January 20, 2022
Innovation of the Month: Next Generation Traffic Incident Management
Alerting drivers approaching roadside hazards is a foundational aspect of traffic incident management (TIM). Leveraging technology to automate and deliver alerts to devices in the vehicles is the concept behind responder alert systems. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is evaluating four such technologies in their safety service patrol vehicles, called Incident Management Assistance Patrols (IMAP). When an IMAP vehicle stops at the roadside to assist motorists, remove debris, or provide traffic control for an incident responder, the activation of their emergency lights or arrow board triggers a message to mapping and navigation providers like Waze®. Navigation providers instantaneously deliver a warning message such as ” Emergency Vehicle Stopped” to map users, alerting them to the roadside hazard with an accompanying icon. NCDOT is conducting a pilot test to evaluate several motorist alert applications to determine which might be most suitable for their IMAP vehicles.
To learn more about Next Generation Traffic Incident Management, please contact Paul Jodoin or James Austrich, FHWA Office of Operations.
States Demonstrate STEP Countermeasure Success
Several States have pioneered a method for quickly and easily improving pedestrian crossing safety using the FHWA Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) countermeasures. By developing and implementing demonstration projects, States like Tennessee have found a low-cost way to improve safety and introduce the public to different countermeasures which may initially be unfamiliar.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) implemented a temporary midblock pedestrian crossing in Nashville, TN in 2017, in response to a series of fatal pedestrian crashes. Within three months, TDOT was able to plan, design, and install the crossing, which included solar-powered temporary flashing beacons, temporary medians to create pedestrian refuge islands, and improved signage and markings. The project cost a total of $70,000 and only took 5 hours to install. In the two years after installation, no fatal crashes occurred at the site and an evaluation study found that 88-percent of pedestrians crossed at the temporary crosswalk.
If you would like to learn more about these efforts or how your agency can improve pedestrian safety with STEP, contact Becky Crowe with FHWA's Office of Safety or Peter Eun with the FHWA Resource Center.
Bringing Online Surveys to Public Places
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) wants to engage with its constituents in meaningful and inclusive ways. For their MPO’s long-range plan, On To 2050, they used tablet kiosks as one tool in their comprehensive approach to public engagement. During the scenario planning stage, they proposed several “Alternative Futures” and conducted live audience polling with keypads during in-person workshops. The survey questions on the alternative futures were also repeated in kiosks that were stationed in twenty-five places throughout the region, enabling participation from members of the public who did not participate in the in-person meeting, or who would not otherwise have access to an online survey.
Example kiosk used in CMAP survey collection
Learn more about CMAP’s use of VPI tools and their overall public involvement strategy in this VPI Conversations Video. To learn more about virtual public involvement, please contact Lana Lau, FHWA Office of Project Development & Environmental Review, Carolyn Nelson, FHWA Office of Project Development & Environmental Review, or Jill Stark, FHWA Office of Planning, Stewardship, & Oversight.
New Innovator Now Available!
The January/February issue of Innovator is now available, accessible from your computer, tablet, or mobile phone to optimize your reading experience!
In this issue:
- Emergency Vehicle Alerts Boost Driver Awareness
- Free Workforce Development Marketing Toolkit
- Utah Creates Reinvestment Zones
- And more...
Comments? Questions? We'd love your feedback! Drop us a line and let us know what you think.
Read past issues and sign up to receive Innovator by email here, or text "FHWA Innovation" to 468311 to get Innovator on your smartphone.
Stay Up to Date on the EDC Innovations That Interest You Most
EDC teams are always on the move! If you blink, you could miss out on important webinars, case studies, tools, videos, and more. To never miss information for the EDC innovations that interest you most, visit the subscription page and select the topics you’d like to receive updates on directly from the teams that coordinate them.
Recent bulletins:
CHANGE — 1/12/22Next Gen TIM — 1/12/22
Digital As-Builts — 1/6/22
Local Aid Support — 1/6/22
Project Bundling — 1/5/22
TOPS — 1/5/22
CHANGE — 1/4/22
Project Bundling — 12/17/21
TOPS — 12/15/21
CHANGE — 12/14/21
About EDC
Every Day Counts, a state-based initiative 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.
EDC News is published weekly by the FHWA Center for Accelerating Innovation.
Notice: The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this presentation only because they are considered essential to the objective of the presentation. They are included for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one product or entity.
Recommended Citation:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration Every Day Counts: Innovation for a Nation on the Move
EDC News: January 6, 2022
Washington, DC:
https://doi.org/10.21949/1521822
