This is one of several articles profiling the online Spring Technical Meetings of TAC’s six councils and their committees that took place in April and May 2024.
TAC’s Safety, Design & Operations Council welcomed 33 attendees to its spring meeting.
Guest presentation
The Council heard a presentation on the City of Toronto’s lower barrier walls and street art program. Kanchan Maharaj, Senior Engineer Cycling & Pedestrian Projects, summarized the history, design, implementation and maintenance of the lower barrier walls used in Toronto. Michael Hutchison, Project Lead, outlined the StreetARToronto initiative of Toronto’s Transportation Services Division that showcases and supports street, mural and graffiti artists and art.
New pooled-fund projects
The Council approved the solicitation of funding for two future projects to update existing TAC publications:
- Canadian Roundabout Design Guide
- Canadian Guidelines for Establishing Posted Speed Limits
Committee updates
The Council received updates from its four committees.
The Geometric Design Committee meeting attracted 92 attendees. It featured presentations on adapting to climate change, Nova Scotia’s Highway 104 (Sutherlands River to Antigonish) twinning project, and narrow median cross-sections. Notable discussion areas included online training for road design, cost of work, design optimization, and digital model delivery.
The Road Safety Committee meeting involved 97 participants. In addition to agency updates, the Committee heard a presentation on unsignalized crossings for pedestrians and cyclists. It also conducted a brainstorming exercise to identify priority emerging issues.
The Traffic Operations & Management Committee meeting attracted 89 participants and addressed roughly 25 ongoing volunteer projects to further applications, practices and devices that feed into TAC’s Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada. It also included a presentation on challenges and opportunities related to micromobility.
The Small Municipalities Integrated Committee meeting was attended by 28 participants who reviewed outcomes from a December 2023 lunch and learn event on speed management in small municipalities. They also discussed active transportation in rural communities, sidewalks and missing links, and the effectiveness of lawn signs at reducing speeds.
Safety, Design & Operations Council Executive
The Council’s Executive includes:
- Chair – Katie Munroe (Yukon Highways and Public Works)
- Vice-Chair – Daniel Beaulieu (Ville de Montréal)
- Past Chair – Ashley Curtis (City of Toronto)
- Board Liaison – Kevin Volk (British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Chair, Geometric Design Committee – Anne Sherwood (Halifax Regional Municipality)
- Chair, Road Safety Committee – Thomas Smahel (Human Factors North Inc.)
- Chair, Small Municipalities Integrated Committee – Jim Mallett (Paradigm Transportation Solutions Limited)
- Chair, Traffic Operations & Management Committee – Ravi Seera (City of Calgary)
Contact Craig Stackpole ✉ for more information on the Council and its committees.
