Category Archives: News

How SJTPO Refined Their Congestion Management Process with Crowdsourced Data

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Through the Everyday Counts (EDC) program, FHWA identifies and deploys established but underutilized innovations through a state-based model, with the goals of streamlining project delivery, improving roadway safety, decreasing traffic congestion, and incorporating automation. The fifth round of EDC kicked off in 2019 and included Crowdsourcing for Operations as one of ten initiatives.

As described by FHWA, "When combined with traditional data, crowdsourcing helps agencies efficiently implement proactive strategies that improve incident detection, traffic signal retiming, road weather management, traveler information, and other operational programs" (EDC-5). Crowdsourced operations data can include traffic, transit, bicycle, pedestrian, construction, and weather information collected in real-time by intelligent transportation systems (ITS) infrastructure and archived for planning use. One example of this traffic data is time and vehicle location collected via GPS probe-based sources, such as vehicles and smartphones. Through NJDOT and the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), New Jersey has institutionalized the practice by incorporating crowdsourced data into multiple operational programs since 2008.

Congestion Management Process

An example of PDA Suite's Performance Chart tool displaying archived operations data for speed. Photo source: Tracy, 2019.

The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO), the MPO that represents Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties, revised its Congestion Management Process (CMP) last year, with formal adoption in November 2018. A CMP is defined by FHWA as “a systematic and regionally-accepted approach for managing congestion that provides accurate, up-to-date information on transportation system performance and assesses alternative strategies for congestion management that meet State and local needs.” Metropolitan areas larger than 200,000 people are required to develop and implement a CMP as part of their overall transportation planning process for their region.

An effective CMP will help a region pinpoint congested roadways, determine multimodal performance measures, develop congestion management strategies and implementation methods, and assess the efficacy of the implemented strategies. While FHWA does not strictly define how to implement a CMP, they do provide a CMP Guidebook with an eight-step Process Model which SJTPO followed:

  1. Develop Regional Objectives for Congestion Management
  2. Define CMP Network
  3. Develop Multimodal Performance Measures
  4. Collect Data/Monitor System Performance
  5. Analyze Congestion Problems and Needs
  6. Identify and Assess Strategies
  7. Program and Implement Strategies
  8. Evaluate Strategy Effectiveness.

Along with the 2020 Regional Transportation Plan update, two important pieces of legislation drove SJTPO’s motivation to overhaul their CMP: Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) of 2012 and the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015. Both of these laws established requirements for performance-based planning and programming by MPOs. Performance-based planning and programming consists of the following steps: identifying a transportation system’s needs and problems, prioritizing projects and programs for investment, and monitoring impacts of the projects. SJTPO revised the CMP methodology using recently acquired real-time and archived travel time data to establish performance measures for the extent and severity of congestion throughout the region. The archived operations data provides a more holistic picture of system performance, creates more relatable and user-friendly measures, and enables more sophisticated modelling.

PDA Suite's Bottleneck Ranking tool displays here all bottlenecks found on a specific date range by time of day, visualized by maximum queue length in miles. Photo source: Tracy, 2019.

Under a contract with NJDOT, the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory (CATT Lab) provided all three New Jersey MPOs with access to real-time and archived data via the Probe Data Analytics Suite (PDA Suite). The PDA Suite is a web-based platform that consists of a range of data visualization and retrieval tools for real-time and archived probe data. The vehicle probe data is provided by multiple third-party vendors, including INRIX, HERE, and TomTom, that collect it via smart phone navigation apps. These companies anonymously aggregate the data which is then used by the PDA Suite tools to calculate metrics such as real-time speed data, travel time index, travel time reliability, queue measurements, statewide bottleneck ranking, and corridor congestion charts, among others.

An overview of the tools available in the PDA Suite. Photo source: Tracy, 2019.

Agencies can use the tool to download reports, create interactive maps and graphics, and download raw data for external analysis. The performance measurement data is available at both the corridor and regional level, with 1,556 roadway segments covered in the SJTPO region. SJTPO has used PDA Suite’s Bottleneck Ranking Tool to create congestion screening lists for all of their counties; the lists are then screened for outliers and confirmed with independent data sources. SJTPO will then meet with county and municipal stakeholders to gather their input to prioritize locations and develop a problem statement. So far, SJTPO has found PDA suite valuable for quantifying seasonal congestion, which traditionally is difficult to define. Compared to traffic counts, operations data has wider spatial and temporal coverage.

