ITE Webinar: Beyond Mobility: Embedding Safety and Sustainability into Traffic Simulation and Signal Optimization

When: August 6, 2026 | 2:00 -- 3:30 PM ET

This webinar is led by the ITE Traffic Engineering Council.

Webinar Description:

This webinar explores emerging approaches and current practices in integrating safety considerations into traffic analysis and simulation. As transportation agencies and practitioners increasingly seek to balance mobility, safety, and environmental outcomes, there is a growing need for tools and methodologies that can evaluate these factors holistically. The presentations in this webinar highlight recent research and applied techniques that advance the use of simulation and analytical tools to better understand safety impacts, from signal timing optimization to the integration of predictive safety methods within microsimulation environments.

The webinar will begin with an overview of a multi-objective signal timing optimization framework that evaluates tradeoffs between mobility, safety, and emissions using sensitivity analysis. It will then examine efforts to bridge the gap between traditional safety analysis tools and microsimulation software by integrating predictive safety methodologies. Finally, the session will present findings from a comprehensive state-of-the-practice assessment and gap analysis, informed by expert interviews and literature review, to identify challenges and opportunities in using simulation for safety analysis. Overall, this webinar aims to equip attendees with a clearer understanding of current capabilities, limitations, and future directions for incorporating safety into traffic simulation and analysis workflows.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how multi-objective signal timing optimization frameworks account for mobility, safety, and emissions tradeoffs.
• Recognize how variations in traffic, geometric, and operational inputs influence signal control performance measures.
• Identify key parameters that most significantly impact mobility, safety, and emissions outcomes in optimization models.
• Explain how predictive safety analysis methods can be integrated into microsimulation software environments.
• Understand the differences and challenges between traditional safety analysis tools and microsimulation platforms.
• Assess the current state of the practice in using traffic simulation for safety analysis.
• Recognize the primary gaps and limitations in existing safety-focused simulation approaches.
• Describe potential strategies and recommended actions to improve the application of simulation tools for highway safety evaluation.

Moderator: Joe Blasi, P.E., Transportation Planning Engineer | HNTB | Kansas City, MO, USA

Presenters:

• Gustavo Riente de Andrade. P.E., Managing Partner | Associate Director | Infraplan Consulting LLC | Orlando, FL, USA
• Tom Creasey, P.E., Transportation Program Director | Woolpert, Inc. | Lexington, KY, USA
• Mohammed Hadi, P.E., Professor and Director | Florida International University | Miami, FL, USA