Roundabouts: A Safer Choice

Transcription

1 The Legend District 3 Employee Newsletter February/March 2015 What s inside DDD Corner Customer Kudos New Safety Promotion Facilities Shaping Up Get to know... Roundabouts: A Safer Choice This summer, District 3 is constructing its first-ever modern roundabout at an intersection in Medina County after reviewing the safety benefits. Beginning in June, the intersection of State Route 57/State Route 252 and Spieth Road will be reconstructed in to a modern roundabout. Other districts around the state as well as the City of Dublin have successfully built these roundabouts for several years. According to the Federal Highway Administration, today s modern roundabouts are a safer choice when looking to reduce congestion, enhance safety and save on operational costs. These benefits helped District 3 choose to construct the roundabout here as well as two other intersections in The two other locations are the intersection of State Route 94 and Granger Road in Medina County and the intersection of State Route 83 and Smithville Western Road nearby in Wayne County. District personnel realized the need for improvements at the SR 57/SR 252 and Spieth Road intersection in 2011 after reviewing a three-year crash history report in which crashes were occurring at a 3x higher rate than expected on that type of intersection. Local residents also voiced concerns over the safety of the intersection as well, which is currently a two-way stop, with stop signs on Spieth Road. Improvements were installed over the last ten years at the intersection including additional stop signs, warning signs and improving sight distance. Yet, it wasn t enough. When a traffic signal wasn t warranted, the District Safety Review Team members knew there were alternate ways to improve the intersection. Based on their research, it was decided to install a modern roundabout to reduce the crash frequency and severity. Unlike traffic circles in places such as State Route 83 in Litchfield and State Route 301 in LaGrange, roundabouts are small in diameter and are shown to reduce speeds. There are also no stop signs or traffic signals in a roundabout. Roundabouts have lower entry speeds compared to traffic circles, District 3 Traffic Engineer Julie Cichello explained. They feature a yield See SAFE on Page 3 A rendering of the future intersection at SR 57/SR 252 and Spieth Road in Medina County pictured at left.

2 Throughout the month of March, our workforce will begin their transition from snow and ice to construction & maintenance. Whether you are a Highway Technician flagging traffic or patching potholes or an inspector on a construction project, a large majority of our workforce will be exposed to the risks of oncoming traffic and distracted motorists. Just this week, Construction Engineer Eric Finger found out all too well how quickly an accident can happen. Eric was traveling from his field office in Butler to the District Office, while following behind him was a Central Office employee. As Eric was stopped at the intersection of SR 511 and US 30, he realized the employee behind him was having difficulties with his transmission. Eric stepped out of his truck and walked to the truck behind him to help the employee. Just a moment after Eric exited his pickup truck, a semi traveling on US 30 clipped a dump truck causing it to lose control and strike Eric s truck in the driver s side door. Thankfully, Eric was uninjured. However, this is a prime example that anything can happen out on the roads. Be ever vigilant in your efforts to keep eyes peeled to traffic as you work this coming season. District 3 s Safety team will also be working on ways to reduce injuries and accidents by 30% this year (see Page 5 for info on a new initiative). Stay safe. Al Ashland 103 * I want to send a quick note of appreciation of our employees. Central Office recently asked for instructors for some HT Academy classes. Bob Weaver is providing instructors for Asphalt 1 and Earthwork. Brian Hickey and Eric Calvert have graciously agreed to assist with these classes. Tim Farley is providing an instructor for Plan Reading & Traffic Control Devices; Charlie Laughrey has also graciously agreed to assist. We are all busy with our own job duties and sometimes don t know if there is enough time in our day to complete them, but I appreciate their attitude of teamwork and willingness to step up to the plate and help out. Lynne Temple, Personnel, 2/19/15 Crawford 157 Erie 194 Huron 157 Lorain 87 Medina 235 Richland 178 Wayne 30 District 69 *thru February 15 Facilities & District Garage staff: I think you are doing a tremendous job of keeping our crews going throughout this winter. Working in this extreme cold to fix equipment and take care of our facility is appreciated! Dean Mishey, Ashland County HT, 2/23/15 Mr. Biehl, As I look out my window on to State Route 314, I see the green, white and yellow lights of the plow trucks, it prompts me to write this letter. I would like to take the opportunity to comment on your work force in Richland County. I have been to the office in Richland County on several occasions to request assistance in trimming trees or repairing potholes. First, I always talked to Kim Reed, and she was very friendly and also very helpful. She directed me to Brett Wirick. Both of these employees were easy to work with. It is very evident they have the safety of residents in Richland County foremost on their minds. The employee who takes care of SR 314 during the winter does a great job of keeping it clear of snow and ice. We live at its intersection with Milsboro Road, which is a bad intersection, and I am sure the job he has done clearing the road has prevented many accidents. Please pass our thanks on to these employees and let them know they are doing a good job. John Goodwin, Mansfield, 2/4/15 The Legend February/March