Lessons Learned

While this data has been incredibly valuable to SJTPO, the agency has learned there are several drawbacks when it comes to working with crowdsourced big data. False positives may occur that identify congested areas when a roadway segment has a low sample size of probe vehicles, or there is a typical traffic signal delay or an inaccurate calculation of historical reference speed. Additionally, there are many ways to parse and analyze a dataset, which can lead to different results. To accurately represent the travel experience, organizations need to develop and use consistent methodology.

Looking forward, SJTPO plans to continually update their CMP. The document will evolve with additional insight from internal documents and studies (including the 2020 Regional Transportation Plan), changes to planning guidelines, and shifts in regional demographic and fiscal resources. In 2020, a Congestion Management Process Activity Report will be issued to summarize findings to be incorporated in the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan Update.

Sources:

CATT Lab. “Probe Data Analytics Suite.” CATT Lab. University of Maryland, 2019. https://www.cattlab.umd.edu/?portfolio=vehicle-probe-project-suite.

FHWA. “Crowdsourcing for Operations.” Center for Accelerating Innovation. U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, October 22, 2019. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_5/crowdsourcing.cfm.

FHWA. “Congestion Management Process (CMP).” Organizing and Planning Operations. U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, February 11, 2019. https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/plan4ops/focus_areas/cmp.htm.

SJTPO. “Congestion Management Process.” Congestion Management Process (CMP). South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, 2019. https://www.sjtpo.org/CMP/.

SJTPO. “Congestion Management Process: Methodology Report.” Congestion Management Process (CMP). South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization, 2018. https://www.sjtpo.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CMP-Report-2017.pdf.

Tracy, Andrew. “The Use of Real-Time and Archived Operations Data for Congestion Planning and Incident Management.” TransAction 2019. April 17, 2019. https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SJTPO-TransAction-2019-Operations-Data-slides.pdf.

Spotlight: New Technology Evaluations

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The New Technologies and Products (NTP) Unit in NJDOT’s Division of Bridge Engineering and Infrastructure Management reviews and evaluates new technologies and products submitted by manufacturers, vendors and suppliers. The unit is currently evaluating over 50 products for possible use at NJDOT to address needs related to safety, pavement, drainage, bridges and structures, among other categories.

NJDOT defines a new technology as “any product, process, or material used in the construction and maintenance of roadways and bridges that is not covered by existing NJDOT standard specifications or construction details, thereby requiring a formal evaluation for approval.” Products may receive a formal evaluation if they are finished and marketed, and address high priority needs.

The unit maintains the New Technologies and Products database of tested products from 2002 to the present. The database displays the category, the name of the product with a link to the product webpage, the company and the status of the evaluation. The NTP database status code legend is available on the NJDOT New Technology Evaluations webpage. Products may be actively undergoing testing, in a demonstration phase, or specification development phase, or in other stages of evaluation.

If, through the evaluation process, a technology or product is found acceptable for use on NJDOT projects, development and implementation of a standard specification, construction detail, or design guideline is still needed through a baseline document change.

Evaluation typically takes two to three years, although technical information and testing data from other testing agencies may expedite the process. Proposals for use of a new technology on a specific project, and recurrent use of an alternate or non-standard item on several projects, can lead to acceptance as a standard item.

 

 

Drone Technology at NJDOT

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NJDOT’s Unmanned Aerial Systems program in the Bureau of Aeronautics is demonstrating how the adoption of drone technology can serve NJDOT’s goals to increase safety, increase efficiency, save time, and save money. Drones are replacing boots on the ground, increasing accuracy, speeding up data collection, and providing access to hard-to-reach locations for divisions throughout the Department.

Click on the link below to see how drones are being used within NJDOT to drive innovation in the way our agency and workforce operate and what lies ahead for this technology.

EDC-5 STEP – Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian

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On October 30th the NJDOT Bureau of Research hosted the Lunchtime Tech Talk! Event on “EDC-5 STEP: Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian.” This event featured Peter Eun, a Transportation Safety Engineer with the Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Center’s Safety & Design Technical Service Team in Olympia, Washington. Mr. Eun discussed recent initiatives from FHWA regarding improvements in pedestrian safety and accessibility.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while 2018 featured a decline in overall fatalities on our roads, there was an increase of pedestrian fatalities, highlighting the increased need for action. Considering that over 72% of pedestrian fatalities occur at non-intersection locations, Mr. Eun focused much  of his presentation on cost-effective countermeasures that can be systemically applied to reduce these crashes and save lives.

In his talk, he described how roadway configuration, traffic volumes, and posted speed limits inform the selection of appropriate countermeasures. By way of example, he referred to the Crosswalk Markings section of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD Section 3B.18):

Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements

Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements

“new marked crosswalks alone, without other measures designed to reduce traffic speeds, shorten crossing distances, enhance driver awareness of the crossing, and/or provide active warning of pedestrian presence, should not be installed across uncontrolled roadways where the speed limit exceeds 40 mph and /or either has 4 or more lanes without a raised median or island and ADT of 12,000 or more, or 4 or more lanes with raised median island and ADT of 15,000 or more”.

