6 The Legend — September 2015

District 3 Employee News

Dates to Remember

9/7 Labor Day

(ODOT Closed)

9/11 Patriot Day

10/12 Columbus Day

(ODOT Closed)

11/1 Daylight Savings Time

(Fall Back)

11/3 Annual Meeting

John R. Kasich

Governor

Jerry Wray

Director

Howard P. Huebner

District Deputy Director

September 2015

What’s inside…

DDD Corner

Innovation in Maintenance

Operations

Strides in Safety at D-3

Get to Know...

Customer Kudos

Employee News

ITS Making its Move

The Legend District 3 Employee Newsletter

New Hires

Scott Ockunzzi, Transportation Engineer 3

in Planning & Engineering.

Rob Shenal, Transportation Engineer 4 in

Planning & Engineering.

Megan Brazier, Transportation Civil

Engineer, in Planning & Engineering.

Colton Acevski, Highway Technician 1 in

Richland County.

Kevin Shoebine, Highway Technician 1 in

Wayne County.

Scott Riley, Highway Technician 1 in Ash-

land County.

Curtis Beckman, Highway Technician 1 in

Lorain County.

Janice Bagent, Highway Technician 1 in

Lorain County.

Jeremy Fialkowski, Highway Technician 1

in Lorain County.

Chris Ejze, Highway Technician 1 in

Medina County.

Ben Rayl, Highway Technician 1 in

Richland County.

James Britton, Highway Technician 1 in

Crawford County.

Ricky Bond, Highway Technician 1 in

Richland County.

Howard Huebner, District Deputy Director

Retirements

Frank Bishop, HT 3 in Wayne County with

26 years of service.

Greg Vogt, Highway Technician 3 in

Richland County, with 33 years of service.

Luis Otero, Highway Technician 3 in Lorain

County, with 30 years of service.

Al Ellis, Highway Technician 3 in Medina

County, with 31 years of service.

Doug Schmeltzer, Highway Technician 2

in Medina County, with 13 years of service.

Mark Meister, Highway Technician 3 in

Richland County, with 31 years of service.

Robin Colegrove, Financial Associate in

Finance, with 25 years of service.

Promotions

Bill Wright, Transportation Manager 1 in

Huron County.

Walt Keener, Bridge Specialist 1 in

Planning & Engineering.

Darrick Faucett, Transportation Manager

1 in Richland County.

Mike Stansberry, Transportation Manager

1 in Crawford County.

Scott Jenkins, Transportation Tech

Specialist in Construction.

Dustin Brown, Transportation Tech S

pecialist in Construction.

Fred Parker, Transportation Manager 2 in

Medina County.

Howard Goodyear, Transportation

Manager 2 in Medina County.

Kim Scott, Transportation Manager 2 in

Huron County.

Mike Dendinger, Transportation Manager

2 in Erie County.

Errol Scholtz, Transportation Engineer 2 in

Planning & Engineering.

Dana Sillman, Highway Technician 5 in

Test Lab.

Reclassifications

Craig Penix to HT 3 in Crawford County.

Adam Mellen to TE 1 in Planning &

Engineering.

Jerry Guy to HT 4 in Test Lab.

Scott Eagle to HT 2 in Ashland County.

Mark Eppley to TE 1 in Planning &

Engineering.

Greg Tobe to TE 1 in Construction.

Josh Allis to HT 2 in Medina County.

Carla Simpson to HT 3 in Wayne County.

Keith Dawson to HT 3 in Medina County.

Craig Shawver to HT 2 in Erie County.

Scott Hampton to HT 2 in Ashland

County.

Mike Reisinger to HT2 in Ashland County.

Erik Chapman to HT 2 in Richland

County.

Michael Defilippo to HT 2 in Erie County.

Ryan Marks to HT 2 in Ashland County.