3 SAFE: Intersections Rounding the Bend at every entry point in the intersection, promoting low speed without weaving in to the oncoming traffic. They also typically reduce crashes by 40 to 60 percent, reducing injury by 35 to 80 percent, and almost completely eliminate incapacitating injury and fatal crashes. Although the new design is safer and more cost effective, motorists unfamiliar with driving through roundabouts have expressed concerns about the ability to get used to the new intersection type. After a short adjustment period, studies have shown that people strongly support roundabouts after they have been constructed. its shape. Traffic circles are usually circular roadways with a series of intersections around the perimeter, typically controlled by stop signs. In some towns, traffic inside the circle is required to stop to allow other vehicles to enter, resulting in vehicles becoming trapped in the circle until there is a large enough gap in the entering traffic to allow them to pass. A modern roundabout turns this concept on its head. Traffic inside the roundabout has the right-of-way, so entering traffic yields to the vehicles already inside. As a result, the modern roundabout can move traffic more efficiently and safely than any other common type of four-way intersection. Roundabouts experience fewer accidents than four-way stops or traffic signals, and the accidents that do occur are typically side-swipes at lower speeds. Head-on collisions and angle accidents are virtually eliminated, reducing the likelihood of serious injuries and fatalities. SOURCE: NCHRP Synthesis 264 District 3 has actively engaged the local community by explaining the project s benefits and its future impacts. More than a year ago, District 3 held a public meeting for this project in an effort to educate the local residents and property owners on the benefits of a roundabout and why it was chosen over a traffic signal. Roundabouts are shown to be much safer than installing a traffic signal, Christine Myers, Public Information Officer, said. In some cases, signals do not even reduce the accident rate at an intersection due to the nature of collisions. A left-turn at an intersection is typically the most dangerous maneuver at any intersection. The modern roundabout eliminates the need for left-turns, resulting in safety benefits for drivers of all ages. Roundabouts vs. Traffic Circles So, a roundabout isn t just a traffic circle with a new name? Nope. The modern roundabout does not have much in common with the old fashioned traffic circle other than Additional Benefits by the Numbers Angle & Left-turn crashes account for 63% of fatal crashes at typical intersections; a roundabout eliminates these by forcing vehicles to make a right turn in and out Crashes that occur in a roundabout are sideswipe in nature and less severe due to low vehicle speeds Roundabouts typically have lower overall delay than signalized and all-way stop controlled intersections. The delay reduction is most significant during nonpeak traffic periods. These have lower operating and maintenance costs than a traffic signal due to lack of technical hardware, signal timing equipment, and electricity needs. Overall life cycle of a roundabout is approximately 25 years vs for a signalized intersection. Roundabouts reduce the number and duration of stops compared with a signalized intersection. They also reduce the noise and air quality impacts as well as fuel consumption by reducing the number of start/stops and the time spent idling. Still want to find out more on the upcoming projects? District 3 has established a website to further educate the public on the benefits of roundabouts, even including a link to popular TV show Mythbusters where the show s hosts debunk a roundabout vs 4-way stop. The Legend February/March

4 eperformance is live! The way the Department measures performance evaluations are changing by moving online with eperformance. This is a statewide tool used to create and manage performance evaluations through myohio.gov. Over the past few months, District 3 managers have been trained on the new process for employee reviews. Since February 1, all employee evaluations have been processed through the OAKS system and training for managers will continue through April. The new process is relatively simple. Let s break it down: Manager Many employees have already received an generated from the OAKS system that their manager established performance criteria and goals and is ready for review by now. When an employee s annual or probationary evaluation is due, the manager schedules a face-to-face meeting with the employee to review the eperformance documents for the past and upcoming rating period. The manager will mark the eperformance document Ready for Review making the document with all ratings and comments viewable to the employee. Employee To view the document created by the supervisor, log on to myohio.gov, and select the Career Resources Tab from the top, drop down menu. From there, select eperformance, then My Performance Documents and select Annual Review. Next, select View, then Review Manager Evaluation. At the top of the evaluation, the employee should click to expand all sections of the document for viewing. When done reviewing the evaluation, save it and exit. Manager Once the manager has held the meeting to review an employee s evaluation, the evaluation will be marked Review Held. This will make the evaluation available for the employee to acknowledge they have had their evaluation reviewed. Employee To acknowledge the eperformance document was reviewed by your supervisor, sign in to myohio.gov and again select the Career Resources tab, select My Performance Documents, Current Documents, and then Annual Review. Select Acknowledge. Employees have the ability at this time to mark whether you have or have not attached additional documents to the evaluation and to choose to sign the document. Manager Once the evaluation is completed and acknowledged by the employee, the manager will need to mark it complete, and it will become a part of the employee s electronic personnel file. To access the eperformance job aids, please visit the DAS site at: HumanResources/TalentManagement/ rformancemanagement/eperftoolkit.aspx. 4 The Legend February/March 2015

