Sustainable America via Upworthy

Oh, boy.  What looks like a seemingly insignificant activity – vehicle idling – has a major impact on our economy and on our planet’s well being.  Check out this informative infograph from Sustainable America that shows the gargantuan impacts of vehicle idling in the USA, both  economic and environmental.  If the US alone is wasting so much fuel and adding to the carbon footprint, I can’t even begin to fathom what’s happening if this issue is scaled up at a global level. Adoption of EVs can quickly put an end to this issue and should be considered as part of energy efficiency/conservation programs world wide. Take the pledge to stop idling! 

Image: Sustainable America via Upworthy.com

NelsonNygaard Consulting Associates (NN) seeks a highly organized, experienced, independent and motivated Senior Associate or Associate IV for its Boston office. This is an outstanding opportunity for the right person to become involved in building NN’s practice, which is focused on multi-modal transportation planning for livable communities. NN’s work emphasizes creative, innovative transit/transportation planning and community involvement, often within a wider set of goals such as economic development and reduced dependence on the private automobile.

Image courtesy: YPTransportation.org

NelsonNygaard is a growing company. We have grown smartly over the past 25 years, in a way that builds on our mission and core values, and have succeeded as a result. Helping our clients achieve their larger goals, including building vibrant, more sustainable and equitable communities, is what underlies our approach to transportation planning. Cultivating a work environment that is best for employee development and well-being is what underlies our approach to doing business. As we continue to grow, we want to remain a firm with open doors and open communication, with flexibility and an emphasis on creativity; where employees at all levels are part of the firm, not just working for it. As a firm, and as individual professionals, we remain deeply committed to walkable, bikeable, accessible communities, and, above all, quality public transportation accessible to all.

Each of our offices is recognized as a meaningful local community member through its local project work and other firm and individual participation. As individuals, we advocate for more ecologically sustainable, economically vibrant, socially equitable, healthful, and universally accessible communities. Our staff reflect the full diversity of our clients, including gender, race, culture, age, language fluency, and other experiences, and we all use our unique perspectives to tailor our professional work to meet the needs of the communities we work in. We hire the smartest, most skilled people in the industry through the right combination of pay, benefits, autonomy, office environment, work quality, flexibility, advancement potential, and core values.

Demographic trends and public policy changes will shape our business in the coming years, creating challenges to overcome. At the same time that the growing federal deficit and declining transportation revenues have cut into project budgets, new markets and revenue streams are emerging that may allow us to grow in the face of downsizing. Several major trends will make our services more in demand than ever. Rise of the millenials, graying of the boomers, peak car use, growth of the global middle class, climate change and resilience, technology and the sharing economy, rebirth of the inner suburbs, changing transportation needs for women, public health, and active transportation are all trends that we stay on top of and plan for.

Responsibilities

The ideal candidate should have a broad range of transportation and urban planning experience.  At the very least a candidate should be able to demonstrate significant expertise in at least three of the following areas:

• Citywide Transportation Planning and Analysis
• Campus Transportation Planning
• Parking Planning
• Bicycle/Pedestrian Facility Planning
• Transit Station Area Planning
• Street Design Guidelines
• Data Collection and Performance Assessments
• Light Rail, Commuter Rail, and/or Streetcar Planning
• Transport Policy, Funding and Governance
• Paratransit and Demand-Responsive Services
• Advanced Graphic Communication (InDesign, Photoshop)
• Computer Traffic Modeling

Successful applicants will be expected to:

• Function as a project manager for small studies and as a lead planner for complex components of large projects.
• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal skills
• Possess proven experience in managing projects within budget
• Work successfully with clients, members of the public and your team members
• Outline and prepare reports and successful proposals
• Analyze a wide range of transportation data and complete (directly or manage the completion of) technical analysis, feasibility studies or other transportation reports.
• Prepare and give effective presentations
• Creatively solve multimodal transportation problems.
• Participate in firm-wide strategic planning activities to ensure that we continue to build on our mission and core values.
• Mentor and train junior staff to become as good, or even better, at their job as you.
• Organize and supervise data collection activities in the office and the field
• Take a lead role on business development proposals.

