ITE Annual Meeting Summary

r. to l. (John Kennedy, Tom Brahms, Hibbett Neel, and Paula Flores Benway)

  

The 2015 ITE Annual Meeting was held in Hollywood (really Fort Lauderdale), Florida, from August 1 through August 5.  It was a well-attended meeting with 1,400 members at a very attractive facility, the Diplomat Hotel on the beach. The technical sessions were challenging, the Exhibit Halls well attended, and the Board Meetings productive.  The Southern District was well represented, which was good because we had our Past President, Hibbett Neel, attending his last Annual Meeting as an International ITE Officer. The Mayor of Miami, Manny Diaz, gave a good presentation "Shaping and Rebuilding Cities to Improve the Miami Metropolitan Area through Interactive Community Programs."  Southern District Past Presidents Marsha Anderson Bomar, Hibbett Neel, and John Edwards (who is also an Honorary Member) represented the Southern District at many of the Annual Meeting functions

 

Three events that featured the Past Presidents included the Business Meeting with Hibbett Neel as a speaker; the Awards Luncheon, where one Southern District members received an award, and at the session in recognition of Tom Brahms' service to the Institute. 

 

Tom is retiring after 43 years as the Executive Director and the CEO of the Institute. Tom was "roasted" at the Old Boardies' Dinner by a number of members including Marsha Anderson Bomar and John Edwards who commented on Tom's difficulty of "controlling" exuberant presidents (i.e., the beer keg in the Presidential Suite at the Minneapolis Annual Meeting and Hibbett Neel, who spoke of Tom" leadership"). 

Pictured l. to r. John, Marsha, Tom and Hibbett

 

The Southern District had more past presidents and officers at the Old Boardies' Meeting than any other District.  The picture to the right attests to that fact, with Marsha, John and Hibbett all in attendance.  They must have made an impression because each one had an opportunity to speak at length about their shared experiences with Tom.

 

Finally, we would like to recognize the member of the Southern District that received an award at the meeting:  Dr. Mashrur Chowdhury of Clemson University received the Wilbur Smith Distinguished Educator Award.  

Transportation + Art

An intersection in Kitchener, Ontario, has an accident probem but doesn't meet warrants for a four-way stop. The neighborhood proposed to the city that local artists be allowed to paint an eye-catching mural in the middle of the intersection, in the hopes that it would slow down drivers. It's not the first time a city has tried this, so whether it proves to be a long-term solution remains to be seen. But drivers in Kitchener will have the mural to appreciate while it lasts if they slow down. Read more here.

Have ideas or photos related to Transportation + Art?

Email Meredith Van Duyn. 

How Does Your State Compare?  

From Transportation.gov:  Over the last six years, Congress has passed 33 short-term measures rather than funding transportation for the long term. And our transportation system -- our roads and bridges, especially -- is in a dire state of disrepair because of it.

Check out the following chart of states within the Southern District.  How does your state compare inter terms of roadways / bridges needing repair? 

Driving at a Snail's Pace  

Recently, Seattle Department of Transportation employees working to update the speed limit based on a new Vision Zero safety strategy marked the northbound end of Fairmount with "20 HPM" - 20 hours per mile, instead of miles per hour, according to the Seattle Times.

The mistake was later fixed, but there is now a new precedence for traffic calming. 

For more information, click here. 

Thanks to SDITE Past-President John Van Winkle for passing this along!

'Round and 'Round We Go

We often cringe when transportation is in the news as it can be very negative or filled with inaccuracies.  The New York Times recently published an article about the spread of the use of roundabouts as a transportation solution.  Most of you may already be familiar with some of the sentiments expressed; however, it's great to the exposure of our industry.

Please note the reference to a roundabout in Tennessee. 

Thanks to Cindy Pionke (TSITE and Strategic Planning Chair) for passing this along. 

Have You Seen This?

This is a good video to put a smile on your face.  The little girl is an trick shot "expert".  Check out her skills but also stick around to watch some the misses. 

Trick Shots

Have You Seen This (Part Deux)?

If you have kids, have grandkids, or are a kid at heart, you know about the Minions and their desire to serve an evil villain.  Apparently, the Minions came to life recently to disrupt traffic in Dublin, Ireland.  Perhaps it's not as evil as stealing the moon, but I'm sure there were a few drivers who weren't happy with the delay.

For more information, click here.