Past Events

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The Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility organizes or participates in several transportation-related events each year. These include national summits, regional forums, industry conferences, or special events and broadcasts. You can find leading transportation experts at all of these events, making them an excellent resource not only for professional and research insights, but also for networking.

Dates Events
May 25, 2023 Cycling Past 50  -  Online

Most people learn to ride a bike as a child, but when do they stop cycling? May is National Bike Month, and MTI is investigating the habits of older adults who cycle with the nationwide 50+ Cycling Survey. Carol Kachadoorian, an MTI Research Associate and founder of dblTilde CRE, Inc., initiated the survey in 2018, and it has since examined the cycling habits and preferences of thousands of adults ages 50 to 85-plus. Year 5 of the 50+ Cycling Survey will begin soon, and you can be a part of it. How can our growing understanding of older cyclists affect policy, programs, design, and practice? Join us to discuss health and mobility and to dig into ways this information can be used by engineers, planners, advocates, and more.

*0.5 PDH credit available

View & Download PDH Certificate

View Recording

View Slide Deck


About the Panelist

Carol Kachadoorian
MTI Research Associate; Executive Director, dblTilde CORE, Inc.

Carol has a breadth of knowledge of and expertise in transportation planning and operations, working at both the city and regional levels, including school- and community-based active transportation plans and older adult mobility. She recognizes the importance of both big data and personal experience to determine feasible changes that make travel by all modes safe, accessible, and comfortable for all ages and abilities.

Carol has spoken nationally and regionally on the need to revise long-standing perceptions of older adults through words and images. She developed a typology of older adults’ physical activity levels that can help encourage mobility and wellness. The Mineta Transportation Institute published her pioneering work, Cycling past 50: A Closer Look into the World of Older Cyclists, and hosted the 50+ Cycling Survey Year 4. Results from the survey will be available in the Fall 2023.

Presenters: Carol Kachadoorian
May 18, 2023 2023 MSTM Capstone Showcase  -  Online

Students from the Master of Science in Transportation Management program at San José State University presented their final capstone research projects. This interactive event provided opportunities to meet with the students and learn about their research and key issues in the field of transportation.

May 16, 2023 to May 17, 2023 US High Speed Rail Conference 2023  -  Washington, D.C.

Members of Congress, government and elected officials, business leaders, and investors came together with the world's top experts to bring state-of-the-art high speed rail to America. The conference included discussions on critical topics, such as:

  • America's High-Speed Rail Revolution: Fast-Tracking the Tipping Point
  • The Biden Administration's Vision for High-Speed Rail
  • Silver Bullet Solution: Elected Officials Roundtable on High-Speed Rail
  • The Global High-Speed Rail Revolution and China's Bullet Train Empire
  • Accelerating the U.S. High Speed Rail Program and Project Delivery
  • California High-Speed Rail: America's Game-Changing Megaproject
  • Building Integrated Rail Networks: Linking to Amtrak and Regional Systems
  • World-Class Station Design and Transit Oriented Development
  • Decarbonizing the U.S. Transportation System with High-Speed Rail
  • Projects of National Significance: Ready for Major Funding
  • Pathways Toward a National High-Speed Rail Network
  • Made in America: An Industrial Strategy for U.S. High-Speed Rail
  • Scaling Up Private Sector Participation and Investment
  • Leveraging High-Speed Rail to Address the Cost of Living Crisis
  • Transforming the Politics of High-Speed Rail
  • Next Steps Toward America's High-Speed Rail Revolution

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.

May 1, 2023 to June 7, 2023 SVBC's Bike Month and Bike to Wherever Days

Whether you bike to work, school, shops, parks, libraries, or just wherever, biking is fun, and good for you and our environment. Bicycling is one of the biggest ways you can reduce Climate Change as well as improve your health!

May was Bike Month and May 18, 19 and 20 were Bike to Work/Wherever Days!

We want as many people as possible to get in the habit of bicycling for transportation rather than driving a car. Did you know that it’s possible to move more stuff using your bike than most people can fit in a car? Check out Carrying Things by Bike. And did you know if you choose to bike rather than drive you can save 1 million dollars?  See below for many fun things you can do during Bike Month and Bike to Wherever Days!

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.

Major Bike Month Events

  • 4/6 — Bike Commuting (Online class).

  • 4/11 — Smart Cycling (Part 1 - Online class). Learn how to ride just about everywhere from busy streets to crossing the US.

  • 4/19 — Smart Cycling (Part 2 - In person) - Turn classroom learning into muscle memory and practice on real streets under expert supervision.

  • 4/23 — Viva Calle San Jose — A super Open Street event for all that is not to be missed.

  • 4/26 — Basic Bike Maintenance (In person) — Get your bike ready for Bike Month!

  • 5/1-31 — Bike Month — All month.

  • 5/1 — Biking Basics (Online) — Learn the essentials to keep you safe when bicycling.

  • 5/13 — Volunteer BTWD bag stuffing.

  • 5/15 — Volunteer BTWD bag distribution to energizer stations.

  • 5/16 — Basic Bike Maintenance (In person).

  • 5/18 — Bike To Work Day. With Energizer Stations across San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Concludes with Bike Bash events.

  • 5/18 — Bike Bash party.

  • 5/19-20 — Bike to Wherever Days. With Energizer Stations across San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

  • 5/19 — San Jose Bike Party.

  • 5/24 — Smart Cycling (Part 1 - Online) Learn how to ride just about everywhere from busy streets to crossing the US.

  • 5/28 — Smart Cycling (Part 2 - In person) - Turn classroom learning into muscle memory and practice on real streets under expert supervision.

  • 6/7 — Family Biking (Online).

April 28, 2023 Transport and the Triple Bottom Line Summit 2023: Transit Lessons Learned from the Pandemic (So Far)  -  Online

The Transport and the Triple Bottom Line Summit sought to explore the concept of 'sustainable transport,' leaving attendees with a fuller understanding, and most importantly, a definition for the term. Panelists and speakers included an array of national experts, practitioners, and scholars on social equity and transport, the environmental impact of transport, financial mechanisms for secure and continuous operations, as well as, decision-makers currently involved in California's notable public-private partnerships. Further, conference panelists included leaders in the advocacy, public, private, P3, and nonprofit sectors. Integrating existing discourse and studies on sustainability and Elkington's and Savitz's Triple Bottom Line, attendees leave with a holistic and objective definition of sustainable transport, allowing all parties the ability to confidently and equally assess and explain such transport.

View Agenda

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.

April 27, 2023 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation (2023 Caltrans Safety Awareness Week)  -  Online

Human trafficking, a form of modern slavery, is the recruitment, transport, and/or transfer of persons using force, fraud, or coercion to exploit them for acts of labor, services, or sex. It is the fastest growing organized crime with approximately $150B in annual profits. Because trafficking relies on the transportation network to recruit, move, and transfer victims and to move goods produced by forced labor, the transportation industry plays a critical role in preventing and combating human trafficking.  Transportation can also be a gateway for survivors to leave their trafficking situation and obtain aid to rebuild their lives. 

For 2023 Caltrans Safety Awareness Week, the Mineta Transportation Institute hosted a one-hour webinar featuring expert panelists to showcase efforts to combat human trafficking in the United States. Experts discussed these critical questions: How can industry employees protect loved ones & our community? How can we learn to identify risk factors and signs of human trafficking when in the transportation system? 

