The California-Oregon Advanced Transportation System (COATS) project and its successor, the Western States Rural Transportation Consortium (WSRTC), have been very successful efforts in advancing rural transportation for over twenty years. These significant efforts have relied upon the skill, effort, expertise, determination and leadership of many transportation professionals from all the constituent agencies and states. None of the impressive achievements of this group would be possible without individual action and effort. Some of those individuals have since retired or moved on to different duties or positions. We feel it is important and necessary to recognize those individuals by conferring Emeritus Status, if that individual so desires.
Emeritus Members
Ian Turnbull, Caltrans District 2, Retired
Mr. Ian Turnbull, P.E., was involved in the COATS project from the start of his tenure with the California Department of Transportation in 2000. His leadership was instrumental in the success of the research and project work conducted through COATS and the WSRTC. Ian also helped found and develop the Western States Rural Transportation Technology Implementers Forum into the successful event it is today. It is an honor to recognize him with Emeritus Membership in the WSRTC.
Ian has an extensive background in communications, electronics, broadcast radio and television, satellite, local and wide area networking, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and specialized in systems deployment in a rural environment. Ian joined the California Department of Transportation in 2000. He retired in 2017 as the Chief of ITS Engineering and Support for District 2, which encompasses the seven rural counties of northeastern California. Under his leadership, the district developed an extensive Rural ITS program and became a Rural ITS leader throughout the west. His accomplishments include: the award winning first Rural TMC in California, the national award-winning Bass Mountain Wireless Hub, the first all Internet Protocol rural field element network in the state, and the first multi-hop ISM band microwave system for ITS applications in the state. Mr. Turnbull was also extensively involved in Caltrans' rural research effort and was chairman of the Rural Program Steering Committee Technical Advisory Panel. He was a founding steering committee member of the Western States Rural Transportation Consortium, the Western States Rural Transportation Technology Implementers Forum, and was the project champion on numerous successful rural research projects. He holds a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from California State University, Chico (1989) and is a Registered Electrical Engineer in the State of California.