Citation

Loutzenheiser RC. Transp. Res. Rec. 1979; 709: 13-19.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1979, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The traffic engineer's goals are to provide safe, efficient, and convenient movement of persons and goods on streets and highways and to provide adequate modal transition. In larger urban areas and along primary roads, this purpose has been met to varying degrees. However, in rural areas where most cities have populations of less than 5000, there is a lack of proper traffic-control devices and of traffic engineering studies and help. In southwestern Kansas, the population density is less than 4 persons/ sq km (10 persons/ sq mile), and there were no local traffic engineering personnel in the 41 150-sq m (16,000- sq mile) area. The Greater Southwest Regional Planning Commission created a position of regional traffic engineer in late 1976, which was funded through the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. During the first two years, the engineer has (a) involved 29 of the 45 cities in federally funded traffic-sign-improvement projects, (b) completed or initiated analysis at several high-hazard locations, (c) assisted local units of government to become aware of and obtain state and federal funds, and (d) worked with local government personnel in 18 of the 19 counties in the region to establish some local expertise in traffic safety. The primary benefit of the regional traffic engineer has been that traffic engineering has been brought to southwestern Kansas with a personal touch. The local units of government could not individually afford and, in fact, would not need a fulltime traffic engineer. Under the commission assistance plan, the engineer is on call to all the local units, is governed by them, and is used by them. A regional traffic engineer is a means of providing expertise to rural areas.