Watch the recording to learn more about the role of transportation industry stakeholders in facilitating effective prevention training programs and increasing accurate victim identification, as well as putting in place survivor-centered and trauma-informed response protocols.

View the Recording 

View the List of Resources

View & Download PDH Certificate


About the Panelists

  • Paul Chang, Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator, US Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division

Paul Chang serves as the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator at the U.S. Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division. In his 28+ years with the agency, Paul worked on some of the most celebrated cases as an investigator and Assistant District Director. He developed numerous training materials and programs, including the Enterprise Model that focuses on strategic approaches to prosecution, protection, and prevention of forced labor. Paul served as the National Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) Regional Network. Paul is also a lecturer at Cal State LA’s MPA program and Vanguard University on Human Trafficking. He is the recipient of numerous Secretary’s Awards and community honors, including the 2019 Global Center for Women and Justice Diamond Award.

  • Evelyn Chumbow, Operations Manager and Survivor Advocate, Human Trafficking Legal Center (HTLC)

Evelyn Chumbow is a survivor of child labor trafficking turned anti-trafficking activist and public speaker. Chumbow has been invited to brief several government agencies about human trafficking from a survivor’s perspective, including the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the State Department, and the Department of Justice. She was appointed by President Obama to serve on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. She has been invited as a speaker to international events and has been awarded many honors for her work. Chumbow serves as an advisor to human trafficking NGOs and on the Board of Directors for Free the Slaves. Chumbow hopes to leverage her unique position as a former child slave to end human trafficking in her hometown and globally.

  • Aston Greene, Chief of System Safety and Security, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)

  • Polly Hanson, Senior Director, Security, Risk and Emergency Management, American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Polly Hanson coordinates with APTA stakeholders to develop transit security, risk and emergency management standards and policies. She serves as the Vice-chair of the TSA Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee. Previously Ms. Hanson was the Chief of Police for AMTRAK, where she led a national police department responsible for protecting over 30 million passengers and 20,000 employees. Additionally, as the Chief of the Metro Transit Police in D.C., she led a tristate police department and directed the response to the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London. She received WMATA’s Carmen E. Turner Award, and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) named Ms. Hanson a “Woman Who Moves the Nation.” Ms. Hanson is a member of the Operation Lifesaver, Inc Board of Directors.

Dr. Yagci Sokat is an Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at San José State University and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute with a passion for using analytics to alleviate human suffering in the areas of public health, humanitarian logistics, and human trafficking. Supported by the United States Department of Transportation, IBM, Valley Transportation Authority and San José State University, she has led various multi-disciplinary anti-trafficking projects and has served on several local anti-trafficking committees. She received her PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University and holds master’s degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Fulbright scholarship.

Presenters: Paul Chang, Evelyn Chumbow, Aston Greene, Polly Hanson, Dr. Kezban Yagci Sokat
April 23, 2023 VivaCalle @ SJSU

Viva CalleSJ was a free program that temporarily closes miles of San José streets to bring communities together to walk, bike, skate, play, and explore the city like never before. Attendees could enter through any of the side streets to join thousands as they wander through activity hubs, watch live art being created, see demonstrations of BMX specialists, purchase food from local food trucks, stop at a bike maintenance tent, grab water from one of the many water stations, hang out to watch a band or two, or play a few games. 

This year, SJSU was an official activity hub! At the SJSU Activity Hub, attendees all kinds of fun activities, including

  • Join the SJPL Makerspace[ship] Bus
  • Enjoy dancing from many cultures with Mosaic America
  • Speak with Council Member Omar Torres' office
  • Build a new city with SJSU Urban Planning
  • Learn how to say greetings in one of San José's many languages
  • Play games with SJSU Athletics
  • Learn about and take a selfie at the Cesar Chavez Arch
  • Dance to the marching band
  • Make some art
  • Participate in exercise demos
  • Win some swag from prize wheels
  • Purchase food from on-site food trucks

MTI was a proud co-sponsor of the SJSU Urban Planning's activity hub. 

March 21, 2023 When Women Lead: Strategies to Advance Equity

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) hosted a conversation with a diverse panel of women transportation leaders representing academia, public and private industries, and the nonprofit sectors as they shared personal stories from their careers and lessons learned as they rose to the top. 

Moderated by April Rai, CEO of COMTO and a member of the MTI Board of Trustees, this webinar delved into a critical issue faced by the transportation industry: How are we prioritizing women and other traditionally underrepresented voices to build the most inclusive and effective transportation workforce for our future? What can their success stories teach us about the values of empowering women? 

Speakers:

  • Melissa Figueroa, Chief of Strategic Communications, California High-Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA)

  • Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI)

  • Kimberly Slaughter, CEO, SYSTRA USA

  • Lynda Tran, Director of Public Engagement & Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)

Moderator: April Rai, President & CEO, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO)

This event was co-sponsored by COMTO and WTS San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.

PDH Certificate

View Recording


About the Panelists

  • Melissa Figueroa, Chief of Strategic Communications, California High-Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA)

As the Chief of Strategic Communications, Melissa oversees the communications branches for media, stakeholder engagement, special projects, and outreach. Melissa previously served as CalSTA’s Deputy Secretary of Communications and Strategic Planning; Deputy Secretary of Communications and External Affairs at the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency; and Deputy Secretary of Communications at the State and Consumer Services Agency. Before beginning work in the state’s executive branch, Melissa worked within the Legislature as Press Secretary for California State Senator Joe Simitian. Figueroa graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2002 with a degree in Journalism. She served as a student representative on the department’s advisory board and now serves on the Cal Poly Journalism Advisory Board.

Karen Philbrick is the executive director of the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San José State University, a position she has held since 2014. MTI leads three multi university competitively selected consortia: the Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility (MCTM) funded by the US Department of Transportation, the California State University Transportation Consortium (CSUTC) funded by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (CA Senate Bill 1) and the Climate Change and Extreme Events Training and Research Program funded by the Federal Railroad Administration. 

Dr. Philbrick has received many prestigious awards for her leadership excellence and outstanding contributions to her field. She received the CUTC Administrative Leadership award, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) named Dr. Philbrick a “Woman Who Moves the Nation,” the Silicon Valley Business Journal named Dr. Philbrick 1 of the 100 Women of Influence in Silicon Valley.

Kimberly Slaughter has been involved in the development of mobility solutions for over 30 years and has a wealth of experience in the transportation industry, working for planning, architecture/engineering consulting firms and public transportation providers. She is a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin with an MSc in Community and Regional Planning. Kim was appointed to head the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) subcommittee for the Mobility Restoration & Recovery Task Force. Kim has also served on the APTA Board of Directors and Business Members Board of Governors, Business Council of the African American Mayors Association, Women’s Transportation Seminar, and Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.

  • Lynda Tran, Director of Public Engagement & Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)

Lynda Tran serves as Director of Public Engagement and Senior Advisor to the Secretary. A longtime organizer and communicator with over two decades experience in policy, advocacy, and campaigns, Lynda returns to DOT after co-founding 270 Strategies, where she developed public engagement strategies for clients across the globe – including the Environmental Defense Fund, Oxfam America, United Way Worldwide, FAMM, the Black Economic Alliance, and the Economic Security Project. Recently, she was a senior strategist for Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy and served on the Board of Advisors for Higher Ground Labs and Battleground Texas. A CBS News Political Contributor through the 2020 cycle, she previously led teams for Organizing for America, then-Governor Tim Kaine, and SEIU.

