December 10, 2019

The December meeting of the ITE Manitoba Section was held at the Winnipeg Winter Club and included a technical presentation and the Section’s Annual General Meeting.

The presenter was David Wiebe, P.Eng, PTOE, from Dillon Consulting.

David is a transportation engineer with over 19 years of experience in transportation infrastructure projects including project management, specification, detailed design and contract administration. He also works in the field of transportation planning, having led transportation studies, signalization studies and network planning, demonstrating proficiency in all aspects of transportation operations. He obtained his PTOE designation in 2015.  His interest in alternative modes of travel is evident in his experience with transit, active transportation and sustainability guidelines, such as LEED. David was the project manager for the Portage and Main Transportation Study.

David’s presentation was on the Portage Avenue and Main Street Transportation Study.

The study involved microsimulation of several alternatives to re-introduce at-grade pedestrian crossings to the iconic intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street. The study approach involved modelling using VISSIM and VISWALK software, which returned performance measures for vehicles, pedestrians, and transit vehicles. An iterative approach was used to test and refine alternatives for modifying the physical layout and traffic control systems at the intersection. A preferred alternative was selected, and a recommended concept design was developed, which identified key challenges for implementation. 

The Annual General Meeting included a summary of the Manitoba Section’s activities through 2019, an update on the new Section Director role, discussion on a potential bid to host the 2022 Conference, review of the proposed budget for 2020, and congratulations to four Members who had notable achievements in 2019. Jeannette Montufar was awarded the H. Robert Burton Distinguished Service Award, Rebecca Peterniak was named the CITE Rising Star for 2019, Garreth Rempel was accepted into LeadershipITE, and Karalee Klassen Townsend won the Kean Lew Student Paper Competition and the CITE Presentation Award.

November 27, 2019

In November, the Manitoba Section held a workshop on traffic calming. Brian Malone led the workshop, which served to introduce the new TAC/CITE Canadian Guide to Traffic Calming – Second Edition (2018). The workshop included discussion on the principles of traffic calming for both reactive operational retrofits and proactive approaches for new streets. Brian was one of the key authors of the 2018 Guide, and he was an engaging and informative workshop leader.

October 24, 2019

In October the Manitoba Section held the third annual Escape Room Tournament fundraiser. Registrants were organized into teams, and each team completed two escape rooms. The event concluded with dinner and prizes. The event was enjoyed by attendees, and was financially successful for the Manitoba Section.

September 17, 2019

ITE Manitoba held its first bike tour of in downtown Winnipeg on Tuesday, September 17th. The tour started at The Forks and visited new bike facilities in the downtown. Thank you to Chris Baker and Greg Propp from the City of Winnipeg who assisted with organizing and facilitating the tour. We received lots of positive feedback from participants and hope to organize another bike tour soon!

June 25, 2019

The June meeting of the ITE Manitoba Section was held on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at the Winnipeg Winter Club.

The presenter was Adam Budowski, M.Sc., EIT, from Winnipeg Transit.

Adam is a transportation engineer who recently graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Master’s of Science in Civil Engineering. After graduation, Adam spent nearly two years in Montreal working with Eco-Counter, a world leader in active transportation monitoring, as a research consultant. Since returning home to Winnipeg, Adam worked with the Federal Government (Indigenous Services), before accepting a Transit Planner position with Winnipeg Transit.

Adam’s presentation was titled: Way of the Future: Integrating Bus Routes in southwest Winnipeg with the Southwest Transitway.

Adam outlined the process undertaken to integrate bus routes in southwest Winnipeg with the Southwest Transitway, which will open to passengers in April, 2020. Winnipeg Transit is proposing a new type of service model that was taken to the public during a one-month public engagement campaign. Winnipeggers had the opportunity to share their input with the project team through an online survey, project email and phone line, and in-person at seven “portable” open house events. Public input gathered during engagement was used to help refine the proposed network which will be brought forward to City Council this fall.

May 14, 2019

The May meeting of the ITE Manitoba Section was held on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at the Winnipeg Winter Club.

The presenter was Karalee Klassen Townsend, the recipient of the 2019 Kean Lew Memorial Student Paper and Presentation Prize.

Karalee is a graduate student at the University of Manitoba completing a M.Sc. in Civil Engineering. Her thesis research focuses on traffic monitoring; specifically the improvement of the traffic monitoring program in Manitoba. Her work aims to increase the usability of the traffic volume data obtained from short-duration counts within towns, called town counts. Karalee completed work internships for the Traffic Engineering Branch at Manitoba Infrastructure and MORR Transportation Consulting. During these work terms, her projects gave her an opportunity to see the importance and benefits of transportation safety research and as a result, she developed a strong interest in transportation safety. Karalee has been an active member of the University of Manitoba ITE Student Chapter since 2016 and has served as vice-president for the last two years. She is also a member of the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals Young Professionals Committee.

Karalee’s presentation was titled: Using Rear-Axle Weights to Improve the Accuracy of Class 3 and Class 5 Vehicle Classification.

Due to the similarities between these vehicle types, it can be difficult for counting equipment to accurately classify them. This research project was completed to: (1) identify how the current classification algorithm differentiates between these vehicle types; and (2) determine if incorporating rear-axle weight into the classification algorithm can reduce the possibility of misclassification.

April 16, 2019

The April meeting of the ITE Manitoba Section was held on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at the Winnipeg Winter Club.

