Town staff and I got a chance to get in the trucks, talk to the engineers, but not much more. So when they offered us another opportunity to get up close and personal, I jumped at the chance.

Volvo Trucks ready for the trip

George (Volvo Engineer extraordinaire) explains, I ask loads of questions

That’s when trucking rocked my world.

There, I said it.

Who thought I could really get psyched about an 18-wheeler?

Autonomous Driving Trucks

First, a clarification. When folks talk about autonomous driving, we sometimes think of driverless cars, and that’s certainly part of the definition.  But we are a long way way from that.  The evolution of this automotive technology has great promise,  an ability to improve safety for all drivers, reduce gas consumption and reduce traffic congestion.  I do believe that it will someday be a reality.

In the world of autonomous driving, there are 6 levels (0-5) used to describe the capabilities.

Graphic from SAE International

The levels start from 0 – meaning the driver is totally in control with no automation and no assistance from any technological device, to full automation, when the driver can take over, but is not needed.  There are cars today that have a number of improvements – Tesla’s autopilot mode, for instance, is often cited as being at Level 2 (some say Level 3). Level 2 is called Partial Automation”  where the vehicle is controlling the steering and speed without the need for driver interaction for short periods of time, meaning under a minute or shorter. These are the kinds of cars that will have “lane keeping” (staying in your lane) and will brake for the driver when they get too close to the car in front.  The car can react quickly, often quicker than you, but the driver is STILL NECESSARY and needs to be paying attention to the road and surroundings.

The levels go up from there, meaning more automation, less need for the driver to intervene – where the systems in the vehicle will continue to assess the situation and alert you if and when it needs assistance.

Platooning Explained

The technology for the trucking industry I saw was called “platooning.”  It’s similar in concept to the idea of a platoon in sports – where players can substitute and play in a rotation at the same position.  The idea, in trucking though, is when a number of trucks, that have highly integrated and state-of-the-art driving systems that are all talking to each other so that they can follow each other closely down the road.  This is what they call a “platoon.” Each of these trucks is communicating through an integrated computerized system with information about their location, the distance between them, understanding who is the lead truck and ensuring their speed, distance apart (longitudinal) and systems are all working.

Platooning Trucks on 540

The Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control, a wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication technologyis monitoring any changes and quickly reacting – so that if a car or other vehicle interrupts the platoons, say gets in between the trucks, the system drops out of the platoon between those trucks.  The distance between the trucks was about 100-140 feet, or about 1.5 seconds at 60mph.  These equipped trucks can brake more quickly than a human driver!  Our tour guide/Volvo engineer, George Bitar said that the best way to think about it, is to think of this technology as “gap management.”  Makes sense.

Drafting from Wiki How

The promise of this ability is pretty clear. The monitoring of these changes and quickly reacting can truly improve safety on the road.  It’s also a real cost saver.  Platooning provides the benefits that I see when I cycle – especially when I draft behind another cyclist.  Putting aerodynamics to work, when we ride in a single file, I get to take advantage of the slipstream that is created by the front rider.  That means when I’m the back rider, I save a ton of energy and can leverage that to ride longer.  This same formation works for trucks.  The energy (or gas savings) is not only realized by the back trucks, but the front vehicle also benefits, with increased savings.  Besides the safety and cost savings, the belief is that these systems will also reduce traffic congestion, as well.

So, how did this work?

After jumping into the truck, we got a detailed overview of all of the sophisticated equipment in the vehicles.  These were standard Volvo AB trucks fitted with special equipment, with two white and unmarked 28 foot Fedex trailers. They also have full payloads so that the tests truly simulate real road conditions.  These trucks have it all, from radios, sensors, radar, to video cameras and special communications equipment.  Everything is measured and all communications wireless.  There are also drivers in the vehicles to not only steer, but to be able to take over the system at anytime.  The drivers are steering but the computer systems are braking and accelerating.

Cindy, our professional truck driver

After some questions from Mayor TJ Cawley and I, we took off.  As we were driving about 60 mph down 540 (more on that later), an “interloper” (an SUV with an Volvo employee inside) breaks into the platoon formation, crossing into our lane between the first and 2^nd truck.  We watch as the first two vehicles break out of their platoon, but the second two vehicles stay in formation, slow down automatically and keep their distance (gap) between the vehicles to then form their own platoon. When the “interloper” leaves the lane, the trucks automatically return to the formation of the three truck platoon, with the lead truck resuming as front vehicle and the others accelerating to match speed.  All automatic.  Our driver never stepped on the brake or accelerator.  SO COOL!

Why Platooning and Why Here

The 18 mile stretch of NC 540 from the exit at Veridea Parkway north to Cary is one of just 10 locations in the US that the US Department of Transportation has designated for demonstrating advanced vehicle technologies. The Turnpike Authority is also heavily involved, and this research and activity is heavily monitored by all parties.  And yes, because they are on the Turnpike, they are paying tolls, just like the rest of us.

Fedex is a partner of Volvo for this technology initiative –and they certainly have a vested interest. With over 60,000 vehicles delivering over 8M global packages daily, their goal is to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and save money.

Fedex has said that drag accounts for up to 25% of a vehicles energy consumption – and the numbers I heard were energy savings of 4-10% in gas savings equating to millions of dollars.  The closer the trucks, the more trucks in the platoon, the higher the savings.  The goal of safety is still first and paramount.

