The Clean Air Asia India Office calls for applications from young, dynamic candidates as Project Assistant/Researchers to be based in Nepal (Clean Air Network Nepal) and Hong Kong (Hong Kong Polytechnic University) under the Fredkorpset Norway South- South exchange program. The duration is for twelve months starting from 1st November 2014.

Please see enclosed Terms of Reference or refer to link http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/opportunities.

Eligibility Requirements

• A university (bachelor) or a masters degree in a course related to transport, environment fields, mass communication or social science e.g. environmental engineering, environmental sciences, urban planning, transport,*
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in a comparable position on transport and/or climate change project management and networking.*
• Strong interest in research and data analysis.
• Ability to communicate effectively with excellent oral and written communication skills, proficient in English, with good interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team
• Age requirement: 22-35 years old
• Open to Indian Nationals only

* Requirements for both the position are different. Please refer to the attached ToRs before applying.

Quoting reference application Research/ Project Assistant-Hong Kong or Research/ Project Assistant-Nepal on subject line, applicants should email their application letter and current CV (as Word attachments) to Ms. Gianina Panopio, center@cleanairasia.org, by27 August 2014.

All applicants should state the reasons for their interest in the position, relevant details of qualifications and experience, and contact details for three referees. Only short listed candidates will be contacted. For further information on the position you may contact Parthaa Bosu,parthaa.bosu@cleanairasia.org

via WSJ

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece that covers the various efforts underway in the world of autonomous vehicles (aka driverless cars i lay people speak) and how manufacturers are working with legislators to introduce their products to the tech-hungry driving public at least in a few states across the  country.. here is a video that accompanies that article.

What caught me by surprise is the sheer volume of activity and how certain people are that they will see autonomous vehicles on the roads in just a few short years.. As much as I would like to believe, full automation (Level 4) is still a decade away and we still have a lot of hurdles on the technology, policy and infrastructure side.  As one of the interviewed researchers points out, there are many concerns that dog this challenge incl. the high cost of laser vision, the risk that radar and camera sensors won’t see properly in bad weather, and complex legal issues raised by giving control to a robot. Let’s hope we overcome these hurdles soon because we, as a society, are paying a heavy price in terms of human lives and hard earned treasure as we continue to drive with manual control (~33K people killed on American roads during 2012).

Click here to read the entire article.

via BBC

Today the British government has announced that testing of automated cars will be allowed on public roads from January next year. The tests are then intended to run for between 18 to 36 months. What more innovative is the approach they have taken to doing this.  The government has invited cities to compete to host one of three trials, which would start at the same time.  Cities interested in hosting the trials have until early October to declare their interest and the Department for Transport has created a £10m fund to cover their costs (BBC says the sum to be divided between the three winners but not sure what the criteria would be for this split). Quite novel! Good to see the British government pushing the envelope on its road safety agenda using the driverless cars. Hope this nudges other EU countries (and the rest of the world) to get their act together and pave way for the automated vehicles.

Related articles

• UK could lead the way on driverless cars
• Driverless cars on British roads within a year as ministers change law to allow trials of Google-style vehicles
• Driverless cars on British roads within a year
• Driverless cars on British roads within a year

As alcohol-related accidents tend to increase in the summer months, I’d like to remind you (& all Americans) that buzzed driving can put a stop to summer fun. Here are some surprising facts:

• Nearly twice as many people are killed in auto accidents during the summer months than the rest of the year combined.
• 1 drunken-driving fatality occurred every 51 minutes in 2012
• 35% of all drivers in nighttime fatal crashes who were alcohol-impaired
• 24% of males drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2012 had a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 or higher
• A DUI can cost drivers up to $10,000 — that’s more than three months worth of income for the average working American

But before you down that extra beer and get behind the steering wheel in your vehicle, you might want to take a look at this infograph (via Ad Council):

Image courtesy: via Ad Council

As part of an ongoing “Buzzed Driving” public service campaign, the Ad Council has also partnered with I Heart Radio on a new website with more statistics and resources to help talk to students, kids and friends about safe driving in the summer: iheartradio.com/summerdriving. Help us spread the word and save a few lives.  Stay Safe!

Image courtesy. www.DOT.gov

SALARY RANGE: $89,924.00 to $138,136.00 / Per Year
OPEN PERIOD: Friday, July 11, 2014 to Sunday, July 20, 2014

This position is located in the Office of Innovative Program Delivery (HIN), Project Delivery Team, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in Washington, D.C. The Office of Innovative Program Delivery, an organizational element within the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), provides national leadership, direction, and consulting services in new approaches for project finance, procurement (e.g., public-private partnerships (P3s)), and revenue generation (e.g., congestion pricing).  The office also provides for the oversight and stewardship of projects with a total cost in excess of $500 million.  HIN brings together experts on transportation credit assistance; project cost estimating and financial plan development; innovative finance; policy development; P3s; and tolling. 