The presenter was Craig Milligan, Ph.D., P.Eng., ing., from MicroTraffic and Fireseeds North Infrastructure.

Craig is an expert road safety engineer applying a proactive and safe systems approach to vision zero. He has thirteen years of progressive leadership experience and is the current chair of the TAC Road Safety Standing Committee.

Craig has completed road safety audits for more than $6B of urban and rural road projects at all stages covering complex intersections, freeways, bridges, interchanges, and cycling facilities, and he is a road safety audit instructor for the International Road Federation.

Craig has also completed in-service road safety reviews of 170 intersections and 4000 km of highway in six countries, updates of 10 road safety technical guidelines and safety performance functions for network screening at four road agencies. He is the author of over 30 road safety publications in top journals and conference proceedings. He worked for the World Bank and the Province of Manitoba before starting his consulting practice called Fireseeds North and his technology firm MicroTraffic Road Safety Video Analytics.

Craig’s presentation was on Short-term camera deployments for rural traffic safety studies: Case studies from Western Canada.

Compared to urban intersections, those on rural highways have comparatively lower availability of ITS sensors to support traffic studies. Traditional data collection efforts for rural traffic studies have relied on low-tech, manual processes. However, consultants have recently started using portable camera deployments for rural intersection improvement studies. Recent advances in artificial intelligence and deep learning computer vision have helped transform portable cameras from simple tools for counts and observational studies into sophisticated ITS sensors.

Using six rural case studies from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, this paper demonstrates how several consultants used portable camera deployments to obtain high resolution data and intelligence. Vehicle trajectory data automatically extracted from camera sensors served as a foundational dataset for other data points which the study engineers want to incorporate in study design.

The case studies include a dump access road and a resort access intersection in BC, an at-grade rail crossing in Alberta, the site of a potential future interchange on the Yellowhead Highway in Saskatchewan, and two intersections on the Trans-Canada Highway in Manitoba.

March 14, 2019

The March meeting of the ITE Manitoba Section was held on Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 12:00 PM at the Winnipeg Winter Club.

The presenter was Rob Poapst, M.Sc., P.Eng., from MORR Transportation Consulting.

Rob is a Transportation Engineer with MORR who has extensive experience in big data analysis, GIS, and active transportation. He is currently one of the key team members for the development of TAC’s new Bicycle Facility Safety Study. He is active member of TAC’s Active Transportation Committee and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. Rob has presented his work at conferences throughout North America and has published multiple research papers on pedestrian accommodation and active transportation.

Rob’s presentation was titled: TAC Bicycle Infrastructure Safety Study: What We Heard from Practitioners and Cyclists.

The Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) is currently completing a study to develop a better understanding of the safety performance of different types of bicycle facilities. Three key components of this study were: (1) a comprehensive literature review regarding the safety performance of various types of bicycle facilities; (2) an extensive survey of jurisdictions from across the country to understand current practices regarding the selection and implementation of bicycle infrastructure; and (3) a survey of Canadian cyclists to better understand issues associated with perceived safety and comfort associated with bicycle infrastructure. This presentation will tell the following story:

• State of Canadian affairs
• Lack of crash and volume data for safety analysis
• What the research tells us about bicycle infrastructure safety
• What cyclists tell us about bicycle infrastructure safety
• Where do we go from here?

The intended outcome of the presentation is to give inform the audience about the new knowledge obtained through these three comprehensive tasks, with a view to continue to expand the dialogue regarding bicycle safety in Canada. This will contribute to advancing our understanding of the safety performance of new facilities in Canada.

February 13, 2019

The February meeting of the ITE Manitoba Section was held on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at the Winnipeg Winter Club.

The presenter was Jeff Crang, P.Eng., PTOE from Dillon Consulting Ltd.

Jeff is a transportation engineer with 25 years’ experience in transportation studies, functional planning, detailed design and contract administration of streets, highways and facility site works. He has expertise within both urban and rural environments. Jeff has been fortunate to have worked as the client with the provincial government and for the client as a consultant.  He currently serves on the executive of the TAC Geometric Design Standing Committee

Jeff’s presentation was titled: Planning and Design of Fermor Avenue (St. Anne’s Road to Archibald Street).

Jeff’s presentation focused on the transportation planning and design aspects of the Fermor Avenue corridor.  New features of this arterial currently undergoing reconstruction include a pedestrian-cyclist underpass, smart channels, raised crossings, accessibility for the visually challenged, cross-rides, and improved traffic operations and safety through the use of access management and auxiliary lanes. An overview of the traffic staging plans was also provided.

January 23, 2019

The January meeting of the ITE Manitoba Section was held on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at the Winnipeg Winter Club. 

The presenter was Scott Suderman, C.E.T., P.Eng. from Stantec.

Scott is a Transportation Engineer with 13 years of experience in planning, design, and managing roadway, active transportation and roundabouts projects. Scott was on the Project Steering Committee for TAC’s first Canadian Roundabout Design Guide as well as the new Geometric Design Guide, and is currently a member of the Geometric Design Standing Committee at TAC.

Scott’s presentation was titled: Detailed Design of the PTH3 and LaVerendrye Boulevard Roundabout.

Scott’s presentation shared some of the key design considerations and solutions incorporated into the detailed design for the proposed multi-lane roundabout that will accommodate development in the City of Morden and effectively serve as an entrance to the City. Items that were discussed were site context, high speed entry design, pedestrian and cycling accommodation, vertical design, construction details and traffic staging.