This position is responsible for performing tasks that are aimed at the efficient movement of traffic and goods throughout the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) highway system, such as: work zone management, incident and emergency response, winter operations and operational planning. Work involves participating in the evaluation of mobility needs relating to recurring and non-recurring congestion. Work tasks will include the application of engineering principles and practices related to intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The work involves reviewing plans, preliminary engineering studies and preparing plans and specifications. Completed work assignments are reviewed by the department manager or designee for accuracy, completeness and conformance with stated goals, objectives and policies. An employee in this position will participate in the coordination with other departments and units of the Commission to attain input for projects.

Click here to learn more and to apply

An awesome visual, courtesy of Mikael Colville-Andersen of Copenhagenize.com, that tells how our mobility models have changed over the years..  In a way it serves a testament to show how much the highway lobby has influenced our society’s transportation preferences, diminishing walking and bicycling over the generations.

I have had the privilege of listening to Bryan in person at many industry-related events over the years but never heard some of the things he has shared in this awesome interview with Channel Next Cast. He goes into details about his entry into the business and how his company is innovating the transportation data to solve the congestion, in addition to offering excellent advice for wanna-be innovators & entrepreneurs. It is truly refreshing to see a dynamic youngster like him bring the much needed innovation and fresh, outside the box thinking towards solving the age old transportation problems – primarily congestion.

One interesting fact that I liked from Bryan’s interview: He is not a fan of red light cameras (like most of us) and he thinks traffic congestion problems can be solved for the large part in the next 10 years. Hmmm!

For those interested, here is a graphic from today’s Wall Street Journal article that covers INRIX and other start-ups working on transportation-related “big data“.

Summary of the interview (made available by ChannelNextCast on YouTube.com):

Bryan Mistele wants to eliminate one of society’s biggest issues — traffic. How’s he going to do it? Find out in this episode of nextcast.

Growing up, Bryan knew he wanted to run his own tech company. After spending time in high school working with electrical engineers, he wrote down a life goal: start and be CEO of a two hundred person tech company. Now with 300 employees, he and his team at INRIX are tackling the ever-present problem of traffic. Bryan tells Jeff how they’re making this worldwide problem completely personal, by optimizing technology and getting people where they want to go. He also shares his secrets of success with Jeff — the perfect combination of persistence and naivete. * When Brian left Microsoft, he thought INRIX would be completely funded within a month. Twelve months and 70 rejections later, his company finally came to life. He credits this with a healthy balance of persistence and naivete. “Venture capitalists all told us we would be crushed…now we are the leader.”
* He also says he owes much of his success to wisdom gained in his early years, working at an electrical engineering firm. Following their advice of finding a partner who shares your career goals led him to the wife who encouraged him to persevere in the face of VC rejection. “If I hadn’t had that person in my life I never would have gotten off the ground,” he says. * It’s always been Bryan’s dream to run his own tech company, from the time he wrote it down as a life goal at age 16. He noted that in a big company, your future is tied to someone bringing you along up with them. Now, as a CEO, “whether it succeeds or fails, it’s up to me…and I like that.”
* Is this a trend? Our second nextcast guest who says he’d eliminate traffic cameras, Bryan explains that they actually cause more accidents than they prevent. What other improvements to the world of traffic does Bryan have to offer? We’re less than a decade away from seeing them all come to life.

Dates: June 29 – July 16, 2012

This program presents an introduction to transportation engineering applications in the European context. The course will build on earlier courses with a special emphasis on differences between U.S. and Dutch standards. The curriculum will feature material that provides a contrast between engineering principles and policies focusing on the standards presented in both the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the Highway Capacity Manual. Furthermore, specific emphases on engineering principles and practice will be explored through field trips and in guest lectures both while abroad and in Portland. Students completing this course will have a greater understanding of the contrast in policies from the Portland area with communities in the Netherlands.

The location of the course was strategically identified to share the experience with an established program from Northeastern University led by Dr. Furth. The concept for this program is to join the Northeastern students for the first two weeks, returning back to Portland after that period to complete the course in Portland. During the two weeks at TU Delft, there will be a field trip every day within the City and to surrounding communities (including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, and others). Delft is centrally located and provides an ability to represent transportation designs that follow the national policies. The lectures are a combination of guest speakers from local practitioners and others that Dr. Furth has enlisted in the program in the past.

Program Focus

Course Information

• CE 410/510: Transportation Engineering Applications – 4 credits – (6 credits are also available as an option with additional coursework after returning to Portland)

Draft Itinerary

• This program will include at least one pre-departure course meeting and a number of on campus course meetings after the group returns to Portland.
• International Component: June 29 – July 16, 2012
• For students opting for 6 credits, additional coursework (by arrangement with the instructor) and a substantial written report are required after returning from the Netherlands.

