Insider Info

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 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 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."