Setting the foundation for countermeasures,  Mr. Eun cited grave statistics from research on how increasing speeds lead to greater serious injuries or fatalities for pedestrians and warned of a diminishing “cone of vision” at higher speeds as visual field and peripheral vision narrows. He shared a provocative safety video to convey how even small differences of speed can affect the ability of drivers to react and avoid crashes to the detriment of pedestrians.

Describing them as the “Spectacular Seven”, Mr. Eun highlighted the following countermeasures:

  • Rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) are active (user-actuated) or passive (automated detection) amber LEDs that use an irregular flash pattern at mid-block or uncontrolled crossing locations. They significantly increase driver yielding behavior.
  • Leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) at signalized intersections allow pedestrians to walk, usually 3 to 4 seconds, before vehicles get a green signal to turn left or right. The LPI increases visibility, reduces conflicts, and improves yielding.
  • Crosswalk visibility enhancements, such as crosswalk lighting and enhanced signage and markings, help drivers detect pedestrians–particularly at night.

    Pedestrian Refuge Islands

    Pedestrian Refuge Islands

  • Raised crosswalks can serve as a traffic calming measure and reduce vehicle speeds.
  • Pedestrian crossing/refuge islands allow pedestrians a safer place to stop at the midpoint of the roadway before crossing the remaining distance. This is particularly helpful for pedestrians with limited mobility.
  • Pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs) provide positive stop control for higher-speed, multilane roadways with high vehicular volumes. The PHB is an intermediate option between a flashing beacon and a full pedestrian signal.
  • Road Diets can reduce vehicle speeds and the number of lanes pedestrians cross, and they can create space to add new pedestrian facilities such as pedestrian crossing/refuge islands.

Using case examples from all over the country, Mr. Eun discussed several example situations where these countermeasures could be used, as well as the benefits to implementing them and the difficulties that may be encountered during implementation. Since expecting pedestrians to travel significantly out of their way to cross a roadway is unrealistic and counterproductive, improvements must be made to make crossings more accessible and more safe. By focusing on uncontrolled locations, agencies can address a significant national safety problem and improve quality of life for pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

Click for presentation

Mr. Eun then addressed a systemic approach to identifying safety issues and appropriate STEP countermeasures. Using this systemic approach, agencies can focus on countermeasures that address risk rather than specific locations. Once a risk factor characteristic of a number of crashes has been identified, agencies can be proactive and address that risk wherever it appears within the system. A system-based approach acknowledges crashes alone are not always sufficient to determine what countermeasures to implement, particularly on low-volume local and rural roadways where crash densities are lower, and in many urban areas where there are conflicts between vehicles and vulnerable road users (pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists). As such, systemic safety analysis does not require extensive data or complex analysis methods to be effective, just the desire to make the biggest safety impact with limited resources.

Resources

View the presentation: Eun Peter (2019). Every Day Counts so STEP up (Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian).

View the Australian Safety PSA Video:

21st Annual NJDOT Research Showcase

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NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, gave opening remarks.

David C. Woessner, Executive VP, LM Industries + Local Motors gave Keynote Address.

Panelists discussed how innovations in connectivity can improve safety, equity, and mobility.

The 21st Annual New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Research Showcase was an opportunity for the New Jersey transportation community to learn about the broad scope of academic research initiatives underway and share technology transfer activities being conducted by institutions of higher education partners and their associates.  The annual event serves to highlight the benefits of transportation research, including NJDOT's own research program. As part of the event, various awards were presented for implementation-minded research, innovation, and outstanding work performed by university students studying in a transportation-related field.

The day's Research Showcase Program included a plenary morning session with welcoming remarks, a keynote speaker and a knowledgeable panel of industry, university and NJDOT representatives offering their perspectives and fielding questions on how innovations in connectivity today and in the future may affect safety, mobility and equity.  The afternoon included several rounds of breakout sessions on innovation, safety, equity and mobility as well as a poster session.

NJDOT Commissioner of Transportation, Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, provided opening remarks along with the Federal Highway Administration's Assistant Division Administrator in New Jersey, Valeriya Remezova.

The morning's featured keynote speaker was David C. Woessner, an Executive Vice President for Corporate Development and External Affairs, at LM Industries + Local Motors.  His presentation included an overview of his firm's products, markets and initiatives and its orientation toward addressing the big challenges in the adoption of technology solutions to improve mobility.

