Mobility 21 Summit Agenda Announced

The 2018 Mobility 21 Summit agenda is now available to view online! Click here to plan your day on Friday, Oct. 19 at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live:

  • Choose from eight engaging breakout sessions
  • Attend our not-to-be-missed general sessions
  • Network with more than 100 exhibitors in our expo hall
  • Reboot your mind (and cell phone!) in our Charge & Recharge Station with phone charging stations, seated massages and snacks to energize you throughout the day

AGENDA

  • 7:30-8:45 a.m.: Registration Opens, Breakfast Served
  • 8:45-10:15 a.m.: Opening General Session
  • 10:15-10:45 a.m.: Morning Networking Break in Expo
  • 10:45-11:45 a.m.: Morning Breakout Sessions
    • AM 1: Chairmans’ Roundtable: California Transportation Center of Excellence
    • AM 2: Reality of an Autonomous Transportation World
    • AM 3: Microtransit is Changing the Future
    • AM 4: Aviation Innovation and the Passenger Experience
  • 12-1:15 p.m.: Luncheon General Session
  • 1:15-1:30 p.m.: 15 Minute Break
  • 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Afternoon Breakout Sessions
    • PM 1: What’s the Big Deal with Big Data?
    • PM 2: Get Out the Whiteboard: Legislative Fix List
    • PM 3: Transportation 2050: The Future is Here
    • PM 4: Positions Available: 50,000 Transportation Jobs Open Now!
  • 2:30-3 p.m.: Afternoon Networking Break in Expo
  • 3-4 p.m.: Closing General Session
  • 4-5:30 p.m.: Exclusive for 2018! Closing Reception with Mobility 21 Board of Directors, hosted by Titanium Sponsor Moffatt & Nichol


Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Christopher Thompson
Vice President, Local Public Affairs, Southern California Edison

Christopher Thompson, vice president of Local Public Affairs for Southern California Edison (SCE), is responsible for community and government relations at the municipal and county levels.

Previously, Christopher served as Senior Vice President at Edison Water Resources, a subsidiary of Edison Energy Group. He was part of the senior management team responsible for the overall strategy and operations of the firm, with a particular focus on policy and business development at the company.

Prior to his role at Edison Water Resources, Christopher was Vice President, Strategic Planning for Edison International, the parent company of Edison Energy Group as well as SCE. He also served as Vice President, Decommissioning, at SCE. In that role, he was responsible for developing and implementing an integrated strategy for all technical, external, financial, regulatory and legal tasks related to the decommissioning process for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Thompson joined Edison International in 2013 as Vice President for the Chairman’s Office, working with the company’s strategic planning team on new business development.

Before joining the company, Christopher served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in Washington, D.C. In addition to acting as the principal advisor to Senator Feinstein, he oversaw all elements of office operations, including the legislative agenda, communications and political strategy.

Prior to becoming Chief of Staff, Christopher worked in several roles during his 10 years on the staff of Senator Feinstein, including Legislative Director and Legislative Assistant. He developed significant expertise in water, energy and environmental policy while working on the Senator’s staff.

Before working on Senator Feinstein’s staff, Christopher served as Executive Director of a nonprofit agency developing and implementing programs to improve U.S.- United Nations relations and humanitarian efforts related to landmine removal. He also worked on the Capitol Hill staff of U.S. Representative Julian Dixon and at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of PBS SoCal, the Boards of the California Science Center, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Mobility 21 and Coalition for Clean Air.

Christopher majored in Political Science at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
Iteris

Iteris: A Leader in Transportation Informatics

Iteris’ roots are in transportation management. We are the market leader in transportation informatics with products and services that improve the safety and efficiency of multimodal mobility. Our leadership is based on the depth and breadth of talent integrating multiple disciplines: computer science, data science, engineering, meteorology, and various physical sciences.

