An awesome infograph from the George Washington University’s Face The Facts USA shows how the federal gas tax hasn’t changed in 20 years, effectively reducing road repair revenue by 35 percent. – Learn more here
Image Courtesy: Facethefactsusa.org
Image courtesy: usajobs.gov
The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) was authorized by Congress in 2005 to address some of the most pressing concerns with regard to highway transportation. This includes the nation’s roadway safety, renewal, reliability, and capacity issues. The goal of SHRP 2 is to ensure that the most critical highway user needs are addressed, such as increasing safety, reducing congestion, minimizing disruption to users when roads are being rehabilitated, and providing new capacity that enhances neighborhoods and avoids environmental harm. SHRP 2 is also focused on producing methods and guidance, as well as technologies, designed to help agencies make the changes necessary to better serve their customers while managing the risk involved with institutional change.
NOTE: The deadline to submit application is Wednesday, July 17, 2013.
Spotted this image in the “In Focus” photo series by The Atlantic, covering protests from around the world. Might be a bit too much for the American sensibilities but the Spaniards are not bothered by all the skin on display. Apparently, more than a hundred cyclists gathered in the Spanish capital as they took part in the city’s 10th Naked Bike Ride aimed at highlighting the dependency on oil and road safety issues for cyclists. Here is one of them riding naked in a public fountain in front of the Royal Palace as others bathe in Madrid, on June 15, 2013. More pics (NSFW, obviousy) from the protest can be seen here.
Image Courtesy: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki – Naked Cyclist Protesting for better & safe biking infrastructure in Madrid, Spain
Image courtesy: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki via The Atlantic
Image Courtesy: www.usajobs.gov
The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) is looking for experienced Technology Policy Analysts to support the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center’s Advanced Transportation Technologies Center. RITA coordinates the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) research programs and is charged with advancing rigorous analysis and the deployment of cross-cutting technologies to improve our Nation’s transportation system. The positions are located in the Kendall Square area in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Volpe Center seeks multiple Technology Policy Analysts, GS-0101-11/12 and GS-0101-13 in the Technology Innovation and Policy Division, (RVT-91) within the Advanced Transportation Technologies Technical Center. This division provides the technical and analytical support for research initiatives and decision-making at all levels of government and industry supporting all modes of transportation. The Technology Policy Analysts primary duty is to participate as a member of a team that conducts research and applies analytical methodologies on a broad set of topics as a means of developing, comparing, and evaluating policy options in support of successful transition of technologies (e.g., connected vehicles, automated vehicles, new transportation applications, or vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, among others) from research into adoption and use.
The ideal candidate will have experience working in an environment with little policy precedence and where policy options have to be developed and created concurrently and iteratively with transportation related technology development. This position is not focused on application of existing policies to IT or other systems, but is focused on the objective and rigorous development of new policies for new and emerging transportation technologies.
If you know someone interested in this position with relevant experience and a demonstrable record of proven results please encourage them to apply. We are looking for a diverse pool of qualified candidates.
The announcement is posted to the Public and to Merit Promotion eligible applicants onhttp://www.usajobs.gov/. Please know that Merit Promotion announcements are the vehicle through which Federal employees generally apply for Federal positions.
Application deadline: July 11, 2013
GS-13-Open to Public: https://www.usajobs.gov/
GS-13 Open to Status: (Merit Promotion) https://www.usajobs.gov/
GS-11/12 Open to Public: https://www.usajobs.
GS-11/12 Open to Status: (Merit Promotion) https://www.usajobs.gov/
Informational briefing: Friday, June 28, 2013, from 11:00-11:30 in conference room 1-4-33A at the Volpe Center, Cambridge MA (conference call no. 1-877-336-1839/access code 6481986). Ryan Harrington, Chief, Technology Innovation and Policy Division will hold an information session at this time to describe the job and to answer any questions interested candidates may have. Mary Hughes from Human Resources will be there to answer questions about the application process.
Please direct any questions to Mary Hughes, Volpe Human Resources, at 617-494-2526.
