It’s a commonly held belief that tradition can stifle innovation. “We’ve always done it that way” is like fingernails on a chalkboard for those visionaries who are constantly looking for new approaches, different solutions, or innovative tools.
For many years, our transportation industry could have easily been branded as “steeped in tradition” for our reliance upon historic data for planning, engineering guidebooks for design, and past experience or rules to help dictate many of our actions. In my February column this year, I talked about the early days of my career in the transportation field and meeting professionals who believed in “cookbook style” planning and engineering. But I also countered that thankfully, we as a profession have evolved over the past several decades. Nowhere is that evolution more visible than our acceptance and integration of technology and innovation.
We are considering a much broader array of factors when planning and designing infrastructure to support trucks, cars, bicycles, and pedestrians. We are much more open to incorporating new data sets that can help us make sure that safety and mobility are not at odds with each other. We are finally recognizing that not all situations are the same, and that listening to a community and applying some good old-fashioned common sense can often lead to a more ideal outcome. And the biggest modernization in our profession is also the biggest change in our lives outside of work: the pace and availability of technological innovation.
The tools we use and the opportunities we have available are coming at us so fast, thanks to rapid advances in technology that in certain instances are “reinventing the wheel” every few years. That pace is often at odds with policy, procurement, training, and maintenance. It can also be at odds with other stakeholders that might be part of a transportation solution.
As a consultant before coming to ITE, I lost count of the number of times I watched procurement experts struggle with adding technology into a bid. Or how a maintenance department had to deal with six different types of devices operating with three different versions of software for those same devices. Or how to address concerns from an elected official about an innovation you recently installed, that was two generations old by the time it was deployed.
How do we balance those stark differences? It begins with a commitment to balance in the first place. Recognizing that change for the sake of change is never healthy, rather change for the sake of improving safety, mobility, reliability, or equity is a much better motivation. But achieving that balance also will rely heavily on not operating in a vacuum.
I frequently preach the importance of communication, collaboration, and cooperation. My 3 C’s that have guided me throughout my career. To me that is the key to how we need to manage this revolution of technological innovation. We must continue to engage with every possible stakeholder impacted by the decisions we make—community members, businesses, infrastructure builders, technology vendors, consultant experts, maintenance and operations personnel, first responders—the list is long. But it’s not an infinite list, and it’s not an impossible list.
Through proper employment of the 3 C’s, and a dedication to finding that balance between innovation and tradition, we can and will take best advantage of technological advancements instead of suffering any negative impacts that may exist. Never stop talking to each other!