The robustness of the informatics we generate starts with the inputs we use to collect data. We are a leading provider of sensors to monitor and manage traffic flow and our services process terabytes of sensor data collected by public and private sources to enable better decision making. As connected/autonomous vehicles grow, our large network of sensors in more than 150,000 intersection approaches, provide a platform for integration between connected/autonomous vehicles and the Internet. Our robust set of software analytics, and the interoperability of our software with third-party products, allows us to generate applied informatics that help engineers and technologists develop solutions that optimize traffic routes, reduce accidents/incidents, reduce congestion, reduce carbon emissions, monitor commercial vehicle compliance and optimize winter road maintenance.

Iteris software provides easy-to-read diagnostics for measurement and management of transportation networks, while providing actionable information to safely optimize network mobility. Iteris software includes platforms to monitor performance of arterials, freeways and intersections with visualization data that can predict mobility and in turn be used to improve mobility.

Riverside County Transportation Commission’s design-build I-15 Express Lanes in Corona, Calif.

Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
Skanska

As Skanska reflects on our role as construction partner for many of Southern California’s most complex transportation and transit projects over the last several decades, we feel proud and deeply humbled. Working hand in hand with Mobility 21 members, the innovative solutions created in concert with regional stakeholders have and will continue to allow safe and efficient travel in our growing region.

Part of Skanska’s role is developing diverse teams through our workforce development efforts to mirror the growth and community in Southern California. Riverside County Transportation Commission’s design-build I-15 Express Lanes project boasts our rising star Kimberly Ward as one of its project engineers, focused on improving mobility along the corridor, reducing congestion, and providing safe public passage during construction efforts. Additionally, Project Manager Jill Steiner lends her wealth of expertise to leading the complex Westside Subway Extension for LA Metro.

The culture of inclusiveness is a prized part of Skanska’s culture. The opportunity to build what matters belongs to everyone. As these and other transportation construction and transit projects come to fruition, providing predictable commute times and more travel options, having a diverse team that reflects our community only strengthens the results.

Skanska and Mobility 21 proudly share this philosophy, along with our commitment to promoting a diverse and qualified workforce for future generations.

WSP worked on behalf of Metro with Regional Connector Constructors to complete both tunnels for the Los Angeles Regional Connector project.

Summit Platinum Sponsor Spotlight:
WSP USA

At WSP USA, formerly WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, we pride ourselves in helping Southern Californians traverse the region by car, bus, train and bicycle. We have planned, designed and managed the construction of some of the most iconic buildings, bridges, highways, tunnels, and transit and rail systems across the U.S. With nearly 43,000 people globally and 100 offices across the U.S., eight in California, we are locally dedicated with international scale, and can connect our client partners with technical experts in every aspect of the built environment.

We offer cross-disciplinary services across multiple markets including: advisory; buildings; water and environment; energy; and transportation. Some of our most notable projects include major expansions of the Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco transit systems, construction of iconic buildings such as One World Trade Center in New York City, and modernization of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

For more than 30 years we have served local communities in Southern California as engineers, planners, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. Our expertise has been applied to several major transit, aviation and roadway projects, such as the Metro Purple Line Extension subway, Metro Regional Connector, Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project, California High Speed Rail, Expo Line Phase 2, the LAX Landside Access Modernization Program, and the SBCTA I-15 Corridor Project.

Learn more about what we do at www.wsp.com or contact our Southern California area managers: Lisa Maurath (Los Angeles), Vic Martinez (Orange/Inland Empire), or Rex Plummer (San Diego).

Click here to watch a video of the work being done on Metro’s future Wilshire/Fairfax Station.

What’s Happening Under Wilshire and
Fairfax on the Purple Line Extension

Check out this video of excavation work in the future Wilshire/Fairfax Station on the first section of the Purple Line Extension that runs for 3.9 miles between Wilshire/Western and the future Wilshire/La Cienega Station. The video helps show the enormity of the station and the work involved on the project.

Excavation of Wilshire/La Brea Station has been completed. Wilshire/Fairfax excavation is about 85 percent complete and Wilshire/La Cienega is about 20 percent complete. Vehicle traffic on Wilshire Boulevard continues on decking above each of the station sites.

One of Metro’s priority projects, the Purple Line Extension is a critically important rail project that will provide a high-capacity, high-speed and, dependable alternative for commuters to travel between downtown Los Angeles, the Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills and Westwood, where stations will be near UCLA and the VA Hospital.

From the current terminus at Wilshire/Western, the Purple Line Extension will extend westward for about nine miles and add seven new stations providing easy access to the Westside, our region’s second-largest job center. Travel time between downtown Los Angeles and Westwood is expected to be about 25 minutes.

The project is being built in three sections. The first section between Wilshire/Western and Wilshire/La Cienega is now under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2023.

Section 2 of the Purple Line Extension Project will extend the subway to downtown Beverly Hills and Century City. Section 2 is currently in pre-construction and will begin construction later this year. Sections 1 and 2 are funded primarily by Measure R — the sales tax Los Angeles County voters approved in 2008 — and with a pair of federal grants.

Section 3 will then extend the project to two stations in Westwood. The passage of the Measure M sales tax ballot measure by county voters in 2016 will allow this section to be accelerated. Pre-construction activities on this section will begin in Spring 2018. Metro is currently working to secure the federal funds for Section 3.

SCAG Re-Launches Go Human
Campaign to Promote Traffic Safety

Through its Go Human campaign, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has secured and invested millions of dollars from multiple sources in active transportation safety and encouragement activities since 2015. Now in its third year, the campaign continues to take a multi-faceted approach to improving traffic safety through its advertising campaign and temporary demonstration projects. SCAG re-launched its successful Go Human advertising campaign this month, encouraging drivers to slow down and look for people walking and biking. The campaign re-launched in advance of Back to School season and hopes to counter a troubling increase in collisions involving people walking. SCAG worked with County Transportation Commissions and Public Health Departments to secure advertising space on billboards, bus shelters, radio stations and digital platforms. The campaign aims to achieve more than 250 million impressions this year throughout the six-county SCAG region (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura).

Go Human also encourages people to walk and bike by hosting open streets events and temporary safety demonstration projects. These events and projects showcase re-designed streets with safety in mind, featuring improvements like protected bike lanes and enhanced crosswalks. This allows the local community to experience how their streets would feel with the planned improvements, and to provide feedback on project features. Many previous host cities have moved forward in implementing these redesigned streets as a result. More events are planned throughout Southern California, with several more planned this year. Check to see if an event is planned near you on the Go Human Events web page.

FSP drivers provide free roadside help to stranded motorists throughout western Riverside County. During its 25 years of operations, FSP drivers have performed about 852,000 assists!

Freeway Service Patrol: 25 Years of
Helping Riverside County Motorists

Flat tires, dead batteries, empty gas tanks, overheated engines, vehicle tows – these situations are all in a day’s work for the Freeway Service Patrol drivers who roam busy highways in Riverside County. June 28 marked the 25th anniversary of FSP operations, which now cover 101 miles across the western portion of the county, including Interstates 15 and 215 and State Routes 60 and 91, and the 91 Express Lanes.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), which administers the program in partnership with the California Highway Patrol, estimates that drivers have performed more than 852,000 “assists” during the past 25 years. Three contracted towing companies – Pepe’s Towing, Airport Mobil Towing and Steve’s Towing – provide 35 drivers who operate 21 roving tow trucks along 10 “beats” or service areas in Riverside County.

Service started on June 28, 1993 with eight trucks on State Routes 60 and 91. During the early years, drivers performed about 16,000 assists per year. With the growth of the program over the years, assists now number approximately 40,000 each year.

The roadside assistance is designed to clear stranded motorists quickly from the county’s most heavily traveled roadways to enhance safety and mobility. The service is provided free of charge; FSP drivers also are not allowed to accept tips from motorists.

