By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) leadership is proposing significant changes to the ITE Constitution. The three areas of significant change are: Eliminate the “Institute Affiliate” membership grade while shifting the “Institute Member” grade from transportation engineers to transportation professionals. Shift the international board elections from spring/summer to winter with […]
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE Tort law in Minnesota regarding the installation of medians to limit traffic movements at driveways has been in place and tested since the 1960s. It is very clear that road authorities have the right to place medians on roads to limit access to cross streets or driveways so long as […]
By Bryant Ficek, PE, PTOE The best place to start when talking about traffic signal warrants is to understand the definition of a warrant itself. According to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), a warrant is a threshold condition based upon average or normal conditions that, if found to be satisfied as part […]
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE Traffic is often a scapegoat used by neighbors at public hearings to try to kill a proposed development project. It is a favorite tactic used by those opposed to new Walmart stores (at least the couple of dozen public hearings I have attended for my Walmart traffic studies). We see this […]
By Bryant Ficek, PE, PTOE At a recent Traffic Corner Tuesday webinar, Are Roundabouts a Silver Bullet to Traffic Issues?, we discussed roundabouts including pros and cons, situations that more inclined toward their use, and characteristics that may lend itself toward signal or other type of control. Through that discussion, a key question arose about […]
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE If you’ve ever dealt with event traffic management, you know the amount of time, money and other resources that go into ensuring safe and efficient traffic conditions before, during, and after the event. But what happens when the event is recurring? At what point does it make sense to implement […]
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE I get several calls a year from lawyers who want me to fight for their client. The government is going to close a median, their driveway, or cut-off their access in some other way. Usually, I can’t help the lawyer in these cases because the government has the right to […]
By Vern Swing, PE The entire team at Spack Consulting are proponents of roudabouts, and we have written extensively on the topic. But as roundabouts take hold in the US, more design ideas are coming forward on their application to improve traffic flow and improved pedestrian safety. This includes the use of mini roundabouts, which […]
By Max Moreland, PE, Director of Operations at Traffic Data Inc. Large roads are great for moving vehicles through an area. However, if you are a pedestrian, getting across a wide, busy, high speed road can be daunting. No one wants to play Frogger in real time with real consequences. Except for maybe George Costanza. […]
By Mike Spack, PE, PTOE Autonomous vehicles are coming – it’s a matter of when, not if. I believe they’ll be ubiquitous within twenty years and humans driving will be legal on public streets in 30 to 40 years. You can scan 8 Technological Changes that Will Revolutionize the Future of Transportation for a general […]