Qualifications and Requirements

The ideal candidate will have a broad range of transportation and urban planning experience. At minimum, the candidate should meet the following qualifications.

• At least six years of increasingly responsible experience in transportation planning, traffic engineering, or one of the disciplines listed above
• A bachelor’s or more advanced degree in urban or transportation planning, or a related planning field. Master’s degree is preferred.
• Skills and enthusiasm for business development.
• Excellent written, verbal, and other communication skills, including facilitating public workshops, and making compelling presentations.
• The ability to manage complex projects on time and on budget.
• The candidate must be able to demonstrate basic proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word and Powerpoint
• Additional experience with GIS, Graphic (InDesign, Illustrator, SketchUp), Modeling (Synchro, VISSIM, TransCAD) or database anlaysis will be considered favorably.

Though most of the work will come from projects from the Boston office, there will be numerous opportunities for the candidate to contribute to NN projects across the United States. Candidates must be willing to travel (on average 2 overnight stays per month plus numerous day trips) and must have a valid Driver’s License.  Preference will be given to candidates with AICP or P.E. certification.

Potential candidates may be asked to demonstrate their writing and oral presentation skills. Candidates should be available to start immediately. Above all, we are looking for someone who has a passion for sustainable transportation planning, and is interested in making communities better for our clients and their constituents.

Salary and Benefits

NelsonNygaard offers a dynamic and self-directed work environment that is fast-paced, congenial, and supportive. This will be your opportunity to work with one of the most dynamic and innovative groups of planners and engineers in the U.S., including highly talented junior and support staff. Our office culture is built upon diversity and creativity. Benefits of the position include:

• Medical, dental, and vision
• Health savings account
• Dependent care flexible spending account
• 401(k) retirement plan, including employer contribution
• Personal time off
• Incentive-based bonuses
• Professional society dues
• Training and conference reimbursement
• In-house training programs
• Technology reimbursement
• Commuter benefits
• Car share membership
• Bike share membership
• Fitness center discount
• Mentoring program

The annual salary range equivalent for this position is industry competitive, depending on qualifications and years of experience.

NelsonNygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity affirmative action employer.

Prior to sending your materials, please combine your cover letter, resume, and work samples into a single PDF with the filename format “Firstname Lastname – Boston Senior Associate.pdf”. Send the materials to jobs@nelsonnygaard.com with the subject line “Boston Senior Associate”

No Phone Calls Please

via Bloomberg TV

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk discusses autonomous driving and how it will be available in cars in only a few years. He is confident that Tesla has the best collection of experts and would be the first company to launch a vehicle with significant ‘auto pilot” capabilities. As far as proliferation goes, Mr. Musk says we may be about 10 years away from widespread adoption of autonomous vehicle technology. Do you agree? Listen to his interview with Bloomberg Television.

via WTSP.com

The city of Tampa (Florida) gains a Federally-approved test bed for autonomous vehicles.. Local TV station News 10 offers the following scoop:

The Selmon Expressway just got a big approval from the federal government. It’s now one of only ten roads in America set up to test “connected cars,” leading to totally driverless cars. The Selmon’s elevated express lanes to Brandon are a car designer’s dream. During traffic downtimes, engineers can block off all of the entrances and have the whole highway as a ten-mile-long laboratory. The expressway authority that runs the Selmon will team up with a USF group, the Center for Urban Transportation Research, to find companies that want to come here to test their technology. Click here to learn more

via Oregon Bicycle Transportation Alliance

If you ever hear someone say that bicyclists get a “free ride”, share this infograph below that explains why people on bikes not only pay more than their share of road costs, but save everyone money whenever they ride.

Image courtesy: btaoregon.org

An awesome biking infographic from the team at Quicken Loans.

