Traffic Calming in Action - West End Calming Technical Tour
This year, the annual CITE conference was held jointly with the Western Canada Traffic Association (WCTA) and the Pacific Northwest Quad Section meeting from April 13th to 16th in Vancouver, B.C. This conference was a resounding success, both in terms of the technical content of the conference and the number of delegates that attended. A total of 329 persons were registered for the conference, including delegates and companions, certainly making this one of the best attended CITE conferences ever! In addition, there were 16 companies who setup booths at the trade show which further enhanced the conference.
The only downside of this high attendance was that the technical sessions were often overflowing with people. The high end conference attendee estimate by the Conference Organizing Committee was 240 delegates and the conference facilities were selected to accommodate such a demand. The problem became finding room for the other 89 delegates! The Committee was very grateful to all the delegates for their patience and understanding.
The theme of the conference was "Transportation in the Information Age", and the technical sessions certainly complemented the theme. The registration packages were tied into the theme as well as the conference compendium was provided in CD-ROM format and delegates were given mouse pads with the conference logo.
Traffic Calming in Action - West End Calming Technical Tour
The technical program was outstanding. It consisted of two optional technical seminars on Sunday, one on the Canadian Capacity Guide for Signalized Intersections and the second on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). For the main conference, there were a total of eighty one technical presentations to choose from! The technical sessions were split into three concurrent streams: Traffic Management and Safety, ITS and New Technology and Transportation Planning & Traffic Operations. A number of compendium copies, both in CD-ROM and printed format, are now for sale at a reduced rate. Please see the ad in this issue for further details.
There were a number of social functions organized around the conference which provided delegates with a chance to recharge their batteries, or deplete them depending on your point of view! On Saturday, there was an informal golf game which was attended by about 20 delegates. On Sunday evening after the Opening Reception, 12 delegates and a volunteer referee got together for the first ever informal ice hockey game between the two organizations. You will be happy to know that CITE whipped WCTA's butt! On Monday evening, the main social function of the conference occurred, a dinner boat cruise around Vancouver Harbour, Stanley Park and False Creek. A total of 209 brave delegates boarded the "S.S. Minnow" for a three hour cruise!
On Wednesday, the annual awards luncheon was held. The highlight of this event was Dr. Stan Teply receiving the prestigious R.H. Burton Distinguished Service Award from CITE. Congratulations Stan! (no photo available)
The 1997 W.H. Curtis Memorial Award for Technical Achievement was presented by the Greater Vancouver Section to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Reid Crowther & Partners and Delcan Corporation for their work on the Barnet-Hasting People Moving Project. Terry Walton, Tom Tasaka and Tim Schnarr were the acknowledged recipients (Robin Johnson accepted the award on behalf of Tim Schnar).
Also, the Greater Vancouver Section presented the first B.C. Transportation Professional of the Year Award to Richard James of Victoria, B.C. as the 1997 recipient.
Certificates were also presented to the Meeting Co-Chairs, Peeter Liivamagi (CITE) and Mavis Johnson (WCTA).
Congratulations to everyone for a job well done.
At the CITE Annual General Meeting, the results of the elections were announced for the 1997/99 CITE Executive. Your new executive is:
| President | Mr. Alfred Geubert, P. Eng. |
| Vice President | Mr. Jan Oliver Voss, P. Eng. |
| Secretary Treasurer | Ms. Joanna Musters, P. Eng. |
| Past President | Mr. John McGill, P. Eng. |
Many thanks to the organizing committee and other volunteers for organizing a most enjoyable conference.