5 Who said there s no such thing as a free lunch? Beginning March 1, District 3 will launch a new safety promotion for employees working in the maintenance garages, Traffic Department, District Garage as well as Facilities where risk for injury is highest. These work units who actively work 100 continuous days without a PERRP recordable injury and 100 continuous days without an at-fault accident, will be awarded with a free lunch from the District Leadership Team. The free lunch is really just another way to challenge everyone by continuing to promote a safe working environment around our District, explained Jason Sutherland, District 3 s Safety & Health Program Coordinator. While we made great strides last year in reducing our injuries by 25%, we still have a greater goal to meet by further reducing both injuries and accidents by 30% in More information will be rolled out to each work unit in the coming weeks and posters promoting the initiative will be distributed across these work units. New Facilities Taking Shape Even with the arctic tundra we have all been experiencing this winter, progress is being made on the new Crawford County Full Service Maintenance Facility in Bucyrus. The 34,000 square foot $9 million facility has the structural steel skeleton already in place (bottom photo). On the other hand, the cold storage building is nearly complete (top photo below). The plan is to have the facility, which is located in the Crossroads industrial park, operational by September. Another facility is beginning to take shape that will soon be known as the Grafton Outpost. The 3.4 acre site located on the former Grafton prison farm on State Route 83 will be a shared-use facility by both Lorain and Medina Counties. In February, the land was officially purchased from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. The truck and salt storage facility is expected to be operational in Medina County s Full Service maintenance facility is also moving forward as District and Central Office staff work on the land acquisition near the Interstate 71 & Interstate 76 interchange. All of these changes are part of District 3 s Master Plan. This is an important initiative to the Department, and mostly the need to get the right facilitates in the right locations to improve the efficiency of ODOT s operations. 5 The Legend February/March 2015

6 District 3 Employee News The only retirement to announce this newsletter is the warm weather! All across the midwest, there are no real signs for Spring or a warm up in temperatures. This winter has been challenging with the arctic air, but in terms of numbers, we are below average with salt use and miles driven. Districtwide crews have driven over 1,357,045 miles this winter treating & plowing roadways with a total of 93,081 tons of salt. On average in a winter, District 3 uses over 110,000 tons of salt. Dates to Remember 3/8 Daylight Savings Time 3/20 Spring begins 4/5 Easter 4/22 Earth Day Get to know Colt Cooke Colt is a Maintenance Repair Worker 1 in the Facilities department. Colt joined ODOT last October and has been hard at work since. Colt s day consists of a little of everything but lately it seems most of his time is spent on door and roof repairs. Colt is a team player always willing to help out, said Facilities Transportation Manager, Scott Rounds. It s been a pleasure to get to know Colt, and I m sure he will have a bright career here at ODOT. FAMILY: my wife, Sondra; son, Chase (6); and daughter, Chloe (3) PETS: dog, Jax HOBBIES: recreational Basketball & Softball; Golf, and Fantasy Football FAVORITE MOVIE: The Fast and the Furious series and Avengers FAVORITE TV SHOW: Last Man Standing; Friends; and Home Improvement FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Olive Garden FAVORITE WEBSITE: espn.com FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT: the golf course; Washington, D.C. MY PET PEEVE IS: being wrong and bad drivers FAVORITE CD ALBUM/WHAT TUNES ARE YOU LISTENING TO: Foo Fighters Greatest Hits THE RINGTONE ON MY CELL IS: standard THE TALENT OR SUPERPOWER I WISH I HAD IS: I wish I could control time LEAST FAVORITE CHORE: Laundry IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT MYSELF IT WOULD BE: I wish I had more patience FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Ohio State Buckeyes; Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Cavaliers FIRST JOB: pizza delivery BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: If you mess with the bull, you ll get the horns. NOBODY KNOWS I: am a certified open water diver WHO, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Peyton Manning John R. Kasich Governor Jerry Wray Director Allen C. Biehl, P.E. District Deputy Director 6 The Legend February/March 2015