His talk included an overview of the research, development and testing of Olli, a Low-Speed Autonomous Vehicle Platform, and the use of 3D printing for its production. During his talk, Mr. Woessner touched upon his firm's testing and validation activities deploying a shared autonomous vehicle (AV) in a controlled environment and preparing a Voluntary Safety Self Assessment (VSSA) in response to the U.S. DOT's voluntary guidance on automated driving systems.

Ollli is being deployed in campus-like settings including entertainment venues.

In discussing mobility challenges, he explained the long-term vision for deployment of shared autonomous vehicles as a last-mile/first mile connector service with transit nodes, and as an on-demand micro-transit solution to maximize service coverage and serve traditionally underserved populations such as persons with disabilities, the poor or others who live in transit "deserts" who may be inadequately served by existing fixed route transit routes.  However, at the current stage of design and testing, Olli is well-positioned for deployment in more controlled campus environments -- for example,  university campuses,  business and industrial parks, military bases, municipalities, entertainment and theme parks, private residential communities, and airports.  As the market matures and as testing and validation warrants, the expectation is that Olli will transition from private campuses to public roads.

During the event, several awards were given in recognition of research, innovation and implementation efforts.  Below is a listing of the award winners recognized at this year's showcase:

  • 2019 NJDOT Research Implementation Award - Peramulsamy N. Balagauru, Rutgers University, Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation, Protocol for Accepting Over Paint on Steel. The Research Advisory Committee of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) selected this NJDOT project as one of 16 high-value research projects for 2019 in the category of Smart Maintenance and Preservation earlier in the year.
  • 2019 NJDOT Build a Better Mousetrap (BABM) Award - The 2019 BABM Award was given for a Bridge Fender Navigation Lighting Reflective Backup System to Gerald Oliveto in NJDOT Operations Support and Engineering. Retroreflective panels were installed on NJDOT bridges in navigable waters to better identify bridge piers and serve as a backup system for navigation lighting.  The backup system avoids the burden of potential fines for malfunctioning navigation lighting and additional costs for emergency work orders and overtime repairs to the bridge fender navigation lighting system.  The panels provide an enhanced safety feature to the maritime community by allowing for increased visibility of the bridge fender systems and can safely identify the channel margins should navigation lighting malfunction.  The low cost application can be transferred to any other agency with bridges spanning navigable waterways; such as NJ Transit, counties, port authorities/commissions, and other state DOTs.
  • 2019 Best Poster Award - Xiao Tan, Stevens Institute of Technology
  • 2019 Outstanding University Student in Transportation Research Award - Daniel Offenbacker, Rowan University

Those in attendance were also informed of recent awards given to NJDOT in recognition of initiatives in research and innovation.  Presented by Ms. Remezova of FHWA, the awards were given for the AASHTO 2019 Sweet 16 High Value Research Award and for AASHTO 2019 State Transportation Innovative Council (STIC) Excellence Award.

The 21st Annual NJDOT Research Showcase was organized and sponsored by the NJDOT Bureau of Research in partnership with the New Jersey Local Technical Assistance Program (NJLTAP) at Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) and co-sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration.

Below are presentations and posters from the afternoon breakout sessions.  All the files below are in PDF.

Accepting the Better Mousetrap Award, Gerald Oliveto, Operations Support and Engineering. with Assistant Commissioners Michael Russo, Andrew Tunnard, and Bureau of Research Manager, Amanda Gendek

Poster Award Recipient Xiao Tan, Improving Bridge Performance Using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP), Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) and Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC)

2019 Outstanding University Student in Transportation Research Award, Daniel Offenbacker, Rowan University

 

2019 NJDOT Research Implementation Award, Peramulsamy N. Balagauru, Rutgers University, Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation, Protocol for Accepting Over Paint on Steel.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS
INNOVATION

EQUITY AND MOBILITY

SAFETY

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Evaluating New Jersey’s Use of Raised Pavement Markers for Roadway Safety

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In the United States, data has shown that more than a third of fatal crashes on two-lane undivided highways and 27 percent of fatal crashes on four-lane divided highways occur in dark, unlighted conditions. Raised Pavement Markers (RPMs) are a common device deployed for roadway safety around the world since the 1930s. RPMs are delineation devices used to improve preview distances and provide guidance for drivers in inclement weather and low-light conditions. There are two main types of RPMs, ones that can be used with snow plows and ones that cannot.

