10 / 42
10
American Traffic Safety Services Association
ATSSA MEMBER COMPANY &
PUBLIC AGENCY NEWS
ATSSA Members Have Access to Publications Online
ATSSA members will find the association has compiled research for
many roadway safety industry topics into case study booklets that
are available online. The information contained in the research is
invaluable to ATSSA member companies to ensure roadway
workers, motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists are safe in work zones
and on the roadways. The following booklets are available online at
www.atssa.com/Communications:
•
Smarter Work Zones Project Coordination and Technology
Applications
•
Innovative Safety Solutions with Pavement Markings and
Delineation
•
Improving Driver Behavior with Roadway Safety
Countermeasures
•
Preventing Vehicle Departures from Roadways
•
Emerging Safety Countermeasures for Wrong-Way Driving
•
Safety Opportunities in High Friction Surfacing
•
Emerging Opportunities for ATSSA Members in
Pedestrian Safety
•
Cost Effective Local Road Safety Planning and Implementation
ATSSA’s bimonthly magazine,
The Signal,
provides in-depth
information about the roadway safety industry, including legislative
topics; the association’s superior training courses; feature stories
about ATSSA member companies, products and services; the latest
advances in technology for the roadway industry; The Foundation
programs, Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship recipient stories
and companies and individuals who donate generously.
The Signal
helps keep ATSSA members abreast of events in the roadway safety
industry, cutting-edge technology, innovations and more.
The Flash
is ATSSA’s biweekly, electronic newsletter that provides
breaking news and information about ATSSA events, roadway
safety training and industry news items. The new Tech Corner
features questions from ATSSA members answered by an in-house
technical expert. ATSSA members will find The Flash is a “quick
read” that keeps them up to date on the roadway safety industry.
The biweekly
Roadway Safety Advocate
is ATSSA’s Government
Relations electronic newsletter that includes information about the
efforts of ATSSA’s Government Relations team, Capitol Hill news
and upcoming events, such as the association’s Legislative Briefing
& Fly-In.
The Task Force 13 (TF13) Fall Meeting was held at Embassy Suites
Miami International Airport in Miami, Fla., Oct. 27–28. The
Subcommittee on Work Zone Hardware approved the industry
representatives and test houses to write to the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO) with concerns about the implementation schedule for
devices to be crash-tested using the Manual for Assessing Safety
Hardware (MASH). (ATSSA’s MASH Joint Task Force has begun
listing its concerns and asked for Technical Committee member
input. ATSSA President & CEO Roger Wentz contacted AASHTO’s
Director of Engineering and Technical Services King W. Gee. Gee
has been designated the association’s liaison for this issue, which is
critical to ATSSA members.)
The test houses—facilities used to test products to ensure they meet
industry standards—will need established test methods for portable
devices, such as what tests should be run, how devices are oriented
during testing, and critical test specimens covering categories of
similar devices or those devices with lighter “substrate” sign
material.
Background on TF13
TF13 develops, recommends and promotes standards and
specifications for bridge and road hardware used by highway and
transportation agencies on the nation’s roadways. AASHTO
published these standards and specifications in the Roadside Design
Guide, which synthesizes current information and operating
practices related to roadside safety, focusing on safety treatments
that can minimize the likelihood of serious injuries when a motorist
leaves the roadway. In addition, TF13 maintains online guides with
detailed engineering drawings for roadside and median barriers,
barrier end treatments, crash cushions and work zone traffic control
devices. A new subcommittee for delineators will include standards
for these devices in future Roadside Design Guide editions.
TF13’s Formation
In 1969, TF13 conducted its organizational meeting consisting of a
committee of concerned and experienced representatives from the
roadway safety industry, state and federal transportation
departments and the academic community.
When TF13 formed, it was comprised of AASHTO, the Associated
General Contractors of America and the American Road and
Transportation Builders. This initial organization of TF13 was
sunset in 2015, and an AASHTO Committee Reorganization of
TF13 strengthened the core purpose and limits participation by
non-members.
ATSSA member John Durkos, of Road Systems, Inc., who has
served as industry co-chairman since 2003, has been a member of
TF13 for 30 years.
Task Force 13 Fall Meeting Focuses on
Implementation Schedule for Crash-Tested Devices