Have you ever wondered what keeps a car from sliding off the road when you go around a curve? Or, have you ever noticed that it’s unnecessary to reduce speed for safety or comfort purposes when driving through a curve, even at high speed? The reason is superelevation. Superelevation is the banking of the roadway…
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Before a new development can be built, the local government will often require a traffic impact study (TIS) to be performed. But what exactly goes into a TIS? The purpose of a TIS – also called a traffic impact analysis (TIA) – is to assess the expected traffic impacts to the roadway network surrounding a…
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A whirlwind of uncertainty landed on us in 2020, and we quickly learned how to adapt and be flexible. Although 2020 included a lot of the unknown, our team encountered several milestones throughout the year. The most important highlight was adding a full-service branch office in Huntsville, Alabama. During 2020, our team attended award events…
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In last week’s blog, we looked at several factors that may be contributing to an increase in fatality rates per miles driven since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It’s important to think about what we can do to reduce the risk of death or serious injury in road crashes. How can safety professionals address the “new…
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For several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended everyday routines and greatly impacted our health and economy. Typically, as economic activity declines, travel decreases, and the risk of being involved in a road collision also decreases. However, recent data from the National Safety Council (NSC) shows otherwise – emptier but riskier roads. Preliminary estimates from…
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COVID-19 has significantly impacted daily life around the world. Many people are teleworking, schools are adopting distance learning in greater numbers, and more entertainment and retail activity are occurring online than ever before. These lifestyle adjustments have led to travel behavioral changes that allow planners to reclaim underutilized roadway lanes for other purposes, such as…
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Office employees are working from home, schools are closed, and large gatherings with friends and family are discouraged per social distancing recommendations. As we stay at home, we are reminded of how our community interactions have changed with COVID-19. Several reports and maps display how we are practicing social distancing; those numbers and colors illustrate…
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For all of us, the world has totally changed our personal and professional lives. The new normal involves attending virtual meetings and participating in conference calls in place of in-person meetings. I have participated in several Zoom calls where we discussed trends in the marketplace. Recently, I participated in a St. Clair County EDC Board…
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The Greater Birmingham Regional Planning Commission hosted the Federal Highway Administration’s Designing Streets for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Workshop on February 20th and 21st. I had the opportunity to attend as a representative of Sain Associates, along with other consultants and individuals from local municipalities and organizations. The two-day workshop was centered on bicycle and…
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We have written previously about our work associated with the I-59/20 bridge replacement project in downtown Birmingham. If you live or work in the area, you already know that the interstate bridges are back open! Jeff Stephenson and I had the opportunity to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, January 17, and on the following Sunday, the bridges were…
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