Regional Transit Governance Seminar in San Francisco Will Focus on Bay Area

Transportation experts, transit operators, and public officials will present and discuss the findings of two new reports: Getting to the Route of It: The Role of Governance in Regional Transit and Seamless Transit on Tuesday, March 31, at the Commonwealth Club, 555 Post St. (new address), San Francisco. Continental breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m., with the program running from 9-12 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. To register, go to http: goo.gl/HBej9C

For Getting to the Route of It, the Eno Center for Transportation and TransitCenter studied transit systems in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and the New York City Tri-State area. While each region has its unique challenges, the research yields key themes and common lessons.

In addition to showing how faulty government structures – rather than mismanagement or insufficient funding – could be causing problems for regional transit systems, the report offers several recommendations for how best to unify regional networks, promote effective decisionmaking regarding financial allocation, and hold government agencies accountable. 

Most of SF growth will be near transit

Seamless Transit is SPUR’s most recent transportation policy report. It found that eighty percent of the growth in the San Francisco Bay Area is planned near transit. It also addresses several questions. Will the fragmented system, with over two dozen transit operators, meet the needs of local cities? How does fragmentation affect riders and potential riders? What can operators and governing entities do to deliver a cohesive transit system that provides a seamless experience for riders?

An expert discussion will follow the presentations. The Eno Center for Transportation, TransitCenter, the Mineta Transportation Institute, and SPUR are co-sponsoring the event.

Local transit experts will present

Speakers include Hon. Jim Beall, Chair, California Senate Transportation Committee; Joshua Schank, PhD, President and CEO, Eno Center for Transportation; Ratna Amin, Transportaton Policy Director, SPUR; David Armijo, General Manager, AC Transit; Hon. Cindy Chavez, ViceChair, VTA, and Member, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors; Grace Crunican, General Manager, Bay Area Rapid Transit; Steve Heminger, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission; Rick Ramacier, General Manager, Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection); and Ed Reiskin, Director of Transportation, San Francisco MTA. David Bragdon, Executive Director, TransitCenter, will moderate. Karen Philbrick, PhD, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute, will give the welcome.

“Metropolitan regions are the economic engines of our nation, and public transit is the machinery that enables the largest metropolitan areas to function, compete effectively for employers and labor, and support innovation,” said Joshua Schank, president and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation. “The ability of transit organizations to respond to changing and expanding demands varies across the industry but is shaped to a large extent by individual governance and organizational structures.”

Tweet this: @Eno Center, @SPUR_Urbanist, @TransitCtr & @MinetaTrans to hold Transit Gov Seminar in SF, 3/31 http: goo.gl/HBej9C

ABOUT THE MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) conducts research, education, and information transfer programs regarding surface transportation policy and management issues, especially related to transit. Congress established MTI in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. MTI won national re-designation competitions in 2002, 2006 and 2012. The Institute is funded through the US Department of Transportation, US Department of Homeland Security, the California Department of Transportation, and public and private grants. The internationally respected members of the MTI Board of Trustees represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI, the lead institute for the nine-university Mineta National Transit Research Consortium, is affiliated with San Jose (CA) State University’s College of Business.