The kick-off meeting of the FTSN was held in Clearwater at the FPTA annual conference on October 29, 2013.   FDOT and CUTR led the discussion of the format of the Network including; the roles and expectations of the members of the Network and activities to be conducted under the program.  A request to members was made to respond to the FTA’s “Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” relevant to MAP-21’s safety program changes.

Dr. Thobias Sando provided an expanded presentation and discussion of his work: Safety Implications of Transit Operator Schedule Policies, Phase II – Evaluation of the Influence of Transit Operator External Driving Hours and Rest Breaks on Transit Safety. View full version of Phase I.

Bill Morris and Chris DeAnnuntis from CUTR presented initial findings from their study in-progress “Evaluation of Rear-End Bus Collisions and Identification of Possible Solutions”.

The meeting concluded with an active discussion of critical transit safety issues currently experienced at transit agencies.