Transportation for America is hiring a Research Fellow to help produce research and produce reports, identify innovative transportation concepts, and support a mission-based consulting service to produce the best outcomes for clients’ transportation investments.

The fellow will join Transportation for America’s policy team conducting original research that advances local, state and federal policies. This is an opportunity that features a great deal of responsibility, direct collaboration with our partners and valuable hands-on experience with transportation thought-leaders throughout the country.

Description

The ideal fellow is a proactive, savvy researcher with exceptional writing and editing skills and plugged-in to developments surrounding transportation policy at the local, state and federal, levels. The successful candidate will be able to use all these skills to create original research for Transportation for America’s partners and the public.

Fellows should be dependable team players that can perform regular duties when asked, while also being proactive self-starter who can independently research and offer and implement new research areas that support Transportation for America’s policy efforts. Fellows will be conducting research and writing assigned issue briefs and longer reports, but will also be counted upon to support the President of Transportation for America’s newly-created mission-driven consulting service.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Researching, writing and editing original research that supports local, state and federal transportation policy efforts of Transportation for America. This includes short (3-10 pages) issue briefs and lengthier research assignments when necessary.
• Identifying research trends and gaps to develop scope for new research.
• Managing oversight and quality assurance of data collection.
• Assisting policy team in researching local, state and federal policy, and producing content for Transportation for America’s members
• Supporting mission-driven consulting service by researching and writing reports and memorandums, and billing responsibilities.
• Providing general research support for the organization and our partners.

Requirements

All Transportation for America fellowships require a self-motivated, detail-oriented person with excellent writing, oral communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to think creatively and work independently with adequate supervision. Candidates should have a strong interest in transportation, economic development, smart growth or related areas.

Specific to the Research Fellow candidate, Transportation for America is looking for those who can fulfill the following requirements:

• Proactive, team-player
• A bachelor’s degree in public policy, planning, sociology, demography, economics or other related field.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative transportation and economic development research.
• Highly computer literate
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Working understanding of Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator) and GIS a plus.

Recommended candidates include:

• New professionals, especially policy, transportation, planning and economic professionals.
• Candidates able to demonstrate the capacity for independent study or research.

The position is full time (40 hours per week) and requires a six-month commitment. Some former fellows have joined our full-time staff. Transportation for America Fellows receive a stipend of $1,500 per month. This position is based in our offices in Washington, DC.

To apply, please send these materials to info@t4america.org with “Research Fellow” in the subject line:

• A short cover letter that includes a 50-word description of the assets you would bring to this position
• A current resume with references
• Recent research examples

Applications will be accepted immediately on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Equal opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at Transportation for 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.

About T4America

T4America is an alliance of elected, business and civic leaders from communities across the country who are united to ensure that states and the federal government step up to invest in smart, homegrown, locally-driven transportation solutions. Learn more at http://t4america.org

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is currently hiring a Program Manager for Environment, a position located in Washington, DC.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO ) Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Under the leadership of the Program Director for Environment, the Program Manager for Environment serves as the liaison to the AASHTO Resilient and Sustainable Transportation Systems (RSTS) Steering Committee and manages the RSTS Technical Assistance Program (TAP). The Program Manager also serves as a liaison to the Standing Committee on Environment (SCOE) Air Quality, Climate Change, and Energy Subcommittee (AQ Subcommittee). Additionally, the Program Manager oversees and directs various activities under the Center for Environmental Excellence (the Center) by AASHTO. Duties are performed with input from the Program Director and oversight groups consisting of state transportation agency representatives.

As liaison to the above committees, the Program Manager’s primary duty is to ensure AASHTO members are cognizant of key technical, legislative and regulatory issues related to climate change, extreme weather, air quality and other related environmental topics; and ensuring members are aware of how general environmental topics relate to transportation. The Program Manager monitors the legislative, regulatory and technical activities of appropriate Congressional committees, federal agencies and other public interest groups and associations, and provides this information to members to assist them in policy deliberation and development.

In managing the RSTS Technical Assistance Program, the Program Manager is responsible for the development of long-term program and project objectives and strategies; program and project planning and budgeting; contract preparation, negotiation and administration; marketing of RSTS services and products; coordination of activities, programs and projects with governmental agencies, trade associations and public interest groups.

