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Ted
retired in 1993 as Principal Traffic Engineer from VicRoads after three
decades of outstanding service to the profession. Previous to that
position, he held a variety of traffic engineering positions with the
Country Roads Board of Victoria (VicRoads’s predecessor). Early in his
career, he was a Project Construction Engineer and Survey Crew
Supervisor in Canada and became a Registered Professional Engineer in
the Province of Ontario.
A
measure of success of traffic engineering is that the service is
naturally accommodating to users to the point where it becomes
unnoticed. Over his period at the core of development and extensive
application of traffic engineering in Australia, Ted’s sustained
insistence on meaningful and consistent standards created a legacy of
quality and predictable service for travel throughout the State of
Victoria.
Ted
contributed to several Australian standards, namely the Australian
Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices; Lighting of Urban Traffic Routes; and Parking Facilities. He was an author of six parts and the technical
editor of all other parts of the 14-part AUSTROADS
Guide to Traffic Engineering Practice, considered the Australian
bible of traffic engineering practice. He gave extensive input in
national committees and working groups on uniform traffic control
devices, parking facilities, street lighting, traffic engineering
training, safe intersection design requirements, speed limits, standard
heavy vehicle dimensions and traffic regulations. Of particular
significance has been his provision of advice to the Victorian
Parliamentary Road Safety Committee throughout the 1980s. Ted also
participated in the planning and execution of a large number of short
courses and workshops on traffic engineering and road safety at both
Monash and Melbourne Universities, insisting that the content of these
courses was always rigorous, current and correct.
Ted
is a Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia and now an
Honorary Member of ITE. He was a Member of the Association of
Professional Engineers and Scientists Australia throughout his career at
VicRoads. In a National Honours list he received the Public Service
Medal in recognition of his work for the State of Victoria. He also was
presented with a special Certificate of Recognition from the Australian
Section of ITE in 1994. During the 1970s Ted was involved in the
Australian Section of ITE as Secretary/Treasurer and as Newsletter
Editor. After a dormant period for the section, he served as President
of the reactivated section from 1981 to 1984.
When
Ted retired from VicRoads, his contributions to the community has not
ended. He has worked in Kuala Lumpur assisting the Malaysian government
in developing its road safety practices. One of his results of this project is the Malaysian
Road Safety Audit Guidelines. Ted epitomizes the saying, “If you
want something done, seek out a busy person.” Ted is never too busy to
help—particularly if it involves the passing on of knowledge to others
or helping others search for knowledge.
One
personal observation is that Ted, like many of the others who have been
elected Honorary Members is committed to doing discharging his duties as
a professional… his objective has not been to garner honors or to be
in the spotlight. The neat thing about our profession is that we have been able to
ferret out those that are deserving and overlook those that are self-engrandizing
and spotlight hogs. And for those that know Ted realize that he is a wonderful
person. Those who toil and dedicate themselves to doing the best job
possible can only do so with the support of their mate. I would like to recognize Ted’s wife Mary and acknowledge that
she has helped Ted to fulfill his most successful and ongoing career.
It
Ted is only the third person from outside the North America and the
first from Australia so honored in ITE’s 68 years. |
