Transportation Radio

In this episode of the  AASHTO ETAP Podcast, Paula Hammond – market leader-multimodal at consulting firm WSP USA and a former secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation – talks about the career challenges and opportunities for women in the transportation industry.

On the February edition of the ITE Talks Transportation podcast, 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.

Jeff Bennett — head of the Transit Delivery Division of the District of Columbia Department of Transportation and president of the DC Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials — is interviewed by host Bernie Wagenblast about how Washington, DC is advancing transportation equity on this episode of the AASHTO ETAP Podcast.

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 US 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.

The January AASHTO ETAP Podcast focuses on the Transportation Research Board’s 2021 Annual Meeting, taking place throughout the month of January. Like most organizations, TRB has shifted to a virtual meeting due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting will celebrate TRB’s centennial with the theme, “Launching a New Century of Mobility and Quality of Life.” The program covers all transportation modes and addresses a range of topics, including dozens of sessions on how COVID-19 has affected transportation and how transportation professionals and researchers are responding. This month’s guest is Martin Palmer, Washington State DOT engineering services manager and co-chair of TRB’s Standing Committee on Environmental Analysis and Ecology.

Jennifer Toole, 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.

In this episode, host Bernie Wagenblast interviews Jannine Miller and Charles Robinson of the Georgia Department of Transportation about the I-85 Corridor Study, an innovative effort that is using a new approach – Planning and Environmental Linkage, or PEL. 

EPISODE NOTES

Planning and Environmental Linkages or PEL represents a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision-making that 1) considers environmental, community, and economic goals early in the transportation planning process, and 2) uses the information, analysis, and products developed during planning to inform the environmental review process.

The benefits include: Improved relationships with stakeholders; improved project delivery timelines; and better transportation programs and projects.

More information about PEL can be found at the Center for Environmental Excellence website.

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.

California DOT Director Toks Omishakin about the important role active transportation — primarily walking and cycling — plays in a healthy transportation system during the AASHTO ETAP Podcast. Omishakin, chairs AASHTO’s Council on Active Transportation, and is a considered a national leader in policies that promote safe and equitable active transportation opportunities.

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.