This position is for the implementation of stewardship and oversight activities to monitor the cost, schedule, and performance of Federal-aid transportation infrastructure projects, especially major projects (those costing over $500 million) to identify problems and initiate action to mitigate implementation risks.  This position provides technical assistance and authoritative consultant services to FHWA field offices, State agencies, and other Federal agencies to assure that Federal regulations and policies are met in the development and delivery of major highway projects.

The ideal candidate will be a mid-career transportation specialist with a specialty in the stewardship and oversight of the major highway project delivery process.

Click here to learn more and to apply

Related articles

• Fellowship Alert: Designing Cities Fellowship @ National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
• LA: Caltrans Endorses NACTO Urban Street Design Guidelines
• Washington DOT Officially Adopts NACTO Street Design Guide
• NACTO Previews a Progressive Design Guide for City Streets

A brilliant animated primer from the ASCE explains what’s at stake for the average American as the highway trust fund is fast nearing its end.. For the uninitiated,the Highway Trust Fund is the US federal funding for roads, bridges, and transit systems, and it is on course to become insolvent by August, jeopardizing America’s infrastructure and its economy. Unless our lawmakers get their act together with extreme urgency, we might be in for some serious trouble and may lose some of the hard fought economic gains quickly…Learn more:http://www.fixthetrustfund.org/

In case you are wondering why the highway trust fund is running out of money, take a peek at this article from Washington Post..

Related articles

• Roadscapes Wednesday: Fix The Trust Fund
• Highway Trust Fund Insolvency to Halt Mississippi Highway and Bridge Projects
• The US will start running out of money for roads in August. Here’s why.
• Highway Trust Fund is running on empty
• Highway Funding: Is 7 Percent a Crisis?
• Why the Highway Trust Fund is running out of money, in 5 graphs

The Planning Section has a position open for a Bay Area Bike Share Program Coordinator to support contract management of the Bay Area Bike Share program’s operations and the hardware procurement and installation. The individual in this position will be working for Local Government Services (LGS) and be assigned to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in Oakland, California.

All interested parties MUST APPLY BY: Monday. 07/28/14 5:00 PM Pacific Time
The individual will oversee the fiscal oversight of the program, the strategic planning for growth of the system, including logistics planning; fundraising and sponsorship activities for existing and new jurisdictions; and the development and execution of a regional marketing plan.

For a more in-depth job description please direct all interested individuals, or if you wish to apply go to http://jobs.mtc.ca.gov/. We also appreciate your forwarding the information to any organizations that may further distribute the information.

Smart Growth America seeks a Communications and Policy Fellow to support LOCUS, a national network of smart growth real estate developers and investors. The Fellow will be a core member of the LOCUS team and provide direct support to the LOCUS network of real estate developers and investors advocating for smart growth policies at the federal and regional levels.

Responsibilities
The Communications and Policy Fellow’s primary responsibilities include:

• Aggregating news about smart growth and real estate issues;
• Assist in planning, writing and managing monthly Newsletter;
• Update the LOCUS website, as needed;
• Contributing to LOCUS’ social media presence;
• Tracking social media and web analytics;
• Writing original content for our blog;
• Drafting legislative summaries for network members, drafting advocacy materials on core network issues;
• Design flyers, graphics, e-vites and other marketing material for major events hosted by LOCUS;
• Assisting with outreach to reporters and bloggers; and
• Providing communications support for our LOCUS members

The LOCUS Fellowship requires a self-motivated, detail-oriented person with exceptional writing, oral communication, and organizational skills and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Candidates should have a strong interest in real estate, smart growth, economic development, transportation, community growth or related areas. Candidates should have at least a bachelor’s degree and either educational background or work experience in real estate, housing policy, transportation policy, urban planning, finance, public policy, business, or a related field.

In addition, the Communications Fellow should have a basic understanding of HTML; proficiency using content management systems; solid understanding of social media for organizations; and interest in contributing to communications strategy. Knowledge of Photoshop and leading new media strategies are a definite plus.

Candidates should be highly computer literate with experience in web content, and the Microsoft Office suite of programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

This is a paid position.

Timeframe:

Fellowship is full-time, 40 hours a week. Minimum commitment of six months required. Potential to extend fellowship to 12 months is possible pending performance. Applications will be accepted immediately on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Equal Opportunity Employment:

Equal opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at Smart Growth America. Employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.

How to Apply:

Please send a resume, cover letter, and a short writing sample to mpierce [at] locusdevelopers [dot] org with “LOCUS Comms Fellow” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted immediately, on a rolling basis, until the position is filled.