Accelerate Fall 2018

FALL 2018

A publication of the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials

IN THIS ISSUE

47th National Conference Recap COMTO and AMAC Join Forces A Conversation with Our National Chair Jasmine Narcisse is a Rising Star CBCF/COMTO CEO BrainTrust Walter Allen on “The Future of Transportation”

SPRING 2018 | ACCELERATE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMTO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

National Chair

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essages from the Board Chairman M and the President & CEO

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2018 Conference Recap

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COMTO & AMAC Join Forces

Freddie C. Fuller II 1st Vice Chair Tanya Adams 2nd Vice Chair Sharmyn Elliott Secretary/Treasurer

8 A Conversation with Freddie C. Fuller II

Loretta Kirk At-Large Members Mark Gale Carmen Garcia

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Meet the New Board

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Rising Star Jasmine Narcisse

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CBCF/COMTO CEO BrainTrust

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A View From the Hill

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The Future of Transporation

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Membership Focus

Gwendolen Gray Adelee LeGrand Carla Williams Council of Presidents Representatives India Birdsong Ruben Landa Council of Presidents Alternate Beverley Greene Immediate Past Chair Warren Montague Board Advisor Christian Kent

ACCELERATE

is a publication of the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) COMTO MISSION STATEMENT COMTO provides opportunities in the transportation industry for minority participation and advancement, through advocacy, training, and professional development.

100 M Street, SE Suite 917 Washington, DC 20003 202.506.2917 info@comto.org | www.comto.org Articles may not be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission.

Publisher: A. Bradley Mims Editor: McMillon Communications Design: Gloria Marconi Illustration & Design ©2018 All Rights Reserved

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COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

New poll shows Americans are starting to turn to ride hailing apps as their go-to mode of transportation. https://mashable.com/2017/05/25/cars-replaced-by-ride-hailing-poll/#mcZX.EXIJOqV

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

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DEAR COMTO FAMILY:

our chapters and committees. Attracting energetic young rising stars will guarantee continued success for our mission in the years ahead.

As COMTO continues to serve as a resource and advocate for our industry, members, and communities, I would like to see that the organization gets the national, regional and local recognition and visibility that it deserves. We must actively market our significant activities and achievements both within and outside of the transportation industry in order to build membership and new partnerships.

I am excited about what we will accomplish in the next two years as we work together toward shared goals. Please feel free to contact me or members of the COMTO national team to share your successes and/ or to provide any ideas or suggestions for improvements within the organization.

All the best,

Freddie C. Fuller II

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Attracting energetic young rising stars will guarantee continued success for our mission in the years ahead.

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am honored to begin my service as National Chair of the Board of this vital organization. For 47 years COMTO has worked to ensure opportunities and maximum participation in the transportation industry for minority individuals, businesses, and communities of color. It is inspiring to consider our past accomplishments and the planning and implementation that it took to achieve them.

I congratulate our past National Chair, Warren Montague, and our distinguished board members for their steady leadership and forward thinking.

However, as we all know, we must look to the future and prepare for an ever-changing business and technological environment to assure that we stay relevant and ready.

I believe that our chapters are the lifeblood of the organization. I am enthusiastic about working with our Council of Presidents to support, enhance and revitalize our chapters’ common attributes which include strong leadership and shared vision.

I’m also eager to encourage and hone the skills of new leaders emerging within

Freddie C. Fuller II, National Chair

FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO DEAR COMTO MEMBERS AND FRIENDS:

organization and his ability to provide energetic leadership. He has a keen understanding of the new technologies that are altering the transportation industry and the workforce changes that are coming with them. In his new role, we can expect to see transformational vision.

In this issue of Accelerate, you can learn more about Freddie, his background and his priorities for the organization, in a profile on pages 8 and 9. You may also meet all of our board members and click on links to their bios on page 10.

Yours in Solidarity,

A. Bradley Mims, President & CEO

A. Bradley Mims

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Freddie has a keen understanding of the new technologies that are altering the transportation industries...

“

I

am pleased and proud to begin a fresh chapter in our organization’s ongoing history of achievement. Recently we introduced our newly elected 2018 – 2020 Board of Directors.

With Freddie C. Fuller II as our National Chair, leading a roster of new and continuing board members, I’m confident we will make great strides.

I know our members will join me in thanking them for their willingness to donate their time to serve in these volunteer positions. I anticipate that their skills, experience and insights will be assets as COMTO approaches our 50th anniversaryin 2021.

Over many years of membership and service to COMTO, Freddie has demonstrated his commitment to the

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2018 CONFERENCE RECAP

47th Annual Conference Recap

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OMTO’s 47th Annual National Meeting and Training Conference, attended by more than 800 participants, was held recently in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Conference is the nation’s premier gathering of professionals in the transportation industry. COMTO’s annual conference brings together industry leaders across all modes of transportation for 4 days of learning, training, and networking.

