ITE Collegiate Traffic Bowl

Be a Traffic Bowl Clue Contributor

The Institute’s Traffic Bowl Committee is assembling a data base of clues and responses or questions and answers that will be able to be used by ITE International, districts and sections in conducting student traffic bowl competitions.  In 2010, ITE conducted a competition amongst student chapters culminating with a competition of the district winning student chapters at the International Annual Meeting. In order to have a great selection of clues to use, we need your assistance. Individual members, companies, and student chapters may submit clues and responses or, if you prefer, questions and answers.

So what are we looking for in a clue or a question?  

• The clue or question should be able to be answered quickly and require little to no calculation.

• The majority of the clues or questions should be technical in nature on transportation topics.

• Other clues or questions may be general knowledge of a fun nature, but still keeping with a transportation theme.

• The clues or questions must be based on information contained in one of the references listed below.

Clues or questions – what is this all about?

The traffic bowl typically uses a clue with the response made in a question format, similar to the Jeopardy television game show. However, we can translate your question and answer to a clue and response format, if you are “clue challenged”.

Format of a clue or question submittal:

1. The exact wording of the clue or question. Keep it brief.
2. The response as a question or answer.
3. The source document and page for the clue/question and response/answer.
4. The submitter’s name, title, employer or school and mailing address.
5. Submit the clue(s)/question(s) to Shana Gipson, e-mail: sgipson@ite.org or by fax 202.785.0609

Sample clues and responses:

Technical knowledge category

Clue: The MUTCD 2000 provides guidance that pedestrian clearance time should be based on this normal walking speed.

Response:  What is 4.0 ft/s (1.2 m/s)?

General knowledge category

Clue: The 2011 International ITE President.

Response: Who is Robert Wunderlich?

Competition Resources

When you write a clue, especially technical ones, you will need to reference one of the following transportation resources.

1. Traffic Engineering Handbook, 6th edition
2. Transportation Planning Handbook, 3rd edition
3. USDOT Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 2009 edition,
4. Canadian Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
5. Highway Capacity Manual 2000
6. Canadian Capacity Guide
7. ITE Web site, www.ite.org

The clues and responses should strive to cover the concepts and materials presented in these resources that are common in both the United States and Canada. The clues and responses will be presented, visually and orally, in English to the teams. Both Metric and English units of measure will be accepted.

In addition, there will be exciting potpourri categories that will feature clues about the ITE - its structure and governance, and from “general transportation knowledge” as well as pop culture that are of course related somehow to transportation planning and engineering.