  • (Moderator) April Rai, President & CEO, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO)

April joined COMTO in December 2021 as President and CEO with nearly 20 years of experience managing private, public sector and non-profit organizations. Previously, April served as Deputy Executive Director for Women’s Transportation Seminar International (WTS), leading the management of operations, staffing and program management for 65 chapters across North America. Prior to joining WTS, April served as the CEO for the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), a coalition of over 100 organizations and agencies dedicated to youth health and safety education. April’s current appointments include Board Member, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Board Member, Mineta Transportation Institute and numerous transportation related advisory boards.

March 18, 2023 Environmental Literacy Summit  -  Santa Clara County Office of Education, 1290 Ridder Park Drive, San José, CA 95131

The Santa Clara County Office of Education hosted their second annual Environmental Literacy Summit on Saturday, March 18, featuring guest speakers, student-led panels, interactive workshops, and an opportunity to connect with community-based partners.

Session Topics: 

  • Action & Advocacy in the Community 
  • Cultivating Green & Sustainable Campuses and Facilities 
  • School Gardens for Health and Education 
  • Inclusive Environmental Literacy Education 
  • Indigenous Knowledge & Land-Based Pedagogy 
  • Climate Action & Education 
  • Green Career Pathways 

*MTI was an exhibitor at this event. 

February 28, 2023 Voices of Impact  -  Online

This webinar was the fourth part of MTI Research Snaps' Advancing Transportation Equity series.

The Mineta Transportation Institute partnered with the California Planning Roundtable on Voices of Impact, an oral history project focused on identifying how past planning practices have impacted communities of color. The project highlights the voices of people who ordinarily may be reluctant to share their stories—to raise public awareness and to suggest how planning professionals and policy makers can change their practices in response. This film shares the unique stories of six individuals impacted by housing and land use policies enacted by federal, state and local governments and their successful community efforts for positive impact through emerging practices of equitable planning. This webinar shared critical perspectives that often go unheard, created a platform for historically underrepresented communities, and collaborated to find real solutions for injustice in our communities.

 

Watch the Project Video

Read ED Blog about the Project

 

 

View Recording

View Slide Deck

PDH Certificate

Discussion Guide


About the Presenter

Miguel Angel Vazquez, AICP, serves as the President of California Planning Roundtable. He is one of the first planners hired by a public health department in the nation. His role at the Riverside University Health System-Public Health is to strengthen the integration of planning and health through collaboration with non-traditional partners. The American Planning Association and affiliates have recognized his work and leadership with numerous awards, including the 2018 APA President’s Award and the 2020 APA California Distinguished Contribution Award.


About the Series

Transportation moves the world—impacting the lives of everyone, everywhere. Like many industries, transportation has dealt with its share of issues in equity. Transportation professionals work collaboratively to identify, analyze, and overcome inequities in the industry, acknowledging a sometimes-painful past to ensure that transportation policies serve all communities equitably

This February, we hosted a 4-part MTI Research Snaps series on “Advancing Transportation Equity.” In this series, MTI researchers discussed transforming equity in transportation as we reflected on some of the most pressing issues of diversity and accessibility in the industry as a whole and how to overcome them. 

Webinars include:

  • Webinar #1 | Feb 7, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Exploring the Use of Public Transportation Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey

  • Webinar #2 | Feb 14, 1:30-2:00p.m. (PT) | The Central Valley Transportation Challenge 

  • Webinar #3 | Feb 21, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Free Transit: It All Depends on How 

  • Webinar #4 | Feb 28, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Voices of Impact

Presenters: Miguel A. Vasquez, AICP
February 21, 2023 Free Transit: It All Depends on How  -  Online

This webinar was the third part of MTI Research Snaps' Advancing Transportation Equity series.

How can the transportation industry improve equity and ensure it fairly serves all communities? Free (or fareless) transit is presented as part of a solution to many problems—low ridership, growing income inequality, racial discrimination, and even climate change. While it is wholly unrealistic to expect fareless transit to solve any of these challenges on its own, the fact that it is a popular idea presents a substantial opportunity. It is worth asking—how can the ideas behind free transit be combined with other policies to make significant progress toward these goals? In this webinar, attendees learned about how free transit, microtransit, and other efforts could make a major impact on equity in transportation and bringing fair, accessible transportation to all.

PDH Certificate

View the Recording

View the Slides 

Read the Presenters' Perspective Paper


About the Presenters

Joshua Schank holds a PhD in Urban Planning from Columbia University and a Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute, a Managing Principal at InfraStrategies, and a Senior Fellow in the Institute for Transportation Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Schank previously served as Chief Innovation Officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), President and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation, and Transportation Policy Advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

Emma Huang is a Senior Consultant with InfraStrategies LLC. Emma previously worked as a Transportation Planner in the Office of Extraordinary Innovation at LA Metro. She has a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.


About the Series

Transportation moves the world—impacting the lives of everyone, everywhere. Like many industries, transportation has dealt with its share of issues in equity. Transportation professionals work collaboratively to identify, analyze, and overcome inequities in the industry, acknowledging a sometimes-painful past to ensure that transportation policies serve all communities equitably. 

This February, we hosted a 4-part MTI Research Snaps series on “Advancing Transportation Equity.” In this series, MTI researchers discussed transforming equity in transportation as we reflected on some of the most pressing issues of diversity and accessibility in the industry as a whole and how to overcome them. 

Webinars include:

  • Webinar #1 | Feb 7, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Exploring the Use of Public Transportation Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey

  • Webinar #2 | Feb 14, 1:30-2:00p.m. (PT) | The Central Valley Transportation Challenge 

  • Webinar #3 | Feb 21, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Free Transit: It All Depends on How 

  • Webinar #4 | Feb 28, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Voices of Impact

Presenters: Joshua Schank, PhD & Emma Huang
February 14, 2023 The Central Valley Transportation Challenge  -  Online

This webinar was the second part of MTI Research Snaps' Advancing Transportation Equity series.

Students from minority populations and those in rural communities may not have the same established routes to learn about and access educational and professional opportunities as their peers from majority groups. The Central Valley Transportation Challenge (CVTC) provides underserved minority students, who are primarily from rural areas, with high quality transportation-related educational experiences so that they learn about transportation-related topics and opportunities in transportation careers. The CVTC is a project-based learning program that brings university faculty and students to K–12 classrooms in rural areas. This project supported K–12 teachers, connected K–12 students with university faculty and students, and transportation professionals, and developed an online hub with transportation-related lesson plans and sequences. The onset of the pandemic meant the timing of the program was especially useful, providing students that were learning from home with an engaging learning experience and some relief for teachers who were already dealing with a lot of adjustments. In this webinar, attendees learned about how the CVTC program empowered underserved students and how this model and its hub can continue making a positive impact in transportation.

