The next time you're riding in a car in the city, take some time to
notice the traffic lights. Are you hitting all red lights or are you sailing
through a series of green ones?
If you are driving through one green light after another, the lights have
probably been coordinated according to a special time schedule. The people
who analyze the timing of traffic lights and make timing recommendations are
called traffic engineers. Coordinating lights is just one example of what
they do.
Jan Voss first became interested in transportation solutions when he was
in Grade 8. He observed the large freeways in his area and began designing
traffic systems with his Tonka toys. "My interest was very focused," he says.
"I continued to be interested in traffic throughout school and university."
After graduating in 2000 with a master's in engineering and a specialization
in transportation, Voss received six job offers. He accepted one with an engineering
firm.
Two and a half years later, he was offered a job in a different city. "After
eight months, I was laid off and couldn't find work," he says. "So in
2004, I opened my own engineering firm."
Today, Voss is the president and owner of a transportation solutions company.
He typically works 10-hour days. "I enjoy my work and I do not find anything
about it to be stressful," he says.
He has reason to be proud. His engineering firm has grown from one employee
to seven.
And he has recently achieved the designation of Professional Transportation
Operations Engineer (PTOE). This North American accreditation demonstrates
that you are experienced in the field. "Once you are licensed as a professional
engineer, you can specialize in many areas. This tells people that my specialty
is traffic and transportation," he says.
Voss's firm has worked on a number of projects. Currently, he is working
on a project that reviews the traffic signals along a major thoroughfare.
He and his staff are developing a coordinated timing plan so when motorists
leave one intersection, they will hit a green light at the next intersection.
"It gets complicated because there are a number of side streets that open
on to the main road," he says.
In another project, Voss's firm has been hired to develop a traffic
calming plan for a nearby municipality. There is too much traffic in a certain
area, and they are looking at means of rerouting traffic. "There are a number
of ways you can do this," he says. "You could use traffic circles or speed
bumps, for example."
After Voss and his employees have analyzed the data and developed a plan,
they present their findings to city council or other elected officials. Usually,
the recommendations are implemented if the funds are available.
Voss enjoys seeing his recommendations accepted and implemented. He also
likes that the public understands what he does for a living. "Everyone has
a personal interest in traffic situations," he says.
Julie Nolfo is a traffic engineer in a consulting firm in St. Louis. When
she was in college studying for her degree in civil engineering, she had some
doubts as to whether she had chosen the right profession. "I wanted to be
more involved with people," she says. "With most engineering jobs, you are
at your desk all day."
However, in college, Nolfo found a professor who specialized in traffic
engineering. She worked with him and discovered that traffic engineering involved
more analyses and interaction with the public. "It was a good fit. I graduated
and went to work in the field," she says.
Seven years later, Nolfo is still happy with her choice. She currently
works for a consulting firm. She enjoys the fact that she deals with a wide
spectrum of people. "I work with developers, government agencies. It could
be anyone from an 85-year-old man to a city engineer to a developer working
on an $8-million project," she says.
Much of Nolfo's work involves testifying at public hearings about
traffic impact. "I get a high from taking a complex subject and breaking it
down into something that is easy to understand," she says. "I like it when
people come up afterwards and say, 'Now I get it. I may not agree, but
I know where you are coming from.'"
Still, there is a lot of negativity. Nolfo learned that she must have a
thick skin for this type of work. "Sometimes people yell at me on the street
and accuse me of deteriorating their neighborhood," she says. "It is not work
for the weak of heart."
Nolfo enjoys public speaking and giving presentations at public hearings.
The last 20 minutes or so of the presentation is a question and answer period.
"You have to think quickly and think on your feet. You also must be politically
correct with all of your answers."
So far, there is no individual highlight to Nolfo's career. However,
she sees little victories everywhere. She is pleased when she goes out and
sees developments that she was involved in. "It feels like a lot has been
accomplished when I see the project in completion," she says.
Nolfo believes that a career in traffic engineering is an excellent choice
for an engineering student who finds that engineering is not quite a perfect
fit. "If you are looking for a status quo engineering job, this is not it,"
she says. "But if you are not sure if engineering is right for you, then you
have a good shot at traffic engineering."