ITDP is seeking a transport manager with a strong commitment to equity and sustainability and passion to improve urban life in African cities. S/he will provide in depth technical support for project planning, project implementation, policy guidance, and capacity building in multiple fields including street design, public transport, shared mobility, parking management and strategic mobility planning. S/he will also develop technical reports, policy drafts, guidelines and training modules.

English: Stacked ITDP Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The ideal candidate has a demonstrated ability to work creatively with a diverse team. The position will also involve engaging effectively with a range of stakeholders—civic officials, politicians, civil society agents, media, and others—to help build support for sustainable and equitable urban transport. S/he will have a chance to hone his/her technical knowledge and writing skills as well as management skills while gaining exposure to the fields of sustainable transport, city planning, urban design and municipal governance.

The position is based in Nairobi. The candidate may need to travel to other project cities when required. S/he will report to the Africa Program Director and will work closely with ITDP’s Nairobi team, head office staff and international experts.

Key qualifications

• A master’s degree in transportation planning, transportation engineering, city planning or other relevant field, with at least 5-7 years of relevant professional experience.
• Prior experience in transportation planning, including survey design and management, demand analysis, network planning, fare systems, and infrastructure design.
• Experience producing pre-feasibility reports and detailed project reports for transport projects.
• Experience in drafting terms of reference for public transport operations, IT systems and other relevant areas.
• Ability to develop effective infographics and prepare high quality presentations.
• Excellent skills in use of spreadsheets, statistical and database tools and GIS.
• Working knowledge of transport modeling software.
• Familiarity with the Adobe suite preferred.
• Excellent English writing skills.

Key attributes

• Strong commitment to advancing ITDP’s mission and to environmental and social justice.
• Excellent research and analytical skills. You should enjoy working with numbers!
• Demonstrated ability to manage people and projects to successful project outcomes.
• Strong communication skills, including preparing effective graphics and making powerful presentations.
• Ability to communicate complex transport issues through concise, compelling messages.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects with flexibility, work well under pressure and keep to deadlines.
• Ability to maintain high standards while contributing pragmatic ideas.
• Availability to travel frequently.

How to apply

Interested applicants can apply by sending the following information to africa-jobs@itdp.org:

• Resume.
• Samples of written work: thesis abstract, technical reports, etc.
• Samples of visual representations such as GIS maps or infographics.
• A one-page note on improving the bus system in your city (with three specific interventions).

We are unable to consider applications without the above details. The position will remain open until filled.

(Source: ITDP & Streetfilms)

Cities worldwide are demonstrating innovation in transport planning by integrating bike, BRT and metro systems, with Guangzhou in China announced as winner of the 2011 Sustainable Transport Award. Guangzhou’s new world-class BRT system integrates with bike lanes, bike share and metro stations, raising the bar for all cities.

Last year the city made major strides to cut carbon emissions and reclaim space for people, opening new bus rapid transit and public bike sharing systems.  It now carries 800,000 passengers a day, seamlessly connecting riders to both the metro system and the city’s new bike-share network.

Editor’s Note: It will be interesting to see how the other mega cities in Asia (New Delihi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Jakarta, etc) will adopt this successful and sustainable transportation option into the existing mix.   With growing prices for petroleum products and rising congestion, the cities will be forced to explore/adopt this model sooner than later.

(Source: Institute for Transportation and Development Policy)

Imagine one of the largest and iconic avenues in Latin America entirely closed to motorized vehicles with children playing happily. On a recent Sunday morning in Buenos Aires on Avenida 9 de Julio and other major streets, where thousands of porteños—as the city residents are called—could be seen exercising, rollerblading, cycling and strolling down streets that are normally clogged with smelly, noisy and dangerous cars and trucks. Following other cities such as Bogotá, Santiago and more recently New York City, the Argentine capital closed major thoroughfares to motor vehicles so residents could enjoy the first-ever Car Free Sunday.

Image Courtesy: ITDP

The City of Buenos Aires decided to launch the car-free event despite forecasts of low temperatures for June (approx 5° C, 41° F). Starting in the hip neighborhood of Palermo and stretching over 20+ kilometers, streets and avenues were exclusively designated for walking, riding bicycles and rollerblading. Porteños showed up in droves, enjoying the city’s newly reclaimed public spaces—the streets.

Image Courtesy: ITDP - Map of planned bikeways in Buenos Aires. Click to Enlarge.

The circuit connected the stately parks of Palermo with 9 de Julio Avenue to the middle-income neighborhood of Boedo in the south. Citizens could choose to participate in a variety of activities organized throughout the day like exercising to techno-music in front of the iconic Buenos Aires obelisk, rollerblading with the entire family, renting a bike from “La Bicicleta Naranja,” playing soccer or just strolling around with the kids.

The Municipality of Buenos Aires also engaged in another initiative to increase bicycle use and promote high-quality public spaces by developing a Bicycle Master Plan. The proposed bike network will link the 3 main train stations of the city to the downtown business district, as well as some of the most important Universities. Irala Street will have the first cycle lane and will be a model for other cycle lane developments. Physical segregation from cars, new signaling and detailed design will reduce conflicts and encourage everyone to start riding their bicycles.

Click here to read the entire article.

(Source: Institute for Transportation & Development Policy)

Activist Says Jakarta Current Vehicle Growth Leads to Transportation Failure

If the vehicle growth rate in Jakarta continues to hover around tens of percent annually without any breakthrough in transportation and traffic management, the city will be paralyzed by total gridlock by 2014, a nongovernmental organization said Wednesday.

“Total traffic failure is an unbearable risk caused by the city’s failure in transportation and traffic management,” the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post.

“Traffic jams have degraded the environment and people’s health due to excessive vehicle emissions. They also halt residents’ mobility that, in turn, cause economic losses,” it said.

Jabodetabek, a large-scale metropolitan area with a population of 21 million, consists of Daerah Khusus Ibukota/DKI (Capital Special Region) Jakarta, as the capital city of Indonesia, which is the center of politics, economy and social activities, and 7 local governments (Bodetabek) in the surrounding areas covering Kota (municipality) Bogor, Kabupaten (regency/district) Bogor, Kota Depok, Kota Bekasi, Kabupaten Bekasi, Kota Tangerang, and Kabupaten Tangerang.

Traffic congestion is a chronic problem faced in the Jabodetabek region and the situation is expected to worsen should there be no improvement of any kind made on the existing transportation system. According to a 2005 study,  the economic loss caused by traffic congestion in the region could be as much as $ 68 million per year due to traffic congestion – and this estimate excludes the impacts of traffic congestion and pollution on human health.

Jakarta’s Paratransit Network Still Stuck In Slow Lane 

 (Source; Philstar via ITDP)

NEW DELHI (Xinhua) — Promoting bicycle as a green and healthy mode of transport, leaving their cars behind, New Delhi residents will for the fourth consecutive year, be all set on a Heritage Cycling Ride Sunday morning.

The event, sponsored by Delhi Cycling Club, was started in October 2006 by Institution for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), a non-government organization, engaged in research and advocacy for green, sustainable, and equitable traffic and transportation policies and programs.

According to ITDP website, membership of the club is free and open to all the cycling enthusiasts concerned about road safety, environment, climate change, and health and fitness.

To spread the message, the Delhi Cycling Club has formed a google group, says Rajendra, event coordinator for Delhi Cycling Club.

During the 10-kilometer ride, cyclists will stop at several historic monuments. This will help people learn about the heritage and historical monuments of Delhi in an interesting, educative and enjoyable way, the google group information about the club says.

Click here to read the entire article.