The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is looking for a dedicated, self-motivated lover of bicycling to assist in planning and executing major components of our East of the River 2013 Bicycle Outreach Initiative. This is an expansion of our successful 2012 program and includes distribution of community engagement and outreach materials and organization of educational offerings, bicycle repair clinics, bike rides, and community events. The project area is the District of Columbia east of the Anacostia River, with specific emphasis on the Congress Heights, Anacostia, and St. Elizabeths areas.

The East of the River Program Associate will have primary day-to-day responsibility for delivery of bicycling outreach through one-on-one, grassroots community engagement, and will be responsible for coordinating logistics of numerous outreach events to communicate to community members the value of bicycling as a viable form of affordable, healthy, sustainable transportation.

Image Courtesy: Anacostia Yogi – http://www.anacostiayoga.com

This position is grant-funded and is anticipated to run through mid-August 2013. The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, committed to getting more people on bikes, a strong communicator, knowledgeable about the community to be served, and organized. Hours are flexible, but weekend work will be required. The majority of work will be outdoors likely involving bicycling, interacting with the public, or at outdoor community events, but the associate will also be responsible for planning and preparing reports for supervisors and funders.

The associate will report directly to the WABA outreach coordinator and will be directed by WABA program staff. This will afford the associate the opportunity to learn from professionals in the fields of event planning, community planning, grassroots organizing, online activism, and outreach.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A strong commitment to WABA’s mission, growing bicycling as transportation
• Excellent writing, presentation, and public-speaking skills
• A flexible schedule and willingness to work evenings and weekends as needed
• The ability to organize time wisely and multi-task in a relaxed and fun, but demanding, environment
• Experience with Microsoft Office

Benefits include a flexible schedule, vacation, and sick and personal leave. Compensation is $15 an hour. This position is part-time, about 20 to 25 hours per week.

Apply

Send a cover letter describing why you are the best candidate for this job, along with a resume, to jobs@waba.org. No phone calls, please. The position is available immediately, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

WABA is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, disability, sex, or age.

About the Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Making bicycling better through advocacy and education, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association promotes biking as a healthy, low-cost, and environmentally friendly form of transportation and recreation. With 4,000 members region-wide, WABA serves bicyclists throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia.

An awesome visual, courtesy of Mikael Colville-Andersen of Copenhagenize.com, that tells how our mobility models have changed over the years..  In a way it serves a testament to show how much the highway lobby has influenced our society’s transportation preferences, diminishing walking and bicycling over the generations.

A Short History of Traffic Engineering – Image Courtesy: Copenhagenize.com

Job Title:  General Manager
Job Location: San Francisco, with regular travel to the South Bay

Job Summary
Bicycle sharing is a sustainable, healthy, and community-based transport option that enhances urban livability and mobility. Alta Bicycle Share, contractor to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and operator of the Bay Area bike share program (BABS), is seeking a General Manager to oversee staff of over 50 people and all aspects of launch and ongoing operations. Core program functions include: program marketing; bicycle and station assembly and installation, programming and deployment; bicycle and station maintenance, repair and cleaning; bicycle redistribution; shipping/receiving and inventory control; client and customer service; and budget management.

Reporting to the Operations Director, the General Manager is accountable for overall success of Alta’s Bay Area bike share program as measured by program P & L, performance in core program functions, and client and customer satisfaction. Primary responsibilities include business strategy development and implementation; staff recruitment, training oversight, leadership and coaching; client and customer service; and contract negotiation and compliance. Ideal candidates will be diplomatic delegators with a track record of safety and success managing multifaceted operations with a diverse and committed workforce.

Primary Responsibilities
Manage all aspects of Alta Bicycle Share Bay Area pre-launch activities, including but not limited to:

• Recruitment and selection of key leadership team.
• Branding and marketing plan development.
• Identification of key marketing partners and sub-contractors.
• Property identification and acquisition.
• Acquisition of vehicles, equipment and tools.
• Site selection and planning.
• Contract and client management. Establish strong vendor and client relationships.
• Receive, inventory, and oversee assembly of all bike share equipment.
• Establish or improve policies and policy documents as required.

Manage all aspects of Alta Bicycle Share Bay Area program deployment and launch, marketing, customer service, administration and oversee all aspects of ongoing operations, including but not limited to:

• Hire, train, schedule, and manage a diverse workforce to necessarily and continually accomplish core program functions. Delegate tasks as needed.
• Working with the management and street team to develop strategies to accomplish operational functions including bike and station deployment, maintenance, repair, and cleaning, and bicycle redistribution.
• Working with the local client, management and street team to develop strategies for membership and corporate sales, public relations, and customer service leveraging social media.
• Manage multiple subcontracts.
• Lead collaboration with multiple clients and multiple sponsors.
• Continuous operation with adherence to policies, contracts, and budgets.
• Implement, improve, and share operational best practices.
• Ensure strict adherence to safety policies and procedures.
• Forecast revenues and expenses, and manage a budget.
• Ensure reports, invoices and purchase orders are complete and timely delivered to project officers and managers.
• Maintain strong client and vendor relations.
• Ensure overall success and future growth of Alta Bicycle Share the Bay Area.

Core Competencies

• Communication Skills: Collaborate and communicate effectively; requires listening, strategic context, win-win negotiating, situational leadership; great written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Leadership Skills: Inspire and motivate employees to successfully achieve operational goals; provide a stable, positive environment that challenges and develops employee potential; remove obstacles that interfere with team goals; earns respect of team and clients alike.
• Interpersonal Skills: Maintain confidentiality; remain open to others’ ideas; demonstrate willingness to try new things.
• Resource Management: Find creative ways to accomplish goals in the face of resource constraints; develop and manage realistic operating budgets that accomplish program objectives.
• Continuous Improvement: Proficient in company best practices in each function; looks for ways to improve efficiency and performance; analyzes data to make fact based decisions; incorporates feedback from various stakeholders to improve processes.
• Emotional Intelligence: Self-aware, easily establishes trust and integrity with clients and staff.
• Adaptability: Enthusiastically adapt to changes in the work environment; manage competing demands; maintain team focus and optimism when dealing with frequent change, delays or unexpected events.
• Dependability: Follow instructions; respond to management direction and client requests; communicate frequently; solicit feedback to improve performance.

Requirements

• College degree in business administration, engineering, transportation or related field required. Advanced degree a plus.
• 7+ years of demonstrated success in the areas of general management, sales/marketing, general operations and finance in a fast growth environment. Experience in logistics or transportation industries a plus.
• Prior P & L responsibility in a multi-site/multi-unit operation.
• Ability to identify priorities and focus on critical tasks.
• Must have demonstrated leaderships experience and history of hiring and developing key employees.
• Experience working with government, businesses, and non-profits.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication and problem solving skills.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Passion for bikes, efficiency, or sustainability a plus.
• Sense of humor required.

Note: The above description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities due to the nature of work performed to accomplish Alta Bicycle Share’s Mission. Alta Bicycle Share is proud to be an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer.
To Apply:
Please submit a cover letter and resume to: resumes+SFGM@altabicycleshare.com
Please, no phone calls

Click here for the original announcement.

A quick Storify to celebrate a milestone for one of the storied civil engineering marvels in continental United States..

http://storify.com/transportgooru/still-standing-tall-new-york-s-iconic-grand-centra

Mick Bell on YouTube via Laughing Squid

Police in Sunshine Coast (Australia) got a surprise during the recent storm & flooding of the coastal area. The churning seas whipped out a heavy dose of foam that completely enveloped the road near the coast . As the cops stood watch, out comes a stealthy surprise – a car, completely covered in the foam! Scary to say the least!

The USDOT ITS Joint Program Office recently published “An Open Dialogue On The Draft Focus And Themes For The Next ITS Strategic Research Plan,” available at http://www.its.dot.gov/strategicplan/.  The purpose of this document is to establish a starting point for creating the next ITS Strategic Plan. The goal of presenting themes is to enable continuity of the current research programs while establishing new or redefined goals and objectives to meet emerging research needs. The themes fall into three broad categories:

• Maturing Connected Vehicle Systems – Focuses on what is needed to accelerate the maturity of vehicle-based communications with surrounding systems

• Piloting and Deployment Readiness – Focuses on the security, policy, business opportunities, capabilities, pilots, and incentives needed to support vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) implementation

• Integrating with the Broader Environment – Focuses on the integration and decision support capabilities to enable V2V and V2I (collectively termed V2X) interaction with other governmental services and public utilities.

