On January 30 – February 1, 2008 the Capital Region Intersection Safety Partnership (CRISP) hosted the inaugural INTERSECT 2008 Symposium that explored issues and solutions to increase intersection safety on urban and rural roads. More than 160 delegates attended the two day symposium and many also participated in the one day workshops.
The symposium brought together road safety professionals from engineering, enforcement, evaluation and public education to discuss issues and solutions for both urban and rural settings. Delegates represented municipalities across Canada, several provincial governments, the health care sector, enforcement agencies, engineering firms and community representatives.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Leonard Evans, U.S. traffic safety expert, author and presenter speaking to reducing harm on our roads and Jim Cessford, Chief Constable of the Delta B.C. Police Department speaking to harnessing the power of community volunteers in traffic safety programs.
Breakout sessions explored topics including roundabouts and other innovative road designs, innovative enforcement solutions, managing human and community factors, and updates of products and policies.
Two pre-symposium workshops were held. International traffic safety expert Eric Howard from Australia conducted a workshop on increasing intersection safety. Dr. Richard Tay from the University of Calgary conducted the second workshop on creating a culture of traffic safety, exploring social marketing and evaluation.