2019 Mobility 21 Summit Registration Now Open!
Early bird registration is now open for the Mobility 21 Summit — California’s largest one-day transportation conference and expo on Friday, Sept. 27 at the Disneyland Hotel. “Beyond the Limits,” the theme of this year’s Summit, promises to bring together more than 1,200 transportation stakeholders, industry leaders and elected officials.
Registration includes access to top industry decision-makers and elected leaders, three general sessions, a choice of eight breakout sessions and a dynamic expo hall with more than 100 exhibitors. General registration includes breakfast buffet, seated luncheon and one Disneyland twilight ticket available for pick-up by attendee at 4:00 PM. Click here to book your hotel room!
Are you still thinking about sponsoring the Summit? It’s not too late! Help support Southern California’s transportation future while getting the best access, visibility and value for your marketing dollar. Click here to learn more or contact Kristin Slocum to sign up today.
SCAG Appoints Kome Ajise as New Executive Director
On April 4, SCAG’s Regional Council appointed Kome Ajise as Executive Director. Ajise has assumed the new role on an interim basis pending the formal approval of a contract. Kome Ajise has three decades of experience in regional planning and transportation, most recently as the Director of Planning at SCAG. Prior to SCAG, Ajise was the Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) where he was responsible for the internal operations of the Department, overseeing more than 18,000 employees and a budget in excess of $1.1 billion. Previously, he was Caltrans’ Deputy Director of Planning and Modal Programs and was responsible for overseeing the Aeronautics, Mass Transportation, Rail, Transportation Planning, Local Assistance, and Research Innovation and System Information Divisions. SCAG’s board and staff both thanked Darin Chidsey for his leadership and service to the agency and region while serving as Interim Executive Director.
Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
John Hakel
Executive Director
Southern California Partnership for Jobs
John Hakel is the Executive Director at Southern California Partnership For Jobs. A Partnership comprised of 2,750 constructions firms who employ more than 90,000 union workers in the 12 counties of Southern California. Their mission is to engage elected officials and educate the public on the need for continued infrastructure funding, creating thousands of career constructions jobs in our communities.
He is a member of the Southern California Associations of Governments; Inland Empire Economic Partnership; Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce; Orange County Business Council; Advisory Board Member of Mobility 21 and is currently serving on the Los Angeles Community College District Oversight Committee.
Since 2016, John has established personal working relationships with California Transportation Commission, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and Riverside County Transportation Commission. He was among the top leaders in the local passage of Measure M (LA County). Which created 485,000 jobs and decades of work for the construction industry. His involvement with the passage of SB1 Statewide transportation initiative created 5.2 Billion dollars of infrastructure improvements that will provide construction careers for our men and women throughout California for over the next 10 years.
Under John’s leadership, Southern California Partnership for Jobs has grown from a newly established organization to a name that elected officials and the top leaders in the infrastructure world have come to recognize and want to be involved with.
Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Dr. Allison Yoh
Director of Transportation Planning
Port of Long Beach
Dr. Allison Yoh is Director of the Transportation Planning Division in the Planning and Environmental Affairs Bureau at the Port of Long Beach. She began her Port career in June 2013 as a transportation policy specialist, was promoted to manager in February 2015, and named division director in March 2016.
As director, she leads the review and analysis of transportation-related policies; conducts regulatory and legislative analysis; provides expertise in developing regional, state and national transportation policy; oversees Port transportation planning studies; assists with managing Port-related traffic in support of Supply Chain Optimization efforts; seeks and administers grants and other funding, and represents the Port on transportation-related matters before various audiences at public meetings, including local, regional and statewide stakeholder groups.
Prior to joining the Port, Dr. Yoh was associate director for the Institute of Transportation Studies, and for the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she co-directed the two research centers focusing on transportation policy.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Yoh was an adjunct researcher at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica and served as a mayoral appointee to the board of directors of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). She has also served as an advisory member for the Los Angeles County Measure R Oversight Committee and on the Mayor’s Transportation Task Force on Congestion for the City of Los Angeles.
She holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Arts degrees in Urban Planning, both from the University of California, Los Angeles. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Yoh has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, authored professional reports and delivered presentations on subjects including the effects of wait time on public transit travelers, the adoption of smart technologies for transit fare policy innovations, and green planning for bicycles at the Port. She is a member of the Ports and Channels Committee of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science.
Long Beach Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal presented Dr. Yoh with a Steward of the 2ndDistrict award in 2015.
Frequently called on by the news media for her expert opinion, her quotes have been included in the Los Angeles Times, La Opinion, LA Weekly, CityBeat and others. Her televised interviews include appearances on Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) World News, The Today Show on NBC, NBC Nightly News and other local television media.
Mobility 21 Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
AECOM
“Mobility as a Service” in Your City’s Future?