Also, Volvo’s North American headquarters is in Greensboro and the proximity of this testing location is great for them as well.

The Volvo Team

Safety first

These tests are only being run when the conditions on the road are safe.  In fact, drivers (including us) aren’t supposed to be using cruise control or other technology measures when it’s raining or there are pools of water on the road. Our trained and professional driver, Cindy shared her excitement about the promise of this technology and the ability to improve the safety of the vehicles.

Overall, it was a really great experience.  I learned so much about the technology, the promise of improved safety and the passion of all the folks involved. And, who doesn’t love to ride in an 18-wheeler?

All the Platoon Riders from across the Triangle

Cary has a program to help you do that!

Our Legacy Program allows our community members to mark an occasion or honor an individual in the Town, with the placement towards a tree or bench in the location of your choice. Also included is a personalized plaque on the bench or at the tree location. This unique program provides a long-lasting gift that will continue to not only benefit the community for years to come, but a way to honor that individual or event.

This program was an idea from a Cary citizen, approved in 2016, with the program finalized and launched in 2017. We’ve had some wonderful installations!

Beautiful Markings

One such installation is the bench along New Hope Church Trail near the Durham County line. This bench was very important to the Cogburn family as Julie would use the Durham County Line as her “touch and return” point when she was running.  This is truly a beautiful example of how we can honor the wishes of our citizens in a way that benefits our entire community.

Julie’s Bench

We also plant trees in Cary to celebrate all types of events. These plantings play an important role in our natural cycle by not only capturing carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide, but also releasing oxygen. Of course, trees also help prevent flooding and assist with controlling soil erosion, and add value and beauty to our surroundings.

You may have noticed that trees are even planted on behalf of our Hometown Spirit Award winners.

Sheila Ogle – Hometown Spirit Award winner

Just think of all the ways our citizens can use this program to establish a new family tradition, commemorate a graduation or wedding, celebrate family births, recognize the accomplishments of an organization, or to remember a loved one.

Another Tree Program

We love trees in Cary – it’s why we have nearly 50% tree canopy cover and are proud to have been named a Tree City USA Community for 34 consecutive years.  Our Champion Tree ordinance has saved countless large trees, and when they haven’t been able to be saved, the ordinance has ensured that trees of a similar type were planted, so that the total caliper inches of the trees planted is no less than what was there previously.  So although we might lose a large tree, we are gaining more trees in its place.  It’s not the best solution for those of us that love the large trees, but it helps when we can’t save one.

Trees are special to so many of our citizens.  Have you ever noticed some of the amazing trees around Cary, and wanted to learn more about them?  Or, have you wanted others to know about a special tree?

Here’s your chance! Check out Cary’s Tree Collector program – where you can mark (online) a special tree, or learn more about the ones in our town.  Learn more about trees and our programs at our Tree Planting and Care page.  Of course, you know that data is saved in our Open Data portal, too, right?

Other Ways to Give

So, is a tree or bench not what you were looking for?  We have other ways for you to mark an occasion.

Engraved Pavers – landscaped pavers are available to personalize at some of our various park facilities.  You can find a list of locations and contact information here.

Make a difference for a Child – you can donate towards a scholarship for programs, classes and camps for those in the community who would not otherwise be able to afford to participate through Cary’s Parks Recreation and Cultural Resources “Play it Forward” Scholarship fund.

Smart Cities Recap

Why do we want to be looking at “smart city” capabilities?

Because the opportunity of utilizing smart technologies and data analysis is that it allows us to optimize our town functions while also driving economic growth. And all of this is with the goal of improving the quality of life for our citizens.

Last year, Cary took on this idea full steam, creating a simulated Smart City Campus, partnering with vendors, local universities, our Town volunteer boards and smart city organizations to help us as we moved forward.  Throughout all of these efforts, Cary garnered a few awards:

• • Smart Cities Dive: Rising Star Award (2017)
  • Smart Cities Connect, Smart 50 Award: for Cary’s Simulated Smart City (2017)
  • and the Smart Cities Council 2018 Readiness Grant.
  • This last award allowed us to have a workshop in Cary, where we recently held a meeting at SAS of more than 80 folks to plan additional ways to make data-informed decisions, and ensure greater citizen engagement and transparency.  Our all day workshop session focused on 3 main topics:
    • Smart, safe mobility and transportation
    • Healthy communities
    • Integrated data infrastructure
  • 

    Cary Wins Smart 50 Award

What’s New and What’s Next? 

Recently,  I had the pleasure of presenting how Cary envisions utilizing technology for Public Good at Interop with our amazing CIO, Nicole Raimundo, have I mentioned she was NC Public Sector CIO of the Year?  Just sayin.

We had the opportunity to brag a bit about Cary, as well as share our vision and journey – from our two different perspectives – of an elected and a CIO.  It was great to hear from other CIOs and  public servants about their own process, and allowed us all to learn from each other.

We had a little video – to kick things off, and get people thinking.  What are some of the technologies that are in use, or could be in use, to help us in our daily lives?  What would that “Day in the Life” look like?  

