My 25 years of experience in traffic engineering, road construction, transportation design, traffic calming, presentations, and training courses have included a wide range of projects ranging from single intersection design to large-scale road projects that integrate attractive landscaping with pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle facilities, and design standards. My perspective is that streets and highways are transportation corridors for all people that can be designed to benefit motorists, transit, pedestrians, bicyclists, and people with disabilities.

Over the years, I have developed a set of principles for effective techniques based on first-hand experience in the design and field observation of roundabout and traffic calming operation. These principles form the foundation for the design work I am involved with in various cities. I share my expertise about road design by presenting training courses, design charrettes, workshops, and presentations to communities across the U.S. so people can make informed decisions regarding transportation issues.

Traffic Calming:

My involvement began with in the development of Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) projects in Australia in the early 1970's when traffic calming was a new concept. We had to develop both the process and the measures by trial and error. Local Area Traffic Management is more than just slowing traffic; it is about controlling vehicle speed, motorist, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, traffic volumes, noise, trucks and aesthetics.

Since coming to the U.S. in 1988, I have helped communities prepare traffic calming concept plans for their neighborhoods. Some examples are: Missoula, Montana; Dover, Delaware; Boca Raton, Clearwater (9), Gainesville (3), Jacksonville, and Orange County (4) in Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado, Austin, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii (21); Ballwin, Wildwood, Liberty, Missouri; Lawrence, Overland Park (3), Kansas, Wildwood, etc. I also incorporate traffic calming as an integral part of other projects.

Roundabouts:

I have been instrumental in designing and promoting roundabouts in the United States that are now enjoying favorable response from drivers, pedestrians, engineers, and safety professionals. The roundabout is not the solution in every problem. My 25 years of experience with roundabouts enables me to provide appropriate advice about the feasibility and layouts for successful roundabouts for pedestrians, vehicles, bicyclists, and emergency vehicles.

Roundabout layouts completed include Freeway Interchange Roundabouts in Topeka and Newton, Kansas, Phoenix, AZ, Lane County Washington, Gig Harbor, Washington, and Columbia, Missouri. High Speed Rural Intersections in Mt Pleasant, SC, Plutte County, Missouri, Miami, Kansas, Nassau County, FL (2), etc. More than 400 Single and Multi-lane Urban Roundabouts layouts completed in 5 countries, Australia, Cayman Islands, Canada, India and the US.

Roundabout Presentation: More than 850 roundabout presentations and 42 roundabout training courses have been presented to public sector agencies and commissions, political leaders, and citizens in more than 35 states.

Specialized Traffic Engineering:

Walkable Communities: Dan Burden of Walkable Communities and I developed and presented the Walkable Community Design course over 100 times in nine states.

Access Management:

As Access Management Engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation in District 2, I reviewed road plans and permits to comply with Access Management Rule 14-97. This rule reflects innovative engineering design concepts for access and road conditions per my recommendations. I have successfully settled cases for the Florida Department of Transportation before they went to trial and served as an expert witness for the 1995 challenge to rewrite Access Management Rule 14-96 that made median openings a traffic control device.

Intersection Design:

When roundabouts are not suitable treatments, compact intersections that include low-speed, right-turn slip lanes that assist pedestrians to cross and large trucks to turn, shorter cycle times, bulb-outs, narrow lanes are preferred as the decrease delay and are more pedestrian friendly.

Traffic Signal Design:

During my 25 years as a traffic engineer, I have designed and/or redesigned thousands of intersections in Melbourne, Australia, Columbia, South Carolina, and Northeast Florida. They range from simple two-phase signals to major intersections up to 90,000 vehicles per day.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Street Design:

Because I am accustomed to the design standards in Australia, which exceed the ADA requirements, I can assist clients meet ADA standards and provide a better design for all transportation customers.

Road Layouts:

Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, Main Street Zephyr hills, Florida, Mt Diablo Road, Lafayette, CA. Putney Road, Brattleboro, Clayton Road, Ballwin, Missouri, Route 109, Wildwood, Missouri, etc.

Design Charrettes, Community Consensus Building:

In keeping with my philosophy of providing community involvement in community projects, I participate in an increasing number of projects that involve building community consensus. In these projects, I primarily provide citizens and processionals with latest design philosophies and opportunities and then help the community prepare its own designs.

Transit Design:

During my 12 years as a Traffic Engineer in Melbourne, Australia I built, then programmed traffic signals along light rail routes where the light rail either was in a median or shared a travel lane with motor vehicles. During this time transit priority was added to all traffic signals for both bus and light rail vehicles. Then compensation phases were added to the side streets to compensate them for time lost when time was transferred from the side street to the transit vehicles.

Contributing Author:

Florida Pedestrian Safety Plan: 1992, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, FL
Walkable Communities: Twelve Steps for an Effective Program, 1993, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, FL
Preventing Injuries Through Traffic Calming - Conference Syllabus, Annual California Conference on Childhood Injury Control, September 16 - 19, 1996
Traffic Calming: - USA Today, May 2, 1997
Roundabouts: Landscape Architect and Specifier News, March 1998
A Citizen's Guide to Traffic Calming in Honolulu: City of Honolulu 1999
Civilizing Traffic, The Manual, Neighborhood Traffic Calming in Honolulu, 1999
Street Design Guidelines for Healthy Neighborhoods, Center for Livable Communities, 1999
Traffic Calming, The Traffic Safety Toolbox, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington. 1993.

Author:

Traffic Signals: An Analysis and Design, 1984, Traffic Engineering Practice, 3rd Edition, Department of Transportation, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Analysis of Pedestrian Crashes in Two-way Left-Turn Lanes: FDOT, 1992
Traffic Calming: The Traffic Safety Toolbox, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington. 1993.
Roads are for People: A new Direction in Road Design, 1995, Landscape Architect and Specifier News, Tustin, CA
Community Redevelopment, Growth Management Short Course: Orlando, Florida, April 1996
Traffic Calming - Georgia Section I.T.E., Atlanta, Georgia, 1996
Roundabouts: Planning Commissioners Journal, spring 1997
Advocating Safe Passage, 1996, Landscape Architect and Specifier News, Tustin, CA
Coming to Your Town, (Roundabouts), Public Works Magazine, October 2000

Honors and Recognition:

Several projects that I helped to design or designed have won awards.