Students will spend two weeks at the Technical University of Delft developing an understanding of the transportation systems of the cities in the Netherlands, including Delft, Rotterdam, Haarlem, Den Haag, and others. A typical day will include a guest lecture from a practitioner in the local community followed by a field trip. Lunch will be time to explore the local community and students will be asked to document their experiences by collecting information (digital pictures and notes) throughout the day. The context of each community will offer opportunities for the lecturers (Furth and Koonce) to offer perspectives from their communities (Boston and Portland), contrasting the planning, engineering, and policy issues associated with the local communities. This combination will allow students to gain an understanding of transportation concepts that have been implemented to address specific challenges.

Click here to learn more and to apply.

(Source: Reddit)

After watching this, I shudder to think how an elderly driver would understand the flow of traffic and negotiate this intersection? Especially, if he she had lived in the area for a while and now had to face this new re-designed nightmare that will make for one heck of an interview.

All joking aside, I’m definitely interested in learning more about efficiency (volume, throughput, etc) and accident metrics (before vs. after) for this particular intersection.  If anyone can find interesting reads/studies/publications on this issue, please share it in the comments section below.

Though it may look efficient (saving an full signal cycle) and creative on the video, I sense there is something inherently wrong with this design.  Accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists seem very minimal.  And the most important question above all – how did they manage to get the community’s buy-in before going forward with spending $$ on this complex mess?  IF anything, I find it quite interesting to see how the average citizen react to this unique design by observing the comments posted on Reddit.

Associate Program Director, Operations

• Department: Engineering and Technical Services
• Grade: 13
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Supervisor’s Title: Program Director, Engineering

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Nature of Position:  The Associate Program Director for Operations assists the Program Director for Engineering in his/her role in coordinating the technical and engineering programs and the activities of the Association as assigned.

The Associate Program Director for Operations will assist the Program Director for Engineering and other senior staff in monitoring one or more transportation modes of interest to the Association, including the work of the AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways; its Subcommittees on Traffic Engineering, Maintenance, Systems Operation and Management; associated technical committees and task forces; and technical service programs in the engineering operations arena. The incumbent assists the Program Director in providing professional and logistic support to ensure that these committees understand AASHTO policies and procedures and are cognizant of key technical, legislative, and regulatory issues. With the assistance of the Program Director for Engineering, the incumbent also represents and promotes AASHTO’s position before federal agencies or other organizations. To this end, the incumbent develops working relationships with external governmental and technical organizations. The incumbent may represent the Association on panels or in workshops, and perform functions as necessary to further public comprehension of AASHTO’s purpose and activities.

The incumbent will also serve as staff liaison to one or more subcommittees or task forces. Duties will include attending meetings and providing policy or procedural advice; advising on meeting agendas and task force staffing; disseminating informational material to committee members; and providing other assistance as required. The incumbent also works with a variety of committees in the production of engineering and professional publications, and responds to technical inquiries on publications and policies.

Education:  A bachelor’s of science degree in engineering is preferred. Evidence of a higher degree of professional development is desirable.  Professional registration is desired.

Skill Requirements:  A broad understanding of transportation engineering and the technical aspects of one or more modes of transportation, as well as legal, legislative, and regulatory history of that transportation mode, and current developments and trends in that sector. Sound comprehension of the administrative, legislative, and regulatory process at the federal and state levels. Sound project management skills, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.  The incumbent must be available to travel.

Relevant Experience:   Approximately ten years or more of professional experience in one of the transportation modes is required, with demonstrated evidence of professional growth, increasing responsibility, and project management/consultant oversight skills.  Some of the previous experience should be in design, construction, operations, maintenance, and/or planning in a state, local, or federal transportation agency.

Relationships With:

• Members: Maintain regular and frequent contact with committee members through meeting attendance, newsletters or correspondence, e-mail, and telephone contacts.
• Governing Structure: The position involves a close and continuing responsibility to committee officers of assigned committees.
• Government: The incumbent is responsible for maintaining contact with appropriate state, local and Federal government personnel.
• Public: Responds to certain public written and telephone inquiries, especially in technical areas, and may have occasional contact with media representatives.
• Other Organizations: The incumbent is expected to maintain good working relationships with other interest groups or associations, and may represent AASHTO on panels.  Depending on the specific duties assigned, the incumbent may be responsible for helping to negotiate contracts and for monitoring assigned professional consulting contracts.
• Association Office Personnel: May assist other staff members as required.

