We all know our “developed” societies have way too many cars and often choke up our streets and take up valuable space, resulting in terrible congestion and chronic bottle necks.. If a lot of people chose to leave behind their cars and instead opt for public transportation, it will be a perfect anti-dote for the chronic congestion that plagues our streets. So, how do you tell this story effectively? Here is one way to do it.. I call this the mother of all sustainable transportation images (courtesy of The Atlantic)

Let me tell ya.. The amount of road space saved when a few dozen people switch from driving cars to riding the public transport is ENORMOUS.

SALARY RANGE: $61,612.00 to $96,001.00 / Per Year

OPEN PERIOD: Friday, October 25, 2013 to Monday, November 04, 2013

SERIES & GRADE: GS-0810-11/12

POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time – Permanent

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 12

DUTY LOCATIONS: FEW vacancies – Lakewood, CO, US

This position is located in the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Federal Lands Division Office and supports the Division as a senior designer with responsibility for the development of plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) packages for the most complex, advanced projects relative to the design of highways and bridges. The projects occur primarily on Federal Lands managed by other Federal agencies, such as the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service and include a multi-state area. The Senior Designer mentors, trains, and assists in distribution of project work tasks to other designers on the team and assists in quality control on design work products. As assigned, may be a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) responsible for managing Architect-Engineer (A/E) Consultant task orders or reimbursable agreements.

The ideal candidate for this position is a mid-career engineer with experience working both independently and with multi-discipline teams as a lead/senior designer in developing, monitoring, and adhering to the design, budget, and schedule for assigned roadway construction projects, providing technical assistance from initial scoping through construction support, and addressing design engineering issues with a wide range of external contacts.

via Jalopnik

Chanced up upon this awesome video on /Drive’s YouTube channel, with some of my favorite automotive writers (Travis Okulski and Mike Spinelli of Jalopnik with Andrew DelColle from Popular Mechanics) talking about the nagging questions many of us have about autonomous vehicles. I’d say that this video  is more like a e-Primer for all things on autonomous vehicles for those interested (and some more) but offered in a nice, and conversant package without getting you all bored. Check it out.

Video description: When are the first self-driving cars coming, how will they work and — the most important question — will I be able to take a nap in traffic? All of those questions and more will be answered. With Andrew Del-Colle, associate editor of Popular Mechanics magazine and Travis Okulski, senior writer at Jalopnik.

Related resources

• Read The 12 Most Important Questions About Self-Driving Cars” (Popular Mechanics)
• Self-Driving Cars on Reddit

via Popular Science

Slowly but steadily coast-to-coast travel in an electric vehicle is inching closer to reality. Though not as ubiquitous as the gas stations on the highways and arterial, the growing number of charging stations indicate a big shift coming our way. An interesting data nugget – more than half of the nation’s 8,051 electric-vehicle charging stations have opened since 2012.

Data Source: Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. Department of Energy; Image Courtesy: Popular Science

Legend:

• Each hexagon represents the number of stations in that area.
• Blue hexagons—mostly outside major cities—indicate those built in 2012 and 2013.
• Orange hues show older and newer stations.

In its 5th year, the North America Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum will present the top 50 infrastructure projects required for bringing the world back to growth and job-producing competitiveness. These projects offer tremendous business opportunities for financial, equipment and technology, engineering and construction firms as well as for the public sector. Projects presented include surface transportation, water and wastewater, new and traditional energy, urban mass transportation, oil & energy, ports & logistics and digital infrastructure.

Transportgooru is excited to be a media partner for this important event that brings together practitioners and policymakers engaged in the infrastructure conversations.  Hope I can get to meet some of you at this event. Here is what you get for registering:

• Short, clear, project presentations of the Top Infrastructure Projects
• Pre-scheduled private meetings with project presenters and event sponsors
• Topical workshops and round tables
• Multiple networking opportunities
• Participant contact information
• Cocktail opening reception

Dates: OCTOBER 29 – 31, 2013.

Location: MAYFLOWER RENAISSANCE HOTEL, WASHINGTON, DC

Registration:  Click here to learn more and to register for the event.

via Bloomberg

Here are a few interesting facts about this massive cargo freighter:

• The Danish company Maersk is building a total of 20 of these biggest ships, Triple-E, on a dry-dock in South Korea. Apparently the first one, named McKinney Moller, has hit the high seas already. Watch the big beauty float its way through the Suez canal on its way to Europe.
• Cost of each ship is $185 million and expected to ply the route between Northern Europe and China.
• Stood on its stern, its bow would stretch 19 meters above the roof of the Empire State Building.
• In one trip, a Triple-E could transport more 182 million iPads, or 111 million pairs of shoes, from Shanghai to Rotterdam.

Mashable shared this nice infograph developed by Gocompare.com that breaks down the details of the much anticipated Hyperloop, a new form of transportation backed by innovative entrepreneur Elon Musk.  It warrants attention, knowing it is backed by Elon Musk, who has already wowed the world with his transportation ventures like SpaceX and Tesla. It is expect that Elon Musk will unveil the Alpha design and discuss the details of the Hyperloop on August 12.. Can’t wait!

Image Courtesy: GoCompare.com via Mashable.com

On The Telegraph’s website, you can check an awesome gallery of vintage cool photos from the London Underground, shot during the 1970s/80s.  The ones below  are a what struck me the most and it has a sense of class and crazy retro cool that is unmatched.

Transit systems and the people who rode them back in the day are always so nice to look at. It is like a glimpse of  the city’s colorful past, conveyed silently through the pictures of people who were on the trains. Makes it a bit more endearing knowing someone has put in some serious effort to document all this in an era when there were no smartphones with megapixel cameras and no Flickr accounts.

Click link above or the pic below to see the entire gallery.

Not wanting the party to end, a couple of ladies head home with their drinks. Image Courtesy: Bob Mazzer via The Telegraph

Some strange things happening below the surface – Image Courtesy: Bob Mazzer via The Telegraph