• COOL TECHNOLOGY IN USE

• I’ve talked about some of the great innovations in use at the Town, or being piloted.   WAZE is already being used by many folks, and our Alexa app is in its 2nd Beta.  (I hope it will be launched soon!)
• But one of the most exciting capabilities and one that gained a ton of interest from our Interop audience is a simple texting application.
• It’s called TXT311.  And if you watched the above video, you might have seen a bit about it.
• So, here’s the scenario:
• It’s Saturday, and you pack up the dog and the kids and head out to one of our great dog parks with a plan to wear out the dog, and the kids. Beautiful day – perfect weather, ready for fun.
  

  Sad dog eyes…

• And, you get to the gate at the Dog Park – and it’s stuck.  Your card won’t work. The gate won’t open.  No one is around, and it’s a Saturday.
• I mean, c’mon. Look at these eyes —- how do you say “no” to that?
• Who do you call?  (No, not Ghost Busters.)

Well, you don’t have to CALL anyone.

Hanging near the gate is this sign – directing you to use  TXT311, to let Town of Cary staff know about an issue.

TXT311 at Jack Smith Dog Park

Texting with the Town

So, you send out the text, and voila!  You get a response, and Luke is on the other end, responding to your request.

(This is the text from a live feed, but I removed the phone number of the caller.)

On the town side, we’re able to do something quick, and responsive, using a device that most people have with them.  In fact, studies have shown that texting is the #1 preferred method for support calls, it’s also the most used data service in the world. (Nielsen) and 89% of consumers want to use messaging to communicate with businesses. (Twilio)

This is what Smart Cities is all about.  To leverage innovative ideas, technology and people – all coming together to make Cary the remarkable place it is to live, work, own a business, raise a family —- and to play.  At a dog park, if you want.

• _________________________________
• I’ll be talking about other technologies in upcoming blog posts – I hope you’ll stay tuned.And yes, that’s my dog, Luna.  (She’s an Irish Doodle and loves a good Dog Park.)

Oh, and if you want to watch Councilmember Jennifer Robinson and I talk about this a bit more, check out our Cary Matters video, below.

As we all watched the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey – our hearts, hands and wallets opened up to assist.

Now, we see one potentially headed our way – and it’s time to make sure that we are ready, as well. Please take a few moments and do the following – while we wait for Hurricane Irma to decide her path. 

1. 

   ReadyNC Mobile App

   Sign up for ReadyWake if you haven’t done so already.

   In partnership with Wake County, the Town of Cary will notify you via your preferred means of contact (phone, text and email) when there is an imminent threat to life, health and property.  Sign up and get information directly on the device of your choice.

   You can also download the ReadyNC app for iPhones and Android phones.  It has information like road conditions, power outages reported, areas that are being evacuated, and where open shelters are near you.

   You can also find this information on the ReadyNC webpage.   You’ll find lots of great information that should be updated as Irma gets closer.

2. Create your own support network and an emergency communication plan. That way, you’ll know of family, friends and neighbors, and have their contact information to help you, or you help them, in an emergency.  Know where and how you will all connect if various communication routes are down, and where you might go if you need to evacuate.  Reach out and tell them what you might need.
3. Think about what you need for you and your family.  Check out FEMA’s Plan & Prepare site for some great tips.
   – Do you have pets? How will you care for them?
   – Do you have children and/or seniors?  What special arrangements might you need?
   – Dietary needs? Medical needs or equipment? (Medications, CPAPs, medical equipment?)
   – Special cultural or religious consideration
4. Protect your important documents/valuable and make sure you document and insure your property.
   – Make sure to have items ready in your emergency supply kit – like family records, wills, deeds, social security cards, bank information, medical and tax records, and medical cards and prescriptions.
   – Take pictures of your property – and upload them to a Cloud based service (like iCloud, Box, Dropbox) so your information is in the cloud, not just on your computer and backup drive.
5. 

   Make a Kit

   Emergency Supply Kit – This one is something you can do by collecting items above, and/or heading out to the store.  You need to make sure you have enough water, food and supplies for 3-7 days.  I remember we were without power for 7 days when Fran hit – and I was glad to have some of these items at the ready.Here are some suggestions from a variety of websites.  (By the way, I’m not opposed to adding things like chocolate brownies (my must have, I might need to make some now) and beer or bourbon (a request by some family members and friends) – make this YOUR kit.   Also make sure to include the items mentioned above.
   One other tip: I also put some of my gallons of water in the freezer – that way I can use them if I need to keep food cold if we are out of power. (Make sure to take some water out of the bottle, as they expand when they freeze.)  And start stocking up on your ice cubes, too.

   • Water – 1 gallon per person, per day
   • Food – non perishable, and canned (don’t forget the can opener!)
   • Battery powered or hand crank radio, extra batteries
   • Flashlights – extra batteries
   • Cell phone w/Charger
   • First aid kits
   • Hand wipes
   • Tools to be able to turn off the water
   • Prescriptions, medications, glasses/contacts (solution)
   • Blankets, change of clothes, dopp kit items
   • You house and car keys
   • Cash and credit cards
   • Books, and other items to distract you
   • Candles/matches
   • Pet needs (if you have them).

Please Be Safe

The Town of Cary, Wake County and others will be posting on social media, and alerting citizens as the Hurricane moves closer.  You can follow their Facebook pages (Town of Cary, Wake County) and their Twitter feeds (Town of Cary, Wake County, ReadyWake).

Please be safe and prepare.  We can always replace stuff, we can’t replace you or your loved ones.  

