Photo by cogdogblog

The Federal Highway Administration plans to produce deployment guidance in 2015 on connected vehicles to transportation infrastructure owner/operators.  Tell us what would best support decision making and deployments at the state and local level.

National Associations including AASHTO, ITE and ITS America are working together to form a Vehicle to Infrastructure(V2I) Coalition.  What type of organization will best meet your needs?

Please provide comments based on the materials distributed on these topics at the September 12, 2014 public meeting including the initial draft guidance, a handout on the proposed coalition, and the list of supporting V2I products/tools under development. The V2I Deployment Guidance Draft is an initial draft document. USDOT is seeking feedback from State and local Departments of Transportation, transit operators, other operating agencies, and infrastructure owners who are starting to plan for the deployment and use of connected vehicle technologies in their area. Any interested parties may provide comments on the initial draft guidance through Friday, November 14, 2014.

Questions to Consider on the Proposed CV Guidance

• Will the topics covered in the proposed guidance and the companion products being developed provide you with enough support to successfully deploy connected vehicle technologies in your area?
• Are there additional tools, training, or resources that you would like to see developed?
• Any other concerns/comments?

Questions to Consider on the V2I Deployment Coalition

• What are your thoughts about the structure of the proposed coalition?
• How should associated organizations’ and agencies’ leadership be involved?
• What challenges are likely to arise and need to be addressed?
• Any other concerns/comments?

Review source materials and provide comments at: http://www.its.dot.gov/meetings/v2i_feedback.htm by Friday, November 14, 2014.

Several Job Openings at Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning! http://www.foursquareitp.com/careers

Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning (Foursquare ITP) is looking for qualified candidates to contribute to, assist, lead, and/or manage teams on a diverse array of transportation projects for state and local governments, federal agencies, transit agencies, and regional agencies. Foursquare ITP is a transportation planning firm based in Rockville, Maryland. As a small firm we are able to give our clients the personalized focus that they seek and deserve. We offer our clients expertise in regional transportation planning and coordination, public transit planning, strategic planning, and transportation demand management. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package.

Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning, Inc. (Foursquare ITP) has the following job openings:
– Project Manager / Senior Transportation Planner
– Transportation Planner
– Transportation Analyst
– GIS Analyst / Graphic Designer

Position Overviews and General Requirements

The selected candidates will work as part of a team and will be responsible for research, analysis, report development, field work and meeting participation on a wide variety of transportation projects. The selected candidates will be involved in a wide array of projects, including transit development plans, transportation needs assessments, station area plans, transit route planning, financial planning, transit performance monitoring, transportation demand management, and federal grant management. The positions will require research and data analysis utilizing a variety of sources, including transit ridership data, Census, socioeconomic, land use, survey data, and existing plan information.

In addition to having the appropriate technical skills, the successful candidates will be smart, motivated, self-starters who are passionate about transit and transportation planning. The candidates must also be flexible in meeting client demands and operating within a dynamic workflow.

Any position at Foursquare ITP requires excellent communication skills, both written and oral. Topical area expertise is required in one or more of the following: transit planning; transit program
implementation; corridor-level transit planning; regional transportation planning; transit development plans; federal transit grant management; transportation demand management; Environmental Impact Statements/Environmental Assessments; land use and economic development analysis; and strategic planning. A strong working knowledge of the Washington Metropolitan area is desired.

The selected candidates must have the breadth of experience to assist, lead, and/or manage teams on a diverse array of transportation projects for state and local governments, federal agencies, transit agencies, and regional agencies.

Specific Position Descriptions and Required Qualifications

The Project Manager / Senior Transportation Planner will lead projects and tasks, guide analysis, and contribute to the development of a variety of projects. Candidates should have at least ten (10) years of www.foursquareitp.com experience and at least three (3) years of task or project management experience. Experience managing staff and contributing to and overseeing projects from the technical and administrative sides is required. Appropriate educational background is also required, including preferably a Master’s degree in transportation planning, urban planning, or similar.

The Transportation Planner will conduct analysis and develop written documentation on a variety of projects. Candidates must have at least three to five years of experience in the field; a Master’s degree in transportation planning, urban planning or similar may be used to substitute for two years of experience.

The Transportation Analyst will conduct analysis and develop written documentation on a variety of projects. Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree in transportation planning, urban planning or similar and a demonstrated interest in transportation planning through coursework and internships.

The GIS Analyst / Graphic Designer will support the planning staff on projects by conducting analysis in GIS, developing sophisticated maps, and creating presentation-ready maps using a post-processing software, such as Adobe Illustrator. This position also requires the use of Adobe InDesign to develop final report documents that are visually pleasing and graphically intensive. Experience in these areas and a Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree in GIS is required.

Résumés and cover letters will be accepted through Friday, November 14, 2014 to resumes @ foursquareitp.com. Candidates must be available to start work in the next three months.

