Executive Director's Blog



Bridging Gaps, Building Futures: 2024 in Review		From the Bus Stop to the Ballot Box
December 2024		October 2024
In this year of significant challenges, we are reminded of the power of community. Around the world and in our own neighborhoods, difficult moments highlight how much we can achieve when we come together, lean on one another, and focus on what unites us. At MTI, we continue to do all that we can to cultivate and advance transportation safety, equity, and sustainability for everyone. To move is to live—and the difference between having and lacking mobility is the difference between having and lacking economic, social, and educational opportunities. As we prepare for the new year, I want to reflect on all the good we have already done this year, the milestones we have reached, and the connections we have built to improve the mobility of people and goods. Although our successes have been covered in newsletters, press releases, and media coverage, I wish to highlight a handful of exciting events and changes. Read the full article.		There is just one week before the November 5th general election. With only days left before ballots are counted and the next President of the United States is chosen by the people (and other critical issues are decided), have you planned how to get your vote in? Although many may have already taken advantage of early vote-by-mail or early in-person voting, public transit remains a vital service that allows all to exercise their sacred right to vote—especially those who must or choose to vote in person. Read the full article.



Accelerating Leadership: How MTI’s Training is Empowering Tomorrow's Transit Leaders		Tech-Driven Independence: How AV Can Improve the Lives of Older Adults
September 2024		August 2024
Across the nation, the transportation workforce shortage is reaching a critical breaking point. Data from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) shows that 96% of transit agencies are struggling to find enough workers, and 84% say this impacts their ability to keep services running. Fortunately, as an industry we are increasingly recognizing the importance of investing in our people to invest in our future. Robust workforce development programs are building up the talent pipeline to resolve this crisis and drive our nation’s transportation systems toward a more sustainable, efficient, and innovative future. MTI recently delivered an accelerated version of our Leadership Development Training—recognizing the crucial role of leadership in the success of any organization and in our industry as a whole. Read the full article.		There are 62 million adults ages 65 and older living in the U.S.—about 18% of the population. By 2054, that number is projected to reach 84 million. As the population of older people here (and globally) rapidly increases, we face challenges in ensuring that our industry is prepared for this demographic shift and able to meet the mobility needs of all. Autonomous vehicles are already operating on our streets, and researchers expect 4.5 million partially or fully autonomous vehicles to be on the road by 2030. How can we harness this mobility shift to empower older adults? Read the full article.



MTI’s Executive Director Adds a Chapter to ‘The New Future of Public Transportation’		Inspiring Innovation through Collaboration: STEM Event at Hoover Middle
June 2024		June 2024
Interested in learning more about the evolution of transportation? Look no further, as the second edition of the best seller, The New Future of Public Transportation, published on May 1, integrates the rich knowledge and experience of industry changemakers into an invaluable inside look at the current state and future of public transportation. This seminal book has already achieved the number one status for new best sellers in multiple genre categories. Put together by transit expert and author Paul Comfort, this edition features 30 contributed chapters from industry leaders, including Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute. Read the full article.		One hundred students from Herbert Hoover Middle School (Hoover) gathered in small groups at tables with old CDs and rubber bands. English Language Development (ELD) students in grades 6-8 along with Hoover Leadership students, teachers, and facilitators from a local nonprofit repurposed these materials, once destined for the trash, and turned them into a fun, STEM-focused learning activity. Students constructed platform cars with CD-wheels and tested them to learn about energy, gravity, simple machines, and more in an example of “found engineering.” This event was a collaboration between Hoover MS, San José nonprofit RAFT, and the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI). Read the full article.



Commemorating the Day of Remembrance and Norman Y. Mineta		Celebrating Excellence and Embracing Growth: 2023 in Review
February 2024		December 2023
In honor of the Day of Remembrance, we pause to remember our founder Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and the approximately 120,000 other Americans of Japanese ancestry living in the United States who were forcibly relocated and incarcerated. On this day in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led hundreds of thousands of Americans having to abandon their jobs and homes and be forced into concentration camps despite never being charged with a crime. Today we remember, reflect on, and learn from the past. Read the full article.		This is most definitely a year for celebrating excellence and embracing growth. As we anticipate the upcoming year, I'd like to reflect on the milestones we've reached this past year. Though our successes have been covered in detail in previous newsletters, press releases, and media coverage, I wish to emphasize a few particular instances that underscore the significant impact of our efforts to improve the mobility of people and goods. Read the full article.