Position Responsibilities:

• Association Policy Formulation: The incumbent is expected to assist the Program Director in the development and implementation of association policies.
• Planning: May be called upon to participate in various long-range planning efforts, and is responsible for planning pertinent elements of the Association’s annual conference. Depending on the specific duties assigned, the incumbent may be expected to assist in planning annual publication activities, budget preparation, and planning of the Association’s annual budget..
• Transportation Policy Formation: The incumbent is expected on occasion to draft, write, or edit transportation policy statements or resolutions related to the assigned transportation modes, or other areas of interest to the Association; however, such positions may not be established without approval by higher authorities.
• Decision Authority: As assigned by the Program Director.
• Budgetary Responsibility: Assists the Program Director for Engineering in recommending and controlling his/her budget ranging from $50,000 to $3,000,000.
• Supervisory Responsibility: Supervises Program Manager for Engineering, Telecommunications Manager, and several consulting contract employees.  May be designated to perform the duties of the Program Director in his/her absence or as assigned.
• Supervision Received: Supervision is provided in terms of general objectives, rather than on a day-to-day basis.  Significant decisions will be reviewed by the Program Director for Engineering.
• Availability of Qualified Personnel: The recruitment of a qualified replacement is estimated to require from three to four months.

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Program Manager for Engineering

• Department: Engineering and Technical Services
• Grade: 10
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• Supervisor’s Title: Associate Program Director, Operations

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Nature of Position:  The Program Manager for Engineering assists the Associate Program Director for Operations and other senior staff in the work of the AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways and its Subcommittees (to include one or more of the following: Traffic Engineering, Maintenance, and/or Systems Operation and Management), as well as technical service programs in these areas, as assigned.  Duties will include attending meetings and providing policy or procedural advice; advising on meeting agendas and task force staffing; disseminating informational material to committee members; and providing other assistance as required.  The incumbent will also work with a variety of committees in the production of engineering and related professional publications, and may respond to technical inquiries on publications and policies.

Education:  A bachelor’s of science degree in engineering is required, preferably in civil engineering, and professional development such as postgraduate education.  Professional registration is desired.

Skill Requirements:  A broad understanding of the technical aspects of highway engineering, to include traffic engineering, maintenance, and/or systems operation and management, and a sound comprehension of the administrative, legislative, and regulatory process at the federal and state levels.  Sound project management skills, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.  Basic use of the computer for word processing, spreadsheet analysis, and use of databases.  The incumbent must be able to travel 50-70 days per year.

Relevant Experience:  A minimum of seven years of professional experience in transportation engineering is required, to include traffic engineering, maintenance, and/or systems operation and management, with demonstrated evidence of professional growth, increasing responsibility, and project management/consultant oversight skills.  Some of the previous experience should be at a policy planning or management level in a state, local, or federal transportation agency.

Relationships With:

• Members:  Maintain regular and frequent contact with committee members and task forces through meeting attendance, newsletters or other correspondence, e-mail, and telephone calls.
• Governing Structure:  The incumbent provides support to the Associate Program Director for Operations and to AASHTO committees, has frequent contact with certain committee officers, and may communicate with officers and members of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
• Government:  Initiates and maintains direct contacts with state, local and Federal government personnel.
• Public:  Responds to written and telephone inquiries, particularly those relating to engineering projects.  Occasional contact with media.
• Other Organizations:  The incumbent is expected to maintain good working relationships with other interest groups and associations.  Depending on the specific duties assigned, the incumbent may be responsible for monitoring assigned professional consulting contracts.
• Association Office Personnel:  As directed, the incumbent is expected to assist, from time to time, other professional staff.

Position Responsibilities:

• Association Policy Formulation:  The incumbent shall assist the Associate Program Director for Operations and other senior AASHTO staff in proposing, developing, and implementing association policies.
• Planning:  May be called on to participate in various long-range planning efforts, and is responsible for strategic and operational planning for the Association’s activities relevant to assigned engineering projects.  Depending on the specific duties assigned, the incumbent may be expected to assist in planning annual publication activities, budget preparation, and planning of the Association’s annual budget.
• Transportation Policy Formulation:  The incumbent is expected, on occasion, to draft, write, or edit transportation policy statements or resolutions related to assigned transportation modes, or other areas of interest to the Association; however, such positions may not be established without approval by higher authorities.
• Decision Authority:  Participates in the selection of contractors for technical services and bids in various committee decisions.
• Budgetary Responsibility:  Responsible for developing and maintaining the budget for assigned committees and technical service areas and other areas as assigned.
• Supervisory Responsibility:  None.
• Supervision Received:  Supervision is provided in terms of general objectives, rather than on a day-to-day basis.  Direct supervision on non-routine tasks is provided by the Program Director for Engineering.
• Availability of Qualified Personnel:  The recruitment of a qualified replacement is estimated to require three months.