Call for Papers – 1st International Road Federation (IRF) Asia Regional Congress – Oct. 27-29, 2014 @ Bali, Indonesia

February 26, 2014 at 6:13 pm

Image Courtesy: IRFnew.org

On behalf of the International Road Federation (IRF) and the Indonesia Ministry of Public Works, the Technical and Scientific Committee of the 1st IRF Asia Regional Congress & Exhibition invites surface transportation experts and researchers from around the world to submit paper abstracts for evaluation.

Under the theme “Building the Trans-Asian Highway,” this one-of-a-kind event will provide a unique setting for sharing proven and innovative solutions for the region’s mobility demands, latest industry technologies and global best practices and how they can be replicated and/or modified to meet the region’s specific needs.

The event will feature a Ministerial Session, as well as Plenary, Executive, Technical and Applied Knowledge Sessions.

Why Participate?

  • High level Ministerial Session
  • 1,000 local & International delegates
  • Innovation forum & live technical demonstrations
  • Networks with key decision makers from the region
  • Exhibition featuring the latest products & technologies

Abstract Guidelines (no cost to submit)

The abstract should be written in English, readily understandable to most readers and may contain a maximum of 200 words. Abstracts should be submitted in the following thematic areas:

  • Asset Management
  • Disaster Mitigation & Recovery
  • Pavements & Materials
  • Road Financing / PPPs
  • Road Safety
  • Sustainable Transport
  • Technology & Innovation
The deadline for submissions is May 2, 2014
To submit an abstract, click here 

For more information, please contact:

Magid Elabyad
Vice President, International Programs & Member Services
Tel: +1 703 535 1001
Email: melabyad@IRFnews.org

For information about the congress, visit the event website.  Scroll below to view the Preliminary Program .
[gview file=”https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-9pZ0X5J8D7T0Faa0hnSlRtX1E/edit?usp=sharing” save=”1″]

Are you listening, Transportation Planners? Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk says we are only few years from autonomous driving

February 19, 2014 at 7:54 pm

via Bloomberg TV

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk discusses autonomous driving and how it will be available in cars in only a few years. He is confident that Tesla has the best collection of experts and would be the first company to launch a vehicle with significant ‘auto pilot” capabilities. As far as proliferation goes, Mr. Musk says we may be about 10 years away from widespread adoption of autonomous vehicle technology. Do you agree? Listen to his interview with Bloomberg Television.

Video: How Many Americans Want to Live in a Driverless-City? Intel’s Futurist Discusses Future of Driverless Cars and Cities

February 12, 2014 at 5:50 pm

(Source: Bloomberg)

Intel Futurist Steve Brown discusses the future of driverless cars and cities on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg West.” Transportation and City planners better start thinking already because we know your long-range plans drafted a decade or so ago is rendered useless by the fast paced evolution of computing and automobile technology (agree with Steve that the technology is coming but it may be more than a decade away). It is time to think different and act fast!

Infograph: Breaking the myth! Bicyclists not only pay more than their share of road costs, but save everyone money whenever they ride

February 8, 2014 at 12:06 pm

via Oregon Bicycle Transportation Alliance

If you ever hear someone say that bicyclists get a “free ride”, share this infograph below that explains why people on bikes not only pay more than their share of road costs, but save everyone money whenever they ride.

Image courtesy: btaoregon.org

 

Infograph: Footloose and Car Free! How Biking Can Improve Your Health and the Environment

February 4, 2014 at 5:26 pm

An awesome biking infographic from the team at Quicken Loans.

Job Alert: Deputy Director of Planning and Environmental – Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation @ Honolulu, HI

February 3, 2014 at 5:05 pm

POSITION TITLE:                     Deputy Director of Planning/Environmental

REPORTS TO:                          Director of Planning/Right-of-Way/Permits

LOCATION:                             Honolulu, HI

Image Source: Honolulutransit.org

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation was established to provide an efficient and reliable transportation alternative for Honolulu’s congested urban corridor. The project was established in 2005 and is being supported by federal, state and local officials. The system will be a fully automated electrically powered elevated rail system with the first phase completed in 2017 and the remaining segment completed in 2019. This system will provide transportation along 21 stops from East Kapolei to AlaMoanaCenter and will offer stops for commuters and visitors to areas including downtown Honolulu, Oahu’s core commercial and business center and Aloha Stadium, Pearl Harbor and HonoluluInternationalAirport.

By providing rail transportation services, HART will assist in reducing congestion, Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels and offer a safe, affordable and on time service to residents and visitors.

