|
December Meeting Highlights
The December luncheon meeting was held on December 19, 2001
at the Department of Transportation building in Kapolei. President
Wayne Kawano reported that Engineers Week would be the week
of February 17-23 during which displays would be shown at
Kahala Mall. Matt Alonzo, student chapter president, reported
that the student chapter would be meeting soon to discuss
ITE's display that would be based upon the display from last
year.
The featured speaker was Michael Schlei from ACS State and
Local Solutions. Mr. Schlei opened his presentation regarding
the new Photo Red Light and Photo Speed Enforcement Demonstration
Project by introducing Bob Kane, who will manage the project
for ACS, and Doug Carlson, who is managing the project's community
education program.
The demonstration project will run for three years and its
purpose is to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities
caused by automobile accidents. In order to accomplish this,
ACS has been given the same authority as the Honolulu Police
Department to enforce speeding and red light running.
The project will be implemented in three phases: Phase 1
involves the activation of photo red light enforcement at
10 intersections and 15 photo speed enforcement routes on
Oahu. Phase 2 involves the activation of photo red light enforcement
at 15 additional intersections and 10 additional photo speed
enforcement routes on Oahu. Phase 3 involves the activation
of photo red light enforcement at up to 25 intersections and
a number of photo speed enforcement routes on the neighbor
islands.
The project utilizes a registered owner liability program
where no photos are taken of the driver and the registered
owner of the vehicle will be held accountable for any violations.
All recorded violations are reviewed for image quality, verified
twice utilizing the DMV database, and reviewed by HDOT before
a citation is issued.
All citations are mailed within three days of the violation.
On average, about 30% of the violations recorded are discarded
due to problems such as poor image quality or an inability
to find the registered owner.
Phase 1 of the program was initiated on December 3, 2001
and ACS is currently only issuing warnings so that motorists
have time to adjust to the new systems. Starting January 2,
they will begin issuing citations.
More information regarding the Photo Red Light and Photo
Speed Enforcement Demonstration Project is available at the
State DOT's website. (www.state.hi.us/dot/publicaffairs/photoenforcement/index.htm)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November Meeting Highlights
The November luncheon meeting was held on November 15, 2001
at the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building in
Honolulu. President Wayne Kawano reported that the HCES Wiliki
newsletter website was up and the Engineers Week would be
the week of February 17 next year. The chapter is responsible
for arranging the exhibits for Engineers Week with the assistance
of the student chapter. In addition, President Kawano announced
that the dues for the Hawaii Section had not been raised and
that all members should be receiving their renewal notices
soon.
The featured speaker was Dr. Panos Prevedouros from the University
of Hawaii at Manoa. Dr. Prevedouros explained that his project
involved the closure of the Bingham Street off-ramp of the
H-1 Freeway from 9/25/00 to 11/30/00 and the resulting impacts.
The study measured six factors to assess the impact of the
off-ramp closure which included traffic volumes, speed, queues,
travel times, accident reports, and and neighbor and motorist
perceptions. The comparison of pre- and post-closure conditions
highlighted a number of interesting results.
Traffic volume comparisons indicated that a large number
of motorists had altered their travel pattern to utilize the
Punahou Street off-ramp located right before the Bingham Street
off-ramp. This resulted in a lower number of vehicles on the
H-1 Freeway between the two off-ramps which was not a desired
effect since that section of the freeway is already under
utilized.
Speed comparisons indicated a decrease in speed along Bingham
Street. However, the speeds measured could also have been
affected by an on-going construction project by the Board
of Water Supply in the same area as well as motorists who
continued to stop at the Bingham Street off-ramp intersection
although the stop sign had been covered.
Queues comparisons indicated a dramatic increase in the queue
lengths at the surrounding off-ramps.
Travel time comparisons indicated that travel times along
the chosen routes sometimes doubled.
Accident report comparisons indicated that the increased
queue lengths resulted in a higher accident rate.
The conclusions of the study were that there were no positive
outcomes of the closure and that the surveys indicated that
the surrounding community was divided about whether or not
the closure was necessary. The study also provided several
recommendations. For the short-term, the study recommended
traffic calming and speed enforcement in the Bingham Street
neighborhood. For the long-term, the study recommended the
relocation of the off-ramp to bypass the Bingham Street neighborhood.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October Meeting Highlights
The October luncheon meeting was held on October 22nd at
the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building in Honolulu.
