The long and crazy winter is finally nearing its end but then the impact of this prolonged bad weather can be felt even after that last speck of snow is gone.. As shown in this below video by a Michigan driver, the potholes resulting from the winter weather are ridiculously deep and rattles your vehicles pretty badly..

These tire-munching monsters are not only wrecking the vehicles that go over them but they also cause severe damages to your wallet as well. If that is not enough, swerving drivers who intend to avoid these ginormous potholes pose serious road safety challenges to oncoming vehicles, especially in the night.. Plight of road surfaces, particularly in rural areas, is the same in many parts of the country where mother nature showed wrath.. It only means one thing –  the tax payers can expect some seriously high “patching” bills along with the vehicle repair bills as the spring blooms.  With many states already way deep in the red after exhausting their winter maintenance budgets (spent on salt, ice removal, etc), this is going to be really hard to digest..  The American  Automobile Association (AAA) warns that the annual tab for motorists in the USA dinged by potholes is nearly $6.4 billion. Nearly $4.8 billion is spent each year to repair damage to cars resulting from Americans ‘run-ins with potholes, utility cuts and other dangerous road conditions—almost four times the $1.3 billion a year spent on road repairs by state highway departments.”

So, how bad is it for the Washington, DC metro area? Listen to the AAA on these astronomical numbers: “Driving on roads sorely in need of repair costs Maryland motorists $1.598 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs, or ‘$422 per motorist,'” according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. In Virginia, drivers spend $1.344 billion a year, or $254 per motorist, while It costs District of Columbia drivers $311 million a year, or $833 per motorists, according to ASCE.  Aside from the direct cost of repairs, don’t forget to factor in the time wasted on negotiating the workzones when the pothole crew work hard to fix the mess. In all, it is safe to say we are screwed!

Thank god this guy chose to focus his energy and investments on transportation, one of the most-neglected fields from an investment perspective.  Elon Musk’s interview is a testament to what one man can aspire and do to inspire a generation with his ideas.

This neat infograph from Cheapflight.ca (H/T Business Insider) shows how much lighter your wallet will be when you have to hitch a ride from the airport to your destination in the city (downtown/CBD/etc).. Could definitely come in handy when you are planning that next vacation abroad.. Strangely, Asia is the home to both the cheapest (Delhi, India) and highest (Tokyo, Japan) taxi fare in the world.  It will be awesome if someone compiled a list that shows the cost of public transportation to the airport (such a linkage may be non-existent in some parts of the globe but I’m hoping the metropolitan cities listed below would definitely offer that connectivity).

Source: Cheapflights.ca

H/T Bernie Wagenblast

This is vintage gold. The Chevy sponsored short film below helps show road safety from 1930s. Chevrolet also tries to convince us the new safety features of their latest cars make them the safest place to be, showing dramatic accidents to prove their point! Interestingly, the traffic fatalities statistics shows that cars were not actually the safest places to be in that era.  There were 34,494 fatalities recorded in 1935 in the United States, which had a population of 127 million at that time. With 228 billion vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and adjusted fatalities per 100,000 population 27.1, was not an ideally safe environment for travel by car. In comparison, today we have about 34,000 deaths for a population of 314 million, with an VMT of 2,954 billion and adjusted fatalities per 100,000 at 10.833.  Thankfully the technology has come a long way to make the cars safer and we have a few more options than a Chevy to look to for a safer ride. Nonetheless it is pretty cool to see how things were back in the day.

via Young Professionals in Transportation

(Salary: $75,600 – $104,300)
The Baltimore City Department of Transportation, an urban multi-modal transportation agency with primary responsibility for the City’s roadways, bridges, transit systems, and traffic safety is seeking a dynamic professional to function as the City’s Chief Traffic Engineer and manage the Traffic Management Center.

The Chief of the Traffic Division will lead a team of professional engineers, managers and  technicians to:

• Authorize installation of Traffic Control Devices including signals, signs and pavement markings
• Operate and maintain the city’s 1,350 traffic signals
• Conduct Traffic Studies
• Develop measures to enhance all modes of transportation in the City;
• Implement the City’s Complete Streets Program
• Oversee multi-disciplinary planning and design teams for roadway improvement projects, ITS projects, transportation safety projects, bicycle and pedestrian projects, and other transportation-related projects;
• Oversee consultant resources through the planning and design project development processes;
• Recruit and hire professional traffic engineers
• Manage agency-wide data collection and GIS programs;
• Manage the agency’s transportation safety improvement program;
• Manage the agency’s transportation management center;
• Manage the signal electronics and signal construction maintenance shops; Conduct training of staff and consultants;
• Conduct traffic policy research and analysis on a range of topics;and
• Other duties as required.