POSITION TITLE:                     Deputy Director of Planning/Environmental

REPORTS TO:                          Director of Planning/Right-of-Way/Permits

LOCATION:                             Honolulu, HI

Image Source: Honolulutransit.org

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation was established to provide an efficient and reliable transportation alternative for Honolulu’s congested urban corridor. The project was established in 2005 and is being supported by federal, state and local officials. The system will be a fully automated electrically powered elevated rail system with the first phase completed in 2017 and the remaining segment completed in 2019. This system will provide transportation along 21 stops from East Kapolei to AlaMoanaCenter and will offer stops for commuters and visitors to areas including downtown Honolulu, Oahu’s core commercial and business center and Aloha Stadium, Pearl Harbor and HonoluluInternationalAirport.

By providing rail transportation services, HART will assist in reducing congestion, Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels and offer a safe, affordable and on time service to residents and visitors.

HART is seeking a dynamic and experienced manager to serve as the Deputy Director, Planning and Environment to administer, manage and coordinate HART’s comprehensive transit and environmental planning and land use functions related to the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project. The Deputy Director will oversee the preparation of documents to comply with the Federal Environmental Regulatory Acts, Executive Orders, Hawaii Revised Statutes, local land use regulations and agency requirements. The position is responsible for consulting with the Federal Transit Administration and with the Project Management Oversight Consultant on matters related to the Projects transit planning and environmental issues. The Deputy Director will manage up to six employees and will oversee the project management plan as it relates to transit and environmental planning. The Deputy Director will also ensure the enforcement of controls and limitations for specific land use consummate with the objectives and intentions as presented in the Project plans.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan, assign and coordinate activities relating to the planning function of the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project as it relates to the total City planning program including land utilization, transportation facilities, public utilities, permitting, and community facilities.

• Provide overall project management expertise and oversight for formulating and conducting transit and technical environmental planning studies

• Meet with Federal, State and City officials, property owners, developers, planning consultants, civic and community groups to communicate the purposes, objectives, methodologies and work program of HART.

• Manage transit planning and environmental aspects of the project and oversee the preparation of documents to comply with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), other Federal environmental Regulatory Acts including the Endangered Species Act; the Clean Water Act; the clean Air Acts; the National Historic Preservation Act; Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act; and the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21).

• Meet with stakeholders to review and evaluate planning and environmental issues, oversee the evaluation of alternatives and make appropriate recommendations.

• Oversee the independent collection, analysis, assimilation and incorporation of project related data.

• Oversee the preparation of environmental studies and technical reports by contractors and consultants.

• Directly coordinate with Federal, State and City officials as well as consultants and contractors to complete all Project related environmental documents.

• Monitor the evaluation and interpretation of Federal and State regulations applicable to the Project and provide guidance and direction in activities accordingly.

• Oversee the quality management of planning work processes and products and determine the corrective measures that are required where appropriate.

• Oversee the preparation of presentation materials and participation in public information hearings or meetings and public outreach activities related to the environmental planning process.

• Other duties as required and appropriate for a position of this classification and level.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

The candidate should possess the following attributes:

• Unquestioned integrity and work ethic.

• Excellent interpersonal communication, presentation, and writing skills.

• Strong management and team building skills. Ability to lead, motivate, mentor, and develop staff.

• Proactive listener, communicator and strong public speaker who is capable of building relationships.

• Strong and proven leader who is not afraid to present new initiatives and ideas. Forward thinking, strategic executive who is capable of collaborating with and building consensus among stakeholders.

• Excellent bi-partisan problem solving and conflict resolution skills.

• Professional judgment (including practical approach, appropriate risk taking and political savvy).

• Demonstrated experience working in large complex operating environments, advising and offering solutions to senior executives by interacting with multiple government/federal agency officials and other stakeholders who potentially have significant divergent views.

• Assist in the design and on-going development of critical systems.

