Portland Traffic Day

We have been planning the return of Portland's Traffic Day for over 18 months and look forward to a great list of speakers that will inform the "Traffic Signal" staff around the region. I had a chance to meet with Gail Achterman, our first presenter last Monday over coffee to discuss her role. Gail has been the Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission, which is a prominent position. Her leadership has presented several exciting opportunities for the our profession and really has a passion for innovation, sustainability, and leadership. 

In light of this, I am going to tweet for the meeting using the hashtag #pdxtrafficday as a part of getting the word out about what we're doing. 

The presentations also include Lynn Peterson, who was the Clackamas County Chair, but recently joined the Governor's Office as an advisor on Transportation. Lynn will highlight the importance of livability on the work that we're doing. 

We'll feature several technical sessions including one on bicycle detection, another on pedestrian advancements, and innovative strategies such as adaptive control. I am very excited about the potential for all of these to improve freight mobility, using the traffic signals to meet the various needs of the context for which we operate. Next year, we need to spend more time on freight priority and I hope to have more presentations like this one from UBC.