Every one knows what traffic congestion is. Transportation engineers know that efficiency improvements can make a big difference in traffic flow. They simply have a problem communicating this concept to the public (and politicians).
Well, one State Dept of Transportation official has challenged the transportation profession - or anyone else - to solve this communication problem.
Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald has challenged transportation professionals to think of a better way to communicate to the general public the relationship between maximizing the use of existing system capacity, increasing efficiency, and keeping highway traffic moving.
As a follow-up to his challenge, Secretary MacDonald has made a personal donation of $1,000 to be awarded to the person or group that submits the best idea. Entries are due by October 6, 2006 and should be submitted to Washington DOT's special e-mail address: Dougmacdonaldchallenge@wsdot.wa.gov
Please e-mail any questions concerning the contest to that e-mail address.
The contest winner and honorable mentions will be showcased in a Transportation Research Board poster session to be scheduled during the 2007 TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The contest winner will be awarded the $1,000 check to start off the new year with considerable flair.
To download the contest flyer and for further information, please consult the TRB Congestion Pricing Committee's website at:
http://www.trb-pricing.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=7&page=1