After each “assist,” motorists are asked to complete a satisfaction survey. In nearly all cases, motorists heap praise on the FSP drivers, frequently likening them to angels and superheroes.

Program funding is provided by Caltrans, with additional funding provided by RCTC and the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee for special weekend service. The CHP provides program oversight.

This fall, RCTC plans to expand service in southwestern Riverside County, using new funding from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, more commonly known as the “gas tax.” $1.6 million in gas tax funding will allow FSP coverage to extend 12.4 miles on Interstate 215 in Perris, Menifee, Wildomar and Murrieta, from Ethanac Road to Murrieta Hot Springs Road; and 27 miles on Interstate 15 from Indian Truck Trail to Temecula Parkway/79-South in Wildomar, Murrieta and Temecula.

For more information about the program, including a service area map and hours of operation, visit www.rctc.org/fsp.

OC Fair Express Helps Take Cars Off the Road

Every year from mid-July to mid-August, thousands of people from Orange County and beyond flock to the fun of the rides, games and concerts of the OC Fair.

One significant drawback for some is the thought of battling traffic congestion on the roads and freeways around the fair and having to idle their cars in long lines to find parking, often a bit of a trek from the fair’s entrance.

But for the past eight years, the Orange County Transportation Authority has been helping provide a solution with the OC Fair Express.

The special bus service runs each Saturday and Sunday during the entire run of the fair – from July 14 to Aug. 12 this year – offering non-stop service that drops off riders just steps from the entrance to the fair.

The express bus service runs from nine locations to the OC Fair from approximately 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays.

Four of the pickup locations connect directly from Metrolink passenger rail stations. Riders can use their valid Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passes from connecting trains to ride the OC Fair Express for free.

As an added incentive, riders of the OC Fair Express receive substantial discounts to the enter the fair.

Regular bus fare is $4 round-trip and riders receive a coupon for $4 admission to the OC Fair – a savings of up to $10 off the regular ticket price.

Riders ages 60 and over and those with disabilities ride for just 75 cents each way, and children 5 years and younger ride for free when accompanied by a paying adult. Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner transfers also receive the $4 fair admission coupon.

Those who ride the OC Fair Express increasingly use the OC Bus app on their mobile devices to easily buy electronic tickets in advance and to check bus routes and schedules.

Locations where riders can catch the OC Fair Express include rail stations, transportation centers and park-and-ride locations across Orange County:

  • Anaheim: Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, 2626 E. Katella Ave.
  • Anaheim Canyon: Anaheim Canyon Metrolink Station, 1039 N. Pacificenter Drive
  • Fullerton: Fullerton Park-and-Ride, 3000 W. Orangethorpe Ave.
  • Huntington Beach: Goldenwest Transportation Center, 7301 Center Ave.
  • Irvine: Irvine Metrolink Station, 15215 Barranca Parkway
  • Laguna Hills: Laguna Hills Transportation Center, 24282 Calle de los Caballeros
  • Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Metrolink Station: 28200 Forbes Road, Laguna Niguel
  • Orange: The Village at Orange, 1500 E. Village Way
  • Santa Ana: The Depot at Santa Ana, 1000 E. Santa Ana Blvd.

The special OCTA bus service had more than 87,000 total boardings during the five-week fair season last year.

The OC Fair Express bus service has been transporting passengers directly to the OC Fair every year since 2011. It is funded, in part, by a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee. The committee provides subsidies for cleaner transportation alternatives.

For more information: www.ocfairexpress.com.

Eco-friendly construction supplies arrive via train for Port of Hueneme’s Harbor Deepening Project.

The Port of Hueneme Welcomes Construction
Supplies for the Harbor Deepening Project

The Port of Hueneme welcomed two rails cars worth of new eco-friendly pilings for their new harbor deepening project set to begin late this summer. The new pilings come to the Port onboard the its own rail, and entered on the South Spur at the Sunkist Lot.

