logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Capital Metro, Austin’s regional public transportation provider, is looking for an RAIL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGER. This position is responsible for the management of the Rail Systems engineering design and construction activities under the supervision of the VP of Rail Operations. Join us in our vision to be a driving force for quality life in the Austin and surrounding communities.

MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY: http://ow.ly/hwnSK

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Today TTI had released its latest edition of the popular product – Urban Mobility Report (2012). The 2012 edition introduced for the first time,  a way to measure that degree of unreliability in planning a trip, as part of the annual Urban Mobility Report (UMR).   The press release explains it succintly:

The Planning Time Index (PTI), a measure of travel reliability, illustrates the amount of extra time needed to arrive on time for higher priority events, such as an airline departure, just-in-time shipments, medical appointments or especially important social commitments. If the PTI for a particular trip is 3.00, a traveler would allow 60 minutes for a trip that typically takes 20 minutes when few cars are on the road. Allowing for a PTI of 3.00 would ensure on-time arrival 19 out of 20 times.

Access the whole report (PDF) by clicking the cover photo of the report below.

TTI’s 2012 Urban Mobility Report

As one would expect, the reactions for the report was mixed – both positive and negative from the transportation community.  That said, here are some highlights from the 2012 UMR:

Congestion costs are increasing. The congestion “invoice” for the cost of extra time and fuel in 498 urban areas was (all values in constant 2011 dollars):

• In 2011 – $121 billion; In 2000 – $94 billion; In 1982 – $24 billion

Congestion wastes a massive amount of time, fuel and money. In 2011:

• 5.5 billion hours of extra time (equivalent to the time businesses and individuals spend a year filing their taxes).
• 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel (enough to fill four New Orleans Superdomes).
• $121 billion of delay and fuel cost (the negative effect of uncertain or longer delivery times, missed meetings, business relocations and other congestion-related effects are not included) ($121 billion is equivalent to the lost productivity and direct medical expenses of 12 average flu seasons).
• 56 billion pounds of additional carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere during urban congested conditions (equivalent to the liftoff weight of over 12,400 Space Shuttles with all fuel tanks full).
• 22% ($27 billion) of the delay cost was the effect of congestion on truck operations; this does not include any value for the goods being transported in the trucks.
• The cost to the average commuter was $818 in 2011 compared to an inflation-adjusted $342 in 1982.
  

  English: Traffic congestion on southbound Interstate 95 in Baltimore, Maryland, near milepost 50. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Congestion affects people who travel during the peak period. The average commuter:

• Spent an extra 38 hours traveling in 2011, up from 16 hours in 1982.
• Wasted 19 gallons of fuel in 2011 – a week’s worth of fuel for the average U.S. driver – up from 8 gallons in 1982.
• In areas with over three million persons, commuters experienced an average of 52 hours of delay in 2011.
• Suffered 6 hours of congested road conditions on the average weekday in areas over 3 million population.
• Fridays are the worst days to travel. The combination of work, school, leisure and other trips mean that urban residents earn their weekend after suffering over 20 percent more delay hours than on Mondays.
• And if all that isn’t bad enough, folks making important trips had to plan for approximately three times as much travel time as in light traffic conditions in order to account for the effects of unexpected crashes, bad weather, special events and other irregular congestion causes.

Congestion is also a problem at other hours. 

• Approximately 37 percent of total delay occurs in the midday and overnight (outside of the peak hours) times of day when travelers and shippers expect free-flow travel. Many manufacturing processes depend on a free-flow trip for efficient production and congested networks interfere with those operations.

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Just a couple of hours ago, the premier transit agency in the nation’s capitol (WMATA) suffered a serious service outage on one of the heavily traveled train lines (Green Line). The abrupt disruptions have left many commuters stranded without a way out of the Navy Yard (and Anacostia) area, a major hub for riders employed at many of the facilities, including the US Department of Transportation, situated in the vicinity.   Though it was an unexpected situation, #WMATA was a bit slow to respond and got customers ticked (to put it lightly). And the customers have already taken to using social media sharing pics. and tweets from the scene.  To WMATA’s credit, the communications team at the agency was trying its best to deal with the situation, which is a bit more heartening than how they did in similar situations in the past.  Here is a sample of what’s happening on Twitter as we speak :

A sample of  what’s happening at Twitter hashtag #WMATA

Looks like it is going to be a long night for all involved, esp. for the communications team at WMATA.  Hope they learn sooner than later to deal with/cool down their customers before they all start flocking to their personal automobiles to get around the town.