We invite the community to consider providing input to the draft themes by visiting http://itsstrategicplan.ideascale.com/.  The USDOT is seeking your input on the following key questions, although other input is highly welcome:

·         What technological changes will occur in the near future that will impact transportation?

·         Are the themes outlined here addressing the technological and societal changes that affect transportation?

·         Are there other themes we should be considering? If so, why?

·         Are there themes that should not be considered, or moved to a different timeframe?

·         What is the appropriate federal role in technology and transportation that best assists the private sector and travelers at large?

Your input is requested no later than Friday, March 15, 2013.  Your attention and consideration of this request is greatly appreciated.

English: District of Columbia Department of Transportation (d-dot) logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m a big fan of transportation agencies using social media to reach their customers & stakeholders.  But often you will find many of these agencies send out tweets and Facebook posts that are plain boring and borderline irritating.  Fortunately, some agencies do understand the importance of adding humor and fun to keep their messages appealing yet entertaining without looking too mundane.  Among a handful of agencies that do this so well is @DDOTDC (aka DC Department of Transportation). They always know how to mix up the seriousness of a bland transportation message with a little bit of humor to make it easy for the end-user to consume, esp. at the end of a long day.  The communications team at @DDOTDC has done a commendable job on many occasions and today is not an exception.

Like every time it happens, today DC metropolitan area got into panic-mode when snow flurries started hitting the ground. As folks left offices/workplaces early, the vehicle traffic started building up on the streets. So, to lighten up the mood and poke a bit of fun of the traditional behavior of DC metro residents, the @DDOTDC team pushed out a series of fun tweets titled Top 5 signs it’s snowing in DC”:

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294905698196811776

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294906098425679873

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294906463334301696

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294906684915208194

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294906972103393280

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294905698196811776

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294906098425679873

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294906463334301696

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294906684915208194

https://twitter.com/DDOTDC/status/294906972103393280

And you see my point? How refreshing is it to see a public agency do something like this instead of just sending out plain boring traffic congestion updates during an already crazy time on the streets?  If you happen to serve as a communications in-charge at any transportation agency, you will be thrilled to see such great levels of audience engagement from the community for each one of these messages (i.e., retweets, Favs, etc). So, if you get a chance, say “Thank You” to the @DDOTDC team for their fun yet sincere community service and all the hard work they put in to keeps us safe on the roads.

(Image Courtesy: veterinarytechnicianschools.com)

Every year, the United States spends billions in medical, road-repair and vehicle costs due collisions between vehicles and animals, not to mention the trauma of all of the human and animal lives that are lost. But is anything being done about this problem? The professionals use their expertise to help shrink the number of animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) and the resulting horrific consequences. This infographic gives some background on the problem of AVCs and presents some of the solutions currently deployed to mitigate this growing problem.

Image Courtesy: Veterinarytechnicalschools.com

Position Title: Transportation Specialist, GS-2101-13 / 14 CAH (Open to US Citizens)

Job Announcement Number: FHWA.HOP-2013-0010

APM Terminals, Portsmouth, VA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Open Period: Friday, January 11, 2013 to Monday, January 21, 2013

Duty Locations: Washington, DC, US

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen.

There is an open position for a Transportation Specialist assigned to the Office of Freight Management and Operations, in the Office of Operations of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Within a team environment, the Transportation Specialist is recognized as a national expert in developing and delivering a freight-related programs and initiatives program. This includes working closely with the public sector at all levels of government and the affected industry sectors to conceptualize and implement this programs and initiatives. You will be considered an expert in the field of intermodal freight operations and will have the ability to manage technology-based programs; and will serve as lead for activities related to integration of freight into transportation infrastructure and operational improvements. You will serve as the lead for public sector freight transportation activities, programs and initiatives throughout the United States and with Canada and Mexico and our partners in other countries of the world.

The ideal candidate is a mid-career to senior professional with knowledge and experience in transportation and intermodal freight operations, with knowledge of supply chain logistics, the economic factors that drive industry liaisons and drive business relationships, and intergovernmental relations as conducted with other Federal, State, MPO and multi-jurisdictional entities. For complete information and to apply, click here.