President Wayne Kawano introduced the new 2001-2002 officers
and committee chairs. He then reported that he had attended
the recent Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting where
they discussed the Leeward Oahu Transportation Management
Association and the Statewide Bike Plan.
The featured speaker was Gordon Lum, the Executive Director
of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (OMPO).
Mr. Lum opened his presentation with a brief background description
of OMPO and the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). He
then went on to discuss the FY 2002-2004 Transportation Improvement
Plan endorsed by OMPO's policy committee on September 19,
2001.
Mr. Lum brought up several issues that the policy committee
had grappled with before endorsing the TIP. The first issue
pertained to how the State's federal funds should be distributed
between the four counties. In FY 2002, the State of Hawaii
will receive $100M in federal funds ($60M in highway funds,
$40M in transit funds). The committee debated whether the
distribution of those funds should be based upon population,
basis of need, or some other measure.
The second issue pertained to the Primary Corridor Transportation
Project. The committee was in general support of the project,
but several of the members still had some concerns regarding
its implementation.
The third issue pertained to the Nimitz Highway Improvement
Project: Keehi IC to Pacific Street. The committee had some
difficulty with the phrasing of the project scope in the TIP.
In addition, Mr. Lum mentioned a few of the other projects
in the FY 2002-2004 TIP which included the Farrington Highway
Improvements: Nanakuli to Makalena ($4.5M), the Freeway Management
System ($7.5M), and the Ka Iwi Scenic Shoreline Project ($4.02M).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August Meeting
The ITE Hawaii Section Annual Meeting was held on August
30, 2001 at the University of Hawaii. The Hawaii Section President,
Pete Pascua, opened the meeting by presenting awards to all
of the 2001 officers and committee chairpersons.
Mr. Pascua then introduced our guest speaker, Mr. Tim Harpst
who is the District 6 International Director of ITE. We were
fortunate to have Mr. Harpst discuss the 2001and 2002 emphasis
areas of ITE which include the following:
- Management and Operations of Transportation Systems (coordination
between agencies)
- Transportation Safety (red light running, and road safety
audits)
- Transportation in a Societal Context (working with the
public)
- Publications and Reports (webpage www.ite.org, MUTCD Millenium
Edition, HCM 2000, Speed Zones, Alternate Treatments at
At-grade Pedestrian Crossing, TOC Manual, Geometric Design
Handbook)
- Professional Licenses(Professional Traffic Operations
Engineer, Traffic Operations Practitioner, and Transportation
Planner)
The 2002 election results were announced. Mr. Harpst conducted
the ceremony to install the 2002 officers for the Hawaii Section.
The following are the newly elected officers:
- President: Wayne Kawano
- Vice-President: Vice-President
- Secretary: Cathy Leong
- Treasurer: Susan Uejo
The meeting was concluded with the announcement that the
next meeting will be held in October and that ideas for future
speakers are requested.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July Meeting
The ITE Hawaii Section monthly meeting was held on July 19,
2001. The meeting was opened with an announcement that Hawaii's
proposal to host the District 6 meeting in 2006 was approved
with great excitement.
Our guest speaker was Jan Yokota, a planner with the Kakaako
Development Agency. She presented the current master plan
for the redevelopment of Kakaako.
The vision for the Kakaako area is an in-town community designed
and constructed using a public-private partnership. The government
provides the infrastructure including roads, sewer, water,
and electricity. They will also relocate existing businesses
to prepare for the redevelopment. The private industry constructs
the attractions to bring the local residents and visitors
to the area.
Attractions include the construction of the Kakaako Park,
a continuation of the bicycle and pedestrian path from Ala
Moana Park, a Science Learning Center, funded by Bishop Museum,
moving the Aquarium from Waikiki, retail stores along Kewalo
Basin, and construction of the University of Hawaii, Bio-medical
Research Center.
It is expected that in 5 years the area will be totally transformed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June Meeting
On June 26, 2001, the ITE Hawaii Section met at the Hawaii
Department of Transportation, Kapolei office.
Mr. Wayne Kawano announced that the Hawaii chapter has submitted
a proposal to host the annual ITE district meeting in 2006.
He also announced that the ballots were sent out for the new
officers for 2002. Please vote and mail back ballots by August
10th.
Our guest speaker was Mr. George Stewart, Chairman of CCPI
Paving Committee, who made a presentation on Ultra Thin Whitetopping
(UTW) which is being used increasingly nationwide as an alternative
to rehabilitation of our roads, airports, etc. UTW is a thin
layer, 4" or less, of high performance fibrous concrete
that is placed over a milled existing asphalt surface. This
method economically enhances the durability of the pavement
for a long-term solution rather than a quick fix. Ideally,
a full concrete slab replacement would be preferred wherever
feasibly possible for an even a longer-term solution. However,
UTW can be designed to open the road to traffic within 24
hours with an approximate flexural strength of 546 psi and
a compressive strength of 3560 psi.
