Year: 2016

RSG is proud to have played a key role in the report Who’s on Board 2016: What Today’s Riders Teach Us About Transit That Works published by TransitCenter, an organization committed to improving transit through innovation. The study, released last week, offers several findings to inform how government agencies and elected officials approach transportation, land use, and development policy. In particular, it reveals that the most important factors in transit ridership are frequency, travel time, and walkability access.

RSG Senior Consultant Michelle Lee was recently named Chair of the Michigan State University Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Studies Alumni Board.

The Board is designed to assist students and faculty with a variety of initiatives, including connecting current MSU students to professions, increasing department visibility, and encouraging undergraduate enrollment. We are proud that Michelle is sharing her time and skill set to enhance Michigan State and facilitate continued learning.

An RSG project to optimize parking in downtown White River Junction, Vermont, was recently highlighted in the Rutland Herald.
 
RSG, with its headquarters in the historic White River Junction downtown, is partnered with neighboring business Vital Communities on the project. Together, the two companies will conduct a study to examine ways to improve current parking conditions and manage future demands for parking in the area.

RSG Senior Director Steve Lawson authored the article “A Systems-Based Approach to Address Unintended Consequences of Demand-Driven Transportation Planning in National Parks and Public Lands,” which was published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation.

The article introduces a systems-based transportation planning approach developed for the National Park Service to design and operate transportation in national parks according to management objectives for park resources and visitors’ experiences.

RSG Senior Director Steve Lawson authored the article “A Systems-Based Approach to Address Unintended Consequences of Demand-Driven Transportation Planning in National Parks and Public Lands,” which was published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation.

The article introduces a systems-based transportation planning approach developed for the National Park Service to design and operate transportation in national parks according to management objectives for park resources and visitors’ experiences.

This past weekend, the Burlington Free Press highlighted an RSG project for the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and the positive anticipation around it. The “Crescent Connector,” designed for Essex Junction, Vermont’s popular Five Corner’s intersection, is expected to address concerns on several levels—reducing traffic congestion and frustrations as well as making the junction more appealing to pedestrians and bicyclists.

The overall project concept was developed by RSG in a scoping study led by RSG’s Mark Smith.

RSG is honored to be named one of FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Workplaces for Millennials” – a list determined entirely upon employees' own feedback and selected from a database of more than 600 Great Place to Work-Certified organizations.

Yesterday, RSG Senior Engineer Kordel Braley was recognized by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Utah Chapter for completing a four-year term as a chapter officer. ITE is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. ITE facilitates the application of technology and scientific principles to research, planning, functional design, implementation, operation, policy development, and management for any mode of ground transportation. 

Kordel served from 2012-2016 in positions from treasurer to president and completed his tenure in April of this year.

The Families and Work Institute (FWI) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently honored RSG again with the prestigious When Work Works Award for 2016, recognizing RSG’s use of effective workplace strategies to increase business and employee success. Applicants are evaluated on six research-based ingredients of an effective workplace: opportunities for learning; a culture of trust; work-life fit; supervisor support for work success; autonomy; and satisfaction with earnings, benefits, and opportunities for advancement—all factors associated with employee health, well-being, and engagement.

RSG welcomes receiving this national honor for the second year in a row—reflecting the company’s evolution and national footprint. This award also comes on the heels of being recognized again as a certified Great Place to Work company (http://reviews.greatplacetowork.com/rsg).

The Institute of Transportation Engineers, in cooperation with FHWA, the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU), and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), is working to produce a new “Practitioners Guide to Context Sensitive Solutions in Thoroughfare Design.” RSG’s Steven Gayle has been invited to participate in the Technical Advisory Committee for the project as a representative of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO). He is joined by representatives from AASHTO, Smart Growth America, the US Access Board, Owner Operators Independent Drivers Association, the National Association of Development Organizations, and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. The report is expected to be finalized in early 2017.

RSG’s Ellen Rovelstad co-authored the article “Indicators and Standards of Quality for Viewing the Night Sky in the National Parks,” which was published in the latest issue of Park Science. With night skies recognized as an important park resource, this research identified the indicators and standards for stargazing and identified a range of standards of quality for light pollution.

Since the research was conducted in Acadia National Park in 2011 and 2012, the park has replaced all the lighting in Acadia’s Blackwoods Campground with respect to good lighting practices.

RSG’s Ellen Rovelstad co-authored the article “Indicators and Standards of Quality for Viewing the Night Sky in the National Parks,” which was published in the latest issue of Park Science. With night skies recognized as an important park resource, this research identified the indicators and standards for stargazing and identified a range of standards of quality for light pollution.

Since the research was conducted in Acadia National Park in 2011 and 2012, the park has replaced all the lighting in Acadia’s Blackwoods Campground with respect to good lighting practices.