 

Read the Full Report

View the Recording

View the Slides

View Fresno State Transportation Institute's K-12 Resources

 

PDH Certificate


About the Presenter

Dr. Christian Wandeler is an associate professor in research methods and statistics at California State University, Fresno. He has a Ph.D. in personality and positive psychology from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. His research interests are in the development of hope and learning achievement, project-based learning, and self-managing teams. He is currently researching the use of agile learning methods and design thinking in action civics projects. 


About the Series

Transportation moves the world—impacting the lives of everyone, everywhere. Like many industries, transportation has dealt with its share of issues in equity. Transportation professionals work collaboratively to identify, analyze, and overcome inequities in the industry, acknowledging a sometimes-painful past to ensure that transportation policies serve all communities equitably. 

This February, we hosted a 4-part MTI Research Snaps series on “Advancing Transportation Equity.” In this series, MTI researchers discussed transforming equity in transportation as we reflected on some of the most pressing issues of diversity and accessibility in the industry as a whole and how to overcome them. 

Webinars include:

  • Webinar #1 | Feb 7, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Exploring the Use of Public Transportation Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey

  • Webinar #2 | Feb 14, 1:30-2:00p.m. (PT) | The Central Valley Transportation Challenge 

  • Webinar #3 | Feb 21, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Free Transit: It All Depends on How 

  • Webinar #4 | Feb 28, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Voices of Impact

Presenters: Dr. Christian Wandeler
February 7, 2023 Exploring the Use of Public Transportation Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey  -  Online

This webinar was the first part of MTI Research Snaps' Advancing Transportation Equity series.

Millions of older adults rely on public transportation in their daily lives, but adults aged 65 years or older often face additional challenges accessing and using public transportation, and this population encountered even more barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic. How did limited mobility options (e.g., lack of buses or trains in service due a combination of government lockdowns, fear of contracting or spreading the virus, and driver shortages in certain areas) brought on by the pandemic affect older adults? Did transportation challenges result in more age-related declines in perceptual, cognitive, and physical functioning? This event explored how older adults living in major metropolitan cities in the United States used and perceived public transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees learned about the potentials of mobile technology as an option for finding transportation information and how this study’s findings may help transit agencies develop effective strategies for meeting older adults’ transportation needs.

Read the Full Report

View Recording

PDH Certificate


About the Presenter

Dr. Egbe-Etu Etu is an Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at San José State University (SJSU). He is also a Research Associate in the Mineta Transportation Institute. Before joining SJSU, Dr. Etu received his PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Wayne State University in 2021 and his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Covenant University, Nigeria, in 2016. His research interests center on the development of use-inspired machine learning models to solve challenging business problems in healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. He is a member of the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM), Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineering (IISE), and SAVE International.


About the Series

Transportation moves the world—impacting the lives of everyone, everywhere. Like many industries, transportation has dealt with its share of issues in equity. Transportation professionals work collaboratively to identify, analyze, and overcome inequities in the industry, acknowledging a sometimes-painful past to ensure that transportation policies serve all communities equitably. 

This February, we hosted a 4-part MTI Research Snaps series on “Advancing Transportation Equity.” In this series, MTI researchers discussed transforming equity in transportation as we reflected on some of the most pressing issues of diversity and accessibility in the industry as a whole and how to overcome them. 

Webinars include:

  • Webinar #1 | Feb 7, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Exploring the Use of Public Transportation Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey

  • Webinar #2 | Feb 14, 1:30-2:00p.m. (PT) | The Central Valley Transportation Challenge 

  • Webinar #3 | Feb 21, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Free Transit: It All Depends on How 

  • Webinar #4 | Feb 28, 12:30-1:00p.m. (PT) | Voices of Impact

Presenters: Dr. Egbe-Etu Etu
January 24, 2023 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation  -  Online

Human trafficking, a form of modern slavery, is the recruitment, transport, and/or transfer of persons using force, fraud, or coercion to exploit them for acts of labor, services, or sex. According to the International Labor Organization, 49.6 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, of which 27.6 million were in forced labor and 12% of all those in forced labor were children.

Human trafficking is the fastest-growing organized crime with approximately $150B in annual profits. Like any business, trafficking relies on the transportation network—to recruit, move, or transfer their victims and to move goods produced by forced labor. Therefore, the transportation industry plays a critical role in preventing and combating human trafficking, as well as providing access for many survivors trying to leave their trafficking situation and obtain aid to rebuild their lives. 

This National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we hosted a one-hour webinar featuring expert panelists to showcase efforts to combat this issue in the United States. Discussions included the role of transportation agencies in facilitating effective prevention training programs and increasing accurate victim identification, as well as putting in place survivor-centered and trauma-informed response protocols.

PDH Certificate

View Recording

View Human Trafficking Resources List


About the Panelists

  • Paul Chang, Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator, US Department of Labor

Paul Chang serves as the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator at the U.S. Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division. In his 28+ years with the agency, Paul worked on some of the most celebrated cases as an investigator and Assistant District Director. He developed numerous training materials and programs, including the Enterprise Model that focuses on strategic approaches to prosecution, protection, and prevention of forced labor. Paul served as the National Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) Regional Network. Paul is also a lecturer at Cal State LA’s MPA program and Vanguard University on Human Trafficking. He is the recipient of numerous Secretary’s Awards and community honors, including the 2019 Global Center for Women and Justice Diamond Award.

 

  • Holly Austin Gibbs, System Director Human Trafficking Response Program, CommonSpirit Health

Holly Austin Gibbs is the System Director of the CommonSpirit Health Human Trafficking Response Program. Holly oversees efforts to implement policies, procedures, and education that assists providers in identifying patients who may be impacted by human trafficking and in offering trauma-informed services. In 2014, Holly released a book titled Walking Prey: How America’s Youth are Vulnerable to Sex Slavery; and in 2019, she received the Sister Concilia Moran Award from the Catholic Health Association. As a survivor of child sex trafficking, Holly has testified before Congress and consulted for organizations including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the AMBER Alert program.

  • Polly Hanson, Senior Director, Security, Risk and Emergency Management, American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Polly Hanson coordinates with APTA stakeholders to develop transit security, risk and emergency management standards and policies. She serves as the Vice-chair of the TSA Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee. Previously Ms. Hanson was the Chief of Police for AMTRAK, where she led a national police department responsible for protecting over 30 million passengers and 20,000 employees. Additionally, as the Chief of the Metro Transit Police in D.C., she led a tristate police department and directed the response to the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London. She received WMATA’s Carmen E. Turner Award, and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) named Ms. Hanson a “Woman Who Moves the Nation.” Ms. Hanson is a member of the Operation Lifesaver, Inc Board of Directors.

  • Elizabeth Jespersen, Manager, Organizational & Human Capital Development, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)

Elizabeth Jespersen has spent over 30 years in both the public and private sector of Transportation. As VTA’s Manager of Organizational and Human Capital Development, Elizabeth is responsible for all employee training and development programs. She previously served as the Supervisor of Organizational Development and Training. Elizabeth was deeply involved with Diversity and Inclusion initiatives including serving on VTA’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Committee and leading VTA’s Discover Opportunities in Transit grant partnership with the Federal Transit Authority. With the Director of Policy and Compliance, Elizabeth manages the Not On Transit Grant, which will provide federal dollars towards eliminating human trafficking in and around the VTA system.