The next ITE meeting is scheduled for July 19th at 11:45am
at the Federal Building Room 8-120. The guest speaker will
be Jan Yokota from the Kaka'ako Community Development. She
will be presenting an update on the transportation related
matters, i.e bikeways, pedestrian ways, roads, etc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May Meeting
On May 29, 2001 the ITE Hawaii Section was fortunate to have
as our guest speaker Mr. Brian Minaai, Director for the Hawaii
Department of Transportation. Mr. Minaai is responsible for
three divisions: Harbors, Highways, and Airports.
Mr. Minaai briefed the Hawaii Section on the State of Hawaii’s
efforts to comply with the General Accounting Standards Board
34 (GASB 34). GASB 34 requires state and local governments
to begin reporting the value of their infrastructure assets,
including roads, bridges, water and sewer facilities, and
dams, in their annual financial report on an accrual accounting
basis.
Why the change? Traditionally, state and local governmental
agencies have used cash accounting. GASB 34 has the potential
to make the State of Hawaii’s overall financial condition
more comprehensible to the public, investors, creditors, and
the agencies themselves.
What are the benefits? GASBY 34 will assist the HDOT in approaching
their infrastructure projects systematically and in a timely
manner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April Meeting
On April 12, 2001 the ITE Hawaii Section was fortunate to
have as our guest speaker Mr. Jiro Sumada, Deputy Chief Engineer
with the Department of Public Works, County of Hawaii. His
topic was titled Lessons Learned as Deputy Chief Engineer.
He covered 5 topics: Interview Questions for Promotion; Qualities
of Leadership; Defining a Professional; Attitudes under Pressure;
Positive Communications.
The first topic, Interview Question for Promotion. As Deputy
Engineer he hired a couple hundred employees during his term.
He learned that the questions asked during an interview need
to be asked in a way that shows the talents of the person.
What are your most significant achievements? How do you handle
criticism? What are your weaknesses? Also during the interview
it is important to ask examples of how they handled situations
that may come up during the course of their work.
The second topic, Qualities of Leadership. He asked the questions,
what makes a good boss and what makes a good worker. All the
qualities that are listed are components of a good leader.
The third topic, Defining a Professional. According to NSPE
"Engineering is an important and learned profession.
As member of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit
the highest standards of honesty and integrity. ...Engineers
must perform under a standard of professional behavior that
requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct."
The fourth topic, Attitudes under Pressure. People act under
pressure in basically 5 ways: Defiance, Wait & See, Warn
& Walk Away, Advise & Assist, Make Problems Disappear.
He stated that as Deputy Engineer, the only time he spoke
to his engineer’s were when there was a problem or complaint.
He would base his opinion of that person on the way they handled
maybe 5 cases a year. A majority of the engineer’s in
the DPW fit in the Warn & Walk Away and Advise & Assist
category. Those that are in the Make a Problem Disappear category
are well liked by managers. While, those in the defiance category
are usually sores in the department and are eventually found
other jobs that best fit their talents. However, is this right?
He never got to see how the engineer solves other problems,
that never get his attention.
The fifth topic, Positive Communications. It is important
to understand that people respond to body language 55% of
the time. Also, listening is a skill. Some people listen for
key words that will help them to reject or debate the idea.
Problems will not be solved this way. Listening should be
doe with learning as the goal. Learn about the person, about
the situation, about the reasons behind the request, and about
the motivations.
Now that he has been educated in the 5 topics listed above,
if he could start all over again, he would:
Catch staff doing good things, instead of staying in his
office.
Ask for help, instead of directing work.
Listen more & talk less.
He now understands that everybody is different and everybody
needs to be treated differently. He would take the time to
understand the person he is talking to.
Only, after understanding the way a person thinks and reacts
will a person be a able to communicate effectively.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March Meeting
On March 5, Mr. Pete Pascua announced that ITE Hawaii Section
won the first place award for the National Engineer’s
Week display contest.
Our guest speaker was Mr. Nazir Lalani, the ITE Pedestrian/Bicycle
Task Force Chair. He gave an overview of an ITE Informational
Report entitled Alternative Treatments for At-Grade Pedestrian
Crossings.