As staff liaison to the SCOE Air Quality, Climate Change and Energy Subcommittee, the Program Manager provides management support to the subcommittee. In this capacity, the Program Manager attends meetings and provides policy and procedural advice; advises on meeting agendas; disseminates informational materials to committee members, provides other assistance as required; and serves as liaison between the AQ Subcommittee and SCOE.

As a task manager for the Center, the Program Manager supports the Program Director in developing the annual work plan; long-term environmental program objectives and strategies; environmental program and project planning and budgeting; contract preparation, negotiation and administration; marketing of the Center’s services and products; and coordination of activities, programs and projects with governmental agencies, trade associations and public interest groups. The Program Manager oversees the development of training materials, webinars, websites, workshops, and national conferences that provide AASHTO members opportunities to engage in critical environmental discussions.

The Program Manager represents and promotes AASHTO’s environmental goals and policy positions in meetings, task forces and workshops; prepares and delivers presentations; and performs other functions as needed.

Position Requirements:

A broad understanding of federal and state environmental policies, regulations, procedures and practices as they relate to transportation; and sound comprehension of the administrative, legislative and regulatory process at the federal and state levels is required.  The incumbent must have an understanding of state transportation responsibilities, planning and project delivery practices and policy issues. Project planning, budgeting and management skills, experience with contracts administration and financial reporting, and excellent written and oral communication skills are required. The incumbent must be able to travel approximately 30 days per year.

The successful candidate must have a minimum of four to six years of progressively responsible, professional experience in the transportation sector; with a focus on environmental issues or in the environmental field with a focus on transportation issues.  Prior experience in project management is desired.   A bachelor’s of arts or science degree, preferably in an environment or transportation related field is required.  Evidence of a higher degree of professional development, such as a postgraduate education, is desirable.

To apply:

Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to recruiter@aashto.org by close of business on Friday, April 3. Relocation costs are not reimbursable.

AASHTO is an equal opportunity employer.

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Image Courtesy: ITSA.org – Click image to learn more.

Nearly 50% of the country’s containerized cargo passes through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, making Southern California the epicenter of America’s freight network. From infrastructure investments that support reliable and efficient freight movement, to an emerging suite of advanced safety technologies on-board commercial vehicles, the nation’s freight network continues to deploy innovative solutions to address challenges and improve performance.

Make plans today to join ITS America, Caltrans, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, the Port of Long Beach andITS California for a two-day event, March 26-27, as we explore the smarter movement of goods in the 21st century by advancing an intelligent freight transportation network.

The symposium will take place in our most unique location yet — on board the historic Queen Mary. Special registration rates are available for ITS America members, public sector attendees and students and start as low as $40.00. Learn how you and your organization can get involved, check out the preliminary program and register today at www.itsa.org/freightsymposium.

These graphs below via Qz.com paint a compelling picture of air quality in India. In most western media discussions/stories about environmental pollution is often China-centric. One would expect China to be topping the charts when it comes to pollution, given the country’s ginormous population, its economic clout and the manufacturing prowess which earned it the “factory of the world” label, . But in reality, ‪#‎India‬ is the worst offender and it deserves far more scrutiny than China. 14 of the top 20 most polluted cities are in India and a not a single Chinese city made it to this list. Govt. of India should take urgent steps to combat this issue because of the risks it pose to public health. 

Image Courtesy: Quartz I Qz.com

Image Courtesy: Quartz I Qz.com

For what it is worth, the transportation sector is one of the major culprits, accounting for a significant portion of the overall emissions. While congestion in major cities continues to grow worse, the vehicle sales continues at a torrid pace and doesn’t show any signs of a slow down. To put this in perspective, I am borrowing the following points from the ICCT fact sheet:

• India’s vehicle population has grown from 50 million in 2003 to 130 million in 2013.
• Vehicle PM10 emissions have fallen 14% since 2003, but emissions will return to 2003 levels by 2017 due to vehicle population growth if new controls are not mandated

Another major source of pollution in India related to the transportation sector is the noise pollution, which requires a dedicated blog post by itself. So, one of these days I’ll get around to doing some research on that topic and write it up.