About Foursquare ITP:

Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning (Foursquare ITP) is looking for qualified candidates to contribute to, assist, lead, and/or manage teams on a diverse array of transportation projects for state and local governments, federal agencies, transit agencies, and regional agencies. Foursquare ITP is a transportation planning firm based in Rockville, Maryland. As a small firm we are able to give our clients the personalized focus that they seek and deserve. We offer our clients expertise in regional transportation planning and coordination, public transit planning, strategic planning, and transportation demand management. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package http://www.foursquareitp.com

Under the supervision and direction of the Clipper Senior Program Coordinator, Implementation & Expansion, the Assistant/Associate Program Coordinator will manage, organize, and implement the following tasks. In most cases, execution of these tasks requires coordination/collaboration with other members of MTC’s Clipper® project management team, transit agency staff, staff with the Clipper Contractor and other consultants.

Clipper® is an all-in-one transit card that keeps track of any passes, discount tickets, ride books and cash value that you load onto it, while applying all applicable fares, discounts and transfer rules. The Clipper card can hold multiple passes, ride books or tickets (which are specific to the transit system being used), as well as up to $300 in cash value at one time and lets the holder customize their card for own transit needs:

The person in this position must have:

• Strong analytical skills necessary to perform and present quantitative analysis.
• Advanced Excel skills
• Strong written and oral communication skills and presentation of quantitative information; including the ability to translate technical and financial data/information into a format understandable to internal and external stakeholders, and the general public.
• Strong meeting planning, management, and facilitation skills.
• Attention to detail and data accuracy.

Must be able to:

• Analyze problems,
• Develop strategies and make practical recommendations;
• Prepare correspondence, and reports to a wide variety of audiences
• Manage competing assignments and priorities to meet critical deadlines within short time constraints.
• Work independently.
• Use initiative and sound judgment within established procedural guidelines.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Develop consensus among local agencies and consultants on various issues.
• work efficiently as part of a team, and develop and maintain strong and effective working relationships with key internal and external staff.
• The ability to interpret, comply, and quickly respond to frequently changing priorities.
• The ability to creatively solve problems, take personal initiative, and carry out assignments with minimum supervision.
• Be flexibile and willing to evolve to challenges

Click here to learn more and to apply.

The FHWA Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty is pleased to announce the opening of a “Senior Transportation Specialist” position that will serve as the Planning Capacity Building Team Leader in the Office of Planning.  The Office of Planning is responsible for the development and implementation of national policies, regulations, guidelines, standards, procedures, techniques, and initiatives to comply with the transportation planning and programming provisions.  The position will:
·         Serve as an authoritative advisor on a national basis within a wide area of transportation planning and capacity building issues and, as such, plays a major role in FHWA in developing and promoting national policies, programs, and procedures on numerous transportation and community planning and policy issues, and for providing authoritative advice, counsel, and interpretation of FHWA policies, procedures, and regulations.
·         Provide leadership, coordination, and support for existing program activities and assessment of program direction in response to changes in internal and external needs.
·         Possess a mastery of advanced concepts, principles and practices and serves as the national expert in the application of a variety of program focus areas within the Office of Planning.
·         Coordinate and communicate with others on work activities within the Office’s area of responsibility.

The ideal candidate is a mid to senior level professional who functions independently and demonstrates leadership in team environments and managing people.  You should also have strong analytical, strategic planning, and communication skills.  Experience should also include analytical expertise and/or project/program oversight in capacity building and administering transportation planning projects, programs and processes.  Experience in the analysis and/or improvement of transportation policy and an ability to meet organizational goals is also desirable.

·         Open Period:  Tuesday, October 28, 2014 to Monday, November 10, 2014
·         Series and Grade:  GS-2101-15
·         Duty Location:  One vacancy in Washington, DC

For those interested in knowing more about the position or applying, please see job announcement numbers FHWA.HEP-2015-0001 or FHWA.HEP-2015-0002:
·         Open to all U.S. Citizens – https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/384978000
·         Merit Promotion Vacancy (Open to all current Federal employees, those prior Feds with re-instatement eligibility rights & VEOA applicants) – https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/384977600

Should you have any questions regarding this position, please send an email to transjobs@dot.gov or contact the Automated Staffing Office at 202-366-1298.

via Forbes/Statista

Image courtesy: Statista via Forbes

Click here for the accompanying story

Below is a tweet that got me wondering.  Despite knowing the bad status of the Highway Trust Fund, why is congress so hesitant to raise the gas tax? I’m sure many of you are left asking the same question. Several years have gone by and many transportation reauthorizations bills have been enacted since the last time we raised the gas tax (in the early 1990s). But there is still no appetite to raise the gas tax, even by a few cents (and there seems to be any sense of urgency as well).  Hopefully this trend is reversed in the upcoming re-authorization in 2015.  BTW, am I alone in thinking that this picture below also subtly answers why we love our cars so much and like to build houses far from the urban core? What would happen to our current development model/real estate practices if gasoline was taxed like how it is done in Europe?