Desirable qualifications: Master’s degree from an accredited college or university, five years of experience managing engineering projects as a licensed professional engineer, certification as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer, and a minimum of five years directly supervising senior engineers, junior engineers and engineering technicians. Consideration may be given to a combination of experience and/or education. This position reports directly to the Deputy Director and will have frequent contact with the Director of Transportation, the Mayor’s Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations, and members of City Council. This is a benefited, at-will position serving at the pleasure of the Director of Transportation.

Qualified candidates should submit a cover memo and resume, which specifically addresses the experience relevant to this position, to Kathy Litz, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 546, Baltimore, Maryland 21202 or email to: Kathy.litz@baltimorecity.gov. Submission deadline is March 31, 2014.

An equal opportunity employer.

The U.S. Department of Transportation will host a free public meeting and webinar to inform stakeholders on the progress, products, and next steps of the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program.

The public meeting is scheduled for April 30, 2014, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm in Washington, DC. The public meeting will also be webcast at no charge.

Summary

Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Description

On March 12, 2014, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a Request for Information (RFI) that will be used to help refine the plans for one or more connected vehicle pilot deployments  (https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/03/12/2014-05414/connected-vehicle-pilot-deployment-program-request-for-information).

The Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program seeks to combine connected vehicle and mobile device technologies in innovative and cost-effective ways to improve traveler mobility and system productivity, while reducing environmental impacts and enhancing safety. The FHWA anticipates a procurement action for one or more pilot deployment concepts in 2015.

Purpose of Public Meeting and Webinar

The purpose of the meeting is to inform private sector stakeholders on upcoming opportunities and to seek input from public sector implementers as they prepare to integrate emerging connected vehicle and mobile device technologies into operational practice.   The meeting will provide information on the organizing principles and preliminary schedule of the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program.  In addition, the meeting will provide a summary of challenges identified in the RFI and facilitate a further discussion with stakeholders regarding the most salient challenges. This meeting is being sponsored by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Programs Office (ITS JPO).

The meeting will take place at:

HOLIDAY INN CAPITOL 
550 C Street S.W.
Washington, DC 20024,
(202) 479-4000

To register, visit: www.itsa.org/cvpilotsregistration

For further information contact:

Carlos Alban
Transportation Program Specialist
Intelligent Transportation Society of America
1100 New Jersey Ave., SE, Suite #850
Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 202-721-4223
Email:  calban@itsa.org

– See more at: http://www.its.dot.gov/meetings/cv_pilot_deployment.htm#sthash.D84C5YAq.dpuf

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Department/faculty: Civil Engineering and Geosciences 
Level: PhD degree (prof)
Working hours: 38 hours per week
Contract: 5 years
Salary: €3.259 to €6.039 per month gross

TU Delft Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences provides leading, international research and education. Innovation and sustainability are central themes. Research addresses societal issues. Research and education are closely interwoven. The faculty consists of the departments of Transport & Planning, Structural Engineering, Geosciences & Engineering, Water management, Hydraulic Engineering and Geoscience & Remote Sensing

The Department Transport & Planning (T&P) focuses on the planning, design, operation and management of transport systems, addressing road transport, public transport and passenger and freight transport systems. T&P consists of 50-60 staff members, of which 20 permanent. The department is responsible for the T&P track in the MSc Civil Engineering, the TU Delft Transport Institute and coordinates the interfaculty Master Transport, Infrastructure & Logistics. The department is the only research group in Civil Engineering in the Netherlands that was awarded the maximum score at all research assessments during the last 15 years.

Job description

Scientific research activities will focus on new assessment methods that support the planning and design of transport systems. Traditionally, congestion in transport systems was addressed by planning new or extending existing transport infrastructure. Today a wider range of measures that aim at smart and sustainable use of available transport networks is considered. As a consequence, there is a need for innovations in methodologies for the quantitative assessment of these measures for all relevant effects: economic, environmental, safety and spatial. Apart from extending and elaborating the assessment framework, there is also a need for methodologies that can be used in quick scan analyses.
Candidates will contribute to the initiation, acquisition and execution of research projects, including supervision of MSc and PhD students. Close cooperation with other members of the scientific staff of the department and wider university and developing relationships with practitioners are essential.
Educational activities will include redesigning the MSc course CIE 4760 Infrastructure projects: assessment and planning, contributing to the BSc course Impacts of Transport Infrastructure on economy and environment and supervision of BSc as well as MSc students.

