Bloomington, Indiana – The City of Bloomington has added new leadership to its Engineering Department with the appointment of John Garzee as Traffic Engineer, a role that places him at the center of the city’s transportation safety and accessibility efforts.
Garzee had more than seven years of experience as a municipal traffic engineer before taking this job. He most recently worked at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, where he helped plan and carry out a number of improvements to public transit.
His job there included making new bike lanes, better crosswalks for pedestrians, curb extensions, and traffic-calming elements that were meant to slow down cars and make it safer for people who walk and ride.
Garzee will be in charge of making transportation better across Bloomington and running traffic operations every day. One of his main jobs will be to go forward with the city’s safety action plan, which is a plan that involves all departments and aims to make Bloomington’s transportation network safer, more accessible, and easier to get around. The plan’s goal is to make sure that all roadways work well for everyone, no matter how they get there.
“Transportation should work for everyone, no matter how they travel,” Garzee said. “That means ensuring our infrastructure is safe, accessible, and practical. I look forward to working with and for our neighbors as we make Bloomington safer for all.”
The new Traffic Engineer will not only develop and coordinate projects, but also review and monitor capital improvement projects and mobility planning activities. He will also look into traffic-related problems that citizens bring up and respond to requests from other government agencies. He will be the main point of contact for all transportation issues.
Garzee’s job is more than just overseeing the technological side. He will be the main point of contact between the Engineering Department and other city departments, outside partners, including boards and commissions run by volunteers.
The Transportation Commission is one of these committees. It is an advisory body that makes suggestions about traffic rules and conditions in the city. Part of his job will be to help the commission.
Engineering Director Andrew Cibor pointed out how important the appointment was by saying that the Traffic Engineer job is necessary for the city to run well every day. He said that transportation has an impact on almost every part of life in Bloomington. City officials say they are sure that the transportation system will keep become safer, more efficient, and easier for everyone to use now that Garzee is in charge.