While most states install RPMs selectively based on particular locational characteristics of the roadways, New Jersey uses RPMs along all centerlines (solid and skip), regardless of traffic volume, roadway geometry, or roadway classification. The extensive use of RPMs in New Jersey has raised interest in understanding 1) whether this significant investment generates variant safety benefits at different locations; 2) whether there are alternatives or modifications to the existing RPMs; and 3) how to optimize the installation, monitoring, and maintenance of RPMs and their promising alternatives in order to attain a more cost-effective safety improvement.

The selected team from Rutgers University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute employed four distinct methods to address these research questions. The first was to conduct a literature review to inform the development of a methodological framework for quantifying the safety and cost-effectiveness of RPMs and their alternatives, based on specific road and traffic characteristics. Second, the researchers developed a luminance measurement method to compare the luminance of RPMs to different markers’ ability to inform drivers of road lines. Luminance measurement is defined as “the amount of visible light leaving a point on a surface in a given direction” (“Lighting Design Glossary”). Third, the group conducted a survey of other state DOTs practices and their guidelines for installation, including alternatives used. Lastly, the researchers developed a computer-aided decision support tool to calculate the life cycle costs of RPMs and their alternatives. Different alternatives were considered throughout the study, including various forms of rumble strips, preformed tape, and delineators.

The researchers came to several findings that provided insight into NJDOT’s current use and potential future research opportunities. The literature review of previous studies was inconclusive, with no consensus on whether RPMs affect the crash rate on roadways, with past research showing both negative and positive safety changes post-installation.

RPM samples used for measurements in the luminance tests. Photo Source: Xiang et al.

The survey of state DOTs yielded 22 responses from states throughout all regions of the country. The survey had two main sections, “RPM Installation” and “RPM Inspection and Maintenance”. No consensus or clear pattern was found among the states in terms of practices for installation, inspection, maintenance, and alternatives used. However, the researchers found that other state DOTs were more selective than New Jersey in choosing RPM installation sites based on traffic volume, accident history, and weather conditions.

To quantify the contribution that RPMs make towards safety outcomes on New Jersey roads, researchers compared the safety performance of county roads since unlike state roads, some county roads do not have RPMs installed. The researchers found that county roads with RPMs had a 19 percent lower crash rate than county roads without RPMs. The most significant decreases in crash rates occurred in nighttime, wet weather conditions, providing insight into the conditions that RPMs may be most effective.

In the lab luminance study, the team tested samples of new and used RPMs, along with alternatives such as wet pavement reflective tape and channel-mounted delineators to determine how far away drivers could see the markers in nighttime conditions. The average lifecycle for RPMs is 6 years, with a maintenance cycle of 2-3 years. Used RPMs showed a 20-30 percent decrease in luminance than new RPMs, but that did not translate to decreased visual performance.

Finally, the team created a computer-aided decision support tool to evaluate and compare the life cycle cost of RPMs and alternatives, based on specific operational characteristics. Decision-makers can couple information on safety benefits for each device with the total cost for per unit crash reduction from the tool to compare the value of the investment. The tool accounts for installation cost, traffic control cost, traffic delay cost, inspection cost, maintenance and repair cost, as well as the liability cost associated with incidents due to damaged RPMs or alternatives.

The research team also suggested several areas for future study for advancing NJDOT’s understanding of RPMs and their alternatives. The researchers recommended a study of optimal spacing or degree of continuous delineation that drivers need for safety. In the luminance study, all the devices had high visual performance despite variance in luminance when tested at a 100-meter viewing distance. However, the researchers noted, additional study was needed to see how the differences in luminance could affect visual performance at the threshold visibility distance (when the devices can be first seen). The results could help identify which device gives drivers more time and distance, resulting in potential reduction in nighttime crashes.

Rumble Strips. Photo Source: FHWA.

Lastly, one of the alternatives frequently mentioned throughout the study is rumble strips, which are used on roadways to create a noise and vibration to alert a driver when they leave their lane. When painted with retroflective coating to increase visibility, they are called rumble stripes (FHWA 2019). The researchers explained that rumble strips have not been studied in regard to safety effectiveness in New Jersey due to data limitations, making it a potential future research area.

New Jersey is in a unique position compared to other states with its comprehensive use of RPMs on state roadways. The researchers were able to provide valuable information to NJDOT, including a methodological framework for the department moving forward to quantify the safety effectiveness of RPMs and their alternatives and a computer-aided decision support tool to estimate life cycle cost. With this information and targeted areas for future research, NJDOT can aim to make cost-effective investments that will improve roadway safety.

Resources:

FHWA. “Rumble Strips and Rumble Stripes.” FHWA. April 1, 2019. https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/pavement/rumble_strips/general-information.cfm.

“Lighting Design Glossary.” Lighting Design and Simulation Knowledgebase. https://www.schorsch.com/en/kbase/glossary/luminance.html.

