(via Nationwide)

To put it in simple terms, we blow up a lot of money sitting in traffic day in and day out.  Traffic congestion not only takes a toll on your mental & physical well being, but it also brings home a lot of economic pain. It is nice to see someone layout all this important statistics in an easy to understand, colorful visual.

So, how do we fix this mess? A good start would be to move towards transit-oriented development and provide good, cost-effective transit connectivity to the suburbs.. And add some bike lanes; etc, etc.  The solutions are plenty but we have to start somewhere before we go bankrupt.. soon!

Provided by Nationwide Insurance

(via LakeWoodPatch)

Seattle’s Sound Transit decided to get  a little creative in delivering an important safety message for its citizens.  Boy, did they get creative.  Partnering with local talent, Blue Scholars, pulled together a music video touting the benefits of riding the train while driving home the importance of being safe around the railway tracks.  The message sounds compelling when laced and delivered with pretty catchy tune. I wish other transit agencies took a leaf from this effort and start opting for such creative messages rather than spending ungodly amount of money on the usual, boring printed PSAs.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAjs_2LJ3ec&hd=1′]

(Hat Tip: @JN_Seattle)

via YPT Boston

On Sept. 10-12  the Northwestern University Transportation Center will again offer its Infrastructure Pricing Executive Program – this year focusing on Highway Infrastructure Pricing.

Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this highly relevant and timely program aimed at transportation professionals who manage private and public fee paying facilities; engineers and project managers who oversee maintenance and new construction; and consultants and advisors to infrastructure providers and those who finance infrastructure projects.

Topics to be covered will include dynamic and congestion pricing, demand forecasting, private/public partnerships, infrastructure investments decision-making based on projected revenues, network demand prediction tools and more.

20% Discount for Government and Academic Registrations; Early Bird rate available until Aug. 17^th.

Please contact Ms. Diana Marek if you have any questions.

For more information and to Register see:  Pricing Highway Infrastructure Executive Program

Nature of Position:

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

The successful candidate will assist senior AASHTO engineering staff in the work it provides for the Board of Directors (i.e., the Secretaries of Transportation from the State DOTs), the Standing Committee on Highways (i.e., the Chief Engineers), and its subcommittees, which include design, construction, bridges, traffic engineering, operations, maintenance, materials, and others. The following are some of the potential activities of the successful candidate:

• assisting in the development and update of AASHTO’s technical standards, such as the Green Book, Roadside Design Guide, and Bicycle Guide;

• assisting in organizing national meetings and conferences by providing assistance to AASHTO committee officers;

• participating in AASHTO committee meetings around the country;

• assisting in the development of national policy on transportation operations and project delivery; and

• providing other assistance as required.

The incumbent may also work with a variety of technical committees in the production of engineering and operations-related professional publications, and will respond to technical inquiries on AASHTO publications and policies.

Education: A Bachelor of Science degree in engineering is required.

Skill Requirement: A broad understanding of the technical aspects of one or more aspects of transportation engineering and a sound comprehension of the administrative, legislative, and regulatory process at the federal and state levels. Excellent written and oral communication skills are also desired. The incumbent must be able to travel.

Relevant Experience: Approximately 8 to 15 years of professional experience in transportation is required, preferably in a State DOT. It is desirable that some of the previous experience be at a policy planning or management level in a state, local, or federal transportation agency.

Relationships: The incumbent will have contact with AASHTO committee members through meeting attendance, correspondence, and telephone contacts and will assist other AASHTO staff members as required by the Program Director.

Position Responsibilities: The incumbent will provide input as requested relative to association policy formulation. From a technical perspective, the incumbent is expected to work with the various AASHTO technical committees on standards, training, and research. This individual may be called on to participate in various planning efforts, and is responsible for developing certain elements of the association’s annual and spring conferences. Depending on the specific duties assigned, the individual may be expected to assist with publication activities.

The incumbent will be expected to draft, write, or edit transportation policy statements or resolutions related to assigned duties, or other areas of interest to the association. However, such positions may not be established without approval by higher authorities.

Since this is a competitive position among interested state departments of transportation, recruitment time is unknown, but is estimated to be three months from the date of advertisement.

Expenses: The position will include a monthly living stipend reimbursable to a maximum of $2,200 per month, plus a public transit subsidy of up to $120 per month. AASHTO will pay a one-time round-trip transportation ticket to/from Washington, DC. Appropriate business expenses related to AASHTO work and travel assignments will be reimbursed.

Competition: A panel of AASHTO managers and engineering staff will evaluate applicants. Send resume and letter of endorsement from State DOT director to AASHTO, Attention: Human Resource Manager, 444 N. Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Resumes and letters of endorsement may also be submitted by e-mail to cbeauvais@aashto.org or by fax to 202-624-8471. EOE/M/F/D.

