Overview of Canadian Institute of

Transportation Engineers
Careers in Transportation Engineering
ITE Carleton University Student Chapter
September 19, 2012

Introductions
Gene Chartier, M.A.Sc., P. Eng., FITE

Hatch Mott MacDonald Ltd.

CITE Immediate Past President
Project Manager, CITE Promoting Sustainable
Transportation Through Site Design
Vice-Chair, Steering Committee, CITE-ITE
Canadian Guide to Neighbourhood Traffic
Calming
Past Member, ITE Public Agency Council and
TRB Access Management Committee
Course Coordinator, OGRA Intersection Design
Course

Introductions
Russell Brownlee, M.A.Sc., P. Eng., FITE

Giffin Koerth Forensic Engineering

CITE District Director
Past Chair of the ITE Transportation Safety
Council Executive Committee
Vice-Chair of the Transportation Expert Witness
Council
Member of the CITE Technical Liaison
Committee
Member of the Ontario Provincial Standards
Traffic Safety Committee

Outline
About ITE and the Canadian
District
Student Membership and
Opportunities

A Career in Transportation
Engineering

Canadian Institute of Transportation

Engineers Overview

About ITE
The Institute of Transportation Engineers is an international
educational and scientific association of nearly 18,000
transportation professionals world-wide who are
responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs.

About ITE
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.

About ITE
Through its products and services, ITE promotes
professional development of its members, supports and
encourages education, stimulates research, develops public
awareness programs and serves as a conduit for the
exchange of professional information.

About ITE

About CITE
Canadian District of ITE
International
Celebrating nearly 60
years of service
Comprised of 12 sections,
2 chapters and 12 (+2)
student chapters
2,000 members and
growing!

What Makes CITE Unique?

We are an individual, rather
than corporate, member
organization.
We are volunteer-led.
We are a national
organization.
Our Sections and Chapters
provide a local presence.
We are linked to ITE and
only District representing an
entire country.

Governance Board of Directors

Section Representatives
(Presidents)
Executive Committee:

Jeannette Montufar, President

Peter Truch, Vice-President
Jen Malzer, Secretary-Treasurer
Russell Brownlee, District Director
Gene Chartier, Past President

Strategic Plan Goals

A National Organization With A Voice
(Advocacy)
A Technical Leader (Technical Projects)
An Engaged and Informed Membership
(Communications)
An Effective Organization
Available on-line at cite7.org in
English and French

Annual Conference

Technical Projects

Technical Liaison Committee coordinates

Current and recently completed projects:
Update to Canadian Capacity Guide for
Signalized Intersections
Promoting Sustainable Transportation Through
Site Design
Traffic Signal Report Card
Update to Neighbourhood Traffic Calming
Guide
Canadian Roundabouts A Primer for Decision
Makers
Methodology for Calculating Vehicle
Kilometres Travelled
Road Safety Program Self-Assessment

Student Programs
Three scholarships ($2,000 each):
Dr. Michel Van Aerde (Doctorate)
John Vardon (Masters)
CITE HDR/iTrans (Undergraduate)

CITE Boulevard Transportation Group Transportation

in a Sustainable World Paper Award ($1,000)

Student Programs
Student Paper Award
sponsored by Stantec ($500
+ $1,000 for travel)
Support for Sections to host
presentation competitions
($400)
Travel ($1,000) and
registration for student
winners to attend Annual
Conference

Student Programs
Support for Academic Advisors (Annual ITE
membership, Annual Conference registration and
one-time $500 contribution)
Student events at the Annual Conference (Student
Mixer and Traffic Bowl)

Student Programs
National Course on Special Topics in Transportation
Engineering

CITE Traffic Bowl

ITE International Traffic Bowl

ITE International Traffic Bowl

ITE International Traffic Bowl

Becoming an ITE Member

No charge student membership
You receive:

ITE Journal
Access to ITE resources
Training and webinars
Scholarship eligibility

Careers in Transportation Engineering

Transportation is not just roads

Planning and building infrastructure

to improve the quality of life

Careers in Transportation

Traffic engineer
Transportation planner
Road safety engineer
Design engineer
Transportation educator and
researcher
Sustainable transportation planner
Transit planner
Traffic operations
Transit operations
Transportation expert witness

Potential Employers
Municipal

Potential Employers
Provincial and Federal
Ministry of Transportation
Transport Canada
Transportation Association of
Canada

Potential Employers
Universities and Colleges

Potential Employers
Transit

Potential Employers
Consulting Engineers

What will you really do?

Computer analysis using sophisticated

tools for planning and design
Field work
Report preparation
Presentations
Working with multi-disciplinary teams:

Land use planners

Municipal design engineers
Urban designers
Architects
Economic planners
Environmental engineers

Transportation System Lifecycle

Employment Opportunities
Planning:
Traffic impact studies, parking,
environmental assessments, forecasting,
transit planning

Design and Construction:

Roads, bridges, transit facilities, bikeways

Operations:
Traffic control, safety, transit, ITS, modeling

Research:
Endless possibilities

Transportation Planning
Policy Development and Long
Range Planning:
Major transport infrastructure
needs
Highway and arterial roadway
planning
Transit service planning
Pedestrian, cycling and heavy truck
systems
Travel forecasting

Transportation Planning
Area/Subdivision Studies:
Assessing the impacts of planned
development
Determining trip generation
potential
Planning primary roads connections to freeway, highway
and arterial network
Roadway design and layout

Transportation Planning
Transportation Impact Studies:
Assessing the impacts of new
development:

When peak travel periods/hours

How much peak trip generation
Where they travel trip distribution
By what mode modal splits

Determining transportation needs

Access and site planning
Assessing road operations and
safety

Pedestrians & Cyclists

On-Road Facilities:
Sidewalks
Bike routes/lanes
Intersections

Pedestrians & Cyclists

Off-Road Facilities:
Walkways
Bikeways
Multi-Use Paths

Pedestrians & Cyclists

School Areas:

Bus and passenger drop-off conflicts

Designated school crossings
Signage and pavement markings
Traffic calming and management

Pedestrians & Cyclists

Site Design:

Pedestrians & Cyclists

Other Considerations:
Elderly
Mobility challenged
Visually impaired

Parking Facilities & Operations

Planning and Design:
Existing Parking Supply
Demand Forecasting
Future Supply and Operation

Parking Facilities & Operations

On-Street Facilities

Parking Facilities & Operations

New Technologies

Traffic Operations
Traffic Control

Traffic Operations
Traffic Signal Control Systems

Traffic Operations
Traffic Management Systems

Traffic Operations
Traffic Management for Special
Events:

World Youth Day

SARS Stock
Fireworks Festival of Fire
Blue Jays Baseball
Maple Leafs Hockey

Safety
During planning, design and
operational phases:

FIR
ST

FIR
ST

MAI
N
MAI
N

Undertake road safety audits

Identify high collision locations
Conduct safety reviews
Implement mitigation measures

Transit
How do you move 40 people?

Transit
Transit Demand Forecasting and
Modeling

Transit
Route Planning:

Where routes go
Technology and type of service
Frequency: Demand and Policy
Scheduling
Subway
SRT
Streetcar

Bus
0

5000

10000

15000
20000
passengers per hour

25000

30000

Transit
Surface Transit Operations:
Monitor existing system
Identify safety/operational problems
Reduce delays and improve reliability

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

Improves safety and efficiency of
networks
Uses technology to solve
problems

ITS
There is the visible

ITS
And the not-so-visible
System hardware and software
Electrical and communications
infrastructure
Supporting engineers, technologists,
and system specialists

ITS
New technologies for active
and passive detection
pedestrians and cyclists

Getting Started
Participate and volunteer in ITE
and other engineering
organizations Network,
Network, Network!!
Get to know your professors and
professionals in the field
Ask questions and seek advice
Build good relationships with
other students and beyond

Getting Started (contd)

Obtain engineering internships
and volunteer if necessary
Get work experience and build
communication, writing and
customer/service/sales skills ...
Sometimes it is less about the
technical and more about people
and negotiation skills

The Transportation Profession is . . .

People:
Solving real world problems
Working with a wide variety
of professionals
Working on important issues
in the community
Using technology to solve
complex problems
Focusing on people as well
as things