http://www.ntoctalks.com/ The NTOC Talks site is intended to provide information and resources to transportation practitioners, coalition members, and the general public on current news, upcoming meetings, and available products and documents. en-usWed, 18 Jan 2012 10:34:31 EDTimages/NTOC_logo.gif Performance Management for Signal Systems Date: January 18, 2012 Time: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. EST This course provides information on performance management techniques for organizations responsible for delivering traffic signal services to define measures of success and to integrate these into their program. Learning Objectives: • Describe the elements of performance management. • Explain the selection process and key elements of measures of success (organization/system/customer). • Identify data sources needed to support performance measures. • Examine methods to integrate measures of success into decision making for resource allocation. • Recognize and describe the factors that lead to successful performance management in signal systems: • Tool for evaluation and continuous improvement; • Method to engage staff and affect organizational culture; • Opportunity to communicate with customers through reporting tools; and • Sustainability for ongoing achievement of customer and organizational goals. Instructor: Gary B. Thomas, Center Director, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX, USA http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=524 2012-01-18 10:34:31 This NTOC/FHWA Webinar will take place January 11, 2012 from 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Eastern Time. Description: This course is an introduction to the methods and practices used in traffic signal maintenance programs. Course materials are developed from the recently released ITE/IMSA Traffic Signal Maintenance Handbook. Learning Objectives: - Understand the importance of an effective preventive maintenance program and be able to develop such a program given the resources available. - Understand the need for specialized staffing, training and development in light of prevailing and emerging advancements in technology and applications. - Understand the concept of maintenance management, its components and benefits. - Understand the concept of maintenance-specific performance measures and their significance in funding justification and overall agency accountability. Instructor: David A. Ellis, Traffic Engineer, David A. Ellis, LLC, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=525 2012-01-11 10:35:59 Exceed expectations with ITE March 4–7, 2012, in Pasadena, CA at the ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit. The conference is designed to support transportation engineering, planning and multidisciplinary professionals responsible for management and operations of transportation systems. The meeting content will address the application and performance of multimodal transportation management strategies to exceed customer expectations within today's budgetary constraints. The program will also seek to link transportation operations with livability, sustainability and economic competitiveness. For complete information and to register, click on the link below. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=527 2012-01-05 10:39:45 The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) today announced that it will sponsor a session entitled 'New Applications Using Vehicle-to-X Technology' at the 2012 International CES®, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, scheduled January 10-13, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The International CES® attracts more than 140,000 of the top executives, retail buyers, content providers, entertainment executives, venture capitalists, engineers, government officials and media from more than 140 countries. The session is Tuesday, January 10, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), North Hall, Room N258. There is a nominal fee to attend this session. To register for this session, please click on the link above. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=526 2012-01-05 10:38:34 To have your agencies' score included in the 3rd National Traffic Signal Report Card, you now have until December 16, 2011 to submit your self assessment. With your submission, you will receive a certificate of completion and a copy of your completed self assessment. Keep in mind, this assessment can be used at any time to grade the performance of your system. You can access the assessment through the link above. The 2011 Traffic Signal Operations Self Assessment has been updated to reflect comments received following the previous self-assessments (2005 and 2007) and to better connect traffic signal management and operations activities to operations objectives. In addition, an effort was made to remove redundant questions and reduce the bias toward centrally managed traffic signal systems. The results from the 2011 self-assessment will continue to allow for some comparison to the results of the previous versions so that agencies can gauge changes over time. The Self Assessment should take no more than one hour to complete. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=517 2011-12-16 14:54:12 New T3 Webinar: Systems Engineering for Adaptive Signal Control Technology Date: December 15, 2011 Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET Click on the link below to register. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=521 2011-12-15 15:30:34 Registration is now available for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Offices of Operations and Innovative Program Delivery Webinar on Update on the Urban Partnership and Congestion Reduction Demonstration Programs on December 15, 2011 from 2:00pm to 3:30pm EST. This Webinar is part of the FHWA series entitled 'Overcoming the Challenges of Congestion Pricing.' These Webinars are aimed at state and local agencies that are currently in the process of implementing or would like to implement congestion pricing; decision-makers/political leaders who want to better understand the benefits of congestion pricing; metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that may be interested in incorporating pricing into their planning activities; and others who just want to learn more about congestion pricing strategies. There is no cost to participate in this Webinar and it is open to everyone who is interested. You must register in advance through the link above. Once you register you will receive an email with login instructions. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=518 2011-12-15 09:22:47 This document was developed to provide guidance to state and local transportation personnel on how to overcome barriers and challenges to implementation of localized congestion relief projects. It presents and describes examples of institutional, design, funding and safety challenges that agencies face when trying to develop unique solutions to localized congestion problems. (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-11-034) http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=523 2011-12-15 06:16:49 NTOC is pleased to announce the December Talking Operations Webinar series on Traffic Signal Program Management. There will also be a series of Webinars on additional topics in January. Please click on the titles below for course information and free registration. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=522 2011-12-15 06:14:23 Register now for a free NTOC Webinar on Applying Analysis Tools in Planning for Operations/ITS, taking place December 6, 2011 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST. This is part of the planning for operations Webinar series sponsored by FHWA. Registration is free and available through the link above. Effective transportation systems and sound decision making result from using the right analysis tools and conveying information effectively. The term tools in this context applies not only to software and analytical applications, but also to basic analysis methods and procedures. This Webinar will help planners and operations professionals systematically choose transportation analysis tools and methods and formulate analytic approaches. The Webinar will highlight several case studies ranging from sketch planning to advanced travel modeling. The common thread among the case studies is the use of analytic approaches scaled to the scope of the problem at hand. The Webinar will promote the use of analysis tools to improve the linkage between planning and operations/ITS; provide participants with information and guidance on readily available analysis tools and methods; and discuss the pros/cons of various analytic methods. Speakers include: Doug Laird, FHWA; Krista Jeannotte, Doug Sallman, and Chris Hedden, Cambridge Systematics; and case study presenters. Register now through the link above. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=519 2011-12-06 09:50:51 The Cooperative Transportation Systems Pooled Fund Study (CTS PFS), a group of 10 state and local transportation agencies and FHWA, is focused on research and application development to prepare agencies for the deployment of connected vehicle technology. As infrastructure owners and operators, the CTS PFS team is leading a project entitled 'Multi-Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System' in cooperation with U.S. DOT's Dynamic Mobility Applications Program. This project will conduct the foundational analysis and design necessary to prepare for the development and field testing/demonstration of a Multi-Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System, which will leverage the connected vehicle environment for multiple transportation modes, including pedestrians and passenger, transit, emergency, freight vehicles. For more information and link to the request for proposal, visit For more information about the Cooperative Transportation System Pooled Fund Study and their ongoing work please see visit the CTS PFS website, hosted by their technical and administrative support team at the University of Virginia: http://cts.virginia.edu/CTSPFS_1.html. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=520 2011-11-30 09:51:52 Register now for a free NTOC Webinar on Developing and Reaching Agreement on Operations Objectives, taking place Tuesday, November 29, 2011, from 1:00 – 2:30 PM EST. This is part of the planning for operations Webinar series sponsored by FHWA. This Webinar will assist operators and planners in applying an objectives-driven, performance-based approach to planning for operations in metropolitan areas. It will focus on the critical step of developing agreed-upon regional operations objectives. It will discuss the process of developing operations objectives, including how multiple agencies can work together to agree on these measurable objectives as part of the metropolitan transportation planning process. It will include presentations from two MPOs that will highlight their operations objectives, the process of developing them, and lessons learned. Speakers will be Wayne Berman, FHWA; Deena Platman, Metro Portland, Oregon; and Mike Swearingen and Laura Brunn, San Joaquin Council of Governments, California. Register now through the link above. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=515 2011-11-29 14:52:19 The inaugural 2011 Congested Corridors Report is the first nationwide effort to identify reliability problems at specific stretches of highway responsible for significant traffic congestion at different times and different days. Analyses are performed along 328 specific (directional) freeway corridors in the United States. These corridors include many of the worst places for congestion in the United States, and the detailed data allow for more extensive analysis and a better picture of the locations, times and effects of stop-and-go traffic. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=516 2011-11-15 14:53:22 Register now for a free NTOC Webinar on Applying Analysis Tools in Planning for Operations/ITS, taking place December 6, 2011 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST. This is part of the planning for operations Webinar series sponsored by FHWA. Effective transportation systems and sound decision making result from using the right analysis tools and conveying information effectively. The term tools in this context applies not only to software and analytical applications, but also to basic analysis methods and procedures. This Webinar will help planners and operations professionals systematically choose transportation analysis tools and methods and formulate analytic approaches. The Webinar will highlight several case studies ranging from sketch planning to advanced travel modeling. The common thread among the case studies is the use of analytic approaches scaled to the scope of the problem at hand. The Webinar will promote the use of analysis tools to improve the linkage between planning and operations/ITS; provide participants with information and guidance on readily available analysis tools and methods; and discuss the pros/cons of various analytic methods. Speakers include: Doug Laird, FHWA; Krista Jeannotte, Doug Sallman, and Chris Hedden, Cambridge Systematics; and case study presenters. Register now through the link below. http://ntoctalks.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=514 2011-11-15 14:51:29