ATSSA Signal September October 2019

American Traffic Safety Services Association 44 Chapter News TheOklahoma ATSSA Chapter (OK-ATSSA), ATSSA’s newest and 28th chapter, held its inaugural meeting on June 27 in Tulsa. The meeting attracted 40 attendees and included special guest speaker, Rep. Avery Frix (R-Okla.), Chair of the House Transportation Committee. Frix discussed transportation funding and legislation that is aimed at keeping employees safe when working on Oklahoma’s roads. Additional guest speakerswereOklahomaHighway Patrol Lieu- tenant Chris Arnall, Nathan Smith, vice president of govern- ment relations at ATSSA, and Dave Krahulec, president of The ATSS Foundation. Terri Angier of the Oklahoma Depart- ment of Transportation (ODOT) shared that ODOT is excited about the OK-ATSSA chapter formation and looks forward to an advanced partnership between the two organizations. In discussing goals for the chapter, members agreed that a top priority should be to facilitate alliances with all industry partners who share common interests in advancing roadway safety to save lives. The current OK-ATSSA Board was formed as “interim” while getting the chapter officially approved by ATSSA. The chapter will hold an election, per bylaws, to select an official board by its next meeting on November 13. If interested in serving, please contact Haley Norman, interim chapter president at hnorman@directtrafficcontrol.com . Oklahoma Chapter The Ohio ATSSA Chapter met on June 7 at the Put-In-Bay Town- ship Firehouse in Put-In-Bay with 15 people in attendance, including public officials. Chapter President Eric Hulme of Area Wide Protective (AWP) presided over the meeting. The chapter was pleased to welcome Rep. Steven Arndt (R-Ohio) to the meeting. Arndt discussed House Bill 51—to install rumble strips along the center line for all two-way, undivided state highways with a speed limit exceeding 45 mph, as a part of specified high- way projects. He also discussed House Bill 293—to extend the temporary instruction permit phase for new drivers from six to 12months. Arndt addressed numerous questions from chapter members regarding proposed legislation and ongo- ing initiatives. Dennis O’Neil, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) engineer, presented on ODOT Truck-Mounted Attenuator (TMAs) Specifications and Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) in Work Zones. The chapter approved a motion to hold a State Advocacy Day in the fall. Additional conversations with chapter members included a recap of the 2019 Ohio How To Conference; potential fund- raising activities; Automotive Safety Council (ASC)/ATSSA/SAE International meeting on reviewing the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)for Advanced Driver Assis- tance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles applications; and the change in the Ohio Turnpike Toll Collection System. Ohio Chapter Oklahoma chapter members met at the end of June to hear from a number of presenters and to discuss the group’s partnerships with the state’s transportation department.