Robert K. Seyfried, Director of the Transportation Safety of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Evanston, IL, USA

Robert is the director of the Transportation Safety Division of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety in Evanston , Illinois . He is responsible for the administration, planning, development and presentation of seminars and workshops in transportation engineering, both on-campus and throughout the United States . A graduate of Northwestern University, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Transportation Research Board and the Regulatory/Warning Signs Technical Committee of the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Seyfried has a total of 36 years experience in transportation engineering and has been on the staff of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety for the past 27 years. Seyfried is the primary author of the ITE Professional Traffic Operations Engineers Certification Program Refresher Course manual and the ITE Traffic Operations Practitioner Specialist (TOPS) Certification Program Refresher Course manual.

-Road user characteristics
-Traffic characteristics
-Data collection and analysis tools
-Field studies
-Site impact studies
-Documentation, reporting and presentation                                              

At the conclusion of the module participants should be able to:

1) Understand and apply basic statistical concepts and calculate sample means, and standard deviations
2) Recognize standard terminology related to traffic studies
3) Understand the importance of and be able to apply traffic volume adjustment factors
4) Understand how to design a traffic speed study and interpret traffic speed study data, including calculation of 85th percentile speeds
5) Calculate advisory speeds for horizontal curves and be able to determine appropriate warning signs for curves
6) Understand how to conduct travel time and intersection delay studies
7) Understand how to conduct a site traffic impact analysis
8) Be able to develop effective reports and presentations

The module includes a review of the following topic areas:

-Fundamentals of traffic control devices
-Traffic signs
-Pavement markings and delineation
-Traffic signals
-Temporary traffic control devices
-ITS
-Operation and maintenance of devices 

At the conclusion of the module participants should be able to:

1) Understand principles of driver information processing capabilities and limitations
2) Be able to interpret the provisions of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
3) Understand the principles of traffic signal design and operations
4) Be able to calculate signal phase change intervals
5) Understand the elements of a temporary traffic control zone

-Functional classification of roads
-Vehicle operating characteristics
-Horizontal alignment
-Sight distance
-Cross section elements
-Intersection design
-Freeway and grade-separation intersection design                      

At the conclusion of the module participants should be able to:

1) Understand the importance of geometric design controls and criteria
2) Be able to calculate stopping sight distance
3) Understand the principles of horizontal curve design, and be able to calculate minimum curve radius
4) Understand the relationship between vertical curve design and sight distance
5) Be able to apply clear zone concepts to roadside design decisions
6) Be able to determine intersection sight distance for stop-controlled intersections
7) Understand principles of “lane balance” and apply them to interchange design

-Interrelationship of drivers, non-motorized users, roadways and vehicles
-Roadway features
-Safety data analysis
-Safety countermeasures
-Safety hardware
-Safety review and audits                                           

At the conclusion of the module participants should be able to:

1) Be able to calculate crash rates for roadway segments and intersections
2) Be able to interpret crash patterns at intersections, and identify appropriate safety countermeasures
3) Be able to apply economic analysis principles to determine present worth of future costs and benefits of safety improvements
4) Understand principles of road safety audits
5) Understand concepts of legal liability and the relationship between safety improvement programs and potential legal claims

-Incident management
-Planning, response and recovery
-Traveler advisory techniques
-Corridor management

At the conclusion of the module participants should be able to:

1) Be able to define types of incidents and their potential affects on roadway safety and capacity
2) Be familiar with tools and techniques of incident management programs
3) Understand the importance of inter-agency coordination and cooperation in incident management
4) Be able to develop effective performance measures for incident management programs

The module includes a review of the following topic areas:

-Signal operations
-Parking
-Traffic calming and speed management
-Multimodal systems
-Accessibility guidelines
-Managed lanes and transportation demand management

At the conclusion of the module participants should be able to:

1) Be able to identify advantages and disadvantages of one-way street and reversible lane operation
2) Understand the application of turn restrictions
3) Set appropriate priorities for curb lane use
4) Be able to apply concepts of traffic calming to neighborhood street traffic problems
5) Recognize that effective transportation systems must be multi-modal with careful consideration of public transit, bicycle, and pedestrian modes
6) Understand concepts of access management
7) Understand concepts of freeway surveillance and ramp control