Feel free to comment on any tips and tricks you have for preparing, I’d love to hear from you.

I was honored to be asked to join Mayor Nancy McFarlane (Raleigh), Mayor Pam Hemminger (Chapel Hill) and City Manager Tom Bonfield (Durham) for a panel at the Triangle Smart Cities Summit last month.

A View from the City

The “View from the City” panel was moderated by Governor Martin O’Malley, and we bounced a number of questions, ideas,  and visions around the table regarding our take on “what IS a Smart City” and how we get there.  If you want, you can watch the WHOLE thing below.  What was apparent was that each of our municipalities is working hard to leverage technology to improve the lives of our residents – by tapping into the intellectual capital at our respective universities, engaging citizens and working across our city and town boundaries to find regional solutions and best practices.  I highlighted a number of our wins – like Aquastar, that I’ve blogged about before – and new things on the horizon.

Triangle Smart Cities

Speaking of New Things

The Town of Cary Technology Services group participated in the Triangle Smart Cities, by showcasing their new Innovation Experience Center as part of the “poster session.”  This new and exciting initiative is a way for Cary to test, develop and try out a number of technologies while creating public/private partnerships around Smart City capabilities.  All with the goal of addressing our business challenges, improving productivity, or saving money, or even to improve citizen engagement.

Cary Smart City Poster

This Center is in its early stages – with the vision to create a Smart City Town Campus, where some of these solutions can be piloted.

Here are just a few of the Use Cases:

•  – Transportation and Smart Parking, providing parking info and availability info to staff and citizens through an app
•  – Facility Usage, determining community center usage
•  – Community Apps – finding ways to increase citizen engagement, utilalize data from other apps for overall usage info
•  – Work order management – how to use the Internet of Things to help automate processes and drive data driven decisions
•  – Alexa – Providing intelligent personal assistant capabilities, and government services on this new platform, check my blog about that, here.

Through their public/private partnerships, they will be able to try new capabilities around a number of technologies, from parking sensors to sensors on trash cans, to drones to test and inspect equipment, to smart lighting, and more.

(I’ll write more about each of these over the next few weeks.)

Sharing is Caring

Some of us techies have a difficult time explaining what we do and how we do it to non-techie folks.   So the folks at the Cary Technology Services  department thought they would find a way to try to do just that by having an Open House.   You know what you need for Open Houses, right?  Well, normally alchohol, but they didn’t have that,   (I know, right?)  But, they had the right stuff – cool stuff (drones, all kinds of neat devices), demonstrations (how to use Chatter, and how e911 works, demo of the trial parking app), interactive and engaging content (getting feedback from people on their use of tools, and an overview of Agile), and most importantly, dessert.  Oh, and shirts – they had cool T-Shirts for the team.  Wanna run through it?  Take a look.

While I was there, it was packed with people coming to learn more about what the TS Department does, how they do things, and how they can help.  I heard people with some “aha” moments during an Open Data demo while also trying to think how they might be able to use Tableau to solve some of their problems.  I saw folks learning how to use Chatter to keep abreast of things going on in Town, and lots of “wows” as I walked around.

We have Interns

There were some young folks there too, the Interns, guiding the employees around, and showing off what they were working on this summer.  It’s an amazing opportunity – to both see the inner workings of government, and to be able to work on a real project.  They were all so thrilled with what they are learning – and we learn so much from them. These are our citizens of the future – hopefully they will pursue jobs in the Public Sector – we need great and innovative people like them.

Town of Cary Interns

What’s next?

I’m so very proud of what our innovative teams have done – this new “Smart City Campus” is right here on our Town Hall Campus – near the Herb Young Center.  This will be a place where we can partner with a number of private companies to try new technologies and capabilities that will address current and new problems – all in a real world environment without interrupting our citizens lives.  Cary will be leveraging Internet of Things hardware and software – and we are leading the way – in fact, this is one of the first implementations of Cisco’s IOT Platform in the US, I believe.

Over the next few weeks I’ll highlight some of the great work these folks are doing – with a deep dive into some of the technologies and efforts to leverage data to improve our collective quality of life.

And yes, there will be a discussion of drones, I promise.

I’ll wait…

It’s National Bicycle Month – what does that actually mean, and why should you care?

I’m glad you asked.

Because this month there are so many ways for you to not only get out and see Cary and our community on your bike, but you will also notice that lots of folks are already doing so – and we all want to be safe out there.

My Bike History  (a short tale, like me)

I’m kinda a bike nerd.  I didn’t start that way. I took easy rides with the family and enjoyed just getting out there with the kids.

My family – many years ago

Then, I had this friend, Wayne, who first got me on a road bike.  (Let’s all blame him. OK?)  I started taking my hybrid on the road, but I found it so very heavy to do longer rides.  I moved up to a road bike, so much lighter and easier to maneuver.  But I was scared – mostly about all the spandex that folks wear, but also about the vulnerability of being on the road, next to vehicles that could easily bump or hit me.  I know that I’m no threat to a car – but I also know how easily it is to be distracted as a driver, and miss seeing a cyclist. It’s something I think about all the time when I’m on the road.  

I started my first rides with the goal of eventually riding a Century (100 miles – yes, in a day) at the Multiple Sclerosis BikeMS ride.