Dr. Yagci Sokat is an Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at San José State University and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute with a passion for using analytics to alleviate human suffering in the areas of public health, humanitarian logistics, and human trafficking. Supported by the United States Department of Transportation, IBM, Valley Transportation Authority and San José State University, she has led various multi-disciplinary anti-trafficking projects and has served on several local anti-trafficking committees. She received her PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University and holds master’s degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Fulbright scholarship.

January 8, 2023 to January 12, 2023 TRB Presentations 2023

MTI Research Associates and affiliated researchers presented at the 102nd annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board. This event attracted thousands of transportation professionals from around the world. The meeting program covered all transportation modes, with sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. A number of sessions and workshops focused on the spotlight theme for the 2023 meeting: Rejuvenation Out of Disruption: Envisioning a Transportation System for a Dynamic Future. 

Listed below is a summary of many of the presentations, workshops, and poster sessions where MTI researchers showcased their research. 

Sunday, January 8

Title / Session ID / Presenters (MTI affiliates in bold) Time
Reimagining the Future of Public Transit and Intercity Passenger Rail
Workshop 1030 - Envisioning the Future of Public Transit, Passenger Rail, and Shared Mobility Workshop
Karen Philbrick
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
 
Innovations in Transportation Education
Workshop 1037 - Early Academic Successful Careers: Resources and Advice
Anurag Pande
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
 

Monday, January 9

Tools and Techniques to Diversify Transit Workforce and Support Diverse Groups of Employees
Poster Session 2052 - Through a Gender Lens: Travel Behavior and Workforce Development
Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Mehri Mohebbi, Sumita Raghuram, Hilary Nixon

 

8:00 AM - 9:45AM
 
Who Fits In and Who is Moving Up: Perceptions of Belonging and Advancement by Gender in the Transportation Industry
Poster Session 2052 - Through a Gender Lens: Travel Behavior and Workforce Development
Hilary Nixon, Jodi Godfrey, Stephanie Ivey, Seyedehsareh Hashemikamangar
8:00 AM - 9:45 AM
 
Understanding Disruption in Transport: Financial Experience of European Transport Providers During COVID
Poster Session 2105 - Emerging Research Topics in Transportation Economics and Finance
David Weinreich, Karel Martens
10:15AM - 12:00PM
 
What Do Americans Think About Mileage Fees? Results from Year 13 of a National Survey
Lectern Session 2123 - Transitioning from Fuel Taxes to Mileage-Based User Fees
Hilary Nixon, Asha Weinstein Agrawal
1:30 PM - 3:15 PM
 
Roadway Pavement Cross Slope Evaluation using Traditional Tools versus LiDAR Technique
Lectern Session 2128 - Advances in Geospatial Data Acquisition
Anurag Pande
1:30 PM - 3:15 PM
 
V2X-ViT: Vehicle-to-Everything Cooperative Perception with Vision Transformer
Poster Session 2228 - Vehicle-Highway Automation 2023, Part 1
Runsheng Xu
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
 
OPV2V: An Open Benchmark Dataset and Fusion Pipeline for Perception with Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication
Poster Session 2228 - Vehicle-Highway Automation 2023, Part 1
Hao Xiang​, Runsheng Xu
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
 
Modeling the Impact of Connected Automated Vehicles on VMT, Emissions, and Equity in Southern California Region​
Poster Session 2229 - Vehicle-Highway Automation 2023, Part 2
Qinhua Jiang​
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
 
Strategic and Tactical Decision-Making for Cooperative Vehicle Platooning with Organized Behavior on Multi-Lane Highways: A Field Experiment using the CARMA Platform
Poster Session 2229 - Vehicle-Highway Automation 2023, Part 2
Xu Han​, Jiaqi Ma
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

 

Tuesday, January 10

Exploring Factors Impacting Telework in the Post-Pandemic Era by Discrete Choice Models with Latent Variables: Case of Los Angeles
Poster Session 3043 - Information and Communication Technologies, Activity Participation, and Travel Choices 
Brian Yueshuai He, Qinhua Jiang, Jiaqi Ma​
8:00 AM - 9:45 AM
 
Quantitative Analysis and Models of Passengers' Ride Quality and Comfort in Zero Emission Buses (ZEB): Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus and Battery Electric Bus
Poster Session 3048 - Transit Capacity and Quality of Service
Changmo Kim, Seoungwoo Ha, Young-In Kwon
8:00 AM - 9:45 AM
 
Assessing the Potential of Converting Conventional Four-Phase Signalized Intersections to Alternative Intersections with Three-Phase Traffic Signals
Lectern Session 3073 - Operational Effects of Intersections and Interchanges
Anurag Pande
10:15 AM - 12:00 PM
 
Does the alignment of regional and local transportation and land-use strategies mitigate greenhouse gas emissions through vehicle trip reduction? Empirical evidence from California
Lectern Session 3083 - Getting into the Zone: Zoning and Its Transport Impacts
Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Serena Alexander, Branka Tatarevic
10:15 AM - 12:00 PM
 
Natural Weather Aging Test for Asphalt Binder: Literature Review and Test of Olive Pomace Modified Asphalt Binders
Poster Section 3101 - Advancements in Physical, Chemical, and Aging Characterization of Asphalt Binders
Kun Zhang
10:15 AM - 12:00 PM
 
Public charging demand prediction for electric vehicles in large-scale transportation systems with a scenario- and activity-based approach
Poster Session 3108 - Current Issues in Alternative Fuels and Technologies
Qinhua Jiang
10:15 AM - 12:00 PM
 
Curb Space Design for Shared Automated Fleet
Lectern Session 3112 - Recent Advances in Access Management
Shams Tanvir, Dana Ebe, Anurag Pande
1:30 PM - 3:15 PM

 

Wednesday, January 11

A “Bike System for All” in Silicon Valley: Equity Assessment of Bike Infrastructure in San José, CA
Poster Session 4060 - Bicycling and Micromobility Research Omnibus Session
Hilary Nixon, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Jochen Albrecht
8:00 AM - 9:45 AM
 
A Baseline for 3D-LiDAR-based Cooperative Multi-Object Tracking
Poster Session 4064 - Emerging Sensor Technologies for Critical Transportation Data Needs
Zonglin, Xin Xia
10:15AM - 12:00 PM
 
Automated driving systems data acquisition and processing platform
Poster Session 4080 - Artificial Intelligence Applications in Transportation Planning
Xin Xia, Jiaqi Ma
1:45 PM - 5:30 PM
December 6, 2022 Addressing Freight Emissions in San José: Seven Objectives to Reduce GHGs  -  Online

Freight represents about 30% of transportation climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, but many local climate action plans and freight plans put little emphasis on freight emissions reduction strategies. Routes to Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Freight Transportation in the City of San José presents strategies for the City of San José to reduce GHG emissions from freight. While this study focused on GHG emissions from freight in a single city, the lessons gleaned from this case can be applied broadly to other cities and regions. Communities seeking to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions must focus on emissions from freight as a major contributor. By managing freight demand, utilizing low emissions modes, focusing on the last mile, and other critical objectives, we can reduce the negative impacts transportation emissions have on human and environmental health.

Read the Full Report


About the Presenter

Dr. Serena E. Alexander is an MTI Research Associate and Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and Director of Urban Online at San José State University. She is currently establishing the American Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) and Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) collaboration platform to serve as a repository of best practices of climate action planning across the globe. She currently serves as Visiting Scholar at USDOT Climate Change Center.

