MS2 Blog

Friday, October 9, 2020

New Study: Economic and Crash Impacts of Traffic Roundabouts: A Real-World Analysis

Modern roundabout intersections have received a lot of attention in recent years. While traffic professionals like roundabouts, the general public is more skeptical. Initial reactions to proposed roundabout intersections have been met with a variety of public comment ranging from unbridled enthusiasm to total disdain. Following construction, discussions typically evolve into identifying difficulties in traversing modern roundabout intersections a... [Read More]

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

MS2’s Non-Motorized Database System Module Got Even Smarter.

Traffic engineers or planners use MS2’s Non-Motorized Database System (NMDS) to manage, store, and analyze bicycle and pedestrian data For the public, NMDS provides a dashboard-level summary of the system and an easy-to-use map showing data collection locations. For the engineer, tools are available to maintain, review, and report data at any pathway. From bike lanes to pathways to sidewalks to trails, the NMDS module helps manage non-motorized ... [Read More]

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Donny Hefner joins MS2 as Marketing Coordinator

MS2 is pleased to appoint Donny Hefner as Marketing Coordinator. Reporting to Kimberly McDonald Baker, Director of Business Development, he will assist in developing marketing initiatives focused on expanding MS2’s market share. Donny brings over six years of marketing communications experience to MS2, and previously served as the Internet and Marketing Manager for Thelen Auto Group. Donny holds a BA in Communications and Technical Writing fr... [Read More]

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

National Traffic Is Back Up and May Exceed Pre-COVID-19 Levels

**Traffic Volume is No Longer at Historical Lows** In the United States, overall national traffic volumes were at their lowest level on April 5, 2020, when total traffic was down 52% versus the prior year. Nation-wide truck traffic was at its lowest level on April 10, with truck traffic down 20%. On May 29, overall traffic volumes in the US were only down 19.1% versus last year, with national truck volumes only down 4.2%. According to ... [Read More]

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Lev Wood retires from MS2

Lev Wood, one of the longest serving staff members at MS2, is retiring from the firm effective May 1, 2020. He will be replaced as Director of Business Development by Kimberly McDonald Baker. Lev was known to his clients as the organizer of MS2’s productive bi-annual DOT User Conferences and social events including the firm’s NaTMEC client dinner receptions. Over his 16-years of service, Lev attended popular industry trade shows where he i... [Read More]

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

MS2’s New Traffic Dashboard Draws National Media Attention

Major media outlets and state Departments of Transportation from around the country have picked up on MS2’s new Traffic Dashboard application. Developed in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the application illustrates the daily traffic volume change as compared to the same day of the week in the same month for the most recent year data available on many state road networks. The MS2 Traffic Dashboard has proved valuable to state DOTs and l... [Read More]

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

MS2 welcomes Kimberly Baker

MS2 is pleased to announce that Kimberly McDonald Baker has joined MS2 as Director of Business Development, reporting to founder Ben Chen. In this capacity, Kimberly leads the sales and marketing team and is a member of the MS2 executive committee. Kimberly brings to MS2 over 20 years of relevant leadership experience at established and startup software technology companies, including 12 years at software consulting firm Project Partners in... [Read More]

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

MS2 New Modules: Sneak Peak

MS2 has been developed several exciting new software applications to support our current clients. This post provides an overview of these new applications. Permitted Lane Closure System (PLCS) was originally developed for Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). PLCS will support ODOT’s efforts to manage traffic flow in work zones during construction or repair. The system will use algorithms to determine the best outcomes for traffic flow and w... [Read More]

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

3 Billion and Counting

When you think of a billion, what does that mean to you? How long would it take to accumulate a billion dollars, a billion travel miles, or a billion medical records? Since MS2 deals with traffic data, we value volume, speed, class, WIM and other counts. MS2 accomplished another robust data management achievement late last month: 3 billion individual WIM vehicle records stored in our database. This milestone continues to demonstrate our lea... [Read More]

Thursday, January 2, 2020

MS2 at the TRB Annual Meeting

MS2 will be attending the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 99th Annual Meeting to be held January 12–16, 2020, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, in Washington, D.C. The information-packed program is expected to attract more than 13,000 transportation professionals from around the world. The meeting program will cover all transportation modes, with more than 5,000 presentations in nearly 800 sessions and workshops, addressing to... [Read More]