Walking the Talk: National Walk & Roll to School Day and Transportation Safety		Empowering Communities: Protecting Young Cyclists on California's Roads
October 2023		May 2023
October 4th, 2023 is the 27th annual National Walk & Roll to School Day. This event began in 1997 as a one-day event aimed at building awareness for the need for walkable communities. It has since grown into an international movement benefiting everyone through less traffic congestion, safer streets, a cleaner environment, and improved personal health. By participating in events like Walk and Roll to School and taking inspiration from them, we can benefit from the transportation choices we make right now—and so can our kids. Choosing to get to school by walking, biking, or using a scooter or stroller contributes to a better world for our children, the environment, and our community. Read the full article.		San Jose and San Francisco are among the most bicycle-friendly cities in the country, and although cyclists in rural areas may not have the same infrastructure, interest in bike-riding—both as a hobby and as transportation—is high in rural communities as well. Let’s take a moment this National Bike Month to dig into the latest details about bikes in California and to highlight the importance of bike safety. Many efforts to educate about the importance of wearing a helmet, as well as efforts to distribute helmets to children, have been successful—as reflected in the lower child cyclist fatality data. One such program, delivered this spring by Walk and Bike Mendocino and sponsored by the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) using funds from CA Senate Bill 1, educated 4th and 5th grade students at Nokomis Elementary School in Ukiah, CA about the importance of wearing a helmet and other bike and pedestrian safety issues. Read the full article.


Six individuals featured in the project (clockwise from top left): Maria Cortez, Oscar James, Javier Rodriguez, Faye Wilson Kennedy, Ivory Chambeshi, and Rocina Lizarraga.
Building Equitable Communities: Righting the Wrongs of the Planning Past		A Year in Review
February 2023		December 2022
How far you need to travel to obtain fresh food, check out a library book, swim at the community pool, or stroll through a park depends on where you live. But where you live is often influenced by factors out of your control and, sometimes, by historical systemic discrimination. Transportation and city planners have, in the past and often inadvertently, been a part of systems that contribute to inequitable circumstances; today, they are rising up to take responsibility to right these wrongs in our communities. In one such effort, the California Planning Roundtable (CPR) collaborated with the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) to uplift six unique voices to identify how past planning practices have impacted communities of color in the words of those who have experienced the impacts. Read the full article.		I hope we helped make 2022 the best year yet through our continued efforts to empower our communities through transportation. By improving the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nation’s transportation system, we connect the world and increase mobility for all. Now, let’s look back at the most memorable moments of 2022 and see what we’ve achieved together. Read the full article.



Workforce Development: A Community and Family Affair		It’s the Little Things: How Seemingly Small Choices Affect Safety on the Road
September 2022		April 2022
Addressing the transportation industry’s critical workforce gap is an important issue for transit agencies, educators, local and state governments, and more—but sometimes it’s also a family affair. Read the full article.		With most Americans tucked into home offices and sheltered in living rooms during the height of the pandemic, stretches of highway and neighborhood roads were quiet. No bustle of cars, trucks, buses, or bikes. Empty. And yet, 38,680 people died in vehicle crashes in 2020—the highest traffic-related death count since 2007. Why did traffic fatalities spike with fewer drivers on the roads? Read the full article.



The Power of Privilege: How to Be a Champion for Women in Transportation		Professional Development’s Role in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
March 2022		February 2022
Women have been driving—literally and figuratively—the U.S. transportation industry since the beginning. In recent years, women like Sally Ride, Ph.D., the first U.S. woman in space, and Bessie Coleman, the first African American (male or female) to earn a pilot’s license, have been recognized for their significant accomplishments as industry professionals and trailblazers. Still, many others remain relatively unrecognized or even lost to history. Today, the transportation industry still struggles to attract and retain women. Men remain the majority and retain most of the authority, too. Thus, our industry cannot successfully advance diversity and equity without the support of male allies, mentors, and champions. Read the full article.		As we shift away from virtual meetings with neat, non-hierarchical squares, and return to in-person meetings at a table with c-suite designated spaces, we take a hard look at who has a seat at that table. What do they look like? Are they representative of their organization? What steps did they take to reach that chief officer position? How can we, the transportation industry as a whole, ensure that we are creating equitable opportunities to ensure those seated at the table reflect the communities our transit agencies serve and the people they employ? Read the full article.



