Personnel Changes

Lynda Ogilvie started with the T2 Center on November 26th. She came to Salem, via San Jose, California, arriving here this past August. She moved here to be closer to family.

Lynda has worked in Corporate Training in the high tech sector for almost 20 years. She has been an administrator, coordinator and Program Manager. She is the second “Linda” we have had in this role. Lynda, the 2^nd, will be responsible for assisting with the administrative and operational tasks, as well as any special projects.

Please join us in welcoming Lynda to the T2 team!

Preparing for the Winter Driving Season

By Tony Jobanek

The summer comes to a close and we move away from those dry sunny days that have lulled us into believing that all our driving will continue to be on dry, clear pavement.  But wait, although we have experienced one of the driest summer periods in history, soon the weather will change to those dark rainy and sometimes frozen commutes of the late fall and winter.  

In order to make certain you are ready for the coming weather related driving challenges there are several things you can do to ensure you and your vehicle are prepared for adverse driving conditions.  First ask yourself, are you ready and is your vehicle ready?  Where did I put that ice scraper?  Have I made sure my vehicle is winter ready?  What exactly does that mean?

Items you need to check on your vehicle before the Winter driving season are:

• Tire condition and air pressure- 2 to 3 psi outside of the manufacturers recommended tire pressure can affect not only tire wear and traction, it can cost you to up to 10 cents per gallon at the fuel pump due to increased friction with the roadway.
• Leaking fluids- Inspect around and under your vehicle for leaks or drips
• Vehicle damage-make sure nothing on your vehicle is broken or damaged
• Mirrors-clean and adjust your side and rearview mirrors to maximize your visibility around your vehicle.
• Head lights and tail lights-check all lights to ensure they are clean and working properly so other vehicles can see you from all directions.
• Oil level-ensure your oil is changed according to the manufacturers schedule and keep it at appropriate levels.
• Radiator Fluid level-keep your antifreeze at the proper level and have its effective temperature checked annually.
• Windshield wipers during inclement weather-Replace your wipers annually to ensure maximum visibility through the windshield in rainy conditions.
• Windshield wiper fluid-check the level in the reservoir. 

You should carry an ice scraper with a squeegee so you can scrape ice or snow from your vehicle windows when needed.  Don’t forget to clear your headlights and taillights of snow or ice so other drivers can see you.

It is also a good idea to carry an emergency kit in your vehicle.  Consider having the following items in your vehicle emergency kit:

• High visibility vest
• Flashlight
• Flares, cones or triangles
• Fire extinguisher
• Rain gear and cold weather clothing
• Blankets
• Food and water
• Cell phone or 2-way radio

Finally what about you?  Make sure you are well rested and be sure to pay attention to the changing weather forecasts so you can give yourself the extra time necessary to drive to your destination safely.   If we take the time to ensure our vehicles are ready and we are prepared, the winter driving season will be a safer and more enjoyable driving experience for you and….. it will be Spring before you know it!

Accessible Shared Streets: Notable Practices and Considerations for Accommodating Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities

This document reviews notable practices and considerations for accommodating pedestrians with vision disabilities on shared streets. It focuses on streets where pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles are intended to mix in the same space.

The guide includes a description of shared streets, an overview of vision disabilities and the strategies people with vision disabilities use to navigate in the public right-of-way. It discusses the specific challenges pedestrians with vision disabilities face when navigating shared streets. It provides an overview of relevant U.S. guidance, a toolbox of strategies for designing shared streets that improve accessibility for pedestrians with vision disabilities, and ideas on how accessibility for pedestrians with vision disabilities can be addressed in the planning and design process.

It provides information from case studies of completed shared streets in the United States that highlight accessibility features and lessons learned, as well as a bibliography that includes sources specifically referenced in the body of the guide and other sources that inspired the guide content and may be useful for shared street designers.

Nature‐Based Solutions for Coastal Highway Resilience White Paper

This white paper serves as input to an upcoming round of regional peer exchanges on nature‐based solutions, and constitutes an incremental step toward developing an implementation guide for using nature‐based solutions to improve the resilience of coastal highways to extreme events and sea level rise. Nature‐based solutions include a spectrum of natural and nature‐based features that serve as alternatives to, or ecological enhancements of, traditional shoreline stabilization and infrastructure protection techniques. In this case, the ability of nature‐based solutions to mitigate storm surge flooding, wave‐related damage, erosion, shoreline retreat, and the potential impacts of sea level rise is of interest. While nature‐based solutions have been used extensively across a diverse array of coastal settings, they are not commonly deployed within the transportation sector. In some cases, understanding of the engineering tools and methods for designing nature‐based solutions to achieve a specific outcome is lacking. This white paper addresses these issues by providing examples of nature‐based solutions and highlighting the best available science that describes their performance as solutions for coastal highways’ resilience. The implementation guide will be informed by the peer exchanges and will address the issues outlined here for the use of nature‐based solutions.

Safety Evaluation of Turning Movement Restrictions at Stop-Controlled Intersections

The Development of Crash Modification Factors program conducted a safety evaluation of turning movement restrictions at stop-controlled intersections for the Evaluation of Low Cost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study. This study evaluated the safety effects of converting full movement, stop-controlled intersections to right-in-right-out (RIRO) operation using physical barriers, as measured by the change in crash frequency. The project team obtained geometric, traffic, and crash data for urban, three-legged, full movement and RIRO stop-controlled intersections, as well as the downstream four-legged, stop-controlled or signalized intersection with full movement in California. The team used a cross-sectional analysis to estimate the effects of turning movement restrictions while controlling for other differences between sites with RIRO and full movement. Aggregate results indicated reductions for all crash types analyzed (i.e., total, all intersection-related, and fatal and injury intersection-related) for stop-controlled intersections with RIRO compared to full movement. Reductions were statistically significant at the 95-percent confidence level for all crash types. Crash modification factors for total, all intersection-related, and fatal and injury intersection-related crashes were 0.55, 0.32, and 0.20, respectively. Based on the disaggregate results, RIRO intersections do not appear to have differing effects for different levels of traffic, design speed, or number of lanes. Potential for crash migration in determining net benefits needs to be considered. Results indicated potential increases at downstream intersections, but many increases are not statistically significant even at the 90-percent confidence level. While the economic analysis suggests the strategy can be cost-effective in reducing crashes at a hypothetical stop-controlled intersection, potential costs and benefits with site-specific values need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.