Job alert! Transport Planning Manager – ITDP Africa @ Nairobi, Kenya

February 6, 2017 at 2:48 pm

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

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.

UTA Flight 772 Memorial is the Most Beautiful and Least Accessible on this Planet

May 17, 2013 at 12:39 am

(Source: Imgur via Reddit)

A photo series that walks you through the story of a memorial built in a  remote corner of the globe.  It is beautiful and moving tribute to the victims of UTA Flight 772, a scheduled flight operating from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo to Paris CDG airport in France. On Tuesday, September 19th, 1989 the aircraft exploded over Niger in the Tenere region of the Sahara Desert. French investigators determined a suitcase bomb planted by Libyan terrorists to be the cause. All 170 people on board died. You will appreciate the efforts that went into building this memorial for the perished..

NPR reviews South Africa’s High Speed Rail – $3B in costs; Cuts travel time between Joburg and Pretoria; and squeaky clean

November 6, 2012 at 6:39 pm

via NPR 

Heard this nice review of the “fastest train in whole of Africa” on NPR.

Chukudus – A no nonsense local transporter that changes lives of Congo’s poor

February 10, 2010 at 11:55 pm

(Source: Washington Post)

Necessity is the mother of all inventions.  Many of the world’s top innovative tools and applications, right from electricity to our modern computers, were all bron out of our existential necessities.  The following story by Stephanie McCrummen brings to you another such invention that is not the best form of transportation around, but in a country that is shattered by years of a civil war and grinding poverty, it is very effective in getting the  job done – moving people and goods, while enabling income generation for some of the poorest people in this world.

Today’s Washington Post Foreign Service featured this story of Chukudu, a pre-industrial looking local transporter, prevalent in Congo.  Here is an excerpt of this story:

African cities often have forms of transport that reflect some facet of their character. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, tiny, blue, Soviet-made Ladas buzz along the wide avenues, mementos of the country’s Cold War alliance. In the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, a corrupt syndicate runs a fleet of banged-up minibuses with names such as Dreams, Bombastic, Mayhem and I Feel Nothing, which weave a spirited, at times nihilistic, narrative through the traffic.

In the towns and villages of war-ravaged eastern Congo, the lumpy, lava-covered roads belong to the humble chukudu: hand-hewn wooden scooters that men ride and push across the hills, hauling towering loads of charcoal, cabbage, potatoes and other stuff of daily life.

Though the chukudus look pre-industrial, local residents say they date from the 1970s, when Congo’s economy and government began to collapse under the rule of then-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and people had to improvise services from schools to heavy transport.

Available in three models — small, medium and large — the chukudu is a marvel of practical engineering and endurance. It has become the donkey of eastern Congo — a beast of burden that hauls vegetables in the good times and fleeing people in the bad. Purely utilitarian, chukudus are rarely painted or personalized. The most common flourishes are mudflaps for their wooden wheels. And unlike the minibuses of Nairobi, chukudus rarely inspire nicknames.

Here is the best part – Economics:   Ndayambaje, 27, said he could expect a decent 5,000 Congolese francs, or about $5, for this trip, which is $5 more than he would have if it weren’t for his chukudu.

“If you have a chukudu,” he said, “you can’t starve.”

And you don’t need a license to drive one of these. It will be interesting if someone can conduct a study on the economic impact of this transporter and possibly include  some safety statistics to go along with in that evaluation. You can bet your life that it has to be one of the best cost effective forms of transportation modes around, with a cost-benefit ratio that you cannot beat, ever.  Above all, the Chukudus are super eco-friendly, can be rated zero-emission vehicle right off the bat and people stay fit riding/pushing them around.  Anyways, click here to read the rest of this interesting article.

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Donors pledge $1.2 billion for transportation improvments in eight African countries

April 6, 2009 at 6:56 pm

(Source: Business Week)

Image Courtesy: African Development Bank

The aim is to reduce transportation bottlenecks and bring down costs along the main trading routes through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Botswana and Mozambique.

Bad delays at national border crossings, along with road taxes, have led to high prices for shipping products to regional and international markets, especially from landlocked countries like copper-rich Zambia. Vehicles also require frequent repairs due to poor road quality.

World Trade Organization director-general Pascal Lamy told participants at a two-day conference that there was an urgent need for Africa to speed up the completion of a North-South transportation corridor.

International lending institutions and donor governments promised $1.2 billion toward the project — with half coming from the African Development Bank over the next three years.

The World Bank pledged $340 million, with additional support from the European Union and Britain.

No one is safe on Zimbabwe’s roads, including the Prime Minister’s family

March 6, 2009 at 2:03 pm

(Source:  Guardian.co.uk)

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai survives car crash but wife Susan killed

Zimbabwean prime minister’s official car collides with lorry near Harare

Susan and Morgan Tsvangirai during the 2005 elections

Susan and Morgan Tsvangirai during the 2005 elections. Photograph: Desmond Kwande/Getty Images

Zimbabwe‘s prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has survived a car crash that killed his wife, Susan, near Harare today.

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said the prime minister was injured but not critically in the collision with a lorry. He was taken to a clinic in the capital. The driver of his official vehicle was seriously injured. There was no word on the condition of the lorry driver.

The party said there was no immediate reason to believe the accident was suspicious, but it was awaiting full details. An MDC official said that from information at the scene it appeared the lorry driver fell asleep at the wheel.

MDC officials said the couple had been heading to Mr Tsvangirai’s home town of Buhera for a political rally. Mrs Tsvangirai died at the crash scene.

The couple were married for 31 years and had six children.

Mrs Tsvangirai was widely respected in Zimbabwe as the antithesis of President Robert Mugabe’s extravagant and free-spending wife, Grace, who showed little concern for the plight of the many hungry and poor in her country.

Susan Tsvangirai largely avoided the limelight but did speak out on women’s rights and Aids. She was deeply religious.

Zimbabwe’s roads are notoriously dangerous, having deteriorated in recent years through lack of maintenance. Drivers are forced on to the wrong side to weave around potholes. Many vehicles drive without proper lights and brakes because of the difficulty and expense of obtaining spare parts.

Click here to read the entire article.

ITS South Africa Newsletter – February 23, 2009

February 23, 2009 at 11:22 am
23 February 2009
TENDERS AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBER

There are several new tenders available. For information about tenders and business opportunities for ITS South Africa members, please click here to access the ITSSA Knowledge Management section.
ABSA PUTS THE BRAKES ON FINANCE FOR TAXIS
Absa has suspended all taxi vehicle finance approvals because of its inability to verify the authenticity of taxi operating licences after the alleged theft of 800 000 operating permits at the end of 2008. Marcel de Klerk, the managing executive of Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance, said yesterday the division had stopped approving taxi vehicle finance applications about two weeks ago after it had noticed that some operating licences were fraudulent or stolen. 

Business Report, Roy Cokayne, 20th February 2009Read more

TAXI STRIKE SENT A CLEAR MESSAGE – BOSSES
The impact of the three-day taxi strike on the provincial economy was an indication that a “clear message” had been sent to the government, said leaders of the National Taxi Alliance (NTA). Last week the taxi operators went on a three-day strike against the new Bus Rapid Transit system that plunged the city into chaos. 

Cape Argus, Staff Reporter, 20th February 2009Read more

WORRYING R186BN FUNDING GAP
Since late last year, this publication has been championing the public infrastructure programme as South Africa’s main economic stimulus opportunity. We have written over and over again that government departments and State-owned enterprises must be given the strongest possible signal that they need to continue with their previously-announced implementation schedules, and even seek to enlarge there programmes. 

Engineering News, Terence Creamer, 20th February 2009Read more

BRT ON THE HIGHWAY
The Lagos State Government should urgently address the reckless way and manner the drivers of Bus Rapid Transit behave on the highways. Most of them drive with reckless abandon, thereby giving other road users a tough time. They don’t slow down for other road users who may accidentally cross their way – where there are no BRT lane markings, that is. 

Punch, Felix Gabriel, 16th February 2009Read more

COPS OUT IN FORCE IN CAPE TOWN
As the taxi strike entered its second day on Thursday, police were out in force to prevent further violence, as commuters switched to trains and buses. Since the start of the unprotected, three-day strike against the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, scores of residents and bus drivers have been injured and more than 50 people arrested for malicious damage to property, attempted murder and public violence. 

Cape Times, Babalo Ndenze and Michelle Jones, 13th February 2009Read more

For more information visit the
ITS South Africa website at www.itssa.org

Click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter.

