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Dr. Chandra R. Bhat is the Joe J. King Endowed Chair Professor in Engineering at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin, where he teaches courses in transportation systems analysis and transportation planning. He is currently serving as the Director of the US Department of Transportation’s National University Transportation Center on Travel Behavior and Demand. Dr. Bhat is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading expert in the areas of travel behavior analysis and travel demand modeling.

What you’ll learn:

• Is Public Interest Secondary in Transport Innovation? There is a growing concern that corporate interests from technology vendors are overtaking public interest in transportation planning.

• The Complex Interplay of Psychology and Transportation: Transportation isn’t just about infrastructure – it’s about understanding human behavior and travel choices, which can be incredibly complex

• Transportation as a Lifeline: Access to transportation directly impacts social inclusion and quality of life, making it a fundamental societal need.

• Equity and Road Pricing: While pricing mechanisms can help manage travel demand, they must be implemented with careful consideration of equity

• Behavioral Data and Bias in AI: AI systems trained on human driving behavior may adopt our biases, highlighting the need for human oversight, lest we exaggerate patterns and reinforce them through our own models.

  
  

  This episode was produced in partnership with the ITLS Board of Advice

This episode is produced in partnership with the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS)

Andrew Petersen is the Chief Executive Officer of Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia (BCSDA). He has an enviable reputation as legal advisor on matters relating to environmental risk, law and policy, including climate change, and as a thought leader and advisor on the business of sustainability.

Andrew is a qualified solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW, solicitor of the High Court of Australia, Affiliated Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia and former Director/Company Secretary of Environment Business Australia.

What you’ll learn:

• What’s the difference between ESG and sustainable development? One is about investor metrics and compliance; the other is about shaping society at large.

• How did sustainability go from a side project to a business imperative?Sustainability is now a marker of market leadership—embedded in strategy, boardrooms, and capital markets.

• What role will data play in shaping our transport future? From people movement to freight logistics, data will guide decisions on infrastructure, emissions, and economic resilience.

• Is 2035 the real turning point for sustainable business?
  With climate targets converging and the SDGs set to wrap, the next decade will be defined by building on momentum—not starting from scratch. With electric vehicles and battery tech on the rise, circular design and recycling are no longer optional.

Carol Schweiger, President of Schweiger Consulting, has over 45 years of experience and is nationally and internationally recognized in transportation technology consulting. Her wide-ranging and in-depth expertise is in several specialty areas. Ms. Schweiger has provided over 80 transportation agencies with a wide variety of technology technical assistance. She was awarded 2022 Woman of the Year by WTS Rhode Island.

What you'll learn:

• Equity and Diversity in Transport is Necessary for Genuine Mobility Offerings: True transport equity means offering multiple options and ensuring those options are viable, accessible, and genuinely useful to diverse user groups.

• We need Outcome-Focused Technology Adoption: Instead of adopting technology for the sake of innovation and ‘shiny object syndrome’, agencies should focus on real-world, problem-solving applications that are clearly linked to an outcome.

• Understanding the Complexity of Transport Solutions: Effective transport solutions, like integrated corridor management, must be multimodal, considering incentives, behavioural nudges, and coordinated services.

Dr. Amir Sobhani is a leading road safety expert with over 22 years of experience in transport engineering, data analytics, and evidence-based policy development.

What you’ll learn:

• Data is essential for proactive safety: Reactive safety strategies (based only on crash history) lead to missed opportunities for reducing trauma. Data like speed, infrastructure, and behavioural insights are key to prevention.

• There are obligations on the side of governments and data providers: Legacy systems, data silos, and organizational resistance are major blockers to using analytics effectively. But data providers need to ensure they set organisations up for success by providing support and maintaining good data governance.

Michael Higgins is the co-founder of Loopit, the leading multi-mobility platform enabling rental, leasing, and car subscription solutions for OEMs, dealerships, and fleet operators. With a background in automotive technology and mobility innovation, Michael is passionate about reshaping how businesses and consumers access vehicles in an evolving transport landscape.

What you’ll learn

• How Car Ownership is Changing – The shift from traditional ownership to flexible access models like subscriptions, rentals, and short-term leases.

• Why Flexibility Matters – How economic uncertainty and changing consumer preferences are driving demand for alternatives to long-term car commitments.

• The Blurring of Mobility Options – How leasing, renting, and car subscriptions are merging into a seamless vehicle access ecosystem.

• Lessons from Other Subscription-Based Industries – What mobility providers can learn from streaming services and other flexible subscription models.

• The Future of Car Access – Predictions on how automakers, mobility companies, and consumers will shape the future of private car ownership.

Dr Suzy Charman is a leading expert on the Safe System with 20 years of experience. Before joining RSF Suzy was head of international road safety at TRL, and before that she was responsible for overseeing the establishment of the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP).

What you’ll learn:

• Understanding Road Risk

• The Role of Connected Vehicle Data in the Evolution of Safety Models

• The Importance of Considering the Business Case for Road Safety

• The Role of Human Error in Road Safety

Currently serving as a strategic advisor, my expertise in transportation, land use, and the environment guides public, private, and not-for-profit organizations towards innovative and sustainable solutions. With a vision anchored in economic vitality, environmental stewardship, and access to opportunity, my efforts are modeled on successes like the Innovative DOT initiative, the National Complete Streets Coalition, the Portland Streetcar and the Glenwood Springs to Aspen Bus Rapid Transit system, setting benchmarks for mobility nationwide.

As the Secretary of Transportation at the Washington State Department of Transportation from 2016 to 2025, my leadership was defined by a commitment to resilience, sustainability, and teamwork, overseeing a $5 billion annual budget and a team of 7,600.

What you’ll learn:

• The importance of maintenance over expansion – Investing in existing infrastructure ensures reliability and public trust

• The hidden costs of congestion vs. crashes – While congestion is a well-known problem, crashes cost the economy significantly more, yet receive less funding and attention.

• Multimodal planning and transit-oriented development – Cities benefit from shifting away from car-centric development toward integrated land-use and transportation strategies that prioritise active travel modes

• Data-driven decision-making in transport – Effective advocacy requires facts that resonate with decision-makers and the public.

Dr Hafez Alavi is a passionate advocate for road safety and sustainable mobility, dedicated to shaping an inclusive future where every journey is safe and sustainable. With over 23 years of experience spanning public and private sectors, academia, and injury prevention research, he has played a pivotal role in advancing road safety strategies at both national and international levels. Hafez was a key contributor to the Victorian Government’s Towards Zero Strategy.

What you’ll learn:

• The critical role that speed plays in causing traffic crashes and their severity.

• Why road safety should be integrated early into planning and policy

• The human impacts behind road crash statistics

• The importance of political accountability, cultural shifts, and public education in improving road safety.

Darcy Bullock is the Lyles Family Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue University and serves as the director of the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP). Bullock is a Registered Professional Engineer in Indiana and has over 30 years of experience working closely with academia, transportation agencies, and private sector partners in the area of transportation systems and big data analytics.

What you’ll learn

• Do our vehicles know more about our road networks than we do?

• How has connected vehicle data changed ‘how we do business' across transportation planning and road network management?

• What insights can traffic heat maps reveal about congestion, road closures, and incidents?

• At what point does connected vehicle data penetration become sufficient for making reliable transportation decisions?

• What are the biggest opportunities for transportation agencies to work smarter, not harder, using connected vehicle data?

This episode is in partnership with the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) Board of Advice

Xiaolin Gong is a recent PhD graduate from the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS). Her research focuses on transport modelling, specifically developing a novel macroscopic transport model to improve the efficiency of transport networks.

What you’ll learn: