Perilous Journey – Wall Street Journal Video Summarizes Five Ways A Long Commute Is Ruining Your Life

July 31, 2013 at 9:10 pm

We have come across many studies over the years that dissected the ill-effects of long commutes. Add this to the collection.  This video from Wall Street Journal Live summarizes a lot of these big issues associated with long commutes. It sheds light on how hours spent driving can wreck finances, health, and marriage. Market Watch’s Quentin Fottrell joins WSJ Lunch Break to chat about the five ways commuting may be ruining your life.

Job Alert: Transportation Planner – Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments @ Washington, DC

July 30, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Job Code: DTP-1129
Job Type: Full-time job
Department: Transportation Planning
Normal Work
Schedule:
Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Date Posted: 6/24/2013
Description: Transportation Planner II, or Transportation Planner III, or Transportation Planner IVSALARY:

  • Transportation Planner II (Grade 6):      $ $48,364 – $68,532
  • Transportation Planner III (Grade 7):     $53,163-$75,385
  • Transportation Planner IV (Grade 8):     $59,584- $84,431

POSITION SPECIFICATIONS:

The Department of Transportation Planning of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is seeking a Transportation Planner for the Program Coordination Team to support the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board’s (TPB’s) Human Service Transportation Coordination Program. The successful candidate will perform professional level planning and grants management activities for the TPB, the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Washington metropolitan area. The TPB’s Human Service Transportation Program awards grants on a competitive basis to non-profit agencies, local governments and private transportation companies to provide specialized transportation to persons with disabilities; older adults and low-income commuters.  The TPB is the designated recipient of two Federal Transit Administration (FTA) programs under SAFETEA-LU: Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) for low-income commuters and the New Freedom for persons with disabilities. The TPB is expected to become the designated recipient for a new program under MAP-21, Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility for Persons with Disabilities and Older Adults.   Work activities will include the following:

(1)   Serve a lead role in administering approximately 45 grants totaling $25 million from FTA’s Job Access and Reverse Commute, New Freedom, and Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility programs. Activities include managing the grants in FTA’s online grants management software (TEAM), developing FTA required submission and compliance information such as the Program of Projects and DBE reports, and working with approximately 30 subgrantees and COG’s Office of Administrative Services on FTA required documentation, monthly invoices, quarterly Federal Finical Reports (FFRs) and milestone reports, and annual performance reports.

(2)   Provide staff support to the TPB’s Human Service Transportation Coordination Task Force which includes human service and transportation agency representatives from the local jurisdictions in Northern Virginia, Suburban Maryland and Washington, D.C. The Task Force is responsible for guiding updates to the Coordinated Human Service Transportation Plan and developing priority projects for grant funding.

(3)   Assist with update of the Coordinated Human Service Transportation Plan, with the guidance of the Human Service Transportation Coordination Task Force, to set priorities and evaluation criteria for MAP-21’s  Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility Program.

(4)   Assist with the project solicitation for Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility Program grants which is expected to occur between January and April 2014. This activity includes publicizing the grant opportunity, conducting pre-application conferences for potential applicants, reviewing applications for completeness, and staffing the selection committee which will make funding recommendations to the TPB.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: Requires (1) knowledge of principles and practices of transportation planning and/or human services; (2) knowledge of or experience with Federal, State, or local grant administration; (3) financial management or project management experience desired and experience with FTA’s Transportation Electronic Award Management (TEAM) system a plus; (4) strong software skills in Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), experience with presentation graphic programs such as InDesign, a plus (5) strong oral and written communication skills ; and (6) the ability to maintain effective working relationships with other employees, grantees, elected officials and the public.

Transportation Planner II: This position requires two years working experience in transportation planning or human services, and a bachelor’s degree in planning, human services, public administration, or an appropriate related field. Federal, State or local grants administration and project management experience desired.  Any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, analytical and writing skills, and abilities will be considered.

Transportation Planner III: This position requires three years working experience in transportation planning or human services, and a master’s degree in planning, human services, public administration, or an appropriate related field. Federal, State or local grants administration and project management experience desired.  Any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, analytical and writing skills, and abilities will be considered.

Transportation Planner IV: This position requires at least four years working experience in transportation planning or human services and a master’s degree in planning, human services, public administration, or an appropriate related field, and Federal, State or local grants administration and project management experience. Any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, analytical and writing skills, and abilities will be considered.

 

EEO EMPLOYER

To apply for this position, please submit your cover letter, salary history, and resume to:

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments/ Human Resources

777 North Capitol Street, NE  Suite 300

Washington, DC  20002-4239

Visit our website at:  www.mwcog.org  or  Fax:  202-962-3715

Enhanced by Zemanta

Friday Fun – Vintage Cool Photos From London Underground Shows The Flavors of Life in the City during 1970s and 80s

July 26, 2013 at 5:00 pm

On The Telegraph’s website, you can check an awesome gallery of vintage cool photos from the London Underground, shot during the 1970s/80s.  The ones below  are a what struck me the most and it has a sense of class and crazy retro cool that is unmatched.

Transit systems and the people who rode them back in the day are always so nice to look at. It is like a glimpse of  the city’s colorful past, conveyed silently through the pictures of people who were on the trains. Makes it a bit more endearing knowing someone has put in some serious effort to document all this in an era when there were no smartphones with megapixel cameras and no Flickr accounts.

Click link above or the pic below to see the entire gallery.

Not wanting the party to end, a couple of ladies head home with their drinks. Image Courtesy: Bob Mazzer via The Telegraph

Not wanting the party to end, a couple of ladies head home with their drinks. Image Courtesy: Bob Mazzer via The Telegraph

Some strange things happening below the surface - Image Courtesy: Bob Mazzer via The Telegraph

Some strange things happening below the surface – Image Courtesy: Bob Mazzer via The Telegraph

Monday blues: A walrus caught napping on top of a Russian submarine

July 22, 2013 at 5:00 pm

Image Source: Imgur via Reddit

Aaah.. The sun feels good!!..Looks like the Walrus is blissfully resting on the surface of this submarine unperturbed by the human in the background.

Picnic on a pontoon? Look no further

July 18, 2013 at 5:48 pm

American ingenuity has no bounds (Image source: Imgur via Reddit)

Genius.. Did you notice the little rudder on the pontoon-based picnic? Pretty cool.  I’m now wondering how big is the beast powering this beauty?

Tagged – Vandals tag a $2.3 million jet parked at Van Nuys Airport with gang graffiti

July 15, 2013 at 5:55 pm

A Learjet Model 60 was tagged by graffiti artists, in a picture posted to Twitter/KCBS/The Aviation Writer. (via News.com.au)

Wow.. A gang snuck into Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles undetected in the early morning hours and tagged a learjet parked in the tarmac with words “flame” and R.I.P. It is estimated that the cost of fixing the plane is going to be around $110,000.. That’s some good chunk of change for the jet’s owner to undo this creative expression. The biggest question is –  How secure is the airport complex to permit something like this, which should have taken at least a couple of hours to get done? Click here to learn more.

Out for a ride! 7-foot long pet snake safely rescued after it sneaks inside a BMW Mini

July 13, 2013 at 3:43 pm

(H/T THV11.com)

A Florida woman had an unusual request when she pulled into the Vista BMW in Coconut Creek on Monday morning. Her 7-foot-long pet boa constrictor had gotten loose in her Mini Cooper, and she needed help pulling it out. And the mechanics complied. Safely rescued the animal by removing a tail light, and gently extracting it without much difficulty.  Apparently, the mechanic who did the deed seems to have Ophidiophobia (Yeah, that’s the word for fear of snakes) but he still braved himself for the task just because it was someone’s pet and he knows what it means to the owner.  Good man. Read the full story here.

Job Alert: Lead Transportation Specialist (Planner) – USDOT’s Federal Highway Administration @ Trenton, NJ

July 12, 2013 at 5:00 pm

Image courtesy: usajobs.gov

This is a planning, research, and environment team leader position within the New Jersey Division. You will lead a professional staff comprised of planners and environmental specialists. You will serve as the planning team leader and be the key staff officer to the Division Administrator for asset management planning, technical analysis, development, programming and implementation of Federal-aid projects. As the team leader,  you will be responsible for overseeing all activities in transportation planning and programming, transportation/air quality planning, research, data collection, congestion management systems, and intermodal coordination in a diversified, highly urbanized and highly populated State. You will be responsible for supervising the Division Office Planning, Research, and Environment staff in all technical and administrative matters. You will also provide leadership, coordination and authoritative advice to State, local, industry, academic and other Federal agencies and organizations concerning all functions within scope of responsibilities.

The ideal candidate for this position will be an experienced mid-career transportation or planning professional who has experience in transportation planning, asset management, research, and environment and one who would be comfortable representing the agency to state and local officials and the general public. The candidate will be a team player, a leader; and has good communications skills. This position is also good for a person who wants to be challenged, desires a Federal career and is seeking outstanding benefits.

 Duties:

  • Serves as the principal and technical authority to state, metropolitan, and rural agencies relative to securing sound planning programs for comprehensive transportation planning having a major impact on the agencies and communities (including all state, county, and municipal areas).
  • Provides technical guidance in the planning, coordination, and evaluation of the State’s research program of studies financed with Federal funds, which are carried out in-house by State researchers or through contracts with universities, consulting firms, and other government organizations.
  • Provides authoritative, administrative, and technical leadership, guidance and coordination to Division Office staff, the State and local agency officials and appropriate consultant personnel in the formulation, direction and execution of the environmental programs.  Assures compliance with Federal laws affecting the early phases of highway project development, planning, and public involvement leading to highway location and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) approvals.
  • Provides leadership and support to other disciplines in integrating transportation planning analysis and decision-making into other parts of the project development process.
  • Provides guidance and technical assistance to Division staff, and state Department of Transportation and MPO staffs on Federal planning requirements, policies, and procedures. Justifies, defends, and negotiates matters involving significant issues and major programs.
  • Serves as a team leader, and as such, sets and explains goals and plans and assigns work, develops performance standards and evaluates performance; approves hours of work, Telework arrangements and leave; signs time and attendance sheets and issues minor disciplinary actions and EAP referrals; and implements ways to improve production or increase the quality of the work directed.

Click here to learn more and to apply.

Note: The deadline to apply is Monday, July 22, 2013 11:59PM

Infograph: Pump prices climb, but gas tax stays flat

July 9, 2013 at 6:17 pm

An awesome infograph from the George Washington University’s Face The Facts USA shows how the federal gas tax hasn’t changed in 20 years, effectively reducing road repair revenue by 35 percent. – Learn more here

Image Courtesy: Facethefactsusa.org

Crazy!!! Badass motorcyclist rescues coffee cup from rear bumper of SUV

July 9, 2013 at 5:44 pm

Not your average coffee cup rescue, for sure.. and please do not attempt this on the road. EVER! For the love of god, it is a pretty dangerous move by the motorcyclist and am glad no one got injured in the process of saving that silly cup perched on the rear bumper of an SUV..