Northbound News January 2023

Maryland State Highway Administration sent this bulletin at 01/04/2023 01:00 PM EST

                                                                          January 2023
Northbound News
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Best service

Number One

Can you tell who’s #1? The Westminster Shop celebrated after SHA completed its 2022 Condition Assessment of Districts and Shops and gave Westminster a 95.6% Level of Service rating, nicely above the statewide average of 85.3%.

Tips for crews working roadside: Stop…think…act

When it comes to protecting yourself at a work zone or when helping a stranded driver, Eric Fogle, the CHART deputy director for operations, wants you to keep one thing in mind.

“Safety is not an accident,” he reminds us.

Facility Maintenance Technicians (FMTs), Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technicians (HEMTs), highway operations technicians and all those whose “office” is just inches from speeding cars must always be vigilant.

“Stop, think and then act,” advises Office of Maintenance Division Chief Joshua Stonesifer. “FMTs can become complacent to traffic and their surroundings. Don’t. It’s important to stop, figure out what you’re going to do and then go out with a plan, so you’ll be safe.”

If your job requires you to be exposed to potentially risky situations along Maryland’s roadways, Fogle suggests protecting yourself by following these basic safeguards.

  • Let them see you: Wear your high visibility clothing and safety equipment.
  • Use mirrors: Look in the mirror and visually check each time before exiting a vehicle near traffic.
  • Wear your seatbelt: When sitting near traffic, even if your truck is in park, always keep your seatbelt on – so you’re prepared if you are struck.
  • Pick a safe spot: Don’t place yourself between vehicles or objects where you can be pinned or trapped.
  • Prepare your escape: Always have an escape route if you need to flee a rapidly approaching danger.
  • Select a spotter: Designate someone to watch for approaching traffic when you can’t watch for yourself.
  • Stretch that taper: Mitigate risk by stretching out your taper to give motorists as much advance warning as possible.
  • Be aware of your surroundings: For each incident have situational awareness and think through ways to make your area as safe as possible.
  • Prepare emergency lighting: Inspect and ensure that all your vehicle’s emergency lighting is functional and turned on, and that arrow boards are activated with the correct guidance. Visually confirm, just to make sure.
  • Know where you are: Know your exact location in case you need to summon an emergency response.
  • Bring your radio and phone: Always carry you radio and cell phone so you can call for help.
  • Bring emergency supplies: Know where your emergency first aid kits, blankets, and masks are located. ALSO: ensure that your training in first aid, AED and Stop the Bleed is up to date. That training could save someone’s life – maybe your own.
  • Attenuate! Situate heavy vehicles, equipment, and crash attenuators behind you to block potential threats to the incident scene or work zone.
  • Stay on guard! Never get complacent and always remind yourself that you are working in a dangerous environment. Laziness and shortcuts can kill or cause serious injury. Remember that cars and trucks weighing from 3,000 to 80,000 pounds are passing at high speed just feet from you.

Your safety and the safety of your co-workers are the most important – to you, to your family and to our MDOT family. 

Vision Zero: Get the right mindset

NB 10 logo enlarged 2022 12 12
Vision Zero Northbound Ten

Maryland has a clear mission – to stop deaths and injuries on our roadways. Despite the many steps we have taken toward meeting this goal, the statistics are grim.

As of December 1, 493 people had lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in Maryland last year. MDOT SHA is working toward achieving Vision Zero — no deaths among drivers, pedestrians, or cyclists. But Vision Zero takes more than data and engineering. As Randall Scott, D3 traffic engineering manager and navigator of the Northbound 10 Vision Zero team says, “It’s also an attitude and a mindset that is required of everyone.”

Scott, along with co-Navigator Michael McCauley, SHA’s chief of Occupational Safety, and the Northbound Ten team, is building upon past MDOT SHA initiatives such as the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. They are reviewing other safety concern locations to unite MDOT SHA with state and local jurisdictions, as well as European counterparts who created the concept of zero deaths for their streets. European countries experience a greater mixture of cars, pedestrians, and cyclists than most Maryland cities and towns, making them a valuable resource for this effort.

“This is an excellent time for our roads to be not just motorist or environmentally friendly but also where people can walk and bike safely,” says Michael.

It takes cooperation, not only among state and local agencies but also among pedestrians and cyclists who can protect themselves by putting down their cell phones, for example, he says.

The Vision Zero team coordinates with the Maryland Highway Safety Office and the TBUs to make sure we’re all emphasizing the same measures and supporting one another.

The work has already started.

“In some places,” says Randall, “NTOR signs and continental pavement markings have already been installed. Other improvements will take a while. In 2023 we should see more implementation of Vision Zero projects.”

The goal is to reach Vision Zero by 2030. But when asked when the team’s projects will conclude, Randall says, “Some aspects of this endeavor will never end! More than likely, there will be additional challenges, so that even if we’re successful for a time, and I hope we are, working to reduce fatalities will likely go beyond 2030. Public acceptance, crash avoidance technology in vehicles and working with local communities will always give us new strategies to implement. So, when driving, biking, or walking along any roadway, stay focused so that the number “0” will be the number of crashes that involves you.”

The Northbound 10 team, a diverse group of individuals from various offices and divisions within MDOT SHA, divides the challenges among subcommittees for communication, education, innovation, and prioritization.

  • The communications team is creating internal and external plans to reach staffers and the public. Its members are working on a dedicated webpage.
  • The education subcommittee will impart the Vision Zero dream to a range of SHA workers – community liaisons, traffic engineers, planners, and designers.
  • The innovation team ponders different approaches – considering, for example, intersections that should adopt various safety countermeasures from a ‘Tool Kit.’ These include installing No Turn on Red (NTOR) signs, continental cross markings, protected bike lanes, LED lighting and speed reduction markers.
  • The prioritization subcommittee is examining crashes and identifying the most vulnerable road segments to determine where limited funds should be applied first to best protect those walking and biking through intersections.

Note: The Northbound Plan is on the Intranet at https://mdotgov.sharepoint.com/sites/MDOTSHA_AO/NB_Docs/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FMDOTSHA%5FAO%2FNB%5FDocs%2FMDOT%5FSHA%5FStrategic%5FPlan%5F2020%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FMDOTSHA%5FAO%2FNB%5FDocs

 

Workplace tips from Organizational Development

Workplace tips from Organizational Development

Want to do better at your job, and preserve satisfaction with your personal life? Review these tips from recent newsletters prepared by the Organizational Development (OD) Division.

  • Reduce stress: Use stress buffers like exercise, meditation and support from your family, friends and co-workers to decrease your anxiety.
  • Improve your performance: Contribute more to the organization than what’s expected to help management notice how hard you work. An important skill you can demonstrate is your ability to work well with colleagues on a team.
  • Become a better leader: If you’re head of an office or department, show compassion, grace and dignity to everyone on your team. These human skills include sensitivity to the needs of others, especially when you make decisions. Set an example by striking the right balance between work and life.

Go to the Percipio Cornerstone Online Learning Center on the Intranet at https://shamd.csod.com/ui/lms-learning-details/app/onlineContent/910522da-55f1-56b5-b0d7-746bd5bd4e05 to build all these important skills.
Eating for a good cause

PHOTO OF THE MONTH: Eating for a good cause

Motivated by generosity, and a little lunchtime grumble in their bellies, MDOT SHA workers at 707 N. Calvert Street and the Hanover Complex bought their lunches from Chowhound (above), Jimmy’s Seafood and other food trucks. Late last year the vendors donated a percentage of their revenue to the Maryland Charity Campaign. Preliminary figures at yearend show MDOT SHA raising nearly $50,000 for the campaign, which benefits nearly a thousand charities.