 

ITS South Africa Newsletter – February 18, 2009

February 18, 2009 at 12:29 pm

18 February 2009

Invitation to e-Transport Conference and Exhibition
Exhibition space is selling fast and ITS companies from South Africa and abroad are invited to become sponsors and / or exhibitors at the e-Transport Conference and Exhibition The overall theme is Moving People Smartly: Transport Solutions for FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 and beyond. It takes place on 24-25 March 2009 at the Sandton Convention Center.

The biennial e-Transport Confex is the premier ITS event to network with key decision-makers and ITS professionals and exploit business opportunities in South Africa’s booming ITS market. With a current infrastructure spend of R600 bilion, there are numerous ITS projects in the pipeline.

The mega transport projects to the value of several billion Rand transforming South Africa transport environment are attracting huge local and international interest. If you want to be part of this rapidly growing market, explore the sponsorship and exhibition opportunities to raise your profile in the South African ITS Market.

The e-Transport Conference has been accredited for Continuous Professional Development points.  The CPD number is ProvSAICEtr09/00456/09.

To view the programme, click here.

You are cordially invited to register now. Click here.

For sponsorship and exhibition packages, click here.

For the exhibition floor plan, click here.

For the stand reservation form, click here.

For general information about South Africa, click here.


International ITS Master Class – 26 March 2009
With the support of the World Road Association (PIARC), the National Roads Agency (SANRAL) and the ITS Centre of Excellence, ITS South Africa is proud to host an International ITS Master Class on Thursday 26 March as a post conference event to the e-Transport Conference, which will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday 24-25 March 2009. The venue is the Sandton Convention Centre.

With several mega transport projects underway – and more in the pipeline – international-level training is vital to better equip us with the skills and best practice examples required to raise the standard of planning, deploying, managing operations and undertaking maintenance.

The ITS Master Class will help you improve your skills with the guidance of a panel of international presenters.

The ITS Master Class has been accredited for Continuous Professional Development points.  The CPD number is ProvSAICEtr09/00455/10.

Click here to register.


Communication Applications for Transport
As ITS deployment intensifies, the need to expand and improve the communication layer becomes increasingly important Different technologies provide divergent benefits and the challenge is to find an inclusive solution. On 11 February ITS South Africa hosted a workshop in Durban on Communication Applications for the Transport Environment in cooperation with the ITS Centre of Excellence and the eThekweni Transport Authority. 70 delegates attended it.

Click here for the presentations.


Business Opportunity
An SME company based in Italy is looking for a partnership. It is a leading Italian player in the Intelligent Transport Systems market, with advanced technology products and system solutions.

Main addressed markets and applications:

  • Public Transportation: AVM/AVL, DRTs (on Demand Responsive Transportation system)
  • Fleet management: Fleet of vehicles (included the goods transportation), Containers, Vehicle “Pay-as-you-drive” insurance schemes applications
  • Satellite anti-thief systems: Self managed, Managed by Operative Center
  • Infomobility: Systems based on processed data through vehicle tracking devices, GPS based devices able to supply infomobility audio messages

The company is looking for technical and commercial partnerships suitable to value any possible existing synergy with international members of ITS National Associations.

If you are interested, please click here.


ITS Canada Annual Conference
ITS South Africa members can attend ITS Canada’s Annual Conference in Edmonton at the “member rate” if they register and pay before March 6.

Full details about the Conference are available at www.itscanada.ca/edmonton2009


Member News
Q-Free
Friday 23rd of January is going down as the most successful day ever in the history of Q-Free:

  1. In the morning we signed a contract in Bangkok, Thailand to deliver a turn-key ETC/MTC system for the customer BECL. This is an existing customer of Q-Free and it is very satisfying that they are placing additional orders with us. Contract value: 60 mill NOK (7 mill EUR)
  2. At lunchtime we signed a contract in Porto, Portugal with the customer AENOR to supply a turn-key system based on free flow DSRC and Central System. Contract value: 220 mill NOK (24 mill EUR)
  3. In the evening we signed the contract to deliver the complete enforcement system on the roadside and the complete Central System in Slovakia. The installation will be used for the truck tolling project and payments will be calculated based on GPS positions. Contract value: 450 mill NOK (50 mill EUR)

This sums up to a total value of 730 mill NOK (81 mill EUR) which represents a value well above a normal year’s revenue for us. It will mean a major leap forward in the size of our company and our ability to deliver large scale projects in short time. All the three systems will be built mainly during 2009.