Combining education, inspiration, networking and entertainment, the event is open to transportation professionals at all career levels, government employees, manufacturers and suppliers, and all interested participants.

India Birdsong, Brad Mims, and Helen McSwain enjoy a beautiful Baltimore Sunset

SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON:

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In this room there are students who have a dream.

I had a dream even though in my day it was rare to see people in the law profession that looked like me and were my gender.

But, my father told me that ‘if you don’t run the race, you’ve already lost.’

The National Meeting and Training Conference provided a lot of time to network and reconnect!

COMTO Friends and Family enjoying the Crab Feast

We are pleased to welcome so many current and former CITY Interns to this year’s conference

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— HON. WANDA K. HEARD CHIEF JUDGE OF THE 8TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

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COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

2018 CONFERENCE RECAP

2018 National Conference Ribbon Cutting

Students exploring at this year’s Youth Symposium

SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON:

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Conference Chair Meshelle Howard and co-chairs Carl Sajous and David Coyne

—B ALTIMORE MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH

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President & CEO Brad Mims addresses a session at the National Conference

The people in this room have a responsibility to make sure that economic and professional opportunities across the country are more diverse and inclusive. We have the capacity and the capability to get the jobs done.

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2018 CONFERENCE RECAP Golf outing participants enjoying the fruits of their labors!

The Industry Awards Banquet was very exciting!

Tanya Adams, Helen Dale and Linda Jordan

SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON:

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If you show me a community that is depressed and where the people are unhappy, I’ll show you a community that doesn’t have the transportation they need.

Linda Jacobs Washington, JaLissa D. Coffee, and Carla Williams pose for a picture at the Industry Awards Banquet A few members pose with our President & CEO

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— THE HONORABLE ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS U.S. CONGRESSMAN

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COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings addresses the Annual Conference

COMTO & AMAC JOINING FORCES

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he Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) and the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) are proud to announce a strategic alliance which will strengthen their shared missions.

The organizations will work in tandem to enhance business opportunities, professional development and career advancement of minorities and women in the transportation industry.

“COMTO is excited about our partnership with AMAC and what it means to strategically align ourselves with another mission driven organization.

Because building and strengthening a diverse workforce pipeline is so critical, AMAC and COMTO will work together for greater equity and the adoption of best practices by governments and the private sector with respect to the recruitment, hiring, promotion and retention of minorities and women in the aviation and multi-modal transportation industries,” said A. Bradley Mims, COMTO President & CEO. “We know this partnership will not only provide access to a strong workforce, but the ancillary result will increase the number of minority and women-owned

enterprises that are service suppliers and providers. We look forward to continuing to be at the forefront for policy initiatives impacting our industries,” said Krystal J. Brumfield, AMAC President & CEO. COMTO and AMAC will participate in conducting workshops, seminars and research that will benefit both organizations. As part of the collaborative agreement, COMTO and AMAC will cooperatively pursue activities to achieve the following objectives: l Increase member access to information in our respective fields and to facilitate and expand the dissemination of that information to members of both organizations; l Provide leadership in the development

of industry and government recognition of the capabilities and contributions of minorities and women and minority and women-owned enterprises in the airport and surface transportation industries;

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AMAC and COMTO will work together for greater equity and the adoption of best practices by governments and the private sector...

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A. Bradley Mims, Krystal J. Brumfield and Warren Montague.

COMTO & AMAC Join Forces to Enhance Diversity in the Transportation Industry

— A. BRADLEY MIMS PRESIDENT & CEO COMTO

l Jointly collaborate on policy issues and

projects of common interest; and l Leverage the respective collective

capabilities of each organization to the benefit of AMAC and COMTO members.

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COMTO NATIONAL CHAIR

A Conversation with COMTO National Chair Freddie C. Fuller II

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or COMTO’s new National Chair Freddie C. Fuller II, fascination with the issues and challenges of urban development and transportation were sparked by college road trips from Durham Business College near his home town of Somerset, NC to visit Washington, DC. “Coming from a small town, the DC traffic was eye-opening,” he said with a smile.

Currently Vice President at global engineering, construction and transportation powerhouse Jacobs, Fuller leads new business development for transit and rail pursuits in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast with a focus on electronic payment systems.

But, he looks back on the impact of that youthful transportation impression which formed the base of his 21-year career in the industry.

With purposeful intensity, Fuller began by focusing his education and his early training on city development and civil engineering with a special interest in transit.

