It may not come from Santa’s sack, but modern engineering
is the traffic calming gift that keeps on giving.
The big guy does know a thing or two about getting around.
Lucky for the man in red, his sleigh can fly, thus allowing him to totally
avoid our landlocked holiday traffic.
However, if some favorite holiday movies from the past 25 years are to be believed, there is always the small chance that a malfunction could ground jolly old St. Nick. Can you imagine? Reindeer droppings in your tire treads and St. Nicholas himself in front of you at a red light, making his way through the gauntlet of present-packed cars? Someone call in E.L.F.S.!
Thankfully, ERSC’s team includes engineers with extensive
backgrounds in the very traffic planning and design that ease the human impact
in that scenario.
Steve Latino, ERSC’s Director of Engineering, leverages 16
years of experience providing services as a local municipal employee. His body
of work includes Traffic and Transportation, Capital Improvement Projects (both
design and construction management), and Land Development. Not only is he a key
member of our team, but he also loves Christmas, and that makes him the perfect
point of reference for sleigh ride solutions.
He says that modern
traffic projects like well-designed roads, proper signing and striping, and
Intelligent Transportation Systems are key to giving Santa and the rest of us
roads that are vastly easier to travel. “Let’s not forget,” says Latino, “if
Santa has his Fast Trak transponder, he could zip down the 91, the I-10, and
the I-15…or if the Elves travel with him, he can use the HOV lanes.”
As you head out for all of your last-minute holiday
preparations, try and spot some examples of those very projects. You just may
find a new appreciation for the men and women working behind the scenes to keep
us all moving. Oh, and may the twinkle of red and green traffic signal lights
bring a little holiday magic to you all year long!
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