Osma Elevators Germany selects DigiCore’s C-track GPS / GPRS Solution
DigiCore Holdings, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed vehicle telematics company, recently increased it’s shareholding in it’s DigiCore Deutshland subsidiary from 50% to 100%. The group has over the last 3 years followed a policy of purchasing 100% shareholding in the offshore entities over a period in order to exploit synergies and align strategies throughout the Group.

Following the conclusion of this transaction It is exciting to announce that after two years of testing C-track in a pilot phase, Detlef Ruthemeyer, technical managing director of the family-owned enterprise Osma-Aufzuge, has decided to fully rely on C-track for his fleet’s needs. In the coming weeks, the technicians’ vehicles and all trucks will be equipped with DigiCore’s fleet management system. Click here to read more.

Kapsch: Success in France, the Czech Republic and Italy
Kapsch TrafficCom AG recently had great success in France, the Czech Republic and Italy.  In the next three years, Kapsch TrafficCom France will impelement four orders for the biggest French road operators (Vinci, APRR and Sanef Groups) and the tag issuer Axxes. In total, Kapsch will supply over half a million on board units and related accessories to France for an order value of around 10 million EUR.

“Despite our many successes in other continents, Europe has lost none of its importance for us.  To date, we have repeatedly supplied France with equipment for single lane electronic toll collection.  Kapsch TrafficCom on-board units will be in use on the most important routes in France,” Explains Erwin Toplak, Member of the Board, Kapsch TrafficCom AG.

Revenues from the toll system installed by Kapsch TrafficCom in the Czech Republic has grown with around 10% as the state has collected around 245 million EUR last year.

Development in the previous year was extremely positive with a total growth of 23 million EUR. Erwin Toplak underscores the economic importance of collecting tolls: “The income generated by our system allows the state to invest actively in the area of infrastructure.  The maintenance and improvement of highway infrastructure places enormous demands on funds, which cannot be covered by the normal budget.”

Kapsch had further success when it secured a City Access order in Italy, as the town of Cremona in Lombardy has chosen Kapsch-Busi to implement its City Access control solutions.  Kapsch-Busi will implement the order together with partner company, Famas System Spa in around eighty days.  The order is worth more than half a million euro.

“Winning the tender in Cremona secures the status of Kapsch-Busi in Northern Italy. We are also counting on good changes of winning other upcoming City Access control projects in Italy,” Explains Viktor Hatwagner, Member of the Management Board of Kapsch-Busi.

Kapsch products are set to be used on over 8 000km of French motorways.  In the Czech Repulic tolls are currently levied on 1 000 km of motorways and expressways, while Kapsch-Busi in Italy will be responsible for the technical operation and maintenance of the system for the next three years.


New members
Intelligent Devices is an international company with an office in Cape Town and focuses on Advanced Traffic Management Systems. They are represented by Peter Ashley. Please contact him at Telephone +27 21 552 0794. His e-mail is petera@idisa.co.za or visit their website at www.intelligentdevicesinc.com.

MaxID’s focus is on the design and development of rugged mobile terminals and the ancillary technologies for data acquisition and communications such as biometric applications, RFID, Barcode scanning, GPS positioning, and GSM/GPRS. They are represented by Mr Selwyn Jackson. Please contact him at Telephone  +27 11 234 2110 or selwyn@maxidgroup.com or visit the website at www.maxidgroup.com.

Welcome to Johannesburg-based Mncedisi Ndlovu & Sedumedi Consulting. They are represented by Mr Tebogo Moremi, Project Manager for Integrated Public Transport. You can contact him on Telephone +27 11 447 3811 or tebogo@ndlovu-sedumedi.co.za.

 

ABOUT ITS SOUTH AFRICA
The ITS South Africa ensures that ITS and related organisations are kept up to date with the technology revolution, and allows one to harness the technology and gain the benefit it offers. ITS South Africa is a membership-based organisation. It consists of government bodies and its implementation agencies, manufacturers, suppliers, users and potential users of ITS technology.

Find out more about ITS South Africa by visiting our website at www.itssa.org,
or email us at paul@itssa.org.

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