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Week of July 17, 2006
Safety and skills emphasized at transportation ‘roadeos’
With steady hands and nerves of steel, veteran and novice road warriors gathered in Renton and Tukwila this past weekend for two separate contests to determine which King County Department of Transportation (KCDOT) employees have the best on-the-job driving skills.
Both Metro Transit and the King County Road Services Division held their annual “roadeos” on Saturday, July 15. KCDOT roadeo competitions are contests that test the skills and knowledge of Metro’s bus drivers and Roads’ heavy equipment operators and truck drivers. The contests challenge employees to keep their skills current, encourage continued mastery of all aspects of equipment operation and truck driving, while setting an example for the best safety practices.
“The bus roadeo is designed to promote excellence and professionalism in transit operations,” said Metro Transit Operations Manager Jim O’Rourke. “The type of skills on the course are very similar to what is required for safe operation of a bus in traffic on a city street or highway.”
 Safety is also the major emphasis for the Roads Division. Roads employees who operate equipment work hard to keep up with the latest advancements in technology and to enhance their skills through training and on-the-job practical experience. By participating in roadeo competitions, employees can view and operate the latest equipment and technology, network with other operators to share tips and experiences, compare their skills, and identify areas where they can improve their knowledge and skills long before a safety issue ever arises.
Although the goals are the same, the competitions vary depending on the equipment being used.
For bus drivers, the “Metroadeo” competition is three part: driving a 40-foot bus through a closed-course with various skill stations; boarding a passenger with disabilities; and an uniform inspection to judge the contestant’s professional appearance.
 The transit course contains 13 problems that test a driver’s ability in negotiating left and right forward turns, left and right backing turns, passenger stops, and judgment problems. At some stations, the score is determined by a matter of inches – as in smoothly stopping a 31,000-lb. bus traveling at 20 mph within six inches of a traffic cone.
The Roads contest has a three-part test for four different types of equipment. The competitors all do a vehicle inspection, take a written test, and drive through an obstacle course on one of the following: grader, loader, single-axle truck or double-axle truck.
The focus for the trucks is on safely driving a big rig. But, those who compete in a grader or loader must also demonstrate how well they can maneuver and manipulate the equipment. For example, the operator of the grader – which the county crews use for snow plowing – has to carefully use the 12-foot plow blade to knock baseballs from traffic cones and pedestals without knocking over the support.
“We tightened up the course this year, and gave the contestants even less room to maneuver, but people did really, really well on Saturday,” said Road Supervisor Lindy Jenson. “The scores are all very close.”
In addition to taking home trophies, certificates and the admiration of the peers, the roadeo winners also get to represent King County at bigger venues. The winner from the transit competition now advances to the state roadeo, which will be hosted by Metro in August. And, the Roads winners automatically advance to the national competition in Colorado in September.
Roadeo results
ROADS: Tom Burklid, Maintenance Division 3, first in single and first in double axle truck driving. Corey Green, Paving Unit, second in single and double axle. Clint Willaford, Division 4, first in equipment operation. Bob Mayovsky, Division 3, second in equipment operation.
TRANSIT: Don Brady, North Base operator, placed first in the Operator Division and has won the Metroadeo on eight previous occasions. Tom Ponischil, Central Base operator, placed second. Fred Sambrano, Atlantic Base operator, took third. Ryan Stringfellow, North Base mechanic, was victorious in the Maverick division. And, Paul McKillop from South Base had the best score for a first-time competitor.
The past few months have been highly rewarding for the King County Department of Transportation, as all four divisions have brought in some impressive awards. Here are some highlights: ● The Road Services Division earned the American Public Works Association Washington Chapter’s 2006 Technical Innovation Award for its groundbreaking pavement preparation program. Roads’ new technique allows for the continuous, efficient removal of damaged asphalt and the immediate application of new material. This state-of-the-art process causes less disruption to motorists and helps reduce paving costs.
