All Member Forum

 View Only

#ITE2020 Technical Program Preview: LisaRene Schilperoort, P.E. (M) and The Story Behind There’s a Signal Approaching My Roundabout! Roundabout Metering

By Mr. Ransford McCourt P.E., PTOE posted 07-14-2020 12:04 PM

  
Photo.jpg

LisaRene Schilperoort, P.E. (M)
is the assistant traffic engineer for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) South Central Region in Yakima, WA, USA. She joined WSDOT nearly 15 years ago after earning degrees in Civil Engineering from both Washington State University and the University of Washington. LisaRene has been an ITE member through WSDOT’s public agency membership. After participation with other organizations, her interaction with ITE proved invaluable and helped to further her knowledge and advance her career path. She frequently visits the ITE e-Community for ideas and current transportation topics.
 
This presentation journey began in 2007 when LisaRene was just getting started with WSDOT and they were building the first roundabout in the South Central region at an off-ramp from State Route 240 in Richland, WA at Steptoe Street. There are currently more than 120 roundabouts in Washington, so the novelty today is not as great as it was then.
 
By 2016 with land use growth and traffic patterns changes, LisaRene was having discussions with Brian Walsh about operational revisions in the area. They pondered the fact that at a common signalized intersection, every few years timing would be updated, a turn lane might be added, bicycle lanes and pedestrian facilities accommodated, and incremental changes would be made. However, for roundabouts, little was done. They asked themselves—what would similar, low-cost operational strategies to signal timing look like for a roundabout rather than just adding lanes?
 
Adding lanes is very expensive. In smaller town areas (non-metro) where the peak period is short (approximately 15-30 minutes, versus 2-plus hours), the expense is hard to justify. They sought solutions that might be something WSDOT could install and in the $100,000s range, not millions price range. Metering flows into the roundabout to produce uniform gaps to allow the off-ramp the ability to keep the end of queue off the mainline was the idea. LisaRene and Brian had brainstormed for some time about such an idea. They had not found the right context for the solution. Steptoe became that opportunity.
 
Working with the public, some inherent misconceptions about roundabouts had to be addressed. People perceived that if the roundabout had to be changed, it was failing. It was noted that when a traffic signal requires retiming, or a turn lane or a bike lane was added, people didn’t say the signal was a mistake. Clear communication about the project’s safety goal was needed. The roundabout meter was not about getting rid of queued vehicles, it was simply to keep vehicles off the mainline and be safer. 
 
Brian Walsh has been a great mentor to LisaRene. He knows the right questions to ask, is able to think outside the box, and has a wealth of knowledge to share that has benefited LisaRene’s career. Brian has given her room to explore ideas and allowed her to think out loud (even when some ideas seem radical) as she is developing solutions. She always feels listened to and does not feel like she is being influenced.
 
This is the fourth time LisaRene will have presented about the Steptoe roundabout, but is time first time nationally. While she presented at TRB for her master’s thesis, she usually presents locally to communities in Washington, many times answering questions about her experience as a female engineer at WSDOT. Her training with these opportunities has allowed her to overcome introverted tendencies and share experiences on technical matters. LisaRene likes the question and answer discussions at meetings as she hears people frame topics in ways she might not have explored. It creates a learning experience to study a familiar topic from a different perspective– with greater diversity.
 
Part of the journey of making a presentation at a conference means balancing family and children with work life. LisaRene found her employer to be incredibly supportive and flexible in the work/life balance area. Having worked full-time, part-time, work from home, infant at work, virtually – she’s done them all. While her managers have changed six times, everyone was supportive. As a mom, she was always concerned about having the conversation with the boss who had a spouse that stayed at home. She knows that other professionals have not been as supported as she has and feels thankful for her work experience.
 
The ITE Annual Meeting is the opportunity to learn about evolving intersection treatments. Soon they will not be unique or uncommon, but for now, uncovering the context and how they are being successfully implemented are the kinds of presentations LisaRene is most interested in. Hopefully, you will also find things that help Shape Your Community and join us at the ITE virtual Annual Meeting.
 
LisaRene will be presenting Wednesday, August 5, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m EDT at the virtual ITE Annual Meeting in the session on Alternative Intersection Treatments. Learn more about this session here. Take advantage of discounted rates today by registering by July 15th
0 comments
16 views

Permalink