June 21, 2018
Innovation of the Month:
Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian
The Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) deployment team is spreading the word on the Every Day Counts round four (EDC-4) innovation of the month with June workshops in several States.
Part of the STEP team’s ongoing outreach efforts, the interactive workshops introduce the STEP countermeasures to improve safety at uncontrolled pedestrian crossing locations and technical resources to help State and local agencies implement the countermeasures.
One resource the STEP team is sharing is the “Guide for Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations,” which helps agencies develop policies to support the installation of countermeasures at uncontrolled crossing locations. The guide features a six-step process to select countermeasures based on roadway characteristics and safety issues. Agencies can use the guide to develop a customized policy or supplement existing decision-making guidelines.
Download a pocket version of the guide, which includes a form agency staff can use in the field to document roadway characteristics and pedestrian issues.
A process graphic for selecting countermeasures at uncontrolled crossing locations is also available.
Contact Becky Crowe of the Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety or Peter Eun of the FHWA Resource Center for information and technical assistance, including workshops on the STEP countermeasures.
App Aids Incident Response in Puerto Rico
A computer and smart device application developed for traffic incident management (TIM) data collection helped Puerto Rico deal with the demands of recovering from a devastating natural disaster. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, much of the island’s intelligent transportation system infrastructure was rendered inoperative. More than 90 percent of the roadway closed-circuit television cameras were down, complicating incident detection, verification, and response. The TIM data collection app saved the day for the Traffic Management Center and incident responders in the San Juan metropolitan area. Armed with the app, the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority safety service patrol was able to respond to and document incidents when other systems were down. Using strategies and tools such as the app to collect and analyze data on roadway clearance, incident clearance, and secondary crashes can help agencies improve their incident response performance. For information, contact Paul Jodoin of the Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations.
Deadline Approaches for STIC Excellence Award Nominations
Nominations close July 1 for the 2018 State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Excellence Award. FHWA's Center for Accelerating Innovation (CAI) partners with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Innovation Initiative on the award, which recognizes STICs that have achieved significant results in fostering a strong culture of innovation. The 2018 award recipients will be announced at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in September. For information on the STIC Excellence Award, contact Sara Lowry of CAI.
About EDC
Every Day Counts, a State-based program of the Federal Highway Administration’s Center for Accelerating Innovation, works with State, local, and private sector partners to encourage the adoption of proven technologies and innovations to shorten and enhance project delivery.