From foot, to horse, to buggy, to car, to

self-driving vehicles, technology and

transportation are always changing. To

learn about all the latest trends, Julie

Cichello and Scott Ockunzzi, Transpor-

tation Engineers, traveled to Pittsburgh

for the Intelligent Transportation Systems

(ITS) of America’s 25th

annual meeting and

expo. Beginning May

31st and lasting

through June 3rd

, ITS

America collaborated

with ITS Pittsburgh to

provide transportation

related guests with a

large variety of net-

working events, tech-

nical tours, exhibits,

and more. These opportunities, along

with speeches and panels by individuals

including transportation’s top innovators

and government leaders, covered a mul-

titude of topics such as commercial vehi-

cle and freight logistics, finance and

funding, shared mobility and transit, and

even connected and automated vehicles.

ITS America/Pittsburgh is dedicated

to advancing research of intelligent

transportation systems with goals to im-

prove mobility, increase connectivity, and

build a safer, smarter, and more efficient

roadway. This being said, Dr. Chris Urmis-

on, Google’s Director of Self-Driving

Cars, highlighted the autonomous car.

This self-driving vehicle, expected to fully

appear within the next five years, oper-

ates in a conservative manner with a goal

to eliminate crashes caused by human

error. Ockunzzi supported this idea with

the comment, “One of the biggest take

away, for me, is that there are other ways

to ease congestion besides adding

lanes.”

Following this out of the box ap-

proach to safety, Google created and

tested this autonomous

car throughout a closed

track in California, then

freely in the streets of

Pittsburgh. The vehicle

was tested on continu-

ously changing courses.

These courses proposed

many out-of-the-norm

driving experiences with

hopes to trick the car;

however, the car was

able to adapt to the situation in a safe

manner. How does it work? The car has

numerous sensors and video systems

allowing it to detect objects within a cer-

tain radius. This advanced technology

will detect an object, store its figure/

behavior, react, and learn from this expe-

rience for similar encounters in the fu-

ture.

This new self-driving vehicle is espe-

cially beneficial to handicapped motor-

ists who currently have to depend on

carpooling or public transportation.

While the new ITS technology is impres-

sive, Cichello points out that motorists

have already taken on this change, to a

certain degree, with cars that automati-

cally brake, or monitor driving pathways,

to keep motorists within their lane.

See TRANSPORTATION on Page 4

5 The Legend — September 2015 The Legend — September 2015 2

By now, I have

had the opportunity

to meet many of you

and learn more about the

great things I’ve heard about

District 3 during my 37 year ca-

reer at ODOT. What I have learned

so far is that all of the positive com-

ments can be directly attributed to every

one of you that work hard each day toward

ODOT’s mission.

My first two months as Deputy Director have been

busy. Many mornings have been spent visiting the

maintenance garages, and we are currently working on my

schedule to visit every work unit here in the coming weeks

as well. I plan to engage everyone here as often as possible

through a variety of methods, including ‘One-on-One’ dis-

cussions that will begin this fall, group discussions and 360-

feedbacks. I want to learn as much as possible about how

District 3 operates, what each employees’ roles are in the

District, and your thoughts on how we can continually im-

prove.

Throughout many of my county visits, I have been

asked what I plan on changing. I remain consistent in my

response that I don’t have a “plan” to change anything, my

“plan” is to identify the level of reality (“as-is” state)

throughout the district and together with each of you we

will define the level of expectation (“desired” state). This will

enable us to agree on specific initiatives and goals for every

department and individual that will delineate how what

each of us does impacts the Critical Success Factors and

ultimately our customers. These first few months here, I will

continue to listen and learn what it is that makes District 3

unique.

I look forward to working for you as your Deputy Direc-

tor and meeting those of you whom I have not yet had the

pleasure.

Howard P. Huebner

Get to know… Lee Ackerman

Lee Ackerman is a Highway

Technician 2 in Huron

County. He is well known

throughout D-3 as mill op-

erator of the paving train.