HART is seeking a dynamic and experienced manager to serve as the Deputy Director, Planning and Environment to administer, manage and coordinate HART’s comprehensive transit and environmental planning and land use functions related to the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project. The Deputy Director will oversee the preparation of documents to comply with the Federal Environmental Regulatory Acts, Executive Orders, Hawaii Revised Statutes, local land use regulations and agency requirements. The position is responsible for consulting with the Federal Transit Administration and with the Project Management Oversight Consultant on matters related to the Projects transit planning and environmental issues. The Deputy Director will manage up to six employees and will oversee the project management plan as it relates to transit and environmental planning. The Deputy Director will also ensure the enforcement of controls and limitations for specific land use consummate with the objectives and intentions as presented in the Project plans.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Plan, assign and coordinate activities relating to the planning function of the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project as it relates to the total City planning program including land utilization, transportation facilities, public utilities, permitting, and community facilities.
  • Provide overall project management expertise and oversight for formulating and conducting transit and technical environmental planning studies
  • Meet with Federal, State and City officials, property owners, developers, planning consultants, civic and community groups to communicate the purposes, objectives, methodologies and work program of HART.
  • Manage transit planning and environmental aspects of the project and oversee the preparation of documents to comply with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), other Federal environmental Regulatory Acts including the Endangered Species Act; the Clean Water Act; the clean Air Acts; the National Historic Preservation Act; Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act; and the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21).
  • Meet with stakeholders to review and evaluate planning and environmental issues, oversee the evaluation of alternatives and make appropriate recommendations.
  • Oversee the independent collection, analysis, assimilation and incorporation of project related data.
  • Oversee the preparation of environmental studies and technical reports by contractors and consultants.
  • Directly coordinate with Federal, State and City officials as well as consultants and contractors to complete all Project related environmental documents.
  • Monitor the evaluation and interpretation of Federal and State regulations applicable to the Project and provide guidance and direction in activities accordingly.
  • Oversee the quality management of planning work processes and products and determine the corrective measures that are required where appropriate.
  • Oversee the preparation of presentation materials and participation in public information hearings or meetings and public outreach activities related to the environmental planning process.
  • Other duties as required and appropriate for a position of this classification and level.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

The candidate should possess the following attributes:

  • Unquestioned integrity and work ethic.
  • Excellent interpersonal communication, presentation, and writing skills.
  • Strong management and team building skills. Ability to lead, motivate, mentor, and develop staff.
  • Proactive listener, communicator and strong public speaker who is capable of building relationships.
  • Strong and proven leader who is not afraid to present new initiatives and ideas. Forward thinking, strategic executive who is capable of collaborating with and building consensus among stakeholders.
  • Excellent bi-partisan problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
  • Professional judgment (including practical approach, appropriate risk taking and political savvy).
  • Demonstrated experience working in large complex operating environments, advising and offering solutions to senior executives by interacting with multiple government/federal agency officials and other stakeholders who potentially have significant divergent views.
  • Assist in the design and on-going development of critical systems.

EXPERIENCE

A Bachelor’s degree in planning, environmental, engineering or closely related field of study. Working knowledge of NEPA, HRS Chapter 343, DOT and FTA environmental regulations and processing is a plus. Experience managing a team of technical staff and providing program management guidance is preferred. Also, a minimum of 5 years of experience leading a planning team in the areas of land use planning, environmental planning and transportation planning and ideally experience working with the FTA.

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to Gregg A. Moser, Krauthamer & Associates at gmoser@krauthamerinc.com.

Source: via YPTransportation.org

“Roads Kill” – Washington Post Infograph shows the public health crisis on roads across the globe

February 1, 2014 at 7:43 pm

How bad is the road safety problem across the planet? Pretty bad.  The global road death toll has already reached 1.24 million per year and is on course to triple to 3.6 million per year by 2030. In “Roads Kill,” The Washington Post joins with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to bring stories from around the world about this neglected but easily curable public health crisis.

[pageview url="http://roadskillmap.com/#58.53959476664049,89.296875,2" height="500px" border="yes"]

Brilliant ideas galore! The Six-Minute Pitch: Transportation Start-up Challenge

January 12, 2014 at 3:09 pm

Please join us for Session 651, The Six-Minute Pitch: Transportation Start-up Challenge

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 3:45PM – 5:30PM, Marriott Salon 3

Sponsored by the TRB Young Members Counci

In this exciting session, young professionals pitch their ideas for the “next big thing” to a panel of successful transportation industry entrepreneurs and investors in just 6 min or less. Following each pitch, the panel will provide immediate feedback on the market potential, business model, and the incorporation of innovative technologies or techniques and the latest research in the pitch. An honorary winner will be declared at the end of this fast-paced, interactive session.

Video: New York City’s inspiring metamorphosis shows streets and spaces designed for people (not cars) make for a vibrant community

January 1, 2014 at 3:15 pm

Check out this awesome video from Streetfilms.. This compilation of changes in New York City’s transportation infrastructure documented over a period of time clearly shows that streets and public spaces designed for people, and not for cars, inspire folks to come out and enjoy the facilities, there by making the community as a whole more vibrant and lively..

I can only imagine the economic vitality this has added to the businesses in the neighborhoods as more people stepped away from their cars and instead walked/biked to the businesses. Thanks to the bold vision (and the subsequent execution) set forth by the outgoing City Transportation Commission, Janette Sadik-Khan and her boss, Mayor Bloomberg, the city has now become a model to emulate when it comes to implementing sustainable transportation solutions.

Photo: Beast of an intersection in Tel Aviv shows what global cities struggle with

December 28, 2013 at 7:58 pm

 

Image Courtesy: Victor Bezrukov @ http://www.victorbezrukov.com/

A beautiful capture of a busy intersection in TelAviv, Israel by photographer Victor Bezrukov that came to light when it got shared via National Geographic.  His commentary “one of the most loaded but the most beautiful junctions in TelAviv. Taken from the balcony located on the floor 45 of Electra building.”  A friend on Facebook had this much to say when he shared this: “Trying to solve traffic jams by widening roads is like trying to fight obesity adding holes to the belt”. There is so much truth to that profound statement.  Good thing is that in the middle of this monstrous interchange you can spot a dedicated transit infrastructure (my tired eyes tell me that it is a transit rail line; or a BRT?). And the next question that popped up in my mind is how many more cars would be there in that intersection if that transit infrastructure doesn’t exist?  Let’s not forget that this is just one intersection in one metropolitan city and there are many such cities with many mega intersections and now you can imagine the challenges we face from a mobility and environmental perspective.