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.Â
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.
RSG’s Peter Plumeau authored a chapter in the American Planning Association’s new publication, “On the Horizon: State of Transportation Planning in 2016.” Peter’s chapter is titled, “The Evolving World of Freight and Goods Movement: Implications for Transportation Planning and Community Design.”
RSG’s Dr. Erica Wygonik co-authored the article “Deliver It All” in the March/April 2016 issue of Supply Chain Management Review. The article explores whether home delivery is greener than sending full truckloads of goods to stores and then customers driving to them. Erica co-authored the article with two former University of Washington colleagues.
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kay Axhausen to the RSG team as a senior advisor. Dr. Axhausen is a professor specializing in transport planning at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich. He brings 30 years of experience in travel behavior modeling and management.
Dr. Axhausen will serve as an advisor and collaborator on a range of projects and innovation efforts at RSG including our ongoing development of rMove™, our travel survey research and our long distance travel demand modeling.
BART Perks, the Bay Area’s pilot program to address the transit system’s overcrowding, was recently featured in the San Francisco Chronicle. The program is described as “a loyalty program melded with elements of gaming and social networking,” and is an alternative to congestion pricing. RSG is working with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) to evaluate the impact of the BART Perks pilot program.
RSG Analyst, Susie Irizarry, recently participated in the Clemson National Scholars finalist selection weekend as an alumni interviewer and alumni keynote speaker. The Clemson National Scholars Program (NSP) is Clemson’s premier merit-based scholarship program. Susie served on a panel comprised of three faculty members and two National Scholars alumni, and was also invited to speak at the closing dinner.
The National Cooperative Highway Research Program recently published the report “Field Evaluation of Reflected Noise from a Single Noise Barrier— Phase 1.” RSG’s Ken Kaliski and Karl Washburn are co-authors of this report which examines the change in sound levels and characteristics caused by sound reflections off a reflective (non-absorptive) noise barrier on the opposite side of a highway.
Field Evaluation of Reflected Noise from a Single Noise Barrier— Phase 1 »
RSG’s Nathan Reigner was recently appointed to the International Scientific Committee for the 10th Annual UNESCO Creative Cities Network Meeting to take place in September at Mid Sweden University.
UNESCO or United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “exists to bring creative intelligence to life; for it is in the minds of men and women that the defenses of peace and the conditions for sustainable development must be built.” UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN) connects cities that want to share experiences, ideas, and best practices for cultural, social, and economic development. The Network is currently formed by 116 Members from 54 countries covering seven creative fields: Crafts & Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Music, and Media Arts.
This year’s UCCN Meeting will be held in association with a scientific conference for the first time. This scientific conference, titled Valuing and Evaluating Creativity for Sustainable Regional Development (VEC), will initiate dialogue and catalyze action towards establishing a long-term research and knowledge platform as recently called for by the UCCN.
As a scientific committee member, Nathan will be responsible for reviewing abstracts, framing selected sessions, and acting as an ambassador for the meeting.
It is important to us at RSG to give back to the communities in which we live and work. We do this in many ways, including providing paid time to volunteer, organizing volunteer opportunities, and empowering colleagues with a voice in how our charitable funds are distributed.
We are proud to share that in 2015, 63% of RSG employees took advantage of their RSG-provided paid volunteer time. Through our 2015 end-of-year charitable giving process, RSG also donated funds to 17 organizations that share our stewardship mission of encouraging and supporting environmentally and socially responsible initiatives.