“Having been hired from

Boca Construction, Lee is

very knowledgeable of

what the mill is capable of

and knows the mill inside

and out,” said Huron Coun-

ty Manager, John Borsick.

“Whenever you need

something done Lee is

usually one of the first peo-

ple to step in and help.”

FAMILY: my wife, Samantha; son, Kole and twin boys,

Blake & Derek.

PET: Hugo, our lab

HOBBIES: Hunting, Camping and Grinding Asphalt

FAVORITE BOOK: American Sniper

FAVORITE MOVIE: American Sniper

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Deadliest Catch

FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Outback Steakhouse

FAVORITE WEBSITE: Lowes.com

MY PET PEEVE IS: People who don’t pick up after them-

selves

FAVORITE CD ALBUM/WHAT TUNES ARE YOU LISTEN-

ING TO: Country

THE RINGTONE ON MY CELL IS: Still have a flip phone, so

no ringtones

THE TALENT OR SUPERPOWER I WISH I HAD IS: to be

able to know what people are thinking

LEAST FAVORITE CHORE: Folding laundry

IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT

MYSELF IT WOULD BE: I wish I was more tolerant of oth-

ers views and ideas

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: The Michigan Wolverines

FIRST JOB: Paper route

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: Keep on keeping on

NOBODY KNOWS I: love coaching football

WHO, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO

HAVE DINNER WITH: Jim Harbaugh

Innovation ODOT: Fueling Up for Efficiency

ODOT District 3 is responsible for maintaining more than

4,700 lane miles of Interstate, US Routes, and State

Routes. That being said, there are numerous amounts of

maintenance duties that need completed in order to pro-

vide motorists with a safe roadway, including mowing op-

erations.

With such a large number of lane miles to maintain,

road-side mowers did not have effective means of refuel-

ing or tending to their equipment when out on the job.

This was problematic. Crews would be required to pack up

and head back to the garage, creating a large inconven-

ience. Members of Richland County’s Lexington Outpost

designed and constructed a “fuel trailer” aiming to elimi-

nate the time lost with fuel or equipment runs.

Ted Stone, Matt Dailey, Dave Shafer, Eddie Secrist,

and Steve Haip, built this fuel trailer equipped with a gen-

erator and new blades, along with 100 gallons of transport-

able fuel, enough to fully tend to two tractors. The trailer is

towed and dropped off in various townships and can easily

be replenished after each use. With the development of the

fuel trailer, Richland County was able to reduce downtime

and improve the quality of road-side work.

The fuel trailer now provides Richland County with an

effective option for tending to road-side equipment. Thus,

District 3 has cost-effectively improved the system of en-

hancing and maintaining its roadways. Way to go, Team

Richland!

I want to commend the ODOT

mowing crew (Ben Rayl & Dave

Shafer) this summer. They are

doing an exemplary job on State

Route 603 in Richland County!

-Todd Reedy, 8/18/15

Mr. John Borsick & Huron County ODOT:

This letter comes with sincere gratitude for your attention to a

storm tile situation along SR 103 in Celeryville. With all the

rainfall this June, I am pleased that my basement is dry after

ODOT employees worked near my residence.

-James Trainer, Willard, 6/22/15

3 The Legend — September 2015

Taking Extra Steps (in a Circle) Toward Safety

Have you seen this yet? What does it mean?

ODOT District 3’s Circle of Safety

Many of you have probably seen new stickers on many ODOT vehicles promoting

the “Circle of Safety.” But, do you know what this means? Safety and Health Con-

sultant, Jason Sutherland, and the Safety Department, ask that ODOT D3 em-

ployees preform a 360° walk-a-round the vehicle before operating it.

Previously, District 3 was ranked one of the highest in the state for workplace ac-

cidents that do not involve the public. These are also known as “ODOT only acci-

dents.” The new Circle of Safety aims to reduce this negative label.

After presenting the idea to county managers, Sutherland worked with the District Safety Designees to develop a logo.