Related articles

• How State DOTs Got Congress to Grant Their Wish List(dc.streetsblog.org)

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• AASHTO Adds Designs to Bikeway Guide, But Not Protected Bike Lanes(dc.streetsblog.org)

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(Source: via Business Insider)

So, this is how the kids of 1% (a.k.a the rich people) like to ride transit in New York.. A group of 20 somethings on their way from Hamptons  decided to have fun on the train and did so with a frat-style, beer drenched, slip and slide party on the floor of a Long Island Railroad train.. No wonder these days kids do not want to have driving licenses!  Hey, be glad they did not party this hard behind the wheels of a car.. Hope this gives them an opportunity to realize how much fun it is to ride transit..

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UdDwaNNuUU’]

Related articles

• To the Hamptons, and Step on It!(nytimes.com)

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Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning (Foursquare ITP) is looking for a qualified Transportation Planner or 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, primarily in the Washington DC Metropolitan Region. Resumes are due this Friday, June 29.

Position Description

In addition to work with state and local governments, this position will also be committed half-time to a transportation planning contract with the Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) division of the Department of Defense, providing subject matter expertise in planning and implementing transit and transportation demand management programs at the Pentagon and Mark Center. In addition to the WHS contract this position will potentially contribute to on-going efforts that include heavy rail station environmental analysis, TDM plan development, performance measurement, TIGER grant management, long-range transit analysis and planning, transit development plans, and transit capital and operations planning.

Depending on the level of experience of the selected candidate, the position will be designated as a Transportation Planner or Senior Transportation Planner / Project Manager (STP/PM).

The selected candidate 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 candidate will be involved in transit development plans, transportation needs assessments, station area plans, transit route planning, financial planning, and transit performance monitoring. The position will require research and data analysis utilizing a variety of sources, including transit ridership data, survey data, and existing plan information. It will require excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

If the selected candidate is a STP/PM, he or she will serve in two capacities depending on the project. As a project manager, the STP/PM will lead project teams of transportation planners to deliver high quality solutions to Foursquare ITP’s clients in a timely manner, within the scope and budget of the assignment. In addition to leading project teams, the STP/PM will conduct some of the work involved in the assignments as well as overseeing the quality of the work of the rest of the project team. The STP/PM will be responsible for the client relationship as well as the coordination with any prime consultants or sub-consultants with whom the project is being executed

In some cases, the PM/STP will serve in a senior transportation planner role, where he/she will accomplish project assignments under the direction of another PM. In this position the candidate will also be expected to contribute to business development including proposal writing and presentations.

Experience

5-15 years of relevant experience with a Masters in transportation planning, urban planning, or similar substitutable for some of those years. Topical area expertise in transit planning; transit program implementation; corridor-level multimodal planning; regional transportation planning; transit development plans; short and long-range transportation plans; transportation demand management (TDM); Environmental Impact Statements/Environmental Assessments; Land Use and Economic Development; and Strategic Planning. A strong working knowledge of the Washington Metropolitan area is required.

About Foursquare ITP

Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning is a transportation planning, design and policy analysis firm based in Rockville, Maryland. As a small firm, we are able to give our clients the personalized attention that they seek and deserve. Foursquare ITP focuses on projects that relate to sustainable transportation, primarily in the area of public transit. We offer our clients expertise in regional transportation planning and coordination, public transit planning, strategic planning, and transportation demand management. More information is available at www.foursquareitp.com

Foursquare ITP is a small, growing business and the successful applicant must be a motivated self-starter who is passionate about transportation planning, transit, and transportation demand management. He or she must also be flexible to meet client demands and a dynamic workflow. All qualified applicants must live in or be willing to move to the Washington DC metropolitan area, and must be available for work starting no later than August 6. Due to a rapid ramp up on the work for WHS, resumes will only be accepted through this Friday June 29.

Please send resumes or questions about the position to Lora Byala at lbyala@foursquareitp.com.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

Key messages in this infograph:

• When you take public transportation, you are more likely to run other errands on your route, saving you time and money from additional trips with the car.
•     Public transportation creates less congestion, saving money and the environment with shorter, less expensive trips for everyone.
•     When used regularly, public transportation can reduce the need for some to have a second car (or a car at all). Imagine less debt, fewer car payments, less emissions, and less money spend on repairs and gas.
•     Many transit agencies are now replacing old buses with hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell buses. This making public transit even greener, especially when connected to renewable sources such as solar.

Image Courtesy: Credit Donkey

via Guardian UK

This awesome interactive data visualization by Guardian, UK show how much the emissions profile has changed and shifted over the past few decades.. One shocking statistic I learned from this graph below is that the total CO2 emissions of Equitorial Guinea, small country in Western Africa, have increased by a whopping 3,390% Yep. !!!! Check out: