9 meeting.

Officer ballots go in the gold envelope. Gold envelope and survey go in the white envelope. And SIGN THE SEALED ENVELOPE or your vote can’t be counted.
 
 

The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international individual member educational and scientific association. The Ohio/West Virginia Section is one of more than 70 local and regional chapters.

ITE members are traffic engineers, transportation planners, technicians, vendors, contractors and other professionals who are responsible for meeting society's needs for safe and efficient surface transportation.

Why Become a Member?

Section membership guarantees that you will receive notices of chapter meetings and our quarterly newsletter. Meetings provide you the opportunity to:

• network with persons outside your particular jurisdiction who have similar job and career interests and knowledge;
• associate with a wide range of professionals and technicians, on an equal basis; and
• expand your job-related interests and knowledge of technical issues and discuss these issues in an open forum.

ITE also offers International membership with additional benefits including: the monthly magazine ITE Journal, discounts on valuable transportation reference materials, discounted fees to attend ITE meetings, and an international network of peers.
 
 

WWW.DOT.STATE.OH.US

If you haven’t looked at ODOT’s web site, you are missing one of the best information resources in the State. The site contains easy-to-access information on everything from ODOT’s access management manual to tech services traffic volumes to construction bid information. It also includes contact information for most employees.

NEW EMAIL ADDRESSES

ODOT is required to change its email addressing scheme by December 31, 1999. The old address scheme ending in ".gov" is being reserved for U.S. Federal Government use and will no longer be valid for state use after this date.

The change is simple; the name before the @ sign will remain the same.

OLD: username@odot.dot.ohio.gov

NEW: username@dot.state.oh.us

Temporarily both the old and new internet email addresses will forward messages to the proper ODOT user.

September 9 – Transportation Telecommunications Seminar

In response to the growing need for transportation communications, the Office of Traffic Engineering is providing a on Thursday September 9th at 8:00 AM in the lower level Auditorium.

The seminar will be divided into 4 primary topics:

1. State-wide Network Alternatives

2. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Telecommunication Networks

3. Traffic Signal System Networks

4. Future Direction of Integrated Network Designs

Please email or phone Dave Holstein at dholstei@ dot.state.oh.us or 614-644-8137 by Wednesday August 18th if you would like to attend this seminar.

November 3 – Traffic Signing and Pavement Marking

Columbus, Ohio

This workshop is designed for individuals and agencies with responsibility for designing, installing, maintaining and inspecting traffic control on their roads and streets. It will be a general overview and coverage of the Ohio Manual of Traffic Control Devices parts related to signs, markings and some channelization. The session will cover the manual requirements and typical situations. The workshop coverage will include sign, post, and marking materials and their characteristics.

Contact Ohio LTAP Center if you are interested in attending. Call (800) 552-6891 (toll-free only in Ohio) or (614) 292-2871

November 16-17 – OTEC '99 -

Ohio Transportation Engineering Conference

OTEC serves as a meeting place for all transportation related interests within the state. Look at www.otecohio.org for more information.