October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. To celebrate this safety awareness month, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging drivers to slow down and be alert for pedestrians. Walking should always be an easy and safe option for getting around any community. Everyone shares in the responsibility for road…
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At Sain Associates, we continually work with municipalities and local agencies to implement transportation safety initiatives, programs, and strategies. While prioritizing safety is not a challenge, navigating the appropriate regulations and terminology can be. Today’s blog dives into some of the most common acronyms and newer initiatives you might hear related to the new Bipartisan…
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For this week’s blog, we asked Mike “Kaz” Kaczorowski, the Principal Planner of Transportation for the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB), to dive into their APPLE program and its success story. Under his leadership, the program has made significant strides in supporting local governments and improving infrastructure across the Greater Birmingham region. APPLE,…
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In January 2023, construction of a new roundabout was completed at the intersection of Sportsplex Parkway and West Point Parkway in Opelika, Alabama. The transformation of this intersection into a roundabout is a great example of how a city can roll up its sleeves and efficiently take an important project through conceptual planning, engineering design,…
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In 2021, Sain Associates undertook a comprehensive operations and safety analysis along a 7.7-mile stretch of US-31, spanning from South Colonial Parkway in Alabaster to Amphitheater Road in Pelham. This study included 19 signalized intersections as well as 69 unsignalized intersections. We reviewed roadway geometry, traffic control equipment, crash trends, planned developments in the area,…
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My daughter is only two years old, but she sits in her car seat like a queen. She sits semi-reclined with her head cradled by the plushy interior of the car seat, and she has two cup holders because one just won’t do! Life is good in this car seat. What she doesn’t know is…
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A few weeks ago, I was traveling out of state to meet my newborn niece for the first time. My wife and I encountered many rural roadways that needed some TLC along the way. To my wife’s amusement, my engineer’s brain could not stop noticing all the deficiencies of the roadways. Abrupt curves with no…
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Sain Associates is currently assisting multiple municipalities across the state to achieve compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements within public rights-of-way. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a wide-ranging civil rights law that is intended to protect against discrimination based on disability. A portion of this law governs the steps a…
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At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian. Unfortunately, pedestrian injuries and fatalities remain high. In 2020, a pedestrian was killed every 81 minutes in traffic crashes. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) designates October as Pedestrian Safety Month. Pedestrian safety is a two-way street that involves equal…
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Railway safety is a topic that cannot be emphasized enough for both the public and those working on the railway. According to Federal Railroad Administration statistics, 236 highway-rail grade crossing fatalities occurred in 2021, with nine in Alabama. There are two types of protection at an at-grade rail crossing: passive and active. Passive protection consists of pavement…
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