Liu, Xiang, John Bullough, Liwen Tian, Shan Jiang, and Mohsen Jafari. Evaluation of Raised Pavement Markers, Final Report. July 2018.
https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/FHWA-NJ-2018-004.pdf

Liu, Xiang, John Bullough, Liwen Tian, Shan Jiang, and Mohsen Jafari. “Technical Brief: Evaluation of Raised Pavement Markers.” July 2018.
https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/FHWA-NJ-2018-004-TB.pdf

 

Tech Talk! Webinar: Crowdsourcing for Local Operations

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As the technology and portability of communications have become more widespread and instantaneous, "crowdsourcing" has become an increasingly popular method for identifying and addressing problems quickly. Crowdsourcing enables an organization to distribute workloads across a large group of people, utilizing their collective wisdom and amplifying the reach of the organization. Long popular for applications such as customer reviews for shoppers and critical takes from moviegoers, crowdsourcing tools are spreading in transportation and transforming the way operating agencies work with the public.  Most often we have seen crowdsourcing used on apps like Waze for up-to-date traveler information or incident management, as these apps allow for every driver on the road to serve as the eyes and ears of the larger community.

On October 17, 2019, FHWA sponsored an innovation exchange webinar, "Crowdsourcing for Local Operations" that was “live” broadcasted by the Bureau of Research as part of its Tech Talk! series, for NJDOT staff who convened in the E&O Building, Training Room A.  The webinar illustrated how local agencies are working, often with state partners, to expand the use of crowdsourcing across a wider set of application areas.

FHWA kicked off the webinar with a brief presentation, Introduction to Crowdsourcing and Improved Transportation Operations, that provided a definition and historical context for crowdsourcing, and a summary of typical sources of crowdsourcing data and applications in transportation.  The presentation included an overview of the Every Day Counts (EDC) Program and technical assistance resources available at FHWA to support deployment of crowdsourcing.  However, the primary purpose of the event was to showcase examples from around the country where Local Public Agencies and partnering stakeholders have deployed crowdsourcing solutions for emergency management, roadway and other  maintenance, and wildlife protection.

City of Myrtle Beach uses Facebook comments, direct messages, emails, phone calls, and other tools to receive citizen input.

Crowdsourcing Using Social Media for Emergency Roadway Management, City of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Mark Kruea, Public Information Director, described how the City of Myrtle Beach uses social media to help engage with residents quickly and effectively. The city takes phone calls, e-mails, and even messages and comments on Facebook on every topic, including trimming trees, fixing potholes, broken street lights, and other maintenance and needed capital improvements. The city tries to address requests within the same day which, in turn, encourages residents to use the system more frequently as they realize the city is listening and acting on suggestions. Mr. Kruea said that there was no reporting "threshold" for when a city would act on a specific comment or request, and even a single report of an issue can trigger a response.  His talk made clear the potential benefits of fostering a strong trust between the community and the municipality, particularly in planning for and managing emergency situations.  For example, during Hurricane Dorian, residents were able to send pictures of downed trees for clean-up crews to address, and adjustments were made to the storm level capacity of a regional detention pond prior to the storm event in response to community requests.

City of Richmond’s 311 portal makes it easy for citizens to report and track non-emergency service requests.

Crowdsourcing for Road Maintenance, City of Richmond, Virginia. Peter Briel, Director, Citizen Service & Response, spoke about the City of Richmond’s establishment of a 311 portal – phone, public internet portal, smartphone app -- for intake of most citizen requests for non-emergency services.  The 311 program includes a call center, a request platform, and performance reporting.  Once received, citizen requests are categorized by type and automatically routed to appropriate teams within the City’s various departments. Citizens can report a range of road issues through RVA311, including requests for new road infrastructure to report issues with maintenance, signage, traffic signals, and storm drain cleaning, among others. Citizens are able to upload photos through the app or the internet, check the status their requests, and receive push notifications when updates have been made by the city.  Mr. Briel’s presentation highlighted some of the mapping and performance management measures available in using the 311 system along with some of the organizational, technical and cultural changes required for deploying the tool for the city residents and workforce. He noted that the most challenging part of implementation of the innovation was initiating the culture change between the citizens and the city so the 311 system would not become simply an app for complaints, but instead, for citizen empowerment.

While the first few presentations dealt with infrastructure maintenance and emergency response, the next two presenters showed how crowdsourcing could be used to avoid wildlife collisions and protect their habitats.

 

Maine Audubon uses an online tool, Wildlife Road Watch, to identify roadkill “hot spots”.