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.

Description
Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning (Foursquare ITP) is looking for a qualified Transportation Planner and a Senior Transportation Planner / Project Manager 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. For an overview of the types of projects that Foursquare ITP works on, please visit www.foursquareitp.com. 

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 variety of projects, including transit development plans, transportation needs assessments, station area plans, transit route planning, financial planning, transit performance monitoring, 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. The  Transportation Planner position will also require an understanding and working knowledge of federal grant requirements.

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.

Qualifications

Any potential position at Foursquare ITP requires excellent communication skills, both written and oral.  Topical area expertise in transit planning; transit program implementation; corridor-level transit planning; regional transportation planning; transit development plans; federal transit grant management; transportation demand management (TDM); 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 Senior Transportation Planner / Project Manager must have at least 12 years of experience in the field (15 or more years preferred) and at least 3 years of project management experience. Experience managing staff 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 must have 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.

Résumés will be accepted through Friday January 25, 2013 to resumes@foursquareitp.com.

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Job Title:  Transit Data Planner I

Job ID:  118658

Date Closed: 12/04/2012

Business Unit: Charlotte Area Transit System

Full/Part Time:   Full-Time

Regular/Temporary:  Regular

Image Courtesy: Google Images – Click to apply

It is the mission of the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) to improve the quality of life for everyone in the greater Charlotte region by providing outstanding community-wide public transportation services while proactively contributing to focused growth and sustainable regional development. The Transportation Planner I accomplishes this by utilizing transit operation data to support the implementation of service enhancements to CATS’ existing and future transit services. The Transportation Planner I analyzes information received from transit technology systems, i.e. Automatic Vehicle Locators (AVL), digital cameras, Automatic Passenger Counters (APC), GIS information and other databases, to develop route and service change plans. Proficiency in GIS applications and knowledge of database applications is highly desirable. Knowledge of transit practices is preferred.

Responsibilities:

• Conducts ongoing performance and cost analysis of existing transit services and make recommendations for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of bus services.
• Assists in the preparation and development of detailed transit planning reports, programs, and documents.
• Assist in the preparation of service change and service planning activities.
• Participate in the monitoring and reporting on the performance of CATS bus routes and overall system performance.
• Assist in the development and analysis of CATS Route Performance Program Reports.
• Participates in the development and maintenance of comprehensive bus stop databases.
• Collects statistical data and assist in report preparation.
• Responds to citizen and customer inquiries by explaining policies and/or investigating service issues.
• Conducts field evaluations and assessments, and participates in special projects as required.
• Some transit scheduling work is required.
• Coordinate and attends public and departmental meetings.

Minimum Qualifications

Requires a BA or BS degree in planning, geography or related field. Excellent verbal and written skills are required as the position coordinates aspects of database flow across functionary departments. Must be able to work flexible schedule. Must be able to pass a pre-employment drug test, a criminal background check, DMV report and be eligible for a City Driving permit.

 Click here to apply

via NY Times

After seeing the devastating impacts of torrents of water on New York City subways and highway tunnels during Hurricane sandy, one would be curious to know – how do you stop rushing waters from entering your highway and transit/subway tunnels? Researchers from my alma mater, West Virginia University, have been at it for a while and they have come up with this brilliant solution – an inflatable plug.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FawTqHpjs_g&hd=1 ‘]

Learn more about it here.

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via YPT Boston

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Saw this picture below tweeted out by joanna coles @JoannaColes Editor-in-Chief Cosmopolitan Magazine. She shot this gridlocked thoroughfare from her office (located on the 38th floor of the building where Cosmopolitan mag. is located).  With its subway system crippled by Sandy, this pic. shows how badly NYC needs to reconsider its transportation strategies and prioritize implementing any/all strategies that moves people away from cars.  It is going to be once heck of a recovery until the subway limps back to normal!   

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