As the pilings are impervious to marine creatures and salt water, they are not treated with chemicals as traditional pilings would be, and therefore do not harm any of the marine life in the harbor. This is an added protection measure the Port made sure to invest in when procuring the new construction materials.

“These new eco-friendly pilings will help support and reinforce the Port’s South Terminal as the Harbor is dredged from 35 feet to 40 feet deep over the next several months,” said Oxnard Harbor District President, Mary Anne Rooney. “The deepening project will allow our existing customers to load their ships with more cargo, thus increasing efficiency and reducing air emissions all while creating more family sustaining jobs for our local community; 563 jobs to be specific.”

The Port’s deepening project will also allow for larger ships to enter the harbor which need the extra five feet of depth. Overall, the Port estimates this project will result in $28 million in increased business revenue, $5.8 million in additional local purchases, and $4.6 million in state and local tax revenues that will go to providing vital safety and community services to our cities. The sand from the harbor deepening has been tested and approved by the California Coastal Commission to be used as near-shore replenishment for Hueneme Beach.

The Port is expecting another shipment of pilings on the rail’s South Spur within the next 4-5 weeks. Bedford Technology, located in Worthington, MN, manufactured the environmentally friendly pilings. “Bedford Technology is honored to partner with the Port of Hueneme on this project that helps the environment and local economy,” said Jesse W. Hooge, Director of Sales Training & Multi-X Sales at Bedford Technology. “Our products, manufactured in the United States, are engineered from recycled plastic into a sustainable building material that is built for generations to come. This project alone will divert over 1.5 million pounds of HDPE plastic out of the landfill and help support the Port of Hueneme’s environmental and sustainability initiatives.”

Kristin Decas, Port CEO remarked, “These pilings will support the Port’s foundation serving as the pillars that enable our business community to move products around the world, creating jobs and economic growth.” Decas added, “Environmental stewardship and sustainable growth are knitted into the very fabric of how the Port does business. With the beach replenishment component, the project serves as a significant environmental win for our local community.” The use of rail to transport these materials is also saving the road from multiple truck trips thereby reducing emissions and preventing street congestion.

TRANSPORTATION EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY

Thursday, August 2
WTS-SD: 2018 Annual Bowling Scholarship Fundraiser
More Info | Register

Friday, August 17
WTS-SD: 2018 Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce: 2018 Transportation Report
More Info | Register

Tuesday, August 21
OCBC: Retail Study Roll-Out
More Info | Register

Thursday, August 23
WTS-IE: Luncheon Featuring Caltrans District 8 Director John Bulinski
More Info | Register

Tuesday, Sept. 11
CSUSB’s Leonard Transportation Center: Regional Mobility Dialogue Series
More Info | Register

Tuesday, Sept. 18
OCBC: Executive Golf Tournament
More Info | Register

Tuesday, Sept. 18
WTS-IE: Annual Casino Night
More Info | Register

Wednesday, Sept. 19
WTS-OC: Luncheon Featuring RCTC Executive Director Anne Mayer
More Info | Register

Thursday, Sept. 20
WTS-SD: 2018 Annual Awards Dinner
More Info

Thursday, Oct. 4
METRANS: 20th Anniversary Reception, Celebration Dinner and Program
More Info

Friday, Oct. 19
Mobility 21: 2018 Summit
JW Marriott at L.A. Live
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Oct. 21-24
Rail~Volution Conference
Pittsburgh, PA
More info | Register

Oct. 24-26
CTA: Fall Legislative Conference
More Info | Register

Oct. 28-30
Self-Help Counties Coalition: 2018 Focus on the Future Conference
Renaissance Indian Wells
More Info | Register

Tuesday, Nov. 13
CSUSB’s Leonard Transportation Center: Regional Mobility Dialogue Series
More info | Register

Wednesday, Nov. 28
OCBC: Turning Red Tape Into Red Carpet Awards Reception
More info