Related articles

• India’s air pollution is so bad it’s reducing life expectancy by 3.2 years
• Beijing’s Mayor Declares City To Be Unlivable Due To Life-Choking Smog
• Air Pollution Decreasing Life Span in India, Study Says

As the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words .. This one is worth a few thousand stories on transport policy, included as part of a message promoting the ITF report titled “Cycling, Health and Safety”  In a nutshell, as summarized by ITF, the more people cycle, the fewer fatal accidents. Every kilometer cycled benefits society.

Image Courtesy: International Transport Forum . Click image to read the report “Cycling, Health and Safety”

While we are at it, I recommend you to check out the video series on cycling, safety & health on ITF’s YouTube channel:

The images below are from Pew States (most of them), tweeted out as part of the #StuckinTraffic Twitter chat featuring U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and House T&I Committee Chair Schuster.  Please note that most of the images have embedded URL links pointing to a webpage/report. So, feel free to click on the ones that pique your interest to learn more.

P.S: Pardon any shoddiness as you scroll down. This post is a quick hack/harvest of compelling charts from the #StuckINTraffic twitter feed to show the landscape of transportation funding issues and why it is important to get the reauthorization done ASAP.

Image Courtesy: Pew States – US transportation funding 101—& why fed, state investment is declining:

Image Courtesy – Pew States – DYK? Transportation infrastructure funding stems mainly from states:

Image Courtesy: Pew States – Fed, states facing funding challenges as gas tax revenues stall: h

Image Courtesy: Pew States – US #transportation fed grant funding dips 9% from ’08 to ’14:

Image Courtesy: Pew States – New Pew report spotlights surface DOT funding declines, overall down $27B in real terms since 2002

Image Courtesy: Pew States – 66% of fed transportation revenue stems from gas tax—why it matters:

Image Courtesy: Pew States – Fed Highway Trust Fund—major source of state, local funds—running low

Image courtesy; Pew States

Image courtesy: Wonkblog via @TransportDems – 1 in 4 US bridges is deficient. #StuckinTraffic

Image Courtesy: @BikeLeague – What role do transit, bike and pedestrian projects play in local economies?

via Citylab

This interesting chart was a part of a CityLab article that analyses how Germany is less car dependent than the United States by looking data from comparable cities in each of these nations.  What caught my attention, among the many things, is the difference in the carbon footprint.  In the US, Transport sector alone accounts for 32% of our overall CO2 emissions whereas in Germany it is only 19%.  If we ever get around to implementing a carbon tax, it could fall precipitously but I don’t see that happening anytime soon, given the current political discourse.

The data come from a recent comparison of German and U.S. planning approaches led by transport scholar Ralph Buehler of Virginia Tech. Drilling down to the city level, Buehler and collaborators find more of the same driving trends in an analysis of two large metros from each country: Washington, D.C., and Stuttgart.

This is a highly recommended viewing material if you are a transportation professional  (or from any industry that touches up on transportation of people and goods). Why? Because it will help you understand what the future of transportation looks like and get you a glimpse of the challenges we will be tacking. Stimulating would be an understatement if you are a geek like me and this video gives you a lot to think about in terms of how to prepare yourself as a professional to operate/practice in this new paradigm.

Many of our decision-makers and old-school professional grunts, don’t have a clue of the seismic shift underway in the world of industry, dominated by the rapid advancement of automotive technology.  Advanced technology-driven concepts such as connected vehicles, automated vehicles, Internet of Things, etc, that are already appearing on the horizon, we are about to experience something special. and these industry experts, in a very adorable and casual fashion, discuss some of the emerging trends and pressing issues (i.e, cyber security, customer acceptance, etc) over a beer. You may have already witnessed glimpses of this future with Tesla pumping our over-the-air updates to the vehicles, much like the updates for your cellular phone, to improve their performance.    To summarize what’s ahead according to these guys,, the embedded software in a vehicle of tomorrow will be as much important as engine (or even more).   So, if you are a transportation professional better learn to think like a software developer (and get yourself exposed to some programming languages while you are at it).

This chart was included as part of a brilliant blog post by our friends at TransitLabs, which analyses the various issues surrounding the perennial shortfalls that dog the highway trust fund (aka Gas tax).  Highly recommend reading the entire blog titled “Why the Trust Fund Keeps Running Out” and explore the beautiful visualizations that accompany the story.

Image courtesy: Transitlabs