ITS Georgia President's Message from Georgia Engineer Magazine

Scott Mohler
ITS Georgia President

Congratulations to newly appointed Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden and new Northeast Georgia District Engineer Bayne Smith. Georgia is indeed fortunate to have these two professionals in top leadership positions within the department. Both are uniquely qualified to successfully manage the mobility challenges we face in Georgia.

Commissioner Golden rose through the ranks of the department serving in planning and operations. He was Director of Operations before becoming Deputy Commissioner and Interim Commissioner last year. He knows the value intelligent transportation solutions bring to address issues of safety, efficiency and congestion mitigation in our surface transportation system.

Commissioner Golden said that he has personal experience with benefits of ITS solutions and will continue to support its deployment.

“Having worked in traffic operations during my career, I have firsthand experience with many of the benefits Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) can offer in a transportation system. Georgia DOT consistently analyzes potential uses of ITS throughout our network of roadways. Many aspects of ITS – ramp meters, video detection devices and coordinated traffic signalization – can be successfully utilized on a daily basis to help manage traffic and congestion and keep motorists informed, Commissioner Golden told ITS Georgia shortly after being formally appointed by the state transportation board.”

New District One Engineer Bayne Smith is one of only three GDOT employees to hold both a PE and PTOE (Professional Traffic Operations Engineer) license.He is also on the board of directors of your ITS Georgia Chapter.

Bayne began his career working in Traffic Operations at GDOT and was instrumental in developing the NaviGAtor intelligent transportation management system. He also served as state traffic signal engineer until joining URS Corporation in 2001. At URS, Bayne led the national ITS practice and was instrumental in capturing best practices in ITS, and then bringing those best practices and cutting edge ITS ideas to Georgia and other clients all over the U.S.

We asked District Engineer Smith his thoughts for implementing new ITS solutions in his district.

“I am very excited at the opportunity to rejoin GDOT and help further the implementation of Intelligent Transportation Systems throughout the State of Georgia. GDOT has done an exceptional job at constructing, operating and maintaining a successful ITS system and I am excited that future advances in technology will allow us to continue to enhance the system and provide valuable benefits to the motoring public.”

We appreciate Commissioner Golden’s and District Engineer Smith’s commitment to progress and stand ready with them to meet the challenges ahead. 

 
Take time to learn about and vote on the TSPLOST in July

On Tuesday, July 31, voters will decide if 12 designated districts across Georgia will be authorized to collect a one-cent sales tax for the next 10 years to be devoted exclusively to local and regional transportation projects.

Doug Callaway of the Georgia Transportation Alliance told a chapter meeting of ITS Georgia the impact of the TSPLOST, if passed, would be to generate almost 28,000 jobs for every $1 billion of revenue generated. The resulting improvements would enhance the safety and efficiency of the transportation system all while under local control. Funds collected in each district could only be spent in the district where they are collected and only to move forward projects chosen by local elected officials. Additionally, watch dog groups in each district would monitor and report to the public how funds are spent.

More than 1,600 local projects throughout the state have been selected by city and county leaders. To learn more about the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) referendum and to review proposed projects in your area, please visit: http://www.it3.ga.gov/Pages/default.aspx. Pass this information along to your friends and neighbors, too.

To keep up with the latest ITS Georgia news, please visit our web site (www.ITSGA.org) or follow us on twitter @ITSGA.

ITS Georgia President's Message from Georgia Engineer Magazine

Scott Mohler
ITS Georgia President

It is an honor and privilege to have been elected president of the Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia (ITS Georgia) and to represent this great chapter and its important work.  Over the next two years, I plan on sharing with you the many accomplishments of the chapter and our member organizations.

ITS Georgia is fortunate to have had quality leadership since its inception from the late Wayne Shackelford as founding chairman to my immediate predecessor, Marion Waters. Marion has been a model President for the past two years, and I want to extend an enormous thank you for all of his hard work and dedication to the betterment of ITS Georgia.  His leadership in ITS Georgia and in the ITS industry are invaluable, and I’m thankful that Marion will remain a member of the Board during my presidency.

I also want to thank outgoing board members Marwan Abboud and Ron Boodhoo, and the new and returning officers and directors who are listed below.

2012 and Beyond –

Over the next two years we plan on turning our mission and goals into facts and accomplishments.

Our Mission: Promote and educate people about ITS and encourage incorporation of ITS into transportation projects.

Our Goals:

1.  Provide forums to share and coordinate ITS Georgia member missions and experiences
2.  Educate our members on national directions and technologies
3.  Develop a broader ITS constituency
4. Educate policy makers on benefits of continued operations and maintenance and how ITS can help

We did a great job in 2011 on Goals 1 and 2 and an okay job on Goal 3. In 2012, we will continue to provide our members with forums to network and learn about new technologies and lessons learned from our colleagues from around the state and the nation.  We also plan on reaching out to new member organizations and to increase participation from existing members, especially younger associates and students.

Goal 4 has been a challenge and we need to do more to get decision makers to understand the benefits of ITS solutions and the value they bring to state and local transportation infrastructure. To reach Goal 4, we are teaming with the Georgia Section Institute of Transportation Engineers and the TIME Task Force in a cross-organizational Public Officials Education Committee which I will chair.  We plan on conducting a training class on the benefits of ITS with county officials in April at the Association County Commissioners of Georgia Annual Meeting.  GDOT’s Todd Long has agreed to be the instructor for this class.  We think that is a good start.  Next are city and state decision makers.

On an organizational level, we plan on increasing chapter revenue so we can continue to fund scholarships and provide our membership with access to the latest in ITS technology and forums for networking and professional growth.  We also plan on expanding our membership outside the reach of our typical members to include the growing number of automotive and high tech companies in Georgia that provide traveler and fleet information.

In addition to providing scholarships to students studying ITS, we plan on increasing their involvement in chapter activities to facilitate networking and learn more about potential employers in the area to keep and attract talent to Georgia.

As always, our monthly and annual meetings will be packed with outstanding speakers and topics in 2012. We’ll learn about everything from how ITS solutions help move millions of tons of cargo in and out of Georgia’s ports to creative funding opportunities, how well our products and services stack up and what the future holds from our excellent research institutions.

Please visit our web site (www.ITSGA.org) for information about our monthly meetings for 2012.