The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) is hosting a free 1.5-hour online webinar, entitled “Designing for Rural Bike Safety.” This webinar will provide an overview of why bicycle travel should be included in rural transportation networks. Participants will gain an understanding of key safety principles for bicyclists, and learn about design treatments, countermeasures, and the latest guidance. The webinar will be held on Thursday, August 16, 2018 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Mountain Time). For more information and to register, click here.
Focus Area: Safety and Operations
Webinar: Rural Roundabouts are Saving Lives
This webinar will provide an overview of the safety and design of rural roundabouts in the United States. It will include case studies of rural roundabouts on local and state highways as well as the safety experience.
At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- State the risks of rural intersections
- Name examples of rural roundabouts in the US
- Summarize the benefits of roundabouts on rural roadways
Date: July 19, 2018
Time: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm MT/1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET
Cost: Free
Offered by: National Center for Rural Road Safety
For more information about this training,
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07efh4jri0a53ec5a9&llr=ngyyawuab
Welcome to the new Public Lands Transportation Fellows (PLTF)
After a competitive application process, three fellows were selected by WTI and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for the 2018-19 year for placements at USFWS sites.Vince Ziolswill work with the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge to improve access for those who want to travel to the refuge by alternative modes of transportation, such as bike and pedestrian modes. At the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge,Corinne Jachelskiwill manage several trail projects and work with community groups to create greater access to recreation opportunities and improve visitor experience. Dylan Corbin will assist with several projects at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, including updating the Complex’s Transportation Plan, serving as a liaison for several transportation improvement projects, and expanding free and low-cost access to refuge sites.
For the orientation, the fellows traveled to Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Albuquerque, New Mexico for presentations and workshops that will prepare them for a successful work and fellowship experience within their USFWS refuge unit. Presenters included USFWS staff, program mentors, and numerous former fellows, who covered topics ranging from building strong partnerships to writing successful grant applications to developing effective marketing campaigns. The fellows also had the opportunity to explore Valle de Oro NWR, Bandelier National Monument, and Petroglyph National Monument.
For more information, visit the PLTF Program page on the WTI website.
Public Land Transportation Fellow Program
Shankwitz to speak at Wonderlust event
Montana State University’s Wonderlust program will offer two free public presentations on innovative MSU research at the Belgrade Community Library this month. WTI Senior Research Scientist Craig Shankwitz will speak on driverless cars from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 31. Shankwitz will discuss work on driverless vehicles from the 1950s through today. He will include a current status report and a tutorial on how driverless cars operate, as well as a discussion of what’s next for driverless cars and their passengers.
For more information or to register, visit montana.edu/wonderlust and click on “view all offerings.” There is no fee to attend, but registration is requested as seating is limited.
National Center for Rural Road Safety announces Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems Toolkit
Is your agency looking for innovative solutions to your most common transportation safety challenges? Are you interested in using technology, but not sure which one best fits the needs of your rural area? Or maybe you’ve considered Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) before, but are afraid they are too expensive or only applicable in an urban setting?
The National Center for Rural Road Safety’s (Safety Center) newly released Rural Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Toolkit can answer these questions and more! Updated and expanded from its 1997 version, the new toolkit contains 42 fact sheets focused on the most common critical needs in rural areas today including: Crash Countermeasures; Traffic Management; Operations & Maintenance; Emergency Services; Surface Transportation & Weather; Rural Transit & Mobility; and Tourism & Travel Information.
Each fact sheet provides detailed information including:
- A description of the solution,
- It’s applicability in a rural area,
- Key components of the system,
- Useful tips,
- Examples of implementation,
- Considerations before implementing,
- Cost information, and
- Additional resources.
Explore the new Rural Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Toolkit on the Safety Center’s website.
Webinar: Rural Transportation Planning Organizations
March Webinar – Rural Transportation Planning Organizations.
The National Center for Rural Road Safety (Safety Center) is hosting a free 1.5-hour online webinar entitled “Creating a Rural Transportation Planning Organization to Help on the Road to Zero” on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Mountain Time). This webinar will provide an overview of the FHWA funded RTPO Fact Sheets: an RTPO 101 series and an RTPO Noteworthy Practice, as well as, case studies (including tips and tricks on creation of an RTPO) from Ohio and Washington. For more information and to register, click here.
If you missed the opportunity to attend this or other previous Safety Center webinars, please visit the Archive page which lists all trainings and provides links to recordings of the webinar, presentation slides and other materials. https://ruralsafetycenter.org/training-education/safety-center-trainings/archived-safety-center-trainings/
National Motorcycle Advisory Council Holds Kick-off Meeting
The national Motorcycle Advisory Council (MAC), which provides guidance and recommendations to the USDOT Federal Highway Administration, held its first meeting in December 2017. WTI Researcher Craig Shankwitz, who was invited to serve on the Council, gave a presentation on his research to develop a “smart license plate,” which could enable vehicle to vehicle communications, such as safety messages regarding the presence and position of motorcycles on the road. The MAC meeting was covered in detail in a feature article on the online blog Common Tread.
TRB Newsletter features MnPass Tolling Lanes Project
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is featuring a study conducted by WTI for the Minnesota Department of Transportation in its national newsletter. “Refining Return on Investment Methodology/Tool for MnPass” was a cost-benefit study led by Laura Fay, Na Cui, Paul Morris, Anbu Muthumani, and Ashley Kroon, to help the Minnesota Department of Transportation evaluate whether their MnPass toll lanes system helps to relieve traffic congestion and manage increase travel demand.
Safety Center Webinar: Achieving Safety Results by Addressing Behavioral Issues.
Rural transportation agencies are increasingly addressing safety in their planning areas and often adopt their state’s zero deaths concept to frame their transportation safety activities. To achieve this vision, planners identify not only infrastructure solutions, but also behavioral concerns, such as distraction, impairment, and unbelted drivers/occupants as major issues in rural regions. This free webinar by the National Center for Rural Road Safety will provide participants with information and resources on the role they can play to drive down fatalities and serious injuries through collaboration across the 4E’s, behavioral funding sources, and education campaigns. The webinar will be held Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at 11 a.m. (Mountain Time). An expanded description and registration information is available here.
If you missed the opportunity to attend this or other previous Safety Center webinars, please visit the Archive page which lists all trainings and provides links to recordings of the webinar, presentation slides and other materials. https://ruralsafetycenter.org/training-education/safety-center-trainings/archived-safety-center-trainings/