Here is some pretty cool hand drawn and animated stuff (from fellow Redditor NathanwPyle) to gently remind fellow bicyclists in NYC about a few things to do and watch out for while on the street riding a bike. Oh, and some of these etiquettes are universal, not just applicable to NYC. When you finish scrolling through the pics. remember to check out Nathan Pyle’s website too for more goodness.
Source: NathanwPyle via Imgur
This is a laugh riot.. love the subtle jabs (and not so subtle at times) from Jon Stewart and his crew.. Apparently the pooer sections of the city seem to be more in love with the system than the upscale ones (i.e., uppity parts)
Despite the little negative publicity often encountered, the bike share system in NYC seems to be growing at a record pace. Here is a graphic from fellow Twitterati and NYC-er, Stephen Miller, that tells you how much the city loves the shiny blue bikes.
NYC’s CitiBike – Growth in Membership and Usage
NPR gushes over the time-lapse video goodness of a traffic circle in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), captured by British photog, Rob Whitworth (who describes himself as an architectural photographer by day, time lapse photographer by night). Though I grew up in India and have seen it all when it comes to traffic congestion, there is no doubt the roundabout showcased in this video is plain crazy. Should be an awe inspiring sight to witness how they manage traffic and control the flow of traffic in real time without incidents. Maybe during my next visit to SE Asia I’ll take a detour and study it up close? Oh, while we are at it, don’t forget to check out Rob’s other two videos – one each from Shanghai, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1948-style shields for US 6 and US 202 in Connecticut, with the state name abbreviated (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(via YPTransportation.org)
Current CTDOT employment opportunities are listed below. Please follow the instructions listed on the posting if interested in applying. Many positions require pre-qualification exams, and taking these exams is a great start if you are interested in a position at CTDOT.
For additional information regarding current openings, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (860) 594-3174 or visit the CTDOT Office of Human Resources at 2800 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, Connecticut 06111. For statewide job openings and examinations, please follow the link for the Department of Administrative Services , which allows you to get the job specifications for all State of Connecticut Executive Branch job titles.
Information Technology Analyst
Transportation Engineer Trainee
Transportation Supervising Planner
Description
The Montgomery County Planning Department of the Maryland- National Capital Park and Planning Commission is seeking an experienced supervisor with extensive local government planning experience to lead and manage the day-to-day activities of transportation planning policies.
Examples of Important Duties:
The successful candidate will lead the formation of the County’s transportation planning policies. The transportation coordinator will work with the Department’s travel forcasting team and multi – modal transportation staff to develop an overall approach to transportation to serve Montgomery County into the future. Requirements specific to the transportation policy coordinator position include:
1. Applied knowledge of multi – modes of transportation system mobility policies and current planning trends.
2. Ability to work with local, regional and state agencies to formulate appropriate policies for the Montgomery County Planning Board.
3. Familiarity with all forms of transit and roadway capacity issues and the practices of similar jurisdictions throughout the US and Internationally.
4. Demonstrated ability to work with internal staff and decision – makers to formulate practical policies that move local governments from suburban to a more urbanized transportation network.
Minimum Qualifications:
Master’s degree in Transportation Planning or Transportation Engineering and a minimum of six years of progressively responsible experience.
Click here to learn more and to apply.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is seeking responses to a task order proposal for two of its traffic flow optimization concepts
The Task Order Proposal Request (TOPR) is issued under the FHWA IDIQ contracts listed below. Task Order Proposal must be submitted by 3:00 pm eastern standard time on April 30, 2013. Please direct any questions to the contracting officer, Daniel Confer. He can be reached at Daniel.Confer@dot.gov .
ALL Contractors are eligible to compete on this Task Order Proposal Request but they need to partner with the following firms:
The scope of work of this task order is to: (i) develop a prototype of Dynamic Speed Harmonization with Queue Warning, which are two component applications of the Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO) bundle, (ii) conduct a small-scale demonstration of the prototype, and (iii) collect “before” (pre-demonstration) and “after” (during demonstration) data from the small-scale demonstration which will be used to support the assessment of the impacts of the prototype as well as a regional deployment of the two applications in an operational system. The USDOT expects the Contractor to apply sound software development and project management principles in conducting this work.