I began with short rides – 5, 10 miles, then another at 20.  I was motivated by the safety of some of the fundraising rides, with a pack of cyclists, roads that are closed and flanked by police officers – and also the lure of ice cream at the end of the best rides.  My first long ride was a metric century with my friend Donna – who coaxed and cajoled me when I didn’t have the energy to keep going.  She’s also the one who got me over the finish line of my first 100 mile ride —- singing horrible songs to keep me going the last 10 miles.  Yes, I was trying to bike away from that. You would too if you heard her.

Eventually I brought in my mom and daughter into the biking family.  We even did the BikeMS ride together – not a lot of 3 generations out there in Spandex.  Trust me on that one.  (And yes, I’m still scared of Spandex.)  And yes, my daughter DID beat me over the finish line at 75 miles that day.

75 mi BikeMS ride with my amazing daughter

And now, I’m a fan of my Elf.  I wrote about it before, here, but it gives me a commuter and errand vehicle, that’s safer, more visible, and easy to use for those types of trips.

Bike to School 2016

(Yes, I take it to Town Hall, and to the grocery store and for coffee.)  All of my bikes have a purpose and use, and I’m a fan of each one of them.

National Bike Month

Enough about me.  This is about May being National Bike Month.

I wanted to share my experience because biking has really changed my world view in so many ways.

– It’s given me a new way to get exercise while commuting and running errands.
– I’ve connected to a whole new group of people in the community.
– I found ways to combine my passion for finding an end to MS, with my love of cycling through MS Rides.
– I feel like I help the environment everytime I choose NOT to drive, and to ride my bike instead
– I’ve found new ways to connect with my family through cycling – it’s an activity for all ages (ask my 70+ year old mom, she’s out there riding all the time!)

Biking does more than help you stay fit, connect with the community, and help the environment, it can help reduce traffic, stress and slow you down.  A recent CNNTech article says that bikes will eventually rule the roads.

Bike Interest Grows

Interest in cycling is growing.  Raleigh has a new BikeShare program. Wake County is looking at the possibility of a Cycling center at RDU. And I’ve talked about finding ways to make cycling safer – such as separate biking lanes for the future.

Cary is Committed to Bike and Ped Safety

The Town of Cary continues to prioritize bicycling as a major mode of transportation and has finalized the implementation of transportation bond bicycle improvements. These improvements include the installation of 14 miles of bicycle pavement markings, the installation of 4 bike lockers at the downtown Cary Depot, installation of bicycle and pedestrian counting devices, development of a Bike/Hike mobile application and the construction of the New Hope Road and Reedy Creek Road Trailheads.

C’mon Out and Bike

There are a number of events and activities to celebrate Bike Month.

Check out Cary’s Bike Month page, and Raleigh’s and Durham’s.

– Bike to School Day – Wed, May 10^th
 – Bike to Work Week – May 15-19^th
 – Bike to Work Day – May 19^th
 – Ride of Silence – May 17^th – a silent bike ride to honor those who have been injured or killed while bicycling on public roads to raise awareness.

Be Safe

Let’s face it – we’ve had it tough in Cary over the last year when it comes to cycling accidents in the news.  My heart is heavy with the impact that these events have had on two of my co-workers and their families – one from the Town and one at Cisco.  Nothing can mend the pain we feel when something so tragic happens, we need to look at what we can all do to be safe, moving forward.

1. Just remember, that a bicycle is a vehicle, and NC traffic laws treat cyclists as drivers of a vehicle. Because of that, a bicyclist is allowed to travel on all public roadways except fully controlled access highways (freeways) such as interstates. And follow the rules of the road – obey all traffic signs, signals and lane markings.
2. NC law requires that any person under the age of 16 riding a bicyle as an operator OR passenger, must wear a Helmet.
3. Vehicles must provide at least 4 feet of space while passing a bicyclist or completely enter the left lane like they would for any other vehicle.
4. Go with the traffic flow – not against it.

But there is more that we can do. 

I’d like to see Town Council add a Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission in place, similar to Raleigh and Durham. I suggested it over a year ago, and will bring it up again as we continue to review our boards and commissions. I believe that we could leverage the amazing intellectual capital and experience of the cycling community and the walking fans, to give us THEIR TAKE on what we need to be doing.

With 80 miles of greenways – and access to the American Tobacco Trail in our back yard, there’s no reason not to jump on a bike and explore.  Be safe, and I hope to see you out there!

Oh, wait – I have to explain.

About 2 years ago members of the Environmental Advisory Board brought forward a great idea – to work with residents, businesses and organizations throughout the Town to create wildlife habitats in their yards and gardens, at schools, public spaces, and places of worship.

The goal – to give people a way to connect to their natural world, whether through enticing birds, butterflies or bees, or other wildlife – right where they are.

The Garden for Wildlife program sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is about blooming these possibilities across the community – providing tools, guidance and a way to certify participation of your garden space.  Making a sustainable habitat is relatively easy and a way for us all to reverse some of the human-caused habitat destruction that has hurt wildlife.  Whether you have rain barrels, compost, used native plants in your garden or yard, or hung bird feeders or installed bird baths– you are doing your part to help.

Cary Did It!