Fuller earned an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, two Masters Degrees from Georgia Tech in City Planning and Civil

COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

Engineering and completed coursework towards a doctorate degree at Virginia Tech in Planning and Governance.

His concentration on the transportation industry was continuously stoked by colleagues and mentors including his classmate, Keith Parker (who led transit systems in Charlotte, NC; San Antonio, TX, and Atlanta, GA), American Public Transportation Association (APTA) leader Rick Simonetta (who has been CEO of five major U.S. transit systems) and COMTO trailblazer Shirley DeLibero (who served as chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas).

A highlight at the beginning of his career in 1996 was a job in transport with the Atlanta Olympic Committee. “I started by organizing transportation for dignitaries from Hartsfield Airport to the Downtown Marriott and ended up running the motor pool for the Olympic Village,” he recalls.

“It was an exciting time for all of us in Atlanta and an exhilarating experience!”

From there he began working for a public sector transit management company where he learned the nuts and bolts of transportation operations. “I was

COMTO NATIONAL CHAIR

1. Transportation Technology - Work to get transportation technology firms

actively involved with COMTO. “The ultimate goal is for COMTO to keep pace with evolving technology as well as to gain new members like Lyft, Uber and Passport,” he said.

Freddie C. Fuller II with Warren Montague.

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2. Succession Planning - Ensure that we have plans in place to groom new leadership within COMTO. “The goal is to attract and persuade energetic young members to become engaged in leadership roles.”

I have always considered myself particularly fortunate to have been a member of COMTO throughout my career.

3. Real Diversity - Grow the diversity of both membership and transportation modes. “The goal is to increase the percentage of other minorities involved in COMTO. Also, continue efforts to achieve modal diversity beyond transit.”

“

responsible for all the basics, he recalls. “I got my commercial driver’s license, I learned the “10 codes” communication systems, I trained and monitored drivers, I participated in union negotiations, I even had to drive the routes myself in a pinch.”

That experience proved to be extremely valuable as his career began to take an upward trajectory in both public and then private sector companies. During that time he became an expert in transit and electronic fare collection. In 2015, his COMTO contacts brought him to the attention of Tom Donahue, Director of the Americas transit and rail for global engineering company CH2M. CH2M is now a part of Jacobs.

“I have always considered myself particularly fortunate to have been a member of COMTO throughout my career,” said Fuller. “It’s not only for the rich experiences I’ve had and the contacts that I have made, but also for the opportunity to serve my community and my industry in a positive way.”

That service has been significant.

Since 1997, he has been involved in COMTO’s program planning committee; developed and managed COMTO’s initial CITY Internship Program in 2004; facilitated COMTO offering continuing education credits at the National Meeting & Training Conference and was chair of the strategic planning committee. In 2012, he began serving on the COMTO board of directors and soon achieved the position as First Vice Chair. As a member of the board, Fuller worked on the finance, fundraising, strategic planning committees and the legislative advisory council. He also engaged industry partners to advance the mission and position of COMTO. Now, as COMTO’s National Chair, Fuller is setting an ambitious agenda for his tenure. “These are my four key goals,” he said:

4. More Visible and Collaborative Organization - Engage with new organizations to spread the COMTO brand and establish relationships that are beneficial to our members; enhance existing relationships like TRB, APTA and Rail~Volution. “The goal is to network and partner with ancillary organizations and establish the COMTO brand in places where we are not currently visible or top-of-mind.”

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MEET YOUR BOARD MEMBERS

2018-2020 Board of Directors

NATIONAL CHAIR

Freddie C. Fuller II Vice President Jacobs Washington, DC

MEMBER AT LARGE

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I know our members will join me in thanking the Board for their willingness to donate their time to serve in these volunteer positions.

Mark Gale

Director Broward County Aviation Department Hollywood, FL

MEMBER AT LARGE

FIRST VICE CHAIR

Tanya Adams

Vice President Community Relations & Diversity Central US WSP USA Chicago, IL

MEMBER AT LARGE

SECOND VICE CHAIR

Sharmyn Elliott

CEO Somat Engineering of Ohio, Inc. Detroit, MI

MEMBER AT LARGE

SECRETARY/TREASURER

Loretta Kirk

Deputy General Manager Finance & Administration (Retired), Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Cleveland, OH MEMBER AT LARGE

Carmen Garcia

Gwendolen Gray

Adelee LeGrand, AICP

COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS REPRESENTATIVE

COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS REPRESENTATIVE

COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS ALTERNATE

India Birdsong

Ruben Landa

Assistant Vice President Office of Diversity DART Dallas, TX

Principal and CEO G2B Consulting Los Angeles, CA

Vice President of Transit Planning and Chief Strategy Officer Transdev North America New Orleans