Crowdsourcing for Wildlife Road, Maine Audubon.  Sarah Haggerty, a Conservation Biologist with Maine Audubon, described how her organization in association with Maine Department of Transportation and other environmental protection organizations, have worked to identify the worst areas for animal fatalities in order to prevent future accidents. Using an online tool created by the University of California-Davis Road Ecology Center, residents are able to upload photos and locations where they encounter roadkill, allowing the tool to identify hotspots around the state. In turn, municipalities can construct road-stream crossings that make it safe for wildlife passage as well as vehicular traffic, a strategy that was incentivized through extra points in state grants.

 

MassDOT has used historic roadway mortality data reported by citizen scientists and its maintenance personnel to prioritize and design signage, fencing, and crossings to protect wildlife endangered by traffic.

Linking Landscapes for Massachusetts Wildlife, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. David Paulson, a Senior Endangered Species Environmental Specialist, described how his agency is working to incorporate habitat conservation into transportation planning and project development.  Through the use of volunteers and MassDOT maintenance personnel, historic data on wildlife roadway mortality on particular road segments have been compiled.  Citizens and workers have been asked to report locations where multiple turtles experience roadway mortality on a yearly basis, typically on roads which bisect wetlands. Concurrently, they also enlisted volunteers to help research amphibian migrations across roadways to establish documented migration routes that could be engineered around. The online tool collected data on location and roadkill numbers, giving Massachusetts a good idea of where countermeasures could be implemented.

Throughout the webinar, presentations highlighted different ways in which transportation system users and citizens can be turned into real-time sensors on system performance, providing low-cost, high-quality data on traffic operations, roadway conditions, wildlife mortality, and maintenance issues.  Using crowdsourcing as a tool to garner information met with success in each of these cases, and the resulting actions taken by state and local governments have promoted trust between users and governing agencies.  Given its wide-ranging impact and low costs to implement, FHWA surmised in closing that these and similar tools leveraging engagement would become industry standards in the future.

The Crowdsourcing for Local Operations webinar was one in a series of Innovation Exchange webinars sponsored by the Center for Local Aid Support (CLAS) in the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Innovative Program Delivery. Through Innovative Exchange webinars, CLAS seeks to bring cutting-edge transportation leaders to the table to share ideas and out of the box innovative practices that have proven results.  More information about this webinar, upcoming webinars, and webinars available on demand can be found here.

Focusing on Reducing Rural Road Departures (Video)

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The Federal Highway Administration recently released a video highlighting analytical and highway design efforts being used to prevent traffic deaths on rural roads by reducing roadway departures. The FHWA video introduces several relatively low-cost safety countermeasures to help drivers stay in their travel lanes and reduce the potential for, and minimize the severity of, rural roadway crashes, including rumble strips, enhanced signage, the Safety EdgeSM, and high-friction surface treatments.

While traffic crash locations can change from year-to-year, the FHWA recommends using a data-driven systemic analysis to assess types and patterns of rural crashes, roadway design where crashes occur, and specific areas with high concentrations of crashes or risk of crashes. Analysis of these data can also focus on when certain types of crashes occur. This information can help determine priority locations and design solutions that can be used to address needs in specific locations.

To learn more about the program and solutions designed to prevent traffic deaths on rural roads by reducing roadway departures, see the Federal Highway Administration' EDC-5 Innovation Reducing Rural Roadway Departures.  More information on what New Jersey is doing during this round on the topic, can be found at: What is Reducing Rural Roadway Departures.

Paving the Way to Better Roads at Lower Costs

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Pavement Preservation Projects Benefit New Jersey Taxpayers and Commuters

Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Commission of the NJ Department of Transportation

The last Commitment to Communities newsletter (Volume 7) highlighted some of the wonderful volunteerism of New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) employees. In this volume, I will share how the NJDOT achieves consistent progress through focused investments that keep our infrastructure in a state of good repair. Not only does the NJDOT prioritize improving the quality of life for our residents, but we also take great pride in the preservation and maintenance of our transportation system for the benefit of all New Jerseyans.

Within the last decade, NJDOT has significantly increased our use of pavement preservation treatments and preventive maintenance. Instead of waiting until pavements deteriorate to poor conditions requiring conventional, more costly resurfacing or rehabilitation treatments, preventive maintenance treatments are being applied at a fraction of the cost to sections of roadway in good or fair condition.

Slurry Seal treatment being applied to the Route 33, CR 527 to Howell Road Pavement Preservation Project in Monmouth County.

The purpose of these treatments is to renew and seal the pavement surface and extend the functional life of the pavement by six to twelve years depending on the preservation method. Sealing the roadway prior to deterioration reduces the chances for water to infiltrate the pavement and therefore prevents the opportunity for potholes to form. Since preservation treatments are less expensive than traditional resurfacing (one third to one half of the cost) preservation becomes a more cost effective life cycle treatment strategy while also minimizing the opportunity for potholes to develop throughout the life of the pavement.

