Ite Talks Transportation

Director of the California Department of Transportation, Toks Omishakin, discusses how the agency dealt with the challenges of the pandemic as well as the strategies it is employing to create safer, more livable, and more equitable communities.

Eulois Cleckley, Executive Director of the Denver Department of Transportation & Infrastructure in Colorado, USA, discusses how he helped launch a new transportation and infrastructure department in a large urban city. Cleckley, who serves as president of both the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) as well as the Colorado Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), also shares insights on how cities are working together to achieve safer, more equitable environments for all road users in a post-COVID environment. Finally, he touches on an upcoming career move this summer to Miami-Dade County in Florida, USA as its new Director and CEO of Transportation and Public Works.

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has been around for nearly 100 years, and is the federal standard for regulation of all things signs, markings, and signals in the U.S. transportation system. But how has the Manual changed throughout the years, and how has ITE played a role in influencing those changes? ITE Deputy Executive Director and Chief Technical Officer Jeff Lindley joins the podcast to demystify these issues. He also describes ITE's response to the current Notice of Proposed Amendments issued by FHWA, which is expected to result in a new edition of the Manual, the first to be issued since 2009.

Lorraine Martin, President and CEO of the National Safety Council (NSC), discusses the NSC 2020 Motor Vehicle Fatalities preliminary data, which estimate that as many as 42,060 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2020. That marks an 8 percent increase over 2019 in a year where people drove significantly less frequently because of the pandemic. She also talks about workplace safety guidelines issued by NSC during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they were utilized by employers.

Ryan Russo, Director at the Oakland Department of Transportation in California, USA, discusses the city’s Slow Streets program and the challenges of meeting the community’s transportation needs during COVID-19. He also highlights the department’s strategic plan, including the establishment of a Racial Equity team that works to address inequities, build trust within the community, and make transportation more accessible for all. Russo is also a keynote speaker at ITE’s Virtual Technical Conference in March.

Bryan Mistele, President and CEO of INRIX, talks about the impact of big data and data analytics on the transportation sector, including how his company utilizes real-time information to improve location-based insights for companies, cities, and road authorities around the world.

Jim Tymon, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) discusses the impacts of COVID-19 on the transportation industry over the past year and how state departments of transportation are faring. He also talks about the new U.S. presidential administration and upcoming legislative activities, including what AASHTO hopes to see in terms of congressional investment in infrastructure and transportation, as well as the FAST Act reauthorization.

Jennifer Toole, ASLA, AICP, Founder and President of Toole Design, discusses the implications of COVID-19 for Complete Streets in communities and whether they will last beyond the pandemic. She also talks about starting a business from scratch, and how she and her staff work to promote a spirit of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and beyond.

Shelley Row, P.E., CSP, CEO and Founder, Blue Fjord Leaders, discusses effective professional development within this new virtual landscape brought on by COVID-19. Hear her advice for those wanting to develop their leadership traits and perspective on how well transportation professionals have adapted their communication and interpersonal skills to the new environment. As the facilitator for LeadershipITE, she also highlights the adaptation of LeadershipITE to the virtual format for 2021 and discusses the engaging features that participants can expect from the program.

Robin Phillips, Executive Director of the National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP), discusses the challenges of delivering safe and effective public transportation in rural and tribal areas, and highlights some of the challenges faced by these communities, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. National RTAP serves as a training and technical assistance resource for agencies across the United States to facilitate more efficient use of public transportation resources, and Phillips highlights how the program works to ensure a high quality of life for communities through access to jobs, healthcare, education, shopping, and other services.

Futurist Garry Golden shares how he sees the global COVID-19 pandemic shaping future outcomes for the transportation industry as a whole and for professionals. Garry was a Plenary Speaker at the 2020 ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibition and the session was sponsored by the ITE Consultants Council.

David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) and two new studies conducted by the traffic safety research organizations. The first study cites data that illustrate the growing benefits of advanced driver assistance systems; the second reveals possible limits of automated systems in reducing crashes. He also addresses criticisms of the second study, and discusses the future of safety and CAVs.

Vincent Valdes joins the ITE Talks Transportation Podcast to talk about the role of mobility as a service (MaaS) and mobility on demand (MOD) in public transit and how innovation can improve travel for users and transportation networks as a whole. The podcast was recorded while Vince was at the FTA Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation. This summer, he transitioned roles to become president and CEO of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

Robert Wunderlich, P.E., ITE Fellow and Director of the Center for Transportation Safety at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, discusses the Safe System approach to reducing serious injuries and fatalities on roadways. He highlights various aspects of the Safe System, including roadway design that reduces user error and lowers impact forces, and explains what transportation professionals can do to help implement a Safe System approach.

Paul Skoutelas, President and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association, discusses both the short- and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transit and how the industry is responding, as well as how funding from the CARES Act will be used to assist transit agencies throughout the recovery.

Annie Chang, head of New Mobility at SAE and director of the Mobility Data Collaborative, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss the mobility landscape and her research in the mobility as a service/mobility on demand field. She also shares the challenges and potential solutions regarding safety around micromobility, and talks about the shared taxonomy for mobility recently released by SAE International.

Tamika L. Butler, Esq., director of Equity and Inclusion at Toole Design, joins the ITE Talks Transportation Podcast to discuss the critical issue of equity in transportation. She delves deep into the challenges confronting transportation professionals when it comes to designing systems and communities that are safer, more accessible, and more equitable for all, and discusses key disparities and concerns currently at play in the industry.

Leslie Richards, general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast for a conversation on leadership, the inextricable link between community and transportation, and managing a multimodal transportation system. Richards, who recently wrapped up her tenure as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, is the first transportation planner to lead SEPTA. She discusses the opportunities and challenges faced by the agency, which provides 300 million trips per year.

Curbspace is in higher demand than ever before, with ride-sharing companies, freight delivery vehicles, vendors, and more attempting to share the scene. Meghan Mitman and Steve Davis with Fehr & Peers discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by this space, and share examples of dynamic way agencies and municipalities are managing the curb. They also talk about their work on the ITE Curbside Management Practitioners Guide.

Valerie Lefler, Executive Director at Feonix - Mobility Rising, joins us on the ITE Talks Transportation Podcast to explore issues around Mobility as a Service/Mobility on Demand (MaaS/MOD). She highlights ways to ensure that under-served communities are not overlooked as the MaaS/MOD market continues to grow, the challenges and opportunities presented by new mobility options, and how to navigate regulations, policies, and data in the process.