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View Recording

CM Credit Certificate

PDH Certificate

Presenters: Dr. Serena E. Alexander
December 2, 2022 ARTBA's 12th Annual Student Transportation Industry Video Contest

The Student Video Contest is an annual competition aimed at helping students gain a better understanding of the importance of transportation infrastructure investment to the U.S. economy and quality of life, and to learn more about the industry and potential transportation construction career opportunities.

ARTBA’s Research & Education Division sponsors the competition, which is divided into two age groups:

  • Elementary, middle or high school students
  • Post-secondary, college and graduate students

Winners are selected in each age group. First prize in each category is $500 and second place in each category is $250.

Videos should be no longer than 2 ½ minutes and feature audio.

View past submissions | Rules and regulations

*This contest is supported by MTI and its Executive Director who also serves as ARTBA's President of Research and Education Division.
November 16, 2022 National GIS Day 2022  -  SJSU Student Union, Room 4A

The Spatial Analytics and Visualization Institute (SAVi) at San Jose State University celebrated National GIS Day 2022 on November 16, 2022, 5:15p.m.-8:00p.m., with a student poster competition at SJSU Student Union Room 4A.

The student poster competition, co-sponsored by SAVi and Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI), received submissions from SJSU and the broader GIS community in the Bay Area. Posters focused on using GIS for transportation and environmental applications, including theory and practice of GIS and remote sensing, landscape design and urban planning, economic and mobility spatial analysis, transportation planning and design. 

 

2022 SJSU GIS Day Poster Presentation Competition

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of the 2022 SJSU GIS Day Poster Competition

1st Place Winner 

Vaibhav Gopalakrishnan, Student, Master of Urban & Regional Planning, SJSU
A GIS-Based Analysis of Spatial Patterns for Vehicle Crash in San Jose, California

2nd Place Winners 

Tou In Kwan, Student, MA in Geography, SJSU
The Reclaimed Industrial Town: Mapping the Land Cover Change of Jurong, Singapore
Owen Hussey, Student, MA in Geography, SJSU
Using UAS to Measure Eelgrass Meadow Health and Extent Over Time

3rd Place Winners 

Mia Dong, Student, Master in Human Factor/Ergonomics, SJSU
Driving Aggressively or Conservatively? Investigating the Effects of Adaptive Driving Styles on Trust in Partially Automated Vehicles
Tram Le, Student, BFA in Photography, SJSU
The Decimation of Amazon Rain Forest
November 2, 2022 Connect for Your Career: An Introduction to Professional Associations in Transportation  -  Online

WTS-SF Bay Area and the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) of San Jose State hosted this free virtual event "Connect for Your Career: An Introduction to Professional Associations in Transportation" that introduced university students and emerging professionals to Northern California transportation organizations that offer networking, professional development opportunities, and/or scholarship opportunities. 

Participating organizations include:

  • American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)
  • American Planning Association (APA
  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
  • Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT)
  • Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP)
  • Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
  • Intelligent Transportation Society of California (ITS California)
  • Latinos in Transit (LiT)
  • Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS)

View Slides.

View Recording.

October 25, 2022 to October 27, 2022 Research to Practice Transit Symposium  -  Online,   -  Gainesville, FL

The central theme for the symposium was “translating transit research into practice.” As the transit industry is poised to take advantage of the largest transit and rail investment in our lifetimes, the symposium will be a platform where transit experts share insights on how evidence-based research is being or can be used to make the most of these opportunities in a changing environment. In addition to discussions on transit research and practice in the US, a group of international speakers were invited to share transit insights from non-US contexts. The Symposium focused on the following topics:

  • Zero-fare transit
  • Fare collection and payment options
  • Electrification and zero emissions
  • Transit resiliency
  • Public health and transit
  • Mobility hubs and multimodal coordination
  • Strategic funding for public transit
  • Managing costs and maintenance

The Symposium took October 25-27, 2022 online, but attendees were able to attend in Gainesville, Florida at the University of Florida campus for in-person site visits in Gainesville and Jacksonville as well as network with other transit researchers and professionals.

The Symposium was convened by a partnership between APTA, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), University of Florida Transportation Institute, and the T-SCORE University Transportation Center. 

*MTI was a proud co-organizer of this event.

October 18, 2022 Climate Change & Sustainability Fair  -  SJSU, 7th Street Plaza

One of the great challenges of our time is understanding and addressing climate change and its impacts. The Climate Change and Sustainability Fair provided a venue for the SJSU community to engage with solutions to this wicked problem. The goals of the fair were to provide the SJSU community with information to: 

  1. Learn more about climate change and what we can do to help preserve our planet

  2. Raise awareness and instill pride about what SJSU is doing to reduce our environmental impact

  3. Promote on-campus engagement in sustainability

September 15, 2022 Beyond Crypto: Blockchain for Urban Development  -  Online

Nonprofits in Oakland are planting trees to help with carbon sequestration to address climate change with the help of blockchain technology—a system in which a record of transactions are maintained across several computers linked in a peer-to-peer network. Blockchain provides an effective mechanism to codify process steps, enables any qualified individual or entity to easily participate in the delivery of those services, removes the need for single entity contracts, and also effectively tracks execution of those services. The process of selecting trees, getting permits to plant those trees in the right spot, planting the trees, and verification of proper planting all happen on the blockchain, and because activity is broken down and managed at discrete transaction level, anyone can participate in the effort as long as they follow the rules set out in the blockchain. This expert research investigates and develops specifications for using blockchain and distributed organizations to enable decentralized delivery and finance of urban infrastructure and the potentials of blockchain to empower everyone to improve transportation systems and their communities. Webinar also included Q&A with the project authors.

CM Credit Certificate.

PDH Credit Certificate.

View Recording.

View Slides.

Presenters: Dr. William (Billy) Riggs and Vipul Vyas
September 10, 2022 Rotary's Environmental Summit on Green Transportation & Clean Energy  -  Santa Clara County Office Building,   -  Online

Rotarians, community members, and industry experts in-person attended the Summit in San Jose, California – or online – on September 10, 2022 for new insights on green transportation and clean energy. Attendees participated in presentations, discussions and demonstrations regarding present and future green transportation and alternate fuel solutions to create healthier, more sustainable communities, and mitigate the climate crisis from the perspective of policy, technology, practice, and equity. 

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event

View Program.

View Slides.

View Recording.

June 30, 2022 Transatlantic Autonomous Driving Dialogue - Social Impact & Opportunities  -  SAP Café 3

From self-driving cars to RoboTaxis and autonomous food delivery - this event explored the latest trends in Silicon Valley & Germany.

Since the first autonomous car was invented, the technology of autonomous vehicles has advanced significantly. Fully autonomous vehicles are just around the corner. Thus, many inventive minds are already thinking about how to bring more innovative technologies and applications to the industry and the consumer.

Autonomous driving is about to disrupt multiple key industries and will impact the lives of consumers immensely. What will the next steps look like? What are the challenges of the expansion of autonomous technology and are there limits? How will autonomous driving shape our lives moving forward? 