#roadfinancing #advocacy RT @ARTBA: Funding = road quality, just ask the EU #TMAW #FixtheHTF http://t.co/POeb0cEyq3 pic.twitter.com/HSHKuEFsbT

— CarolineVisserGRL (@GlobalRoadLinks) June 24, 2014

If you get a chance, visit this brilliant website (by ARTBA), Transportation Makes America Work, to see the impact of how this current gas tax situation is affecting the nation’s progress (you can even check out the impact on your particular state’s infrastructure). Also if you are interested, you can take action by contacting your local representative right on the website (and if you are a transportation nerd like me, you can always download the app on your phone and be ready to spill the facts in any discussion).

Image courtesy: tmaw.com –

Related articles

• Looming Highway Trust Fund Crisis: Impact on State Transportation Programs
• Do Low Oil Prices Justify Raising the Gas Tax?

Lea+Elliott is seeking a junior to mid-level planner with an interest in transit and a background in LEED to be based in Northern Virginia either at our regional office at Dulles Airport or at a project office.  Work assignments will include transit projects throughout the eastern United States.  Under guidance and supervision, duties may include:

• Serving as a liaison between design reviewers and other planners to ensure that the teams are kept aware of relevant project issues.
• Assisting in the evaluation of contractor’s management plans and providing comments on design documents as part of the design review process.
• Serving as LEED Coordinator on one or more transit projects
• Representing client in meetings with project contractors.
• Ensuring compliance of contractors with applicable local, state, and federal regulations, primarily environmental.
• Assistance with property acquisition activities and locality coordination as needed.

Qualifications:

• Degree in Urban Planning (specialty in Transportation or Environmental) or Transportation Engineering. Masters degree preferred.
• At least 2-4 years of full-time relevant planning and/or project experience including involvement in at least one LEED project.
• Proficiency in navigating architectural and engineering drawings and specifications.
• Excellent writing skills.
• LEED Green Associate accreditation required, and candidate must demonstrate ability to become LEED AP accredited within one year if not already accredited.
• AICP certification or the ability to obtain same is desired but not required.
• Experience with FTA, State, or local transportation planning and environmental processes a plus
• Technological aptitude including comfort with Microsoft Office.
• Willingness to be open to new work responsibilities.

Please respond to jobopenings@leaelliott.com with cover letter and resume.

via CityLab & synapticdigital.com

Los Angeles is preparing to trial a two-way, one-mile e-highway road design project along the diesel truck-dominated Alameda Corridor in an effort to reduce pollution and health-related costs. Officials say the system relies on emission-free electric power delivered through overhead wires to fuel the trucks. The city is partnering with Siemens and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to run the $13 million project set to begin operations in July. The one-mile test of the e-highway system may just be the start. Apparently the various funders are hoping to expand the system along the remaining three miles from the ports to the major railhead, and there are discussions underway about a 20-mile northwest corridor that could connect the ports with inland warehouse complexes. If this first mile test works out, it could help provide a healthier future for high-traffic corridors around the world.

More about the project here.

This is how it works: The catenary infrastructure will be installed on the North and South-bound sections of Alameda Street where it intersects with Sepulveda Boulevard in Carson,California. Up to four trucks will be running in the demonstration, making multiple drives per day. Thanks to an innovative current collector the trucks can connect and disconnect from the catenary system at any speed for dynamic power supply directly to the electric engine and for on-board storage. To further ensure the same flexibility as conventional trucks, the eHighway vehicles use an electric drive system, which can be powered either by diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), battery or other on-board energy source, when driving outside of the catenary lines.  One big question that bogs me is this: assuming the demonstration is successful, who will pay for the cost of turning over the existing fleet to this hybrid-mode?

Related articles

• Siemens To Conduct eHighway Trials With Electric Volvo Trucks In California
• eHighway Project In Los Angeles
• Siemens eHighway Expected to Cut Ports’ CO2 Emissions

Do you have a new, creative, or innovative idea for addressing a significant transportation challenge? Are you a student, a group of students or a young professional? The George Mason University’s School of Policy, Government and International Affairs wants to hear from you!

In the world of transportation and transportation challenges, it is imperative that we foster the development and implementation of new ideas. Instead of offering the same old solutions–turning the proverbial wheel, but not moving forward– we challenge you to think creatively and offer “outside the box” solutions to complicated transportation policy challenges. So how can you push that wheel forward? How can you affect change?

•  First Prize: $10,000
• Second Prize: $5,000
• Third Prize: $2,500

Examples of significant transportation challenges include:

• Funding for transportation facility and services
• Fostering public/private sector collaboration
• Developing creative new transportation modalities
• Encouraging multimodal solutions
• Reducing community and environmental impacts of transportation facilities and services.
• Enhancing quality of life through access to jobs, medical care, housing, recreation, etc.
• Expanding opportunities for disadvantaged populations.
• Tackling challenges arising from demographic changes and generational shifts.

The award will be announced in the Spring of 2015. Please visit the competition website for details on submission requirements and procedures. http://outsidethebox.gmu.edu/