In addition to providing cost savings to the state (and in turn, the tax payer), these methods can be implemented without major traffic disruptions and with minimal lane closures—saving commuters time and frustration. Furthermore, these projects have an accelerated design and construction phase, with most projects completed in one year.

Completed Route 33, CR 527 to Howell Road Pavement Preservation Project in Monmouth County.

The method of pavement preservation is not an idea unique to NJDOT. This method is nationally accepted as a cost effective treatment in pavement life cycle strategy. As a Department, we participate in the North East Pavement Preservation Partnership (NEPPP), a regional component of the national pavement preservation initiative facilitated by the National Center for Pavement Preservation.

System preservation is a requirement under federal legislation MAP-21, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. MAP-21 offers much needed funds in transportation investment.

Because these preventive techniques are so beneficial, we have substantially increased our annual investment in pavement preservation projects from $3 million in 2013 to $50 million in the 2020 program. Over the last two years, we have successfully designed or delivered 22 projects. They reflect our commitment to be responsible stewards of the 27-cent gas tax increase.

We look forward to increasing our investment levels in future years.

Pavement preservation is just one example among many of how NJDOT is committed to keeping New Jersey’s roadways in a state of good repair and by doing so, improving the lives of our residents. I strongly believe that any opportunity where we can take a proactive approach and in turn save the state and taxpayer time, money and disruption is an opportunity worth investing in.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this and please feel free to share it with your colleagues. If you have any questions about any of the information in the newsletter, please feel free to contact NJDOT’s Office of Constituent Relations at 609-963-1982.

Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti
Commissioner

This article first appeared in the Fall 2019 NJDOT Commitment to Communities Newsletter.

NJDOT Safety Countermeasures Training and Education Videos

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The following videos describe six of FHWA’s Proven Safety Countermeasures that improve pedestrian safety. NJDOT developed these videos to train and educate viewers on the design features and safety benefits of these initiatives.

FHWA began promoting Proven Safety Countermeasures in 2008 to encourage implementation among state, tribal and local transportation agencies. The list was updated in 2012 and 2017 and now comprises 20 countermeasures that support infrastructure improvements. These safety treatments and strategies were chosen based on proven effectiveness and benefits and can be adopted to reduce roadway departures, and intersection, and pedestrian and bicycle crashes.

Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) has been included as an Innovation under FHWA’s Every Day Counts (EDC) Rounds 4 and 5.  NJDOT has prepared videos for training purposes on several of the topics featured under STEP – specifically, Pedestrian Crossing/Refuge Islands, Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons, Road Diets and Leading Pedestrian Intervals. Other strategies advanced under STEP are Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons, Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements, and Raised Crosswalks.

NJDOT chose the following safety initiatives as subjects for safety videos:

 

What is a Leading Pedestrian Interval?

Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) give pedestrians the opportunity to enter an intersection 3-7 seconds before vehicles are given a green indication. With this head start, pedestrians can better establish their presence in the crosswalk before vehicles have priority to turn left.

What is a Walkway?

Walkways are any type of defined space or pathway for use by a person traveling by foot or using a wheelchair. These may be pedestrian walkways, shared use paths, sidewalks, or roadway shoulders. FHWA defines a pedestrian walkway as a continuous way designated for pedestrians and separated from motor vehicle traffic by a space or barrier. By contrast, sidewalks are walkways that are paved and separated from the street, generally by a curb and gutter.

What is a Pedestrian Crossing Island?

Medians and Pedestrian Crossing Islands in Urban and Suburban Areas are located between opposing lanes of traffic, excluding turn lanes. They provide a safe place for pedestrians to stop at the midpoint of the roadway before crossing the remaining distance. This is particularly helpful for older pedestrians or others with limited mobility.

What is a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon?

Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHBs) are a beneficial intermediate option between Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFBs) and a full pedestrian signal. They provide positive stop control in areas without the high pedestrian traffic volumes that typically warrant signal installation.

What is a Road Diet?

Road Diets are the removal of a travel lane or lanes from a roadway and use of the space for other purposes and travel modes, such as bike lanes, pedestrian refuge islands, or transit.

What is a Reduced Left-Turn Conflict Intersection?

Reduced Left-Turn Conflict Intersections are geometric designs that alter how left-turn movements occur in order to simplify decisions and minimize the potential for related crashes. Two highly effective designs that rely on U-turns to complete certain left-turn movements are known as the restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) and the median U-turn (MUT).