Core questions we discussed at the event:

  • In what ways can the autonomous driving industry expand?
  • What are the newest developments in the industry?
  • How can the Silicon Valley software and the German automotive expertise jointly improve the industry?
  • How can society benefit from autonomous vehicles?

Benefit from various use cases and opportunities:

  • Attendees learned about the latest industry insights from our panel participants
  • Attendees learned about potential collaboration opportunities
  • Attendees explored the newest pilot projects in the autonomous driving industry

*MTI was a proud partner of this event

June 25, 2022 30th Annual Awards Banquet and Convocation Celebration

To ensure the efficient movement of people and products, we must prepare a new cohort of transportation professionals who are ready to lead a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable transportation industry. To that end, MTI held its 30th Annual Banquet and Convocation Celebration in-person, featuring a commencement address by Dr. Beverly Scott, at San Jose State University on June 25, 2022. After celebrating our graduates and annual successes virtually, we were grateful for the opportunity to welcome our esteemed trustees, generous sponsors, local leaders, graduates, friends and family to gather and commemorate the advancements made in our industry.

Joined by our distinguished Board of Trustees, we celebrated our MSTM graduates from classes 2020-2022, our alumni of the year, the winners of the Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition, and much more. 

This exciting MSTM celebration included individualized recognition of each graduate and award presentations.

June 8, 2022 to June 10, 2022 ILCAD 2022  -  Denver, CO

MTI was a part of the U.S. Committee hosting ILCAD 2022 in Denver, CO June 8 – 10. This year’s event was co-organized by International Union of Railways (UIC)Association of American Railroads (AAR)Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI).

The themes of the 2022 conference were:

  • Technology – What technologies could help to educate people, raise awareness, and ultimately prevent incidents at level/grade crossings?
  • Enforcement/Regulations – joint initiatives of the railways with local authorities and law enforcement agencies to encourage people to respect the rail-highway interface.
  • Community outreach – What are the best means of making people aware of the safety risks at crossings?

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this conference.

June 3, 2022 13th Annual Mineta National Transportation Policy Summit: Mapping the Route to Equitable Road User Charges

The accelerating transition to electric vehicles brings new urgency to discussions on how to replace fuel taxes with other broad-based, reliable sources of transportation revenue. From Wyoming to Delaware to California, more and more state legislatures are considering mileage fees, regions like the San Francisco Bay Area are considering expanded tolling, and New York City is within reach of adopting a congestion pricing proposal. Overlaying these discussions is a persistent call to consider the equity of any new charges on drivers. How will the charges impact low-income drivers? Does payment require access to banking tools that are not universally available? This event explored proposals including fee rates that vary by driver income, vehicle characteristics, or time and place, and equity-centered policies for responding to non-payment of tolls or other fees.

See here for more information and recordings from past events in the series.

PDH Certificate

View Program

View Recording


Speakers: 

  • Featured Speaker: US Congressman Peter DeFazio, Chair, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 117th Congress

  • Keynote Speaker: Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary, US Department of Transportation

    • Q&A will be moderated by Jeff Morales, Managing Principal, InfraStrategies, LLC

  • Panel Moderator: Stephanie Wiggins, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)

  • Panelists:

    • Asha Weinstein Agrawal, PhD, Director, MTI National Transportation Finance Center

    • James Corless, Executive Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG)

    • Reema Griffith, Executive Director, Washington State Transportation Commission

    • Hasan Ikhrata, Executive Director, ​​San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)

May 26, 2022 2022 MSTM Capstone Showcase  -  Online

6:00 - 8:00p.m. (PT) | View Event Page

During this virtual event, students from the Master of Science in Transportation Management program at San José State University presented their final capstone research projects. This interactive event provided opportunities to meet with the students and learn about their research and key issues in the field of transportation.

May 16, 2022 The Future of Mobility: Innovations to Replace Parking Mandates  -  Online

The City of San Jose voted to reform policies that mandate parking in new development. It has also implemented Transportation Demand Management measures, perhaps supported by these mobility solutions above, that assisted with this transition.

Presented by Catalyze SV, TransForm, and the Mineta Transportation Institute, we invited developers, policymakers, & community members to learn about innovative mobility services that could help make development easier & more cost- effective. This 2-hour educational event via Zoom on May 16 was tailored for developers building in Silicon Valley. The invited companies shared their solutions for helping developers decrease the amount of parking they need, including emphasizing alternative, more sustainable forms of transit. 

The participating companies were:

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event

View Recording

May 7, 2022 to May 14, 2022 Sciencepalooza! 2022  -  Online

The Synopsys Outreach Foundation launched their 23rd annual sciencepalooza! event, serving the East Side Union High School District. With all of the challenges our schools, students, teachers, and families have endured over the past two years, it's time to have some fun with: All things STEM! We want to celebrate what students have learned and give them opportunities to see STEM at work and as a career path ahead for them! This event was a full day, hands on event and not your traditional science fair. The goal was to create a festive, fun atmosphere for students to enjoy!

MTI was a proud sponsor of this event as well as sponsoring the Mineta Best Innovative Transportation Award!

April 26, 2022 to May 28, 2022 SVBC's Bike Month and Bike to Wherever Days

Whether you bike to work, school, shops, parks, libraries, or just wherever, biking is good for you and our environment. Bicycling is one of the biggest ways you can reduce Climate Change as well as improve your health! COVID-19 caused many more people to bike around to exercise, have fun, and get wherever they need to go. During the month of May, SVBC organized a series of fun, family-friendly events to keep the momentum rolling and celebrate biking! 

We want as many people as possible to get in the habit of bicycling for transportation rather than driving a car. Did you know that it’s possible to move more stuff using your bike than most people can fit in a car? Check out Carrying Things by Bike. And did you know if you choose to bike rather than drive you can save 1 million dollars?  

Major Bike Month Events

*MTI is a proud co-sponsor of this event.

April 26, 2022 How to Be Your Own Boss Without Going Broke or Crazy - Part 3  -  Online

In this last session of the series, attendees had a chance to learn from small business owners about their experience building their business, with a focus on branding and winning work. We also invited a large consulting firm to share their perspective on partnering with small businesses. 
Panelists include:

View Part 1 Recording

View Part 2 Recording

View Part 3 Recording

 

Presenters: Mydria Clark, Rachael Keish, P.E., and Vignesh Swaminathan
April 19, 2022 Electric Vehicles—Past, Present, & Future  -  Online

Electric vehicles may seem like cutting-edge technology, but they are in fact quite the opposite: electric versions of the “horseless carriage” first appeared nearly two centuries ago. This webinar invited International EV experts Dr. Gijs Mom and Dr. Daniel Sperling to reflect on lessons from the history of EV technology and policy innovation that could help today’s policymakers and automotive experts smooth the path for cost-effective EV adoption.

Earth Day 2022 called for us to "Invest in Our Planet," and explore key questions about EV technology, regulation, subsidy, and charging infrastructure is critical to furthering the potential for EVs as climate-friendly transportation.

View Recording.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Gijs Mom is Associate Professor Emeritus at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, where he also served as Programme Director for Mobility History. Today he is recognized globally as one of the foremost experts on automotive history, known for his unique ability to blend analysis of technological, cultural, and political forces. 