Last night several community members from various organizations that participated in the program, including the members of the EAB, Mayor Pro Tem Ed Yerha, a number of Staff members were joined by a Patrick Fitzgerald, The National Wildlife Federation’s Senior Director of Community Wildlife from Washington DC and Liz Rutledge from the NC Wildlife Federation, to present Cary with a Certificate recognizing Cary as a Community Wildlife Habitat.

This is quite a milestone in our history! For Cary to earn this standing over 400 homes, 5 schools and 3 common areas (like churches) in Cary were individually certified as wildlife habitats.

We are now the 101^st community to be recognized across the country – and the FIRST in the TRIANGLE to have this designation!

Ed and I with Patrick & Liz from NWF

How did we do it?

After the suggestion was approved our Sustainability Office took lead and collaborated with our other departments, such as Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources and Public Works. This type of multi departmental collaboration assisted greatly in the Town of Cary reaching their certification goal in less than two years when most communities take five. To reach our goal, we had to host multiple environmental outreach and education events, many of these were coordinated through our Spruce program – while Town staff worked to inspire our community members to make simple steps in their own outdoor spaces to support wildlife. From Earth Day to Compost Workshops to nature walks at Hemlock Bluffs citizens learned about the importance of making their lawns, school yards, and outdoor areas friendly to pollinators and all the wildlife that is so crucial to a healthy ecosystem.

Watch for these signs

As part of this achievement – you will soon see these great signs across the community, recognizing our achievement and commitment to the environment.  Our entire community should be proud of this accomplishment, and we’re not done!

EAB with our new recognition sign

There’s Still Time

Certified Garden for Wildlife Sign

Yes, you can still join the cause and certify your own space as a Garden for Wildlife.  (Get this sign for your yard!)

Check out the NWF’s certification program to learn more.  There is a nominal one-time fee of $20 for any individual, school, business or common area that wishes to participate and get certified. (There is a 20% off sale for the month of May. )

The fee can be paid online when you fill in your application.  This fee helps the NWF increase declining habitat for bees, butterflies and birds and other wildlife nationwide! You will also get a personalized certificate once your habitat is certified, 10% off NWF catalog merchandise, such as a yard sign proudly declaring your yard as a certified Wildlife Habitat a Subscription to monthly e-newsletter Garden for Wildlife, and One full-year’s membership to NWF and s one-year subscription to its National Wildlife magazine. To learn more you can also check out the “Cary It Green” Facebook page.

Join the Team

By the way – if you want to be part of one of our great boards and commissions – NOW IS THE TIME!  Apply now to make a difference for your community – we need you and your skills to continue to make Cary great.

And yes, I’ve written about this before –  and you can read my previous blog posts here, and here.)

Suffragettes (Library of Congress)

But this year, I’ve really felt that the Women’s Movement is shifting.  From the Women’s March to #InternationalWomensDay – women are standing up and being counted.  We’ve marched, written songs, run for office, and made our voices heard.  You might not agree with all that’s going on, but I have to give credit to all of the women that are no longer sitting back and watching from afar.  We have some amazingly powerful women in this area – whether they are on boards or commissions as volunteers, in elected roles, at the board table or the PTA – they help to make our towns, cities and counties the best that they can be. 

Mother and daughter at the Women’s March in DC

Marginalized, Misogyny and Sexism

You might be thinking that this movement isn’t necessary.  Maybe you work in a company that is committed to equity, or maybe you feel that you just don’t see the need.  I’m here to tell you that we still feel marginalized.  Why?  Well, because sexual harassment, inequality and inequity still happens everyday.

Misogyny, often described as the hatred of women has been in the news quite a bit over the last few months.  In fact, it’s one of the TOP 1% of definition look ups on Merriam-Webster online.

You may have even seen this video – of a Polish member of the European Parliament who believes that ‘Women must earn less than men, because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent.  “ All while discussing the gender pay gap.

And then recently, we saw reports of a veteran’s allegations that military personnel were using social media to share and distribute nude photos and the names of some of them and of female colleagues and other women, as part of a network that promotes sexual violence.  This is sexual harassment, plain and simple.  I was impressed with Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) taking the military to task for being aware of the problem, yet not acting for so long.

The Stats – We have a ways to go

– 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime  (United Nations)

– The wage gap still exists – women who worked full-time, year round, on average earned 79% of men’s median annual earnings, and annual pay for women now equals men’s salaries, 10 years ago.

– Almost 57% of U.S. workers are women. (US Dept of Labor)

– 70% of mothers with children under 18 participate in the labor force, with over 75% employed full-time.

•  – Mothers are the primary or sole earners for 40% of households with children under 18 today, compared with 11% in 1960.

– Among firms in the S&P 500, a stock market index of large U.S. companies, only 6% of CEOs are women. (Forbes)

– Male CEOs make about 22% more than women CEOs (Forbes)

What can we do?

First, we need to educate ourselves and our community.  Being ill informed of the issues, or turning our backs on the sexism and misogyny will not address the problem.

In honor of Women’s History Month – the Town of Cary, along with the National Foundation for Women Legislators, will be showing the documentary, “Miss Representation.”

“Written, directed and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Miss Representation is a documentary film that exposes how mainstream media and culture contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film advocates that we all use our voice, eyeballs, and wallets to build a society that better represents us all.”

Miss Representation first premiered in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival and made its television debut as part of the OWN documentary film club in October 2011, with over 1.4 million people tuning in.

