Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

⚡ Transportation Myth Busters: Are one-way streets better than two-way streets? ⚡ After World War II, many streets were converted from two-ways to one-ways. These changes were made to accommodate the many people who worked downtown but lived, shopped, and played in the suburbs. Transportation professionals believed that one direction travel was more efficient. ✔️ In reality, one-way streets often reduce safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, make transit stops more confusing, and hurt local businesses by limiting visibility and access. 🔓 Learn more about this myth and how cities that have seen big benefits from converting streets back to two-ways below. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/g5YVHGMP

🅿️ Transportation Myth Busters: Will removing parking minimums strain existing parking supply? 🅿️ Parking minimums require developers to provide a minimum number of parking spaces based on what they’re building. The requirement can be based on the development’s size or the number of its offerings (like bedrooms in a residential development, holes on a golf course, or seats in a movie theater). 🚘 Many believe that parking minimums are necessary to ensure there’s enough parking, but transportation isn’t about providing driving and parking facilities. It’s about providing safe and convenient ways to get around. Releasing the idea that parking is a need frees us up to identify what will create a thriving community. So, how do we decide what a community needs? Read on to find out. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gAVJ_Gp6

Curious about a career in the AEC industry but not an engineer or planner? Here’s how to get into the industry: 🌐 Leverage your network: Use LinkedIn to see who you know in the industry and reach out to them. Building connections is key. 💬 Be proactive: Call or message professionals to learn about their work. Most people are happy to share their insights. 🤝 Explore organizations: Groups like the @Society for Marketing Professional Services offer resources and training for nontechnical roles in the industry, such as marketing and communications. Don’t underestimate the value of your expertise—AEC firms need talented professionals from a variety of disciplines!

Last week, our myth buster article on whether stop signs slow down traffic sparked a lot of great feedback! Our goal with our content is to share information about the transportation challenges we are tackling in the communities we serve with the hope that we can spark meaningful dialogue with an audience who is passionate about our profession. ⭐ We’re grateful to see the stop sign discussion achieve just that! 💬 If you’re curious, we’ve linked the traffic studies we explored when tackling this myth. We’d love to hear your thoughts—do you agree or disagree with the findings? Why? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below. 👂 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gJ5egPtt

Ever wondered about the giant green signs on American highways? Check out this episode of the Freakonomics podcast, "The Economics of Every of Everyday Things," in which our own Gene Hawkins explains highway signs and what it takes to make our roads easier to navigate. 🛣️ Gene is a leading expert on traffic control devices and is the keeper of one of our industry's most extensive online guides to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The guide collects previous editions of the manual, discusses how the MUTCD relates to risk, and provides practical information on manual application. 📚 Check out Gene’s episode here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gYKsdKRc Check out the MUTCD online guide here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g9C7-Z4J

🔮 Transportation Myth Busters: Are long-range traffic forecasts the best tool to guide decisions about our streets? 🔮 Practitioners use long-range traffic forecasts to select and design transportation projects according to how much demand a roadway system will see in the future. 🤖 Although long-range traffic forecasts are helpful for understanding potential future trends, they’re built on assumptions that often shift—like population growth, job markets, and travel behaviors (think remote work or e-commerce). With such variable assumptions, long-range forecasts shouldn’t be the only factor used to make decisions. 💡 Adding in priorities like safety, equity, and livability—plus adaptable planning strategies—helps us design streets that serve communities now and in the future. 🌱 https://lnkd.in/gYa_sZz2

Today, on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, we honor the millions of lives lost on the road and their loved ones. 🕯️ #WDoR2024 #RoadSafety Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gDt4HjX

We’ve been keeping a secret in Florida… Kittelson is opening an office in Gainesville, Florida! 🐊 We provide transportation planning, engineering, and research services to public and private clients. Because we operate as one firm in many locations, we form project teams based on skillset and interests, not location. This means that our new Gainesville office is both backed by Kittelson’s national expertise in research and emerging technologies and supported by staff with the local Gainesville perspective. 📍 Meet the office: 🧠 Jessica Spivey is a senior engineering associate with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from George Fox University. She’s been with Kittelson since 2016 and specializes in final design, AutoCAD, and plan production. 💡 Brandon "Bo" Kelley, PE, ENV SP (known fondly at Kittelson as “BK”) is an associate engineer. BK leads our Florida design practice and is excited to expand the practice with more development, municipal, and state design projects. BK has been with Kittelson since 2016, and his experience covers all aspects of design, from planning to Plans, Specs, & Estimates. ⭐ Jia Fang has a PhD in urban and regional planning from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in transportation engineering and GIS. Jia’s work focuses on safety, GIS, data analysis, and visualization.

We're an interconnected nationwide team, but we each have our own reasons for being passionate about the work we do! This month, learn about Grace Carsky and how they took the scenic route to get to where they are today. 🌱 Grace received her bachelor's degree in forest management and her master's degree in forest biometrics. They wanted to do something that would make the world a better place, and they believed a career as a professional forester was the way to do it. 🌲 While searching for a job in the forestry industry, Grace took what she thought would be a temporary administrative assistant role at Kittelson. But their GIS skills proved valuable to project work around the firm—and five years later, they’re still here as a planner! ⭐ Learn more about Grace and her career path below. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/g7VVTnpv

Last week, our chapter had the fantastic opportunity to host Dr. Felipe Ladron de Guevara, PhD, PE, PTOE, RSP, from Kittelson & Associates, Inc., as part of our ITE Speaker Series Event on Careers in Transportation. Dr. Guevara's presentation, "Solving Transportation Problems to Improve People’s Lives," offered incredible insights into the field and practical strategies for addressing modern transportation challenges. Our members engaged in meaningful discussions, learned from Dr. Guevara's experiences, and explored career paths in transportation engineering. This event was a valuable opportunity for students to connect with industry professionals and gain knowledge about how transportation can improve communities. We’re thrilled to bring more of these enriching experiences to our members and contribute to their growth in the transportation sector!