Dr. Mom began his career with degrees in both literary history and automotive engineering, and briefly worked on engine development at Renault, in Paris. He next completed a doctoral degree in the history of technology. His dissertation, The Electric Vehicle: Technology and Expectations in the Automobile Age, was published in 2004. This book received both the ASME Engineer-Historian Award and the Best Book Award from the Society of Automotive Historians. 

Among Dr. Mom’s many scholarly articles is a prize-winning analysis of early electric trucking, coauthored with David Kirsch (2001). Later books include a cultural history of Western automobility, Atlantic Automobilism; The Emergence and Persistence of the Car, 1895-1940 (2014), a history of automotive technology: The Evolution of Automotive Technology, A Handbook (2014), and the first volume of his world mobility history, Globalizing Automobilism; Exuberance and the Emergence of Layered Mobility, 1900 – 1980 (2020). The last won best-book awards from both the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) and the World History Association (WHA). The sequel of this book, Pacific Automobilism, Adventure, Status and the Carnival of Mobility, 1975-2015, will be published in September 2022.

In 1997 Dr. Mom founded the European Center for Mobility Documentation, located in Helmond, the Netherlands. In November 2003, he co-founded the International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (T2M), which he led as president during its first five years. In 2011 he founded the journal Transfers: Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies and served as its first editor.

 

Dr. Daniel Sperling works at the University of California, Davis, where he is Distinguished Blue Planet Prize Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies, and founding chair of the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and Economy .

Dr. Sperling has been recognized for three decades as a leading international expert on transportation technology assessment, energy and environmental aspects of transportation, and transportation policy. He has authored or co-authored hundreds of technical papers and books. Dr. Sperling was co-director of the 2007 study that designed California’s landmark low carbon fuel standard and co-director of a follow-up 2010 national study. He was also lead author of the transportation chapter on the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. His books include Three Revolutions: Steering Automated, Shared and Electric Vehicles to a Better Future (Island Press, 2018) and Future Drive: Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation (1995). In 2022, he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Dr. Sperling’s many public service roles include his appointment in 2007 to the California Air Resources Board, where he oversees state policies and regulations on climate change, low carbon fuels and vehicles, and sustainable cities. 

Prior to obtaining his Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (with minors in Economics and Energy & Resources), Dr. Sperling worked two years as an environmental planner for the US Environmental Protection Agency and two years as an urban planner in the Peace Corps in Honduras. He has an undergraduate degree in engineering and urban planning from Cornell University.

April 8, 2022 SJSU Urban Planning Spring Symposium: Racial Equity in Transportation Planning  -  Online

This year we focused the discussion around racial equity in the field of transportation planning. This event aimed to give attendees a better understanding of some of the problems that minority communities face in transportation and mobility and some of the ways that these issues can be addressed through the planning process.

Our keynote speaker was Tamika Butler, who kicked off our discussion with a short presentation about their work in the field of transportation followed by a brief Q&A session.

Following the keynote speaker, we had a short discussion with our panel of experts including:

View Recording.

Presenters: April Rae, Kimberly Slaughter, Rameses Madou, Clarissa Cabansagan, and Natasha Opfell
April 6, 2022 to April 9, 2022 California Bicycle Summit 2022  -  Oakland, CA

On April 2022, the California Bicycle Summit returned to Oakland for four days of keynote addresses, workshops, and bike rides. 

This inspiring biennial gathered California bicycle advocates, planners, agency administrators, and more. The California Bicycle Summit is the state’s most important bicycle advocacy event and one of the nation’s leading bicycle-related conferences. Attendees were able to learn, share, inspire, and meet others who shared the same passion in biking!

*MTI was a proud sponsor of this summit.

March 29, 2022 A Hands-On Exploration of the Bay Area Parking Census  -  Online

The Mineta Transportation Institute, in partnership with SPUR and researchers at Arizona State University, created a parking census of the Bay Area has revealed the true enormity of land that we dedicate to our cars: 15 million spaces spread across the region’s nine counties. To coincide with the launch of this census we’re also releasing the database that was used as the backbone for our research. This innovative, publicly-available tool can serve as an important asset to help policymakers and planners throughout the Bay Area make more strategic decisions about parking. But such a tool is only useful if you know what to do with it. This interactive workshop taught us the data-rich index of the region’s parking surfeit can be wielded to inform policy changes, both big and small, in your own city.

*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.

View Recording.

March 24, 2022 How to Be Your Own Boss Without Going Broke or Crazy - Part 2  -  Online

This webinar talked about the independent consultants and small business owners and their experience starting their business, with a focus on key administrative steps and considerations (e.g., necessary permits, selecting insurance, setting billing rates). VTA’s Office of Business Diversity Programs also shared more about state and local small business certification programs. 

Panelists included:

  • Diana Dorinson, Founder and Principal, Transportation Analytics
  • Danielle Stanislaus, President, Emergent Transportation Concepts
  • Jennifer Mena, Business Diversity Programs Analyst, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)

 

Tentative Dates of Upcoming Events in the Series

Part 3: Getting Work - Building Your Client Base & Winning Contracts

 

Thursday, April 26, 2022

12:00p.m.- 1:00p.m. (PT)

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Presenters: Diana Dorinson, Danielle Stanislaus, and Jennifer Mena
March 9, 2022 Effects of Bike Lending on Commuting to Work: The Google Case Study  -  Online

How are high tech employees returning to work? Maybe by bike. Google employees borrowed high quality electric- assisted and conventional bicycles for free, for up to six months. MTI researchers discussed their recent evaluation of this transportation demand management program in this webinar.

The lending program at Google represents one of the largest employer-sponsored bike and e-bike lending programs in North America with over 1,000 bikes in its inventory. More individuals and agencies have shown interest in e-bike rebates and in the role of public policy in the shift from four wheels to two. This evaluation is a critical first step toward understanding the potential for bike lending as a strategy in North American suburban contexts. 

CM Credit Certificate.

PDH Credit Certificate.

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Presenters: Dillon Fitch, Lucy Noble, and Terry Mac
February 28, 2022 Coming to Terms with the Bay Area's Parking Problem  -  Online

Parking may seem scarce when you’re looking for just the right spot, but it’s actually one of the Bay Area’s most expansive resources. With 15 million parking spaces — enough to wrap around the planet more than twice — the region has an excessive amount of parking. Yet for decades, planners have operated blindly when they attempt to determine parking needs or assess the impacts of new parking policies. Thsi webinar discussed a new effort, the Bay Area Parking Census, produced by the Mineta Transportation Institute in partnership with SPUR, to quantify the region’s parking supply and its negative impacts on health, climate and affordability. The discussion was led by the effort’s principal researcher, Mikhail Chester, PhD, to learn more about the Bay Area Parking Census and the strategies that Bay Area cities can use to reduce, manage and convert parking.

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*MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.

February 16, 2022 Riding with Transportation Equity  -  Online

How can the transportation industry approach issues of diversity and accessibility in the workforce, in transit riders, and in the community? How can we overcome historic and current injustices both by taking action now and by laying the groundwork for further transformation down the road? By shifting from broader conversations on equity to timely, focused discussions and hands-on planning, our industry can begin to understand and address the needs of community members of all ages, races, genders, and abilities. This Black History Month, MTI and a panel of experts to discussed transforming racial inequity in the transportation industry. We reflected on some of the most pressing issues of equity in our nation and industry today, and contributed to the discussion about how to address these issues.

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