Roadways for a Safer Future (Joseph Hummer, NCDOT)

Roadways for a Safer Future – Guest speaker Joseph Hummer from NCDOT. (Tab Combs class)
We will discuss the perceived tension among efficiency, safety, and accessibility. Put in the context of the typical intersection or arterial improvement project that NCDOT deals with in Mobility and Safety every day.

Joseph E. Hummer, PhD, PE
State Traffic Management Engineer
Mobility and Safety Division
North Carolina Department of Transportation

Interested in what makes roadways work (or not)? Alternate Wednesdays, 2:30-3:30 (1 credit)

Addressing roadway safety in the future will require a whole new way of understanding transportation and safety as a ‘system’ that cuts across professional and scholarly disciplines. The transportation system is growing increasingly complex. With an aging population, the introduction of new travel modes, increased awareness of the health, economic, environmental, and social aspects of travel, and the coming shift to more autonomous forms of mobility, the need for a transportation system that is safe, equitable, adaptable, and resilient has never been greater.

Ensuring that our transportation system is capable of serving all people, regardless of their characteristics, needs, wealth, or ability, will require leadership from scholars and professionals with a wide range of expertise. The one-credit Roadways for a Safer Future course aims to develop such future leaders by fostering discussion, collaboration, and shared understanding across disciplines about critical and emerging challenges in transportation.

Course participants will hear from a variety of experts with a diverse and sometimes conflicting perspectives on how we plan, design, use, enforce, and talk about the roadway system.

Course requirements:

· Attend & participate in 8 one-hour lectures and seminars (alternate Wednesdays, 2:30-3:30)

· Submit brief reflections after each session

· Have an interest in any aspect of roadways – safety, equity, design, access, speed, land use, economic development, policy, engineering, etc…

Instructors:

· Tabitha Combs, PhD (Dept. of City & Regional Planning)
· Seth LaJeunesse (Highway Safety Research Center)
· Wesley Kumfer, PhD PE (Highway Safety Research Center)

The Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety (CSCRS) is a national university-based center focused on advancing research and creating cutting-edge tools and resources to improve transportation safety and practice. For more information about CSCRS, visit www.roadsafety.unc.edu.

For more information about Roadways for a Safer Future, contact Tabitha Combs (tab@unc.edu).