Requirements

You have an MSc and PhD degree in a relevant subject, preferably Civil Engineering. You can demonstrate outstanding research potential and have published in peer-reviewed, international scientific journals or can show an innovative design and engineering portfolio. You have a holistic, integral approach combined with a strong background in quantitative methodologies and modelling. You are able to connect scientific methods and results to practical applications. Inspiring lecturing skills and excellent command of the English language are considered crucial. Non-Dutch speaking candidates will commit to learn Dutch within 2 years after appointment.

The position offered is a tenure-track position for a period of 5 years, leading to a permanent position assuming good performance in scientific research, project acquisition and education. Depending on your experience you are appointed as assistant tenure track professor (€ 3.259 – € 6.039 per month gross). You will participate in the Tenure Track program to further develop your educational, research and personal skills. You will work in a multidisciplinary team that conducts cutting-edge academic transport research and which has a state of the art transport lab. The team actively connects research results to innovative real world projects and is supervising an increasing number of MSc and PhD students.

Conditions of employment

TU Delft offers an attractive benefits package, including a flexible work week, free high-speed Internet access from home (with a contract of two years or longer), and the option of assembling a customised compensation and benefits package (the ‘IKA’). Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
TU Delft sets specific standards for the English competency of the teaching staff. TU Delft offers training to improve English competency. If you have less than five years of experience and have not yet obtained your Basic Teaching Qualification, we allow you up to three years to obtain this.

Information and application

More information about these positions can be found at http://www.citg.tudelft.nl/en/about-faculty/departments/transport-and-planning/vacancies/. You may also contact Prof. B. van Arem, phone: +31 (0)15-2786342, e-mail: B.vanArem@tudelft.nl. To apply, please e-mail a detailed CV and a letter of application by 11 April 2014 to D.W.A.M. Verbunt, Recruitment-CiTG@tudelft.nl. When applying for one these position, please mention the position and refer to vacancy number CITG14-11.

Inquiries from agencies are not appreciated.

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, the Austrian research institute with European format which focuses on the key infrastructure issues of the future, is looking to strengthen its team in the Department Mobility with the immediate appointment of a PhD Thesis “Perception Based Modeling”

 Job profile:

Over the past years, the “Dynamic Transportation Systems” group within the AIT´s Mobility Department has carried out extensive research in the field of modeling and simulation of human and crowd behavior. The increasing availability of large data sets originating from a broad variety of novel sensor technologies enables to investigate new ways for closing the gap between individual decisions based on context-related perception and the integration of this individual knowledge into mobility simulations. The ultimate goal is to integrate perceptual models with the simulation of movement behavior in train stations, airports and dense urban areas (including shopping areas) in order to optimize mobility flows according to different criteria.

We are seeking an exceptional PhD candidate to fill a sponsored research position involving the development of novel methods to capture and process human perception data as well as to integrate human perception information into mobility simulation tools.

This PhD project will be part of the research collaboration between the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that aspires to advance the state-of-the-art of integrating perception data into simulation models.

Qualifications:

• Passion for finding creative solutions for bridging the gap between the natural and social sciences
• Outstanding master´s degree and proven experience in either computer science, software engineering, applied mathematics or sociology, environmental psychology, transportation research with a strong interest in exploring the synergies between engineering and psychology
• Candidates should have strong, proven knowledge in some of the following areas:
  • Data management (e.g. database systems)
  • Pattern Recognition
  • Mathematical modeling and computer simulation in the field of transportation
  • Good programming skills in Matlab and/or Java
  • Behavior research (e.g. neuroscience, psychology, social science, gaming, or human computer interaction)
• High motivation for research and capability of working in an autonomous way
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral form

Offer:

• Begin: Immediately
• Duration: 3 years

Place of employment: Vienna, Austria; research visits at the MIT

We are pleased to invite interested persons who wish to contribute their knowledge, their network and their ideas to the field of applied research. Please attach meaningful application documents, including certificates and photos.

Mrs. Maria Leonhard-Maurer, MSc
Head of Human Resources
2444 Seibersdorf
Tel.: +43(0) 50550 – 2032
maria.leonhard-maurer@ait.ac.at

click here to apply and to learn more about AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
Donau-City-Straße 1 | 1220 Wien, Austria | T +43 (0) 50550-0 | F +43 (0) 50550-2201, office@ait.ac.at | www.ait.ac.at, T +43 (0) 505 50, F +43 (0) 505 50-2201, www.arcs.ac.at