The YAC, March-April 2015

A Newsletter for Iowa library staff who work with youth and children brought to you by Iowa Library Services.

Iowa AgriNews, February 6, 2015, Vol. 15, no. 4

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Previously Agri-News

Iowa AgriNews, March 4, 2015, Vol. 15, no. 5

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Previously Agri-News

Iowa AgriNews, March 9, 2015, Vol. 15, no. 6

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Previously Agri-News

Summary of the opinions of the Attorney General, 2015

Compiled biennially as Official opinions of the Attorney General in the Report of the Attorney General. Report year ends December 31. Slip opinions of the Attorney General.

Iowa College Student Aid Commission Strategic Plan 2013-2015

This report outlines the strategic plan for Iowa College Student Aid Commissions including,goals and mission.

Ag Decision Maker, March 2015, Vol. 19, no. 5

A Business Newsletter for Agriculture

List of Bid Proposal Holders, March 12, 2015

List of Bid Proposal Holders

Iowa Utilities Board, Strategic Plan, 2010-2015

This report outlines the strategic plan for Iowa Utilities Board including, goals and mission.

Iowa Department of Administrative Services Four Year Strategic Plan, FY 2012-2015

Strategic Plan for the Iowa Department of Administrative Services

Iowa Department of Human Services Strategic Plan FY 2015-2017, April 28, 2014

Iowa Department of Human Services Strategic Plan

Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, Strategic Plan 2013-2015

This report outlines the strategic plan for Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, goals and mission.

Iowa National Guard Office of the Adjutant General Strategic Plan, 2010-2015

This report outlines the strategic plan for Iowa National Guard Office of the Adjutant General, goals and mission.

Evaluation of the Confirmation Light System at Signalized Intersections in Medium to Large Iowa Communities to Reduce Red Light Running Violations”, TR-657, 2015

Red light running continues to be a serious safety concern for many communities in the United States. The Federal Highway Administration reported that in 2011, red light running accounted for 676 fatalities nationwide. Red light running crashes at a signalized intersections are more serious, especially in high speed corridors where speeds are above 35 mph. Many communities have invested in red light countermeasures including low-cost strategies (e.g. signal backplates, targeted enforcement, signal timing adjustments and improvement with signage) to high-cost strategies (e.g. automated enforcement and intersection geometric improvements). This research study investigated intersection confirmation lights as a low-cost strategy to reduce red light running violations. Two intersections in Altoona and Waterloo, Iowa were equipped with confirmation lights which targeted the through and left turning movements. Confirmation lights enable a single police officer to monitor a specific lane of traffic downstream of the intersection. A before-after analysis was conducted in which a change in red light running violations prior to- and 1 and 3 months after installation were evaluated. A test of proportions was used to determine if the change in red light running violation rates were statistically significant at the 90 and 95 percent levels of confidence. The two treatment intersections were then compared to the changes of red light running violation rates at spillover intersections (directly adjacent to the treatment intersections) and control intersections. The results of the analysis indicated a 10 percent reduction of red light running violations in Altoona and a 299 percent increase in Waterloo at the treatment locations. Finally, the research team investigated the time into red for each observed red light running violation. The analysis indicated that many of the violations occurred less than one second into the red phase and that most of the violation occurred during or shortly after the all-red phase.

Modeling Merging Behavior at Lane Drops, InTrans Projects 13-466 and 06-277, 2015

In work-zone configurations where lane drops are present, merging of traffic at the taper presents an operational concern. In addition, as flow through the work zone is reduced, the relative traffic safety of the work zone is also reduced. Improving work-zone flow-through merge points depends on the behavior of individual drivers. By better understanding driver behavior, traffic control plans, work zone policies, and countermeasures can be better targeted to reinforce desirable lane closure merging behavior, leading to both improved safety and work-zone capacity. The researchers collected data for two work-zone scenarios that included lane drops with one scenario on the Interstate and the other on an urban arterial roadway. The researchers then modeled and calibrated these scenarios in VISSIM using real-world speeds, travel times, queue lengths, and merging behaviors (percentage of vehicles merging upstream and near the merge point). Once built and calibrated, the researchers modeled strategies for various countermeasures in the two work zones. The models were then used to test and evaluate how various merging strategies affect safety and operations at the merge areas in these two work zones.