SESSION 6B: 1.5 PDH CREDITS
PART 1: SERVICE ENGINEERING: HOW IT MAKES A BIG IMPACT IN SMALL WAYS
This presentation focuses on the impacts of proactive service engineering improvements performed in-house by the Port Authority. Safety and security, customer experience, and operational excellence are among the agency’s highest priorities. Unlike large-scale infrastructure projects, these targeted enhancements through traffic operations deliver significant improvements in identified areas of concern. This presentation highlights specific examples of these improvements, demonstrating how small-scale changes can achieve substantial safety and operational outcomes.
PRESENTER
ALLISON KROENERT, PE
Allison has been an engineer at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey since 2018. As a Traffic Engineer in the Traffic Operations group, Allison provides Traffic Operations support services for Newark Liberty International and Teterboro Airports. In her previous role with the Traffic Planning and Project Delivery group, Allison provided planning, design, and construction support services for all Port Authority facilities, including airports, tunnels, bridges, and ports. She has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the College of New Jersey.
PART 2: 2024 AASHTO BIKE GUIDE, 5TH EDITION
The 2024 AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities replaces the 2012 version and signals a pivotal shift in bikeway design, emphasizing connected, comfortable, and safe facilities for all ages and abilities. This session will provide insights into the fifth edition of the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, which was published in December 2024. As the authors of the Guide, Toole Design worked to completely overhaul the 2012 edition of the Guide to conform with current best practices based on a substantial body of research in bikeway design. The Guide includes expanded guidance on topics such as contextual bikeway selection, design user, sight distances, design of separated bike lanes, and intersection design. Sufficient flexibility is permitted to encourage designs that are sensitive to local context and that incorporate the needs of bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.
PRESENTER
PRESTON BUEHRER, PE
Preston Buehrer is a Senior Engineer at Toole Design’s Boston office. In his tenure at Toole Design he has delivered dozens or roadway safety projects for clients throughout the northeast and midwest, including work for multiple municipal and state agencies. As an expert at designing for vulnerable road users, his experience spans a range of implementation programs from quick-build to full depth roadway reconstruction, with the goal of increasing safety and connectivity through projects at all scales. His focus on complex, urban environments provides clients with the knowledge base to navigating highly constrained design scenarios and to identify best practice and the flexibility within current multimodal planning and design guidelines. Preston is an active member of the Southeastern New England Section of the Institute for Transportation Engineers (SENEITE).
PART 3: MOVING AHEAD OF CRASHES: LEVERAGING VIDEO-BASED CONFLICT ANALYSIS FOR SMARTER SAFETY DECISION SUPPORT
As transportation safety remains a critical global concern and priority, learn how Video-Based Conflict Analysis (VBCA) emerges as a powerful tool for informed decision-making in planning, design, operations, and monitoring. Through its advanced capabilities, VBCA offers key insights into behaviors and hazards, providing critical analytics at high-crash locations, signalized intersections, roundabouts, interstate corridors, midblock locations, and both rural and urban roadways, empowering decision-makers to enhance street safety.
Practical examples of VBCA implementation will be showcased as well as before-and-after studies that highlight tangible improvements to create safer streets for all road users.
PRESENTER
ERIC NEWMAN
Eric Newman joined Transoft Solutions in 2024, bringing over 20 years of transportation-related experience to the team. His career began as a G.I.S. Analyst and Coordinator working for a Metropolitan Planning Organization as well as The New York State Department of Transportation. In these positions, his primary focus was asset management, field data collection, and mapping various spatial datasets. Mid-career, he transitioned to the private sector offering hardware and software solutions that focus on safety and efficiency to both public and private firms.
Mr. Newman graduated from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with a B.A. in Geography & Environmental Studies. He is active in the ITE Northeastern District and is currently a board member of the ITE New York Upstate Section. He is also a member of the Intelligent Transportation Society of NY (ITS-NY) as well as the NYS’s Association of Transportation Engineers (NYSATE).