Holiday Travel in the Era of Omicron		Stroll and Roll Back to School Safely: Reviving Commuter Awareness about Pedestrian Safety
December 2021		October 2021
With the holidays on the horizon, how will people be traveling—and how will their travel be affected by the transportation industry’s pandemic status? It is possible to travel safely for the holidays by making smart, informed choices. The nation has already taken enormous strides in overcoming the challenges of living while combating a pandemic—traveling safely and enjoying this holiday season will be one more. Read the full article.		The days are a little cloudier, the skies a little darker, and pedestrians wrapped in coats and obscured by the fall gloom may be a little harder to see. Rain and frost, too, can increase the risk of traffic dangers. And speeding and distracted driving can contribute to injury and even death. It’s National Pedestrian Safety Month, but how can we keep pedestrians safe? Read the full article.



Freight Rail: Keeping America Moving		Driving Women’s Suffrage Straight to the Polls
September 2021		August 2021
Rail keeps America moving. Even amid an unprecedented global health crisis, the nation’s goods continued to arrive at stores and on our doorsteps—demonstrating the notable resiliency of the rail industry during the trials of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new report by Northwestern University Transportation Center (NUTC) gives insight into how invaluable freight made its way across the nation in one of the most trying moments of our lifetimes. Read the full article.		The automobile driven by Alice Burke and Nell Richardson could not be ignored. Bright suffrage yellow and adorned with “Votes for Women” banners and flowers, the car carried the suffragist leaders across the nation in 1916. In their Golden Flyer, the pair drove from New York to San Francisco to garner support for suffragist delegates attending national political conventions. Because women were expected to remain in the home, cars became a symbol of the movement. Driving broke stereotypes and enabled freedom, mobility, and independence. Read the full article.



Fueling a Future Free of Fossil Fuels		Getting LGBTQ+ PRIDE Month Rolling with Capitol Leaders and Allies
July 2021		June 2021
With pandemic restrictions being lifted, kids released from academic obligations, and American flags proudly waving in the summer breeze, it is no wonder July is often associated with freedom. Among those nostalgic feelings of liberty, MTI is taking a moment to reflect on a different freedom that will benefit generations to come—the freedom from fossil fuels and the threat of climate change. Read the full article.		On June 1st, 2021, President Biden wrote in his proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride (LGBTQ+) month of the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in 1969. Commonly referred to as the Stonewall Riots, the movement was led by trans, gay, and queer women of color like Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson. This rebellion against violence enacted on the LGBTQ+ community grew into decades of LGBTQ+ advocacy and the Pride movement. Read the full article.



Denouncing Asian Hate while Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month		Women Marching to the Top of the Transportation Industry
May 2021		March 2021
Embracing diversity and acknowledging both positive and painful history brings us closer as Americans and world citizens. This Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, let us recognize and celebrate the contributions of individuals with Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. Read the full article.		From the desk of MTI's E.D. Dr. Karen Philbrick, we honor this Women's History Month by taking a hard look at the the obstacles keeping women out of the transportation industry. Read the full article.



Celebrating Black History Month and Inventor Garrett A. Morgan		Full Steam Ahead with MTI's Distance Learning Programs
February 2021		October 2020
In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, join us as we celebrate the inventor, entrepreneur, and hero Garrett A. Morgan by participating in the Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition! Read the full article.		From the desk of MTI's E.D. Dr. Karen Philbrick, "Full STEAM Ahead with MTI's Distance Learning Programs" offers a look at workforce development programs that not only get kids and teens interested in STEAM learning, but also addresses a critical infrastructure need in our nation. Read the full article.

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