九色视频

The former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration senior manager and Virginia police officer developed an extensive portfolio in traffic policy and management over more than three decades.

Following retirement, Engle remained busy, serving on many local boards in Talbot County and winning a seat on the Easton Town Council in 2015.

So when Easton Police Chief Alan Lowrey asked Engle in 2023 if he would give the town a hand in creating a Strategic Highway Safety Plan, it was a no-brainer.

鈥淭he chief grabbed me and said, 鈥業 need help getting grants,鈥欌�� Engle recalled. 鈥淎nd he said, 鈥楢nd I know you know how to do it.鈥欌��

Though he lost his council seat two years ago, Engle has spearheaded the creation of a traffic safety plan for Easton during the last year.

Approved by the Town Council earlier this month, Easton鈥檚 new is expected to bring significant funding opportunities to the town for its transportation and safety efforts, town officials say.

It is 72 pages in length, detailing strategies and action plans for Easton to address vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian safety issues as the town grows. Not every city or town in the state has adopted a strategic plan aligning with the state鈥檚 vision, Engle noted.

鈥淢y gut feeling is that with so few of these programs, we can do pretty well,鈥� he said.

The plan goes hand-in-hand with Maryland鈥檚 law that was established in 2019, which aims to eliminate all vehicle-related deaths by 2030. Traditional approaches to highway safety assume crashes and injuries are inevitable, but Vision Zero lays out that traffic systems can accommodate for human error.

鈥淲hat I mainly focused on was speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, bicycling and pedestrians,鈥� Engle said, as well as sections dedicated to Route 50 safety and mature drivers, given Talbot County鈥檚 older population.

In order to lay the groundwork, town leaders worked with Washington College鈥檚 Geographic Information Systems Program to compile accident data dating back to 2018, culminating in the release of an .

While Easton doesn鈥檛 have traffic fatalities often, the numbers depict problem areas in town where the most crashes occurred from 2018-2023, such as Dover Road and Aurora Street.

Engle said the data, combined with sleek and easy-to-read graphic designs and charts made by the town鈥檚 communications specialist, Greg Mueller, helped the strategic plan come to life.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until I got the data,鈥� Engle said. 鈥淚 would have never thought Dover Street had the most crashes. It just wouldn鈥檛 occur to me.鈥�

Town Engineer Rick Van Emburgh, one of the plan鈥檚 main contributors, said it all boils down to making Easton safer. Clear deadlines for goals and improvements will keep the town鈥檚 progress timely, he said.

鈥淚t will hold us accountable,鈥� Van Emburgh said.

Lowrey says the Strategic Highway Safety Plan is just one step in Easton鈥檚 efforts to better safety for residents using all modes of transportation.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an important first step, but it鈥檚 part of a bigger process that the mayor鈥檚 undertaking to help us address Easton as it is right now and how it will be in the future,鈥� Lowrey said.

Engle, who says he鈥檚 鈥渇ascinated鈥� by public service, has been inspired not just by his traffic safety background, but by local organizations and residents, too.

It鈥檚 part of the reason he鈥檚 continued to dedicate hours upon hours of his time to creating a better and safer Easton.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a big bite for the town, because there鈥檚 a lot of things in here they need to (do that) they may not have the money or may not have the resources (for),鈥� Engle said of the highway safety plan. 鈥淏ut everything in here is something we should do.鈥