This logo is expected to appear on all ODOT vehicles in the near future. The logo serves as a reminder that the drivers

should make a walk-a-round and visually inspect the ground, surrounding objects, and tires of their vehicle. This applies

to ALL vehicles (dump trucks and other heavy equipment included) in ANY location.

The new procedure simply reinforces what is taught to the Highway Technicians in equipment training, and gains the

driver a 360-degree awareness of what is around the vehicle. We encourage you to take the time to embark on the Circle

of Safety journey and remind your fellow workers to do the same. After all, it only takes 21 days to form a habit.

Ashland

296

Crawford

47

Erie

64

Huron

78

Lorain

2

Medina

22

Richland

371

Wayne

173

District

28

*thru August 26

*

Progress, Progress, Progress Earlier this year, District 3’s Safety team issued a challenge to the work units in District 3 with the

highest risk of inquires & accidents: go 100 consecutive days without a single accident or personal

injury. To date, Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Richland and Wayne Counties, along with Facilities and the

District Traffic Department, have risen to the challenge.

The goal of the challenge was to reduce our Critical Success Factor numbers in accidents and in-

juries and so far, it has been successful. Other work units in Construction and Planning & Engineering

have also done their part to reduce the CSF by being accident & injury free this year as well.

As an incentive for winning the challenge, each work unit will be provided a free lunch. Both Rich-

land and Crawford Counties dined on delicious meatball subs recently, and in the coming

weeks, additional luncheons will be scheduled.

“I want to thank all of you for your commitment to keeping

yourselves and your colleagues safe,” said Matt Miller, Business

& Human Resources Administrator. “Summer is a busy time

for all of us, and just as you work tirelessly to keep the motor-

ing public safe, please continue to take care of yourselves

while you are out in the field.”

There is still time left to earn a free lunch yet this year! For those

units that have yet to meet the challenge, you have until the end of December to complete

100 straight days of safety. Stay tuned because a new safety challenge will begin in January 2016!

The Legend — September 2015 4

TRANSPORTATION SOCIETY

Continued from Page 1

to keep motorists within their lane.

Besides autonomous cars, other examples of the newest

ITS technology includes nondestructive testing of struc-

tures. Ockunzzi shares that while visually inspecting and

coring provides a “conservative rating”, nondestructive test-

ing, using wave technology, provides a more accurate pro-

file of the stability, bridge deck, or beams, of a bridge for

example.

In addition, the ITS meeting and expo promoted ride

sharing and bicycle sharing programs. With ride sharing,

customers request, rent, and return a vehicle through com-

panies such as Uber, Zip Car, or Ride Scout. They can be

picked up and dropped off, in designated areas, at the con-

venience of the driver. These programs are currently being

used in major cities throughout the United States.

Another ITS innovation is the concept of a road user

free. The road user fee will phase out the gas tax by taxing

drivers based on the usage of their own vehicles and the

number of miles driven, tracked using a vehicle’s odometer

or GPS technology. With fuel-efficient cars taking over, this

creates a more stable form of transportation funding.

Although the ITS America’s 25th annual meeting an ex-

po was geared more toward urban rather than rural areas

like District 3, it is clear that ITS will still have an effect.

Cichello says, “ITS will change the way we operate. Our fo-

cus areas for safety will change as autonomous vehicles

become more mainstream. The majority of our safety im-

provements are geared toward addressing driver behavior,

and this will change as autonomous cars become more

prevalent. Connected and autonomous vehicles will im-

prove the safety on our roadways as well as improve the

efficiency of our current system.”

Since the transportation needs of motorists are con-

stantly changing, the technology must do the same. Maybe

you will find yourself relaxing in a self-driving car, on the

way to work, within the next few years. But, in the mean-

time, pay attention to the road.

Team Up ODOT: September 16

Save the date: Wednesday, September 16 for the 17th Annual Team Up ODOT

event and Director’s Cup Roadeo competition. The event will feature 62 booths as

well as equipment displays at the Lausche Building at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in

Columbus. Team Up hosts booths displaying process improvements in both office

and field settings as well as demonstrations of innovative equipment.