The publication separates the alternative treatments by the
following categories:
- Major Street Uncontrolled Crossings
- Residential Street Crossings
- Signal Controlled Crossings for Pedestrians
- Signalize Intersection Crossings
- School-Related Crossings
The publication shows examples of alternative treatments
from countries including the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom
of Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. The information
on each treatment includes a description, objective, cost,
applications, advantages, disadvantages, and sites. Some alternative
treatments include flashing beacons, tactile surfaces, half
signals, and curb extensions which are pretty easy to predict
what the treatment consists of. Other treatments listed include
the pelican, puffin, toucan, and hawk, which are treatments
for intersections that requires some explanation.
The informational report is in final review and is scheduled
for publication and release in August of 2001.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February Meeting
On February 22, the ITE Hawaii Section was briefed by Wayne
Yoshioka of the various transportation related bills, before
the House and the Senate. Some of the bills mentioned are
the transfer of HDOT responsibilities to the Counties, incentives
for electric vehicles, pedestrians bill of rights, helmet
requirements for children under 16 riding a scooter or skateboard
and mandatory use of booster seats for children under 8 years
old.
The guest speaker was Mr. Rock Miller, the President of ITE
District 6 shared the results of a study recently completed
by the North Carolina DOT regarding pedestrian safety in marked
crosswalks. Surprisingly the results were similar to that
conducted by Mr. Miller in California. In the early 70's a
San Diego study stated that pedestrians are more likely to
be hit at marked crosswalks at non-signalized intersections.
From this study sprung many more studies that have caused
many cities to remove mid-block crosswalks. Mr. Miller’s
study conducted in the City of Santa Anna and the North Carolina
DOT study was hired by the City of Santa Anna to perform a
crosswalk safety study of their city.
The report concluded that 1) there was no significant difference
in safety for two lane streets whether the crosswalks were
marked or unmarked; 2) for streets under 12,000 vehicles/day
there is no difference in accident risks; 3) for streets greater
than 12,000 vehicles/day ( the California study used 16,000
vehicles/day) there is more risk of accidents in unmarked
crosswalks; 4) for streets with multiple lanes, there is a
high risk of accidents.
Solutions shared were 1) raised median barriers; 2) use signals
and stop signs; 3) pedestrian crosswalk warrants; 4) traffic
calming; 5) installing activated warning signals; 6) improve
crosswalk marking techniques/designs.
Mr. Miller also mentioned that the first phase study on the
Honolulu Signal Timing project is near complete. The second
phase will be under way shortly. He noted that Honolulu has
probably the most severe traffic conditions of 10,000 to 15,000
vehicles commuting to downtown every day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January Meeting
The Hawaii section of ITE kicked off the Year of the Snake
at their January 17th luncheon meeting at the YWCA Richards
St. in Honolulu. The featured speaker was Gordon Lum, the
Executive Director of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization
(OMPO).
President Pete Pascua opened the meeting with introductions.
The first order of business was a discussion on a resolution
by the OMPO Citizen Advisory Committee to urge the OMPO Policy
Committee to consider a planning process on a secondary access
road mauka of Farrington Hwy in Waianae District. After much
discussion, Clyde Shimizu was given authorization to support
the resolution. Secondly, reported that during Engineering
Week, February 16th to 23rd, a display board will be shown
at Kahala Mall. Final order of business, Treasurer Fred Smoot
reported an account balance of $3,066.87 as of 1/16/01.
Vice President Wayne Kawano introduced the featured speaker,
Gordon Lum. Mr. Lum opened his presentation with a brief description
of OMPO and the composition of the Policy Committee, consisting
of 13 members - 5 city council members; 6 state legislatures;
DOT director, DTS director. He then explained the Oahu Regional
Transportation Plan (ORTP), a long range vision of what projects,
strategies, and policies for Oahu’s future., a 20-25
year horizon. It was last updated in November, 1995, and therefore
imperative that it updated this year. Federal funding requires
consistency with ORTP. Mr. Lum discussed the Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) project and how it fits in the Major Investment Study
(MIS) concept. In 1995, ORTP identified a need for rail transit
MIS. The City undertook MIS/DEIS effort under the Trans2K.
BRT was selected by the City as locally preferred alternative.
BRT must be included in Endorsed 2025 ORTP to be eligible
for federal funding. Mr. Lum also shared some important issues
facing ORTP, i.e.. dealing with projects of interest, conflicting
public support, future traffic congestion vs. community desire
to "keep the country", and funding priorities. |