The INFLO bundle is a collection of high-priority, transformative applications that target maximizing roadway throughput, reducing crashes, and reducing fuel consumption through the use of frequently collected and rapidly disseminated multi-source data drawn from wirelessly connected vehicles, travelers’ communication devices, and infrastructure. This Statement of Work specifically addresses the prototyping of Dynamic Speed Harmonization (SPD-HARM) with Queue Warning (Q-WARN), a small-scale demonstration of the prototype, and collection of before and after data. SPD-HARM and Q-WARN are two component applications of the INFLO bundle.
Although the INFLO bundle includes a third application, namely the Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC), further research outside of the scope of this task order will be required prior to prototyping the CACC application. The USDOT wishes to advance SPD-HARM and Q-WARN from concept formulation (completed in 2012 during Phase 1 of the DMA Program) to prototype development and small-scale demonstration of the prototype (to be completed in Phase 2 of the DMA Program) to test if the two applications can be successfully prototyped and deployed in the future. The data and findings from the small-scale demonstration will help USDOT make more informed decisions regarding the technical feasibility and potential impacts of deploying the two applications more widely. Similar prototyping and small-scale demonstrations will be conducted for each of the DMA high-priority bundles. In Phase 3, the DMA Program will seek suitably tested and promising application bundles from the six high priority bundles for possible inclusion in a larger scale pilot deployment operational test.
A short description of the two INFLO applications is provided below. For a detailed description, please refer the INFLO Concept of Operations (1 Mahmassani, H., Rakha, H., Hubbard, E., and D. Lukasik. Concept Development and Needs Identification for Intelligent Network Flow Optimization (INFLO): Concept of Operations, Prepared by SAIC for USDOT, June 14, 2012.)
The two applications may be implemented with varying levels of complexities and interrelationships. These levels of complexity and potential interaction may change over time as underlying technologies mature and wireless connectivity between vehicles and the infrastructure becomes increasingly ubiquitous. The USDOT seeks near-term prototype concepts that are likely to yield system and user benefits even at early stages of connected vehicle technology deployment. Further, the concepts prototyped in this task should support an evolutionary path wherein the impacts associated with these applications grow as the number of connected vehicles increases.
Dynamic Speed Harmonization (SPD-HARM): The INFLO SPD-HARM application concept aims to maximize throughput and reduce crashes by utilizing infrastructure-to vehicle (I2V) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication to detect impending congestion that might necessitate speed harmonization; generating appropriate target speed recommendation strategies for upstream traffic; and communicating the recommendations to the affected vehicles using either I2V or V2V communication.
The SPD-HARM concept reflects an operational environment in which speed recommendation decisions are made at a Traffic Management Center (TMC) or a similar infrastructure-based entity, and then communicated to the affected traffic. In such an environment, the SPD-HARM application resides within the infrastructure-based entity and is external to the vehicle. Such an approach was taken since an adhoc V2V communication is not well suited to providing a comprehensive view of the roadway traffic conditions, which is fundamental to effective speed harmonization. Communication of target speed recommendations to the affected vehicles will always give priority to crash avoidance/mitigation safety applications when such applications determine that a safety alert is necessary.
Queue Warning (Q-WARN): The INFLO Q-WARN application concept aims to minimize or prevent impacts of rear-end or secondary collisions by utilizing I2V and V2V communication to detect existing queues and/or predict impending queues; and communicate advisory queue warning messages to drivers in advance of roadway segments with existing or developing vehicle queues. The Q-WARN concept reflects an operational environment in which two essential tasks are performed: queue determination (detection and/or prediction) and queue information dissemination. In such an environment, the Q-WARN application may reside in the vehicle or within an infrastructure-based entity, or utilize a combination of both. The queue warning messages may either be communicated by the infrastructure-based entity using I2V communication or broadcast by vehicles that are in a queued state to nearby vehicles and infrastructure based entities. It is important to note that the Q-WARN application concept is not intended to operate as a crash avoidance system (e.g., like the forward collision warning safety application). In contrast to such systems, Q-WARN will engage well in advance of any potential crash situation, providing messages and information to the driver in order to minimize the likelihood of a crash avoidance or mitigation actions later. As such, Q-WARN-related driver communication will always give priority to crash avoidance/mitigation safety applications when such applications determine that a safety-related alert is necessary.