Team Up ODOT is an opportunity to interact with employees from other districts to gain valuable information and

ideas for implementing in your own district, office or county. Anyone can attend the event, and there is no registration

needed; however, you must have prior approval from your supervisor before attending. Check out the schedule of events,

and plan on attending!

8AM—Noon: Director’s Cup Roadeo Truck & Loader competitions

Parking area outside Lausche Building

9AM—Noon: Team Up ODOT Booth Displays

Lausche Building

11:30AM—12:45PM: Charity Cookout

Rhodes Center

1PM—2PM: TOPS Awards & Roadeo Winner Presentations

Rhodes Center

5 The Legend — September 2015 The Legend — September 2015 2

By now, I have

had the opportunity

to meet many of you

and learn more about the

great things I’ve heard about

District 3 during my 37 year ca-

reer at ODOT. What I have learned

so far is that all of the positive com-

ments can be directly attributed to every

one of you that work hard each day toward

ODOT’s mission.

My first two months as Deputy Director have been

busy. Many mornings have been spent visiting the

maintenance garages, and we are currently working on my

schedule to visit every work unit here in the coming weeks

as well. I plan to engage everyone here as often as possible

through a variety of methods, including ‘One-on-One’ dis-

cussions that will begin this fall, group discussions and 360-

feedbacks. I want to learn as much as possible about how

District 3 operates, what each employees’ roles are in the

District, and your thoughts on how we can continually im-

prove.

Throughout many of my county visits, I have been

asked what I plan on changing. I remain consistent in my

response that I don’t have a “plan” to change anything, my

“plan” is to identify the level of reality (“as-is” state)

throughout the district and together with each of you we

will define the level of expectation (“desired” state). This will

enable us to agree on specific initiatives and goals for every

department and individual that will delineate how what

each of us does impacts the Critical Success Factors and

ultimately our customers. These first few months here, I will

continue to listen and learn what it is that makes District 3

unique.

I look forward to working for you as your Deputy Direc-

tor and meeting those of you whom I have not yet had the

pleasure.

Howard P. Huebner

Get to know… Lee Ackerman

Lee Ackerman is a Highway

Technician 2 in Huron

County. He is well known

throughout D-3 as mill op-

erator of the paving train.

“Having been hired from

Boca Construction, Lee is

very knowledgeable of

what the mill is capable of

and knows the mill inside

and out,” said Huron Coun-

ty Manager, John Borsick.

“Whenever you need

something done Lee is

usually one of the first peo-

ple to step in and help.”

FAMILY: my wife, Samantha; son, Kole and twin boys,

Blake & Derek.

PET: Hugo, our lab

HOBBIES: Hunting, Camping and Grinding Asphalt

FAVORITE BOOK: American Sniper

FAVORITE MOVIE: American Sniper

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Deadliest Catch

FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Outback Steakhouse

FAVORITE WEBSITE: Lowes.com

MY PET PEEVE IS: People who don’t pick up after them-

selves

FAVORITE CD ALBUM/WHAT TUNES ARE YOU LISTEN-

ING TO: Country

THE RINGTONE ON MY CELL IS: Still have a flip phone, so

no ringtones

THE TALENT OR SUPERPOWER I WISH I HAD IS: to be

able to know what people are thinking

LEAST FAVORITE CHORE: Folding laundry

IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT

MYSELF IT WOULD BE: I wish I was more tolerant of oth-

ers views and ideas

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: The Michigan Wolverines

FIRST JOB: Paper route

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: Keep on keeping on

NOBODY KNOWS I: love coaching football

WHO, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO

HAVE DINNER WITH: Jim Harbaugh

Innovation ODOT: Fueling Up for Efficiency

ODOT District 3 is responsible for maintaining more than

4,700 lane miles of Interstate, US Routes, and State

Routes. That being said, there are numerous amounts of

maintenance duties that need completed in order to pro-

vide motorists with a safe roadway, including mowing op-

erations.

