Ite Talks Transportation

On this episode of ITE Talks Transportation, Steve Latoski, Director of Public Works for Mohave County, Arizona, discusses the unique challenges and opportunities in managing rural roadways. He highlights the importance of low-cost Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), funding strategies like the Highway Safety Improvement Program, and the growing role of technologies such as AI in enhancing safety and traveler information. Latoski also emphasizes collaboration, starting small with proven solutions, and staying engaged with professional networks like ITE to help rural agencies overcome limited resources.

In this episode of ITE Talks Transportation, sustainability mobility consultant Manuel Calvo discusses how Seville rapidly transformed into a bike-friendly city by building an 80-kilometer protected bike lane network in just a few years. The initiative succeeded due to strong political will, public support, and strategic design focused on everyday users rather than just avid cyclists, and a fast, coordinated rollout. As a result, cycling became a mainstream mode of transportation in Seville, reshaping public spaces and changed how residents view urban mobility.

In this episode of ITE Talks Transportation, Joey Paskey, Director of Public Works for the City of Las Vegas, discusses the unique transportation challenges in a fast-growing city like Las Vegas, where she oversees a diverse infrastructure system that serves both residents and more than 40 million annual visitors. She emphasizes the city's proactive safety approach, including a Vision Zero action plan, and highlights the importance of clear public communication and collaboration with stakeholders. Paskey also reflects on lessons learned on the job—particularly around communication, maintenance, and budget management—that go beyond traditional engineering education.

Bill Schultheiss, P.E., Vice President and Director of Design and Engineering at Toole Design, and Katy Sawyer, P.E., Principal Engineer at Toole Design, join the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss the new AASHTO Bike Guide. They highlight the importance of community engagement in planning bicycle infrastructure and share how planners can effectively navigate national, state, and local guidelines when developing bikeway plans. Schultheiss and Sawyer also offer insights on fostering collaboration between planners and engineers to support context-sensitive, multimodal transportation solutions.

Natalie Draisin, Director of the North American Office and the United Nations Representative for the FIA Foundation, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about the current state of road safety on the global level. She talks about how the United States compares to other parts of the world when it comes to road safety, strategies for successfully implementing the Safe System Approach, and best practices nations around the world are integrating to improve transportation safety. She also talks about incorporating a safety-first mindset across all levels of the profession and the role technology can play in improving safety.

David Kriger joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss emerging trends in urban goods movement and how they're impacting the space. He also talks about drivers of change in urban freight related to factors beyond land development and road infrastructure, and uses case study examples to highlight what cities in the United States and Canada are doing to further efficiency and safety. 

Karen Aspelin, P.E., PTOE (F), joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss her involvement with ITE and how it's culminated in her current position as International President. She addresses her views on leadership, what it means to be a leader, and offers her perspective on achieving a work-life balance for volunteer leaders. Karen also shares more about her own career path in engineering and how it led her to where she is today.

Dale Picha, P.E., PTOE, Director of Transportation Operations for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) San Antonio District, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW). Dale highlights the importance of this critical information campaign that promotes safety for first responders responding to crash sites and ITE's role in CRSW. He also discusses TxDOT's Traffic Incident Management program and how data plays a role in promoting and maintaining safety.

Aimee Flannery, Ph.D., P.E., Global Principal – Transportation Risk & Resiliency at Jacobs, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about making the transportation system more resilient and steps the industry can take to set standardized methods to measure resilience. She discusses several strategies to improve transportation resilience, including hardening assets, nature-based solutions, and improving system redundancy. She also addresses educational and training needs around resilience and how to better support practitioners in their professional development on the topic.

Brian Cronin, Director of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss the recently released National V2X Deployment Plan. The plan, drafted and advanced with collaboration across public and private partnerships, provides stakeholders with vital information to enable a safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation system through the national, widespread deployment of interoperable V2X technologies. Brian talks about what agencies need to do to implement the plan, the short- and long-term goals of the plan, and available resources for implementation. He also touches on the Accelerator Grants and pilot projects that have resulted in real deployments of V2X at-scale, and talks about what the future may look like with full deployment of V2X.  

Cipriana Patterson, P.E., PTOE, Director of Operations, Mid-Atlantic Region for Toole Design, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to delve into issues of equity, representation, and collaboration. She shares both her background and her experience as a Black woman in transportation, and discusses what more can be done to make both the profession and the built environment a better experience for all users. She also talks about HBCUs and their role in the development of Black transportation engineers and planners, and the importance of representation in the industry. 

ITE's 2024 Young Member of the Year Sam Harris, P.E., joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to share his journey from beginning at ITE through a Student Chapter to his current leadership roles on the Safety Council and the ITE Georgia Section. He also shares his passion for safety and how he has progressed in his career, as well as what he looks forward to accomplishing in the future.

​Venkat Nallamothu, P.E., Director, Transportation Operations and Safety at toXcel, joins the ITE Talks Transportation Podcast to talk about the influence technological innovations are having on the transportation industry, specifically artificial intelligence (AI). He discusses the potential implications of AI on transportation infrastructure such as connected and automated vehicles, how AI has evolved in transportation to where we are now, and the role ITE can play in the use and application of AI. 

Kathy Falk, Vice President with Kimley-Horn, joins the ITE Talks Transportation Podcast to discuss the newly released edition of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). She discusses the significant changes within the 11th edition, and highlights how the manual addresses safety concerns surrounding pedestrians and bicyclists, including bicycle lanes. She covers other new parts of the MUTCD, including provisions for setting non-statutory speed limits, and shares more about ITE's delegation to the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and what this body does. 

Rachel Carpenter, Chief Safety Officer at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), joins the ITE Talks Transportation Podcast to discuss why the department adopted the Safe System Approach in an effort to reverse traffic fatality rates and address speed, among other safety improvements. She also explains their work with the Safe Systems Pyramid which takes a public health approach to safety, and elaborates on some of the specific strategies Caltrans implemented to win the National Roadway Safety Award. Rachel was a keynote speaker at the ITE Virtual Spring Conference in March. 

Odessa L. Phillip, P.E., President and CEO of Assedo Consulting, LLC, joins the ITE Talks Transportation Podcast to discuss community engagement as part of the decision-making process for transportation planning and project design, addressing the challenges of this process as well as the most effective strategies she's found. She also speaks to the importance of equity considerations when having these critical conversations, as well as what she sees as some of the emerging trends in community involvement.

Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt joins the ITE Talks Transportation Podcast to talk about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and how it will impact communities taking advantage of the various funding opportunities it provides. He also discusses safety and why it's his top priority in his role, and what it will take to see improvement in this area. He also shares his views on leadership and its importance in his career and beyond.

Alex Argudin, CEO of the Miami Parking Authority in Florida, USA, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about parking trends and challenges in a densely populated city, how Miami is utilizing parking more efficiently and effectively, and how these trends are affecting other urban areas. Alex, who is Chair-Elect of the International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI), also discusses some of the changes that have impacted the parking industry since COVID, how curb priorities have changed, and how equity and sustainability factor into parking decisions.

After 8 years of service, ITE Executive Director and CEO Jeff Paniati is retiring at the end of October. He joins the podcast to reflect on his storied career in transportation, including his many years at the Federal Highway Administration and his tenure at ITE. He also shares his hopes and vision for the future of the organization, and a bit about what he plans to do upon retirement.

Gabe Klein, Executive Director of the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about transportation electrification in the United States. He discusses how his newly created office is working to help deploy its share of the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build out infrastructure across the country to support various aspects of electrification, and how local and state entities can take advantage of the funding. He also talks about the technological advances taking place in the space and how data sharing will help expand the advantages of adopting electrification.