Q1: What is changing in TSI 2.0?
Under TSI 2.0, Traffic Safety “Investigations” will become Traffic Safety “Inputs.” Traffic Safety Investigation (TSI 1.0) program was launched in the Fall of 2021 as part of an effort to streamline safety improvement requests by eliminating bureaucratic processes and allowing residents to submit requests to DDOT directly. As part of TSI 1.0, we launched our TSI Dashboard, where residents can check the status of any TSI, and we delivered safety improvements at over 900 locations in a single year. TSI 2.0, also known as Traffic Safety Input, is a program upgrade to TSI 1.0. TSI 2.0 will continue to maintain accessibility (simplified 311 submission process), transparency, and high-quality faster interventions as accomplished over the last one year.
The new TSI 2.0 program will begin to utilize a quarterly prioritization model that considers objective factors such as roadway characteristics, crash patterns, race, and social equity, proximity to Vision Zero High Injury Network corridors, and locations with vulnerable road users near schools, community centers, Metrorail stations, and bus stops.
Under the TSI 2.0, each TSI request (input) we receive through 311 will run through the prioritization model. 200 priority locations every quarter will advance through traffic study, followed by design and construction if safety treatments are recommended. The priority locations will be released on our website at the beginning of every quarter (January/April/July/October). TSI 2.0 will advance 800 locations every year.
While the number of TSIs we evaluate each year will be controlled in line with DDOT’s capacity, the number of field safety improvements delivered is expected to remain at the high level that we delivered over the last year.
TSI 2.0 also prioritizes a higher proportion of locations on local and collector roadways, where the TSI toolbox is most appropriate and capable of addressing safety concerns compared to the arterial roadways. This approach focuses the TSI program on being responsive to resident concerns that are not typically addressed by other capital programs in DDOT.
IMPORTANT NOTE: After submitting a TSI, the 311 request will be closed, and you will be provided a link to the TSI Dashboard Map, where you can track your input along with the scheduled and recently completed safety interventions. While the submitted service request (input) will be closed at the intake, it will remain in our system for prioritization. See Q3.
Q2: Why is DDOT changing the TSI system again after just a year?
The TSI system was implemented by DDOT in Fall 2021 (TSI 1.0) as part of an overall effort to streamline safety programs and teams within DDOT. The initial modification made TSIs more user-friendly by allowing residents to submit their requests to DDOT directly. As part of TSI 1.0, DDOT also launched the first-ever public-facing TSI dashboard to improve transparency of the system and also allocated additional resources to rapidly design and construct resident-requested safety interventions. This system also expanded the scope of improvements that were possible in response to a TSI request. The new system (TSI 2.0) will retain all of these benefits.
However, the old system operated on a first-come, first-served basis with no limits on the number of TSIs processed each quarter. After operating this system for a year, DDOT identified the results and distribution of improvements were disproportionate to the resources and capacity of staff and delayed priority safety and multimodal projects. The new system will use a prioritization model as described in Q1. This prioritization will allow DDOT to develop a viable TSI work plan for each quarter that provides adequate engineering and construction resources for each selected TSI, while allowing strategic resource allocation to programs that proactively improve safety and mobility, including High Injury Network (HIN), Annual Safety Program (ASAP), Bus Priority, Protected Bike Lane (PBL), Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and more.
Q3: I submitted a TSI under the new system, which was closed immediately. What is happening to my TSI?
Under TSI 2.0, each traffic safety request (input) is logged in the TSI system and then closed upon submittal. Each input is run through a prioritization model that evaluates objective criteria to select the top 200 locations per quarter (See Q1).
If a TSI is prioritized within the top 200 locations for a quarter, it will be incorporated into DDOT’s TSI work plan for study, design, and construction in the following quarters. If a TSI is not part of the top 200 for a quarter, it will remain in the TSI system for future consideration or until it falls within the top 200 TSIs prioritized for a future quarter.
Q4: I put a TSI in before the new system started. Why isn't DDOT prioritizing my TSI within 130 business days?
All open TSIs submitted on or before 12/13/2022 have been included in the first prioritization model run to identify the initial set of 200 priority locations under the new TSI system. These priority locations were posted on the TSI website on 01/06/2023, and are currently advancing through the preliminary traffic study stage. The remaining TSIs that were not prioritized in the first model run will be closed in the 311 system but remain available as ‘input’ for future quarterly prioritization.
Please note that all TSIs submitted after 12/13/2022 will be included in the next prioritization model run. The next set of 200 priority locations will be posted on the TSI website in early April 2023.
Once a TSI is selected, the engineering evaluation takes up to 130 business days to complete, including the design (e.g., work order development) phase, if any mitigations are recommended.
Q5: Why is DDOT only going to do 200 TSIs per quarter (800 per year)? How do the 200 get prioritized? What happens if my TSI doesn't get prioritized in the top 200 per quarter?
The volume of TSIs that DDOT received under the former TSI system (TSI 1.0) and was expected to complete within 130 business days created an inequitable and disproportionate allocation of resources. The new system will use a TSI prioritization model (See Q1).
This program update improves agency response to community requests and prioritizes planning and resources around areas where they are most needed to improve safety, equity, and access. If a TSI is not prioritized in the top 200 per quarter, it will remain in the system for future consideration.
Q6: Why doesn't DDOT automatically implement safety improvements at locations with the most safety issues?
DDOT uses data-driven processes to guide our work in various programs and projects, including the highest priority safety and multimodal corridors as identified in the MoveDC via Vision Zero, Bus Priority, and Pedestrian and Bicycle Programs.
The updated TSI process will now incorporate a data-driven process in place of the first-come/first-served means of evaluation.
The TSI 2.0 prioritization system evaluates objective factors (see Q1) and generates a unique score for each location. However, the scores do not identify specific safety concerns or potential improvements that could be made to address them. Inputs from the updated TSI system will be used to inform our work plan, and design targeted improvements to address the presented safety concerns.
Q7: How can I request a review for interventions that present as urgent or necessary?
Residents are encouraged to use the appropriate 311 categories for any urgent requests relating to the maintenance or repair of existing assets, including traffic signs, pavement markings, or traffic signals. TSI 2.0 is designed as an objective tool for the timely and consistent intake and evaluation of safety requests in a manner that is responsive to community concerns. We appreciate your patience as we seek to deliver on District-wide established equity and safety commitments.
Q8: How can Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) be involved in the process?
DDOT encourages ANCs to share their feedback on the TSIs that are under “Future Considerations” tab on our TSI Dashboard. ANCs can send a letter or email to DDOT’s Community Engagement Team with the specific TSI tracking # (Service Request #). DDOT can add the letter to the internal system as an attachment to ensure the comments are considered with great weight when the location is selected through the prioritization modeling process.