With such a large number of lane miles to maintain,

road-side mowers did not have effective means of refuel-

ing or tending to their equipment when out on the job.

This was problematic. Crews would be required to pack up

and head back to the garage, creating a large inconven-

ience. Members of Richland County’s Lexington Outpost

designed and constructed a “fuel trailer” aiming to elimi-

nate the time lost with fuel or equipment runs.

Ted Stone, Matt Dailey, Dave Shafer, Eddie Secrist,

and Steve Haip, built this fuel trailer equipped with a gen-

erator and new blades, along with 100 gallons of transport-

able fuel, enough to fully tend to two tractors. The trailer is

towed and dropped off in various townships and can easily

be replenished after each use. With the development of the

fuel trailer, Richland County was able to reduce downtime

and improve the quality of road-side work.

The fuel trailer now provides Richland County with an

effective option for tending to road-side equipment. Thus,

District 3 has cost-effectively improved the system of en-

hancing and maintaining its roadways. Way to go, Team

Richland!

I want to commend the ODOT

mowing crew (Ben Rayl & Dave

Shafer) this summer. They are

doing an exemplary job on State

Route 603 in Richland County!

-Todd Reedy, 8/18/15

Mr. John Borsick & Huron County ODOT:

This letter comes with sincere gratitude for your attention to a

storm tile situation along SR 103 in Celeryville. With all the

rainfall this June, I am pleased that my basement is dry after

ODOT employees worked near my residence.

-James Trainer, Willard, 6/22/15

6 The Legend — September 2015

District 3 Employee News

Dates to Remember

9/7 Labor Day

(ODOT Closed)

9/11 Patriot Day

10/12 Columbus Day

(ODOT Closed)

11/1 Daylight Savings Time

(Fall Back)

11/3 Annual Meeting

John R. Kasich

Governor

Jerry Wray

Director

Howard P. Huebner

District Deputy Director

September 2015

What’s inside…

DDD Corner

Innovation in Maintenance

Operations

Strides in Safety at D-3

Get to Know...

Customer Kudos

Employee News

ITS Making its Move

The Legend District 3 Employee Newsletter

New Hires

Scott Ockunzzi, Transportation Engineer 3

in Planning & Engineering.

Rob Shenal, Transportation Engineer 4 in

Planning & Engineering.

Megan Brazier, Transportation Civil

Engineer, in Planning & Engineering.

Colton Acevski, Highway Technician 1 in

Richland County.

Kevin Shoebine, Highway Technician 1 in

Wayne County.

Scott Riley, Highway Technician 1 in Ash-

land County.

Curtis Beckman, Highway Technician 1 in

Lorain County.

Janice Bagent, Highway Technician 1 in

Lorain County.

Jeremy Fialkowski, Highway Technician 1

in Lorain County.

Chris Ejze, Highway Technician 1 in

Medina County.

Ben Rayl, Highway Technician 1 in

Richland County.

James Britton, Highway Technician 1 in

Crawford County.

Ricky Bond, Highway Technician 1 in

Richland County.

Howard Huebner, District Deputy Director

Retirements

Frank Bishop, HT 3 in Wayne County with

26 years of service.

Greg Vogt, Highway Technician 3 in

Richland County, with 33 years of service.

Luis Otero, Highway Technician 3 in Lorain

County, with 30 years of service.

Al Ellis, Highway Technician 3 in Medina

County, with 31 years of service.

Doug Schmeltzer, Highway Technician 2

in Medina County, with 13 years of service.

Mark Meister, Highway Technician 3 in

Richland County, with 31 years of service.

Robin Colegrove, Financial Associate in

Finance, with 25 years of service.

Promotions

Bill Wright, Transportation Manager 1 in

Huron County.

