NHTSA Sets “Quiet Car” Safety Standard to Protect Pedestrians

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently announced that it is adding a sound requirement for all newly manufactured hybrid and electric light-duty vehicles to help protect pedestrians. The new federal safety standard will help pedestrians who are blind, have low vision, and others, detect the presence, direction and location of these vehicles when they are traveling at low speeds, which will help prevent about 2,400 pedestrian injuries each year once all hybrids in the fleet are properly equipped.

Under the new rule, all hybrid and electric light vehicles with four wheels and a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less will be required to make audible noise when traveling in reverse or forward at speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour (about 19 miles per hour).  At higher speeds, the sound alert is not required because other factors, such as tire and wind noise, provide adequate audible warning to pedestrians.

MVRPC hosts first Geographic Information System (GIS) training session

MVRPC hosted planners from throughout the Miami Valley on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 in our own office suite. The event was a big success, with a total of 26 attendees, 22 of which were from 18 different MVRPC member organizations. The session focused on hands-on learning on how to use Census data in GIS.  MVRPC staff members served as instructors and each participant had an opportunity to learn more about the Census data itself and how to bring in and analyze Census data using GIS. MVRPC plans to host more hands-on GIS training sessions in the future to meet the needs of our member organizations.  For more information about MVRPC’s GIS program, visit our website at http://www.mvrpc.org/data-mapping/gis-mvrpc.

Meet Your MVRPC staff member:  Julie Black, Regional Planner III

A native of Bardstown, Kentucky, Julie Black has always enjoyed balance in her academics, which explains her unusual undergraduate combination of a Philosophy major with pre-veterinary course of study.  After graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2001, she didn’t go to vet school, but opted instead to pursue a master’s degree in urban planning at the University of Louisville. It was lucky for us that she did! Julie is a vital part of MVRPC’s Regional Planning team where her duties include updating economic regional profiles and analyzing U.S. Census information.

After working two years as a planner for a private firm, she joined MVRPC in October 2008 as an entry level Regional Planner I. While she missed the first phase of Going Places, the rest of the project took up most of her time. More recently, she has been working on several regional profiles. When talking about MVRPC, Julie emphasizes that she has the “best coworkers.” Working on the Regional Planning team, she’s had the opportunity to keep learning new things, particularly in data science.

Julie and her husband Paul live in Lebanon, Ohio, in a house built in the 1830s on 12.5 acres of land. She volunteers for Whippet Rescue & Placement, and has been involved in amateur whippet racing since 1999. Julie enjoys spending time with her three whippets — Sirius, an 8-year old male, Ticket, a 2-year old male, and a female puppy named Hero.  In between home renovations projects, she likes to read, garden, and spend time with her husband and dogs.

Grants & Funding Resources

Each month, MVRPC highlights several grant funding opportunities available at: http://www.mvrpc.org/our-vision/planning-services/grant-and-funding-opportunites, you will find a description, contact information and program links found in GrantFinder, a grant-seeking tool leased by MVRPC and a key first step in attracting funding. If you need assistance with your grant pursuit or need further grant research, contact Lynn Zuch, Research Associate, at 937-223-6323 or lzuch@mvrpc.org.  This month we are featuring the following grants:

• Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Ohio Recreational Trail Program Grant; Deadline – February 1, 2017
• Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation Grant; Deadline for initial Letter of Intent (LOI) – February 6, 2017

Upcoming MVRPC Meetings: 

01/05/17  4:00– 6:00 p.m. Public Meeting regarding DRAFT Tip - 10 N. Ludlow St., Suite 700, Dayton, OH

01/19/17  9:30 a.m.  Technical Advisory Committee - 10 N. Ludlow St., Suite 700, Dayton, OH

02/02/17  8:30 a.m.  Executive Committee; 9:00 a.m. Board of Directors – 1515 S. Main

December 2016 Executive Director's Update PDF available for download