Post Tagged with: "livability"

Job Alert: Economist (Entry-Level) – U.S. Department of Transportation @ Washington, DC

March 30, 2012 at 1:09 pm
The Office of Transportation Policy at U.S. DOT seeks an entry-level transportation economist to join a fast-paced, high-profile office to conduct cutting-edge transportation economic and policy analysis, research, and outreach in priority areas for USDOT, including transportation finance, surface transportation program design, high-speed rail, safety, environment, livability, and freight policy.
This position requires economic research and analysis of current and proposed transportation policies, programs, and regulatory actions and development of recommendations for changes in those policies based upon that analysis.  The position also requires drafting testimony, talking points, and speeches, helping to develop budget and legislative proposals, meeting with key transportation stakeholders, and representing the Department at transportation meetings and forums.
Particular areas of focus include analysis of benefits and costs of transportation regulations, infrastructure investments, and programs, analysis of how to achieve the Department’s strategic goals most efficiently, and analysis of economic impacts of DOT policies and programs.  Candidates should have strong writing, research, analysis, and communication skills, independent judgment, and the ability to apply economic theory and analysis to developing efficient and practical solutions to policy problems.
 
These positions are at the GS-9 to GS-12 level ($51,630 – $97,333) with excellent benefits.  U.S. citizenship is required.
U.S. DOT is an equal opportunity employer.  CONTACT:  Interested individuals should send a resume to Eric Buchanan via email at eric.buchanan@dot.gov to receive additional information on the application process.
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Wanna be skinny & healthy? Forget those crazy diets and take public transportation

August 20, 2010 at 1:57 pm
American Public Transportation Association
Image via Wikipedia

(Source: APTA)

Have you ever wondered what is the key to a good health and long life – I knew that it has to be the public transport.  Look at the Europeans —  healthy & happy– riding their bikes, trains, trams, buses, etc.  If you still don’t believe what I’ve said, you now have the proof.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has released a report that explores ways that public transportation affects human health, and ways to incorporate these impacts into transport policy and planning decisions.

Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits, a study conducted for APTA by Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute aggregates the findings of several recent studies and concludes that people living in transit-oriented “smart growth” communities enjoy several health benefits, not seen in other communities, including residents drive less, exposing them to a lower risk of fatal vehicle accidents.

People who live or work in communities with high quality public transportation tend to drive significantly less and rely more on alternative modes (walking,cycling and public transit) than they would in more automobile-oriented areas. This reduces traffic crashes and pollution emissions, increases physical fitness and mental health, andprovides access to medical care and healthy food. These impacts are significant in magnitude compared with other planning objectives, but are often overlooked or undervalued inconventional transport planning.

Various methods can be used to quantify and monetize(measure in monetary units) these health impacts. This analysis indicates that improving publictransit can be one of the most cost effective ways to achieve public health objectives, and publichealth improvements are among the largest benefits provided by high quality public transit andtransit-oriented development.

Some of the key findings from the report are listed below:

  • U.S. Center for Disease Control recommends that adults average at least 22 daily minutes of
  • moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking, to stay fit and healthy. Although less than half
  • of American adults achieve this target, most public transportation passengers do exercise the
  • recommended amount while walking to and from transit stations and stops.
  • The United States has relatively poor health outcomes and high healthcare costs compared with peers, due in part to high per capita traffic fatality rates and diseases resulting from sedentary living. Public transit improvements can improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
  • Inadequate physical activity contributes to numerous health problems, causing an estimated
  • 200,000 annual deaths in the U.S., and significantly increasing medical costs. Among physically able adults, average annual medical expenditures are 32% lower for those who achieve physical activity targets ($1,019 per year) than for those who are sedentary ($1,349 per year).
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Clueless Colorado Gubernatorial Candidate, Warns Of U.N. Plot To Destroy America With Bike-Sharing Programs

August 4, 2010 at 5:53 pm

After reading this news item below, I’m totally out of words and appalled at the level of ignorance and fear mongering that goes in politics.. Dear politicians, please stay away from stuff when you don’t really know what you are talking about

Amplify’d from www.huffingtonpost.com

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is warning voters that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s policies, particularly his efforts to boost bike riding, are “converting Denver into a United Nations community.”

“This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed,” Maes told about 50 supporters who showed up at a campaign rally last week in Centennial.

Okay, here’s the mystery that Maes alone has penetrated. Denver is a member in something called the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. They’ve been a member since 1992. It is an “international association that promotes sustainable development.” One of the things that contributes to sustainability and an overall pleasant quality of life is a bike-sharing program called “B-Cycle” which has taken donations and grant monies to make 400 bicycles available for the residents of Denver to tool around on when the spirit moves them. Hickenlooper has praised the program so Maes is trying to make the case that it’s a UN plot to deprive people of “freedom.”

Read more at www.huffingtonpost.com
 
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/9w4s3R

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Rail~Volution: Call for Proposals Entry Deadline: April 1, 2009

February 25, 2009 at 6:18 pm

(Source: Planetizen)

This announcement was posted by: Rail~Volution

Rail~Volution 2009: Boston October 30-November 1, 2009

Rail~Volution is a conference for passionate practitioners – people from all perspectives who believe in the role of land use and transit as equal partners in the quest for greater livability and greater communities. The success of the conference depends on the quality and diversity of presentations. Rail~Volution solicits your story-sharing expertise, experience, success and challenges.

THEME:  This country is being reshaped by the economic crisis, suburban foreclosures, volatile gas prices, and concern about the carbon footprint of development—creating enormous momentum for change. The new administration is committed to change, and Congress is deliberating the bill that sets transportation policy and funding for the next six years. Livable communities near transit are more economically and environmentally sustainable and we need more of them now. Let’s rise to the challenge. The window of opportunity is opening wide.

Help us enliven the discussion! Give us your ideas now!

http://www.railvolution.com/CallForProposals_2009.asp

For more information contact:
Mary Simon
Rail~Volution
1120 SW 5th Avenue Suite 800
Portland, Oregon 97204
USA
Phone: 503-823-6870
Email: mary.simon@pdxtrans.org
Web: www.railvolution.com

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