ITE Coordinating Council

Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal, Jun 2005

Since ITE's inception, members have found that keeping up to date on issues and activities within their area of practice is a key benefit of belonging to ITE. As ITE has developed and expanded, so have the opportunities to volunteer and serve the profession.

When ITE was founded in 1930, there was only one technical committee, focused on research. By 1950, the technical aspects of volunteer activities began to take the shape we are familiar with today.

COORDINATING COUNCIL

The move toward the 21st century represented major changes in ITE's technical activities. ITE strengthened its ability to identify and meet the technical needs of its members by creating the Coordinating Council in 1995. Replacing the old Technical Council, the Coordinating Council was established to coordinate the technical and other activities of ITE's professional activities groups.

CoCo, as it is affectionately called, provides oversight and vision for the technical activities of ITE's councils and assists in defining needs facing the profession and options for addressing them. True to its charge, CoCo facilitates the development and delivery of products, coordinates the activities of councils and provides quality control to assure that council products meet the high standards expected of ITE.

CoCo comprises an appointed chair, two appointed vice chairs - one manages the Standing Committee on Recommended Practices and the other facilitates the integration of management and operations into council technical activities -and all 12 council chairs. CoCo also includes representatives from the Transportation Research Board, from Canada and from outside Canada and the United States.

FACILITATING TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ADVANCEMENT

The products produced by area of practice councils include newsletters, surveys, publications, articles, recommended practices, educational programs, technical papers and sessions, special mailings on issues of immediate relevance and other information and tools for transportation professionals. There currently are more than 75 active council projects.

Items of interest and products produced by ITE with input from councils include: Parking Generation, 3rd Edition; Traffic Calming: State of the Practice; Toolbox on Intersection Safety and Design; Expert Witness Information Notebook; Innovative Bicycle Treatments; Alternative Treatments for At-Grade Pedestrian Crossings; and Guidelines for the Activation, Modification, or Removal of Traffic Control Signals.

In its role as gatekeeper, CoCo also developed a Standing Committee on Recommended Practices (SCORP), which includes representatives of several councils. SCORP manages approximately 35 recommended practices and performs periodic reviews to determine whether they should be updated to reflect current practice and relevance to the industry.

CHANGING WITH THE TIMES - TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES OPPORTUNITIES

As ITE moved into the 1990s, the information age changed the way councils conducted business. E-mail, listservs, e-newsletters, the online council project database and council Web pages enhance ITE's technical activities by facilitating communication and interaction of council members.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

As ITE celebrates its 75th year, CoCo truly mirrors the depth and breadth of its membership. Approximately 4,000 participants in area of practice councils can attest that their participation is just one of the many advantages of ITE membership that facilitates their ability to do their job, advance their careers and serve the profession.