PacTrans News
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March 6, 2015
PacTrans, WTSC Meet for Safety Workshop
PacTrans and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) met on March 3 at the University of Washington to exchange information and learn more about the activities of each organization for potential collaboration. With transportation safety a primary goal, WTSC and PacTrans are strategically aligned and find partnerships with other agencies and organizations critical to developing safe solutions.
Darrin Grondel, Director of WTSC, provided a background of the commission and discussed top programs and priorities. Guiding the commission’s priorities is Washington’ Strategic Highway Safety Plan, called Target Zero, which aims for zero deaths and serious injuries on roadways by 2030. The plan is formed through a collaboration of traffic safety professionals and organizations from a variety of disciplines, and preliminary conversation indicates a future contributing role for PacTrans.
The workshop also provided a venue for PacTrans researchers to present their work in a wide range of safety-related topics. Dr. Anne Vernez-Moudon, Urban Design and Planning professor and PacTrans Associate Director of Education, presented her talk, “High-risk Locations of Pedestrian –motor-vehicle Collisions in King County: A Data-Driven Approach.” Her question to the group: what kind of cities do we make to support non-motorized, active transportation?
Dr. Yinhai Wang, Civil and Environmental Engineering professor and director of PacTrans, gave an overview of transportation safety research at the PacTrans STAR Lab. Topics covered included the method for traffic safety data collection and quality control, mechanism-based accident models that include human factors in the analysis, and large scale highway safety analysis through DRIVE Net, the Digital Roadway Interactive Visualization and Evaluation Network.
Dr. Qing Shen, Urban Design and Planning professor, discussed graduate student Peng Chen’s research on the risks of bicycle use in the urban environment. The study of bicycle routes, injuries, and bicycle-vehicle crash frequency lead to a discussion of preliminary policy implications, including the separation of bike lanes from roads and the avoidance of placing bike lanes on steep roads.
Kris Henrickson, Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD student, discussed mobile MAC addressing and mobile platforms for crowdsourcing transportation safety data. Henrickson explained that collecting non-motorized transportation safety data is challenging, but ubiquitous mobile computing has made crowdsourcing possible and even affordable.
Dr. Jessica Kaminsky, Civil and Environmental Engineering assistant professor, presented her talk, “Work Zone Safety and Social Network Analysis.” Stressing the importance of construction safety research, Dr. Kaminsky stated that construction-related work accounts for 16% of all occupational fatalities, and finds that safety communication is a cost effective way to decrease incidents on construction sites.
This information sharing workshop generated a great deal of interest in further partnerships. Collaborative ideas were raised and discussed through a follow up lunch meeting. WTSC will participate in the PacTrans regional transportation safety workshop to be held in early May and bring in their top research issues with other local transportation agencies. PacTrans looks forward to working with these local transportation agencies to identify critical regional transportation safety problems and develop the corresponding research agenda for the years to come.
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March 3, 2015
Robert Stevens Delivers PacTrans Leadership Training Seminar
“How many of you remember what made you decide you wanted to become an engineer?”
For some, it was digging in the soil, for another it was an experience working on dams. A current University of Washington junior in civil engineering explained, “Every part of civil engineering is interesting – because no matter where you go, you get to play in the world’s biggest sandbox; it’s just what tools you want to play with.”
Dr. Robert Stevens, President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), posed this question to students and professionals alike in his talk, “Engineering the Future,” on February 19. Using his own prolific career and involvement in ASCE as a springboard, Stevens discussed the outlook of civil engineering education and leadership development, and dispensed words of wisdom for young engineers still exploring their educational and professional path.
Regarding the qualities required to excel in engineering leadership today, Stevens offered specific advice. “Participate. You’ve got to speak up. If you want to succeed, and by succeed, I mean have a career that you enjoy, you need… to work with other people,” said Stevens. “It comes from taking the risk and trying. When you’re asked to raise your hand, raise your hand. Get involved. Don’t be hearers, be participants.”
Watch the “Engineering the Future” recorded webinar.
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February 27, 2015
Sungkyunkwan University Students Visit PacTrans STAR Lab
Dr. Sam Oh, professor of data science at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, brought undergraduate students participating in a data science camp to visit the PacTrans STAR Lab this February. In their visit, students saw data science in action, gaining exposure to complex data analysis and visualization in transportation research. The lab, which excels in traffic sensing and traffic data management, is known for the Digital Roadway Interactive Visualization and Evaluation Network (DRIVENet), an online transportation data platform.
Sungkyunkwan students listen to Kristian Henrickson present about STAR Lab.
Dr. Oh and Dr. Wang exchange gifts.
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February 19, 2015
Joins us for the Winter PacTrans Regional Transportation Seminar
If you are unable to attend in person but would still like to hear the talk, the seminar will be broadcast for live viewing. Watch the seminar online at 10:30 a.m. PST.
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February 17, 2015
New Video: Distracted Driving
Inexperienced drivers are at particular risk for distraction from factors within and outside of the car. PacTrans, which focuses on transportation safety, conducted a large outreach project to increase teenage driver awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.
In this new video, Dr. David Hurwitz and Dr. Linda Ng Boyle discuss driver distraction, their outreach work with young drivers, and making the road safer for everyone.