EXPERIENCE

A Bachelor’s degree in planning, environmental, engineering or closely related field of study. Working knowledge of NEPA, HRS Chapter 343, DOT and FTA environmental regulations and processing is a plus. Experience managing a team of technical staff and providing program management guidance is preferred. Also, a minimum of 5 years of experience leading a planning team in the areas of land use planning, environmental planning and transportation planning and ideally experience working with the FTA.

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to Gregg A. Moser, Krauthamer & Associates at gmoser@krauthamerinc.com.

Source: via YPTransportation.org

The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has already been abuzz with so many cool innovations targeting the transportation market.. here is one of the coolest gadget and it comes with three wheels from the famed stables of a Japanese OEM.. Say hello to the Toyota i-Road concept.   Check out the Verge doing a test drive of this cool two-seater around a parking lot and offer his 2 cents worth. As Josh noted, this would make for a perfect commuter vehicle, especially for those congested urban areas.   

Originally debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013, this battery operated beauty is a hybrid between a car and a motorcycle and rolls on three wheels.. Gizmag notes that the i-Road is an electric personal mobility vehicle with two in-line seats, that leans into the corners like a motorcycle. With only five horsepower, a top speed of 45 km/h (30 mph), and a range of 50 km (30 mi), the i-Road is aimed squarely at an urban transport market.

Check out this awesome video from Streetfilms.. This compilation of changes in New York City’s transportation infrastructure documented over a period of time clearly shows that streets and public spaces designed for people, and not for cars, inspire folks to come out and enjoy the facilities, there by making the community as a whole more vibrant and lively..

I can only imagine the economic vitality this has added to the businesses in the neighborhoods as more people stepped away from their cars and instead walked/biked to the businesses. Thanks to the bold vision (and the subsequent execution) set forth by the outgoing City Transportation Commission, Janette Sadik-Khan and her boss, Mayor Bloomberg, the city has now become a model to emulate when it comes to implementing sustainable transportation solutions.

If you are one of the last minute shoppers who is yet to buy a holiday present for your children (or for someone you dearly love), I’d recommend getting them a bicycle. Why? A bike not only helps them stay active and lead a healthy life but also helps them learn to be independent (and not depend on you to get around to and from school) and stay focused in their studies.  Besides the provocative title for this post (and the fact that I’m writing this even though I’m a parent, at least yet), there must be some truth to the fact that we might be transporting our children, all caged up in automobiles all the time instead of setting them free on a bicycle (or walking).  Well, at least that’s what these children in Netherlands,  Belgium, France and Britain are hinting at in this video produced by Sustrans, a UK based non-profit organization that promotes pedestrian, bike and public transportation options.

Watching this video promoted me to do a quick comparison of  the academic performance (Mean score in PISA 2012) of children from these countries (I know it is a crude measure but still worthy of pointing out that).  Not to be surprised, they all fared well above our good ol’ USA (and before you ask we are far behind the chart-topping Asian giants China, Japan and Korea): 

Of course, I didn’t get enough time on hand to compare the health indices of these countries but I have no doubt that we might be in for some shocking results, given the ungodly levels of childhood obesity rates we currently have in the United States. I’ll reserve that angle for exploring on another rainy/snowy day. If every school district in the U.S. spent a tiny fraction of its budget on providing/building bike lanes and bike infrastructure, we may soon see a tremendous change in the way our kids learn/live. It may be the perfect antidote for a nation that has ungodly levels of childhood obesity.  Mind you, the US tops every country on Earth when it comes to educational spending (roughly $68.1Billion in 2012, (over 7 % of GDP), which is ~$15,171 on every young person in the system) Here are some alarming data nuggets from the Center for Disease Control:

• Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years.
• The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.
• In 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
• Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

More here.  Encouraging more children to take up cycling requires that we provide good infrastructure support, which is sorely lacking in many towns and cities across America.  We have to work, as a community and nudge our decision-makers to spend on these low-cost measures (i.e.,bike lanes) and make our cities bike and pedestrian friendly. At least it is worth exploring, from a scientific perspective, how biking (and walking) helps improve the quality of life for our children (in academic and otherwise).