In AECOM’s Future of Infrastructure 2019 research, 56 percent of U.S. respondents stated that using their cities’ public transportation is increasingly stressful. Shared Mobility as a Service (MaaS) offers one possible solution: leveraging the latest digital innovations, to provide a more accessible, affordable and sustainable integrated point-to-point service — comprising public and private transportation options — to users via a single mobile app and payment channel.
Here are three crucial steps for an effective MaaS blueprint.
- Be open, flexible and collaborative
To future proof plans, cities must take a more holistic approach to mobility planning, drawing on transportation, planning, data science, environment, public health and socio-economic experts, as well as users and private providers.
READ MORE
- Promote the most sustainable, efficient and accessible solutions
The revenue-sharing deals made with private providers will help determine a city’s pricing structure and payment system for MaaS, alongside policy priorities, and must aim to create a win-win situation for the city, its partners, and users.
- Use infrastructure smarter
Integrated transportation solutions must be able to interact with the infrastructure that supports them. And, in the future, the fixed purpose of many cities’ spaces will need to blur, with ‘flex zones’ designed to optimize the use of curbside space throughout the day.
Discover more at: http://infrastructure.aecom.com
Mobility 21 Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
Jacobs
What if… we told you that by 2035, Americans will spend an average of 160 hours a year stuck in traffic due to insufficient infrastructure? Not difficult to imagine in Southern California. But what if we showed you how Jacobs is digging tunnels, laying tracks, building roads and bridges, modernizing airports and seaports, and innovating with advanced technologies to improve connectivity, enhance mobility and reduce traffic jams. Because we believe the best place for “jam” is on a PB&J sandwich—not on our transportation systems.
Here in Southern California, Jacobs takes on our clients’ most complex transportation projects; while globally, we are solving infrastructure challenges in ways not thought of before. Our passion lies in helping our clients in every aspect of mobility—aviation, bridge, highway, port, transit, rail, tunnel, road, and active transportation—with expert planning, environmental, design, engineering, alternative delivery, and program/project/construction management services.
Jacobs has a diverse and inclusive workforce that brings different capabilities and perspectives to our projects and teams. The projects we help deliver establish the backbone of productive, economically strong communities as assets essential to commerce, trade, public safety, and quality of life. And, because we are also neighbors and community members, we thrive on the larger purpose behind what we build—linking communities, creating vibrant and sustainable places, advancing economic and social flexibility and equity, and developing the next generation of professionals that will drive infrastructure development into the future.
We are a proud partner of Mobility 21 and its member agencies and will continue to provide solutions for a more connected, sustainable world.
For more information, contact Judy.Johnson@Jacobs.com.
Crenshaw/LAX Line Construction Update
The above video is the first of three that Metro will roll out over the next few weeks highlighting key Metro projects that are under construction: the Crenshaw/LAX Line, the Regional Connector and the Purple Line Extension.
Metro is beginning with the Crenshaw/LAX Line because it’s the furthest along and 91 percent complete as of this writing. The 8.5-mile, $2.058-billion light rail line is scheduled to open next year with eight new stations serving the Crenshaw Corridor, Inglewood, Westchester and the LAX communities.
To make this video, Metro worked with Heritage Tree Films, which is based in the Crenshaw Corridor. Paris McCoy, a Heritage Tree co-owner and cinematographer, is a Crenshaw local and one of the relatively few African-American women working as a cinematographer. Heritage Tree also collaborated with Metro to produce a 360-degree video of the project, which will be released at a later date.
As for the Crenshaw/LAX Line, here are a few basics:
- The project broke ground in early 2014 and is funded heavily by Measure R, the 2008 sales tax measure approved by L.A. County voters. While work continues on the rail line, the new Southwestern Yard Maintenance Facility, a consolidated maintenance facility that will serve both the Crenshaw/LAX Line and the Metro Green Line, has been completed.
Metrolink Provides Free Rides on Earth Day
Metrolink urged Southern California commuters to leave their cars at home on Earth Day and pledge to take public transportation by providing free rides on Monday, April 22.
Earth Day is an international recognition observed in 193 countries to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
“Earth Day is the perfect time for people to sample Metrolink service for free,” said Metrolink Board Chair Brian Humphrey. “Metrolink riders travel an average of 36 miles each way and choose safe, clean and reliable rail service instead of driving. Every year, people who ride Metrolink reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by at least 120,000 metric tons.”
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) partnered with Metrolink in encouraging commuters to park their cars and use public transportation on Earth Day. The SCAQMD’s mission is to clean the air and protect the health of all residents in the region through practical and innovative strategies.
“Partnering with Metrolink is a clear win for public health and air quality,” said SCAQMD’s Executive Officer Wayne Nastri. “We have provided Metrolink$110 million to purchase some of the cleanest and efficient locomotives in the region. These new locomotives reduce nearly 13.75 tons of air pollution per year, an equivalent of removing 783 cars off the road annually. We encourage commuters to ride Metrolink on Earth Day and every day.”