This documentary studies the obstacles women face in the media and the stereotypes that still define them. It features interviews with noted figures in politics (Nancy Pelosi and Condoleeza Rice), broadcast news (Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow), television (Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling) and movies (Geena Davis, Rosario Dawson and Jane Fonda.)

So, come out to see the Miss Representation at the Cary Theater – FOR FREE!

Mark your calendars!

Wednesday – March 29th, 7pm

Join us and bring your friends, sisters, daughters and others to see this documentary.  Bring your girl scout troupe, or your students – it’s an informative film.

Let’s talk.

I DO think we have made progress.  Movies like “Miss Representation” and “Hidden Figures” have helped to illuminate some of our societal problems, while also offering up a space for discussion.  I’m a firm believer that this continual light that we shine on these issues help – the next step is action.  (By the way, if you haven’t seen “Hidden Figures” – GO! It’s great!)

– We need more women to stand up and call out these behaviors.

– We need women to continually climb the corporate ladders.

– We need more women to run for office.

– And we need women to support other women.

Because, as Madeleine Albright has famously said for years…

See ya at the movie…

With all that is going on in the world today – I didn’t think I could do the standard “Welcome to Cary” remarks.  Here’s what I said.

Welcome

Hello and Good Afternoon.

I’m Cary At-Large Representative Lori Bush, and I’m honored to join you on behalf of our Town Council and the 160,000 people who call Cary home. Welcome to our beautiful downtown and our Jewish Cultural Festival!

Thank you for inviting me to be with you today, and a big thank you to the Chabad of Cary, Beth Shalom, the Raleigh-Cary Jewish Community Center, and the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary for your collaboration. As a Cary resident and particularly as a Jew, I feel so lucky to have you all right here in our area.

One of the amazing things about this Jewish Cultural Festival is how it has morphed and changed over the years — what started as a way to celebrate Chanukah with all of the festivities around that holiday – like the lighting of the menorah, eating latkes and spinning dreidels  – to last year’s Purim Celebration – with Hamentashen and costumes—– and now, a recognition of Passover – we have, TOGETHER, taken a journey through some of our unique traditions, celebrations and ceremonies.  We join together, as a community to celebrate our history and our past, and most importantly –  we embrace others who join us – whether this is their first time at our festival, or you’ve attended others before – we actively welcome and invite people of all faiths and ethnicities to this and ALL of our cultural festivals in Cary. 

As we know, Passover commemorates our Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt.  And soon, we will avoid bread and leavening, while we also get to drink four glasses of wine, recline while eating at our Seder table,  eat matzah, charoset and hear the wonderful voices of children reading the”Four Questions.”

This Pesach – though, is a bit different for us.  Jews are faced with the anti-Semitism that we have continually rejected for so long, yet lingers.   There have been more than 100 Bomb threats at JCCs across the country since January.  The desecration of many Jewish cemeteries – my own grandparents are buried at the Chesed Shel Emeth cemetery in St. Louis that was vandalized.  And anti-Semitic fliers were found at the University of Illinois-Chicago just this last week.

Some could say that this is not a fun time to be a Jew.

But, hey – listen, it wasn’t easy for our ancestors either.  They were slaves, leaving Egypt those thousands of years ago.  They left with what they could, with no time to leaven the bread, or to send a text to let anyone know they were coming.  Life was hard then, and has been over many many generations for our people.  But, we are survivors.  And we continue to gather around our collective tables, even today,  to tell the story of our exodus from Egypt , from slavery to Freedom.  We, too,  were immigrants, refugees, headed to a new life – like so many of our brothers and sisters in the world today.  We are dreamers, still – filled with love and hope for a better tomorrow.  And we have more friends and neighbors than we can count – who have our backs.

Because, let me tell you this.  You know who raised money to repair all of the damage to my grandparent’s and other graves in that St. Louis Cemetery?  Muslims.  Our Muslim brothers and sisters raised more than $120,000 to support the cleanup and restoration of that cemetery.  Another group so viciously criticized – who feel isolated and unfairly targeted, reached out to another community in pain. To tell them, us, YOU MATTER. You are loved.

So, this year – let’s all do something a bit different.  Let’s show love.  Love to those haters.  Love to all, first – and foremost. Let’s tell someone we’ve known  – how much they mean to us. Let’s also tell the person that doesn’t understand us or our ethnicity – to join us at the Seder table. Let’s open the door – not only for Elijah, but for all to enter.  Let us learn a lesson from our ancestors – and move forward with love for each other – and apply that lesson from the past, to us all living here, and now.

Because in the Town of Cary, we DO love you all.  We respect, honor and treasure the cultural diversity of the more than 68 countries that are represented in our population and the more than 20% of our population who were born outside of the US. And yes,  all are welcome here.

I hope you enjoy your time here with friends, family and community. Thank you, and Pesach Sameach!

I also remember when I got my first navigational system, a Garmin box that had a suction cup to attach to the windshield.  That device was life changing – I found new ways to get around the town, and I distinctly remember feeling like this new technology was finally addressing my navigationally-challenged self.

How did this happen?

What you might not know is that these systems, along with Google Maps and Waze, built-in car navigational systems and other mapping applications on your phone – are some of the first commercial implementations of Open Data.  Yep, it’s true.  (And yes, I’ve written about Open Data before.)