● Roads also received two awards for excellence in engineering in 2005 from the American Society of Civil Engineers, Seattle Chapter. Both were for the rehabilitation of the Wynaco Bridge on 168th Way Southeast, near Auburn. The Wynaco Bridge project is part of the Roads Division’s ongoing safety-improvement and seismic retrofitting of bridges throughout King County.
● The Fleet Division was recognized as one of ‘’The 100 Best Fleets in North America” from Utility Fleet Magazine in 2004 and 2005. This is particularly impressive considering that there are over 93,000 North American Fleet divisions.
● Aviation and Business Journal Magazine ranked the King County International Airport at Boeing Field tenth among the Top 100 General Aviation Airports in the U.S.
● Metro Transit won the prestigious Clean Air Excellence Award for 2005, presented by the EPA for innovative combination of hybrid electric technology and use of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.
● Metro’s Regional Transportation Coordinator (RTC) program, which trains multi-lingual “ambassadors” to help non-English-speaking residents use public transportation, won a National Association of Counties 2005-2006 Center for Sustainable Communities Award.
● And finally, Metro Transit received three American Public Transit Association (APWA) “Ad Wheel” first place awards in 2005 for advertising and promotional work on the Elliot Bay Water Taxi, community events, and its “Get Around U-District & North Capitol Hill” map.
Metro will be offering both regular bus service and special shuttles for the Bite of Seattle and the Seafair Indian Days Pow Wow this weekend. Photo: Bite of SeattleFor The Bite, Metro will operate a shuttle between the Northgate Park-and-Ride and the Seattle Center on Saturday and Sunday. The Northgate shuttle will run every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 9:35 p.m. on Saturday, and until 8:35 p.m. on Sunday. The shuttle makes stops at the Northgate Park-and-Ride and the Northgate Transit Center. The one-way fare is $2, and no passes or transfers are accepted. Also on Saturday and Sunday, Metro will operate a shuttle to the Bite from downtown Seattle. The downtown shuttle will travel northbound on Third Avenue from Pike Street. It returns southbound on Fifth Avenue starting at Fifth and Broad Street. It will operate about every 10 minutes starting at 10:45 a.m. Northbound passengers pay regular Metro fares on the downtown shuttle, and the return trip is free. There is no special shuttle service to The Bite on Friday, but there is plenty of regular Metro service to the Seattle Center. Use the online Trip Planner, or call Metro Rider Information at (206) 553-3000 for trip planning assistance. Photo: Powwow logoAnother big event this weekend is the Seafair Indian Days Pow Wow at Discovery Park. There will be free shuttles inside Discovery Park for the Pow Wow on Saturday and Sunday. The shuttles will circulate between the parking lot and the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center starting at noon each day. To get to the park, ride regular Metro service on either: ● Route 33 from Downtown Seattle and east Magnolia, which connects directly to the shuttles at the Visitor Center Parking Lot Area; or
● Route 24 from Downtown Seattle or Magnolia Village, which stops at 34th Avenue West and West Government Way - about a three-block walk west to the shuttle boarding location. |
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A new episode of the King County Department of Transportation’s television show “Inside Transportation” debuts this week on King County Civic Television (KCTV). This particular show is devoted to examining the details of the “Transit Now” initiative – a proposed ballot measure that would increase Metro Transit bus service by more than 20 percent. The new TV show features two groups of panelists who look at transportation needs in King County from different perspectives. The panelists include: King County Executive Ron Sims, King County Councilmember Julia Patterson, King County Department of Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi, Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond, Transportation Choices Coalition Field Manager Rachel Smith, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Executive Director Dennis McLerran, and Barbara Wright with King County Environmental Health. “Inside Transportation” airs every Tuesday at 5 p.m., and on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and Sundays at 6 p.m. KCTV is on Channel 22 in most areas of King County, and Channel 72 or 80 in some select areas. |
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