Upcoming Workshop Series: Developing a Traffic Signal Management Plan

As blueprints for the future, TSMPs identify the staffing, funding and equipment necessary to provide good basic service to residents.  But with all the day-to-day tasks necessary to keep traffic signals and other public works operations running smoothly, developing a traffic signal management plan (TSMP) can seem like a daunting and time-consuming task. We’ve broken the process down into a four-part series of workshops to assist municipalities in tailoring a plan to fit their organization’s needs, whether a vendor maintains a handful of signals or a dedicated team of professionals manages hundreds.

In Part One of the series, we’ll discuss the benefits of having a written traffic signal management plan as well as some existing activities that should be documented. Participants will come away with a worksheet to guide the initial information-gathering process of inventorying existing activities.

Next, in Part Two, we will discuss how having clear objectives can allow an agency to make the most of limited resources. Participants will brainstorm objectives for the traffic signal system in the context of the municipality’s overall transportation goals. Take-homes from Part Two of the series will include sample objectives that can be used to build a TSMP.

In Part Three, participants will review their existing traffic signal maintenance, operations, and design strategies within the context of the objectives identified during Part 2 of the series. We will explore whether the current strategies help to meet stated objectives, identify any gaps, and brainstorm additional strategies. A worksheet for linking strategies to objectives will be included in the participant learning guide.

After completing Parts One through Three, participants will have a documented set of traffic signal management strategies that support their agency’s objectives. Part Four will focus on developing ways to evaluate progress toward those objectives, as well as documenting an action plan with steps toward meeting the objectives. Templates for maintenance and inspection checklists and quarterly and annual reporting forms will be included in the learning guide.

We’re excited to develop the curriculum for these and other future workshops. If you have suggestions for learning topics, email Tess Schwartz at Theresa.schwartz@uconn.edu.

For more information on traffic signal management plans, visit the Traffic Signal Circuit Rider webpage at:
https://t2center.uconn.edu/TechnicalAssistance/TrafficSignalCircuitRider/.