The data used for these systems is GPS – Global Positioning System data.  

This information comes from a space-based satellite navigation system that was built and maintained by the Department of Defense (DoD) in 1978, and is now freely available to anyone in the world with a GPS receiver.  The availability of this data has had a huge impact on business and society in general – and has changed the way we all interact with the world around us.  It’s used in every sector of our lives – from agriculture, construction, transportation and has allowed new productivity and efficiency implementations across the board.  And, whole businesses have been created using this technology.  For instance, farmers use GPS to help with crop planning – and yes, GPS is what helps those beautiful corn mazes get built.  GPS will get your emergency vehicles to you more quickly in an accident, and ensure that your cruise ship gets you to the next port.

Learn more and see the BIG poster at: How GPS Works (gps.gov)

GPS Social Mapping

GPS is so omnipresent, that we don’t even think about it anymore.  We tell Siri to get us to a location, and our phone instantly shows us a map, and we indicate if we are walking, biking or driving – to ensure we get the safest route based on our mode of transportation.

My house on Waze

But, here’s the cool part.  New GPS products are allowing our mapping tools to be reactive to dynamic changes in the transportation system around us.  For instance, Waze is a free mobile app for your phone, and it’s what we call a Social GPS tool.  It taps into the information of “Wazers”  – that is, folks that use Waze and have allowed the app to share their transportation information, such as slow-down information directly from the drivers, themselves.  By combining this information with data from other Wazers – the goal is to take this combined information from other drivers and use it to improve everyone’s commute.

What does that mean?  Well, by allowing Waze to see where you are, how fast you are going, and allowing you to contribute information such as slow downs, hazards and accidents, Waze creates a community-based map that provides real-world information about the status of traffic.  All of your data is anonymized, so individual data cannot be shared.

Here’s an example.  I was driving to a meeting in downtown Raleigh a few months ago, and I was  using Waze directions to get there.  All of the sudden, Waze started directing me to get off of I-40 and to take the backroads that would lead me downtown.  Little did I know it, but a huge back up was happening about 3 miles ahead due to an accident, and it was being detected by Waze.  The app was proactively re-routing me based on that real-time traffic and road information being provided by Wazer’s data.

There are more than 50 million monthly active Waze users today – whether they are using it “actively” – meaning interacting with the app, or “passively” just allowing the app to contribute their speed, congestion and routing insights to the app.  They also have map editors (volunteers) that update maps and verify local edits to ensure accuracy. 

I’m from the Gov’ment – I’m here to help

But, and here’s the cool thing, Waze also has a “Connected Citizens Program” that now allows municipalities to provide information to the app, giving users a look at real-time road activity, construction and road closure data AS IT OCCURS, so that you can be re-routed BEFORE you’re sitting in traffic.  This 2-way communication, or data exchange, allows transportation systems and cities to get real-time information that can help with faster emergency response time, and to help Waze users get around road closures and other incidents quickly.  Over time, as Cary implements a phased rollout plan, Waze will provide real-time anonymous incident and slow-down information while the Town of Cary provides real-time and advance information on construction, crash and road closure data. More than 100 partners such as cities, state and country government agencies – as well as nonprofits and first responders are using this tool to help ease road congestion and make an impact by getting the right information to the right people, at the right time.

WAZE Connected Citizen Program

So how does this work on the ground?  Well, you know that road that is planned to be closed by your house soon?  Well, now we have a way for the Town of Cary to send that road closure information to Waze, so that you and other drivers will be re-directed away from that closure, and not be impacted and stuck in traffic.  We do that proactively, looking at our upcoming closure data and planned events, and then the Town provides that relevant information including road name, reason for closure, date and time of closure, and GPS coordinates to Waze.

And this isn’t just for road construction, either – this capability is especially helpful for planned events. For instance, coming up soon is a great event called the Tobacco Road Marathon.  This marathon and half-marathon is in Cary, on March 19^th, and it starts at USA Baseball in Cary.  There will be a number of roads closed to traffic during the race – and it might be frustrating for some residents to navigate – but never fear!  If you use Waze, just know that the Town will be sending road closure information to the app, and you will be rerouted around those closed streets.  Cool, huh?

I went in to get a peek at how this works – and wow, this is great. The IT Cary Innovation team (that’s my new name for these awesome folks) closed off a small street behind Town Hall – Cary Street – and then sent that information to Waze.

Immediately, the application updated the map, and showed the closed road.  Of course, this can be planned way in advance, as well.

Close Cary Street

Also, while “navigating” it would also re-route me, away from that closure.  (Of course, there are lots of processes and security behind the scenes, to make sure that only the RIGHT people can close a road and send that information to Waze.)

Why are we doing this? 

There are several reasons.

– Leveraging this technology solution will improve our citizen’s quality of life by saving folks that use this app, time and gas money on their daily commute

•  – Utilizing Waze data will help to improve city planning, inform our infrastructure decisions, and increase efficiency of day-to-day operations

This tool has done great things for many of the cities leveraging its capabilities; Boston has seen a measurable reduction in key city centers, emergency response times have been reduced, and it’s helped facilities infrastructure planning in Rio de Janeiro.

Being able to save you time on your commute, reduce traffic, and of course, that means reducing pollution, is important to you and our community.  The more WAYS (ha, see what I did there?) we can do that, the better it is for everyone.