Metrolink prepared for higher ridership on Earth Day by increasing customer service and call center support, adding ambassadors at high traffic stations and platforms, while providing increased social media support for rider engagement.
“Offering free rides on Earth Day was a great way to help savvy commuters sample Metrolink service and, once they tried it, we think a lot of them will stay with us,” said Metrolink CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
If just 1,000 people leave their cars at home and use public transit instead, the region receives the environmental benefits of planting a 12-acre forest, roughly the size of 10 football fields, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Orange County Transportation Authority, in part recently began construction on a project that will help alleviate traffic congestion on Interstate 5 through Santa Ana and Tustin by adding a carpool lane in each direction of the freeway between SR-55 and SR-57. Photo courtesy of OCTA.
I-5 Freeway Construction in Central O.C. Gets Going
The Orange County Transportation Authority and Caltrans have started construction on the I-5 Central County Improvements Project, which will add a second carpool lane in each direction on Interstate 5 between State Route 55 and State Route 57, improving traffic flow in a vital stretch of North Orange County.
The I-5 carpool ramps on Main Street in Santa Ana closed in early April in preparation for bridge demolition. The carpool ramps, which allow drivers to directly enter and exit the I-5 carpool lanes from Main Street, will be demolished to make room for the additional carpool lanes.
The I-5 Central County Improvements Project will help speed up commutes and alleviate bottlenecks on I-5 in Santa Ana, Orange and Tustin, an area traveled by 380,000 drivers every day. Traffic on that stretch of I-5 is expected to climb to more than 400,000 vehicles a day by 2035.
The project will remove the concrete barriers between the carpool and regular lanes and the carpool lanes will be striped for continuous access, allowing drivers to move freely between carpool and regular lanes.
Main Street will remain open during construction, though there will be intermittent lane closures. Upcoming activities include adjusting traffic signals, restriping lanes and installing temporary concrete barriers prior to closing the carpool ramp.
The $41.5 million project is funded with federal dollars and by Measure M, also known as OC Go, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements. Construction is expected to be completed in early 2021.
For more information about the project and to sign up for construction alerts, visit www.octa.net/i5central.
RCTC Continues to Seek Feedback for Improving Transportation
Tired of traffic? Who isn’t? RCTC is continuing to ask Riverside County residents for innovative ways to improve transportation and mobility through the #RebootMyCommute initiative.
Since the initiative launched on March 6, RCTC has received hundreds of comments and is seeking even more feedback about highways, streets, trains, buses, trails, and creative ways to reduce traffic congestion. Like you, RCTC is frustrated by traffic and is listening.
To provide feedback, visit RebootMyCommute.org, text “RCTC” to 55222, tag @TheRCTC and use #RebootMyCommute in social media posts, or call 800-450-3650. Comments, photos, and videos all are welcome. Please respond by June 6.
“The best solutions come from the ground up,” said Chuck Washington, RCTC chair and Riverside County supervisor. “We need to hear from the people whose lives depend on our transportation system every day so we can create a vision and act, together.”
6th Annual MAST Technology Expo at Port of Hueneme
Over 300 STEM students channeled through the buzzing innovation hub at the Port’s 6th Annual Maritime Advanced Systems & Technology Expo (MAST). The Expo introduced our inquisitive and pioneering young minds to the exciting world of technology and innovation. MAST, where technology meets the end user and, where the consumer meets the innovators, serves as a 365-day platform to incubate new technological solutions. Every spring, the Port hosts an Expo to celebrate achievements and launch new strategies.
To kick off the event, Oxnard Harbor District President Jess Herrera highlighted the important nexus of MAST to the large wave of students, community partners and industry stakeholders remarking, “New technologies will move our maritime industry forward. The Port of Hueneme’s MAST program hopes to play an important role in innovation both for experienced engineers and the young masterminds of the future.”
New SCAG Study Identifies “Go Zones”
as Potential Congestion Solution
In late March, SCAG released “Mobility Go Zone and Pricing Feasibility Study,” which takes a close look at how cordon pricing and a “Go Zone” program could be deployed to better manage traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions in Southern California. SCAG selected the Westside Los Angeles area for analysis as an initial proof-of-concept pilot location. This report, put together in collaboration with lead consultant AECOM, shows that a decongestion fee can have sizable impact in transportation mode choices and overall travel times by incentivizing motorists to travel at different times throughout the day. The report and its findings have also received substantial media coverage, including pieces in the L.A. Times, the Washington Post, L.A. Daily News along with the rest of the Southern California News Group papers, NBC4, New York Daily News, KPCC, Streetsblog LA, Curbed LA and Governing, among many others. The full report is available for download on SCAG’s website.