Walt Keener, Bridge Specialist 1 in

Planning & Engineering.

Darrick Faucett, Transportation Manager

1 in Richland County.

Mike Stansberry, Transportation Manager

1 in Crawford County.

Scott Jenkins, Transportation Tech

Specialist in Construction.

Dustin Brown, Transportation Tech S

pecialist in Construction.

Fred Parker, Transportation Manager 2 in

Medina County.

Howard Goodyear, Transportation

Manager 2 in Medina County.

Kim Scott, Transportation Manager 2 in

Huron County.

Mike Dendinger, Transportation Manager

2 in Erie County.

Errol Scholtz, Transportation Engineer 2 in

Planning & Engineering.

Dana Sillman, Highway Technician 5 in

Test Lab.

Reclassifications

Craig Penix to HT 3 in Crawford County.

Adam Mellen to TE 1 in Planning &

Engineering.

Jerry Guy to HT 4 in Test Lab.

Scott Eagle to HT 2 in Ashland County.

Mark Eppley to TE 1 in Planning &

Engineering.

Greg Tobe to TE 1 in Construction.

Josh Allis to HT 2 in Medina County.

Carla Simpson to HT 3 in Wayne County.

Keith Dawson to HT 3 in Medina County.

Craig Shawver to HT 2 in Erie County.

Scott Hampton to HT 2 in Ashland

County.

Mike Reisinger to HT2 in Ashland County.

Erik Chapman to HT 2 in Richland

County.

Michael Defilippo to HT 2 in Erie County.

Ryan Marks to HT 2 in Ashland County.

From foot, to horse, to buggy, to car, to

self-driving vehicles, technology and

transportation are always changing. To

learn about all the latest trends, Julie

Cichello and Scott Ockunzzi, Transpor-

tation Engineers, traveled to Pittsburgh

for the Intelligent Transportation Systems

(ITS) of America’s 25th

annual meeting and

expo. Beginning May

31st and lasting

through June 3rd

, ITS

America collaborated

with ITS Pittsburgh to

provide transportation

related guests with a

large variety of net-

working events, tech-

nical tours, exhibits,

and more. These opportunities, along

with speeches and panels by individuals

including transportation’s top innovators

and government leaders, covered a mul-

titude of topics such as commercial vehi-

cle and freight logistics, finance and

funding, shared mobility and transit, and

even connected and automated vehicles.

ITS America/Pittsburgh is dedicated

to advancing research of intelligent

transportation systems with goals to im-

prove mobility, increase connectivity, and

build a safer, smarter, and more efficient

roadway. This being said, Dr. Chris Urmis-

on, Google’s Director of Self-Driving

Cars, highlighted the autonomous car.

This self-driving vehicle, expected to fully

appear within the next five years, oper-

ates in a conservative manner with a goal

to eliminate crashes caused by human

error. Ockunzzi supported this idea with

the comment, “One of the biggest take

away, for me, is that there are other ways

to ease congestion besides adding

lanes.”

Following this out of the box ap-

proach to safety, Google created and

tested this autonomous

car throughout a closed

track in California, then

freely in the streets of

Pittsburgh. The vehicle

was tested on continu-

ously changing courses.

These courses proposed

many out-of-the-norm

driving experiences with

hopes to trick the car;

however, the car was

able to adapt to the situation in a safe

manner. How does it work? The car has

numerous sensors and video systems

allowing it to detect objects within a cer-

tain radius. This advanced technology

will detect an object, store its figure/

behavior, react, and learn from this expe-

rience for similar encounters in the fu-

ture.

This new self-driving vehicle is espe-

cially beneficial to handicapped motor-

ists who currently have to depend on

carpooling or public transportation.

While the new ITS technology is impres-

sive, Cichello points out that motorists

have already taken on this change, to a

certain degree, with cars that automati-

cally brake, or monitor driving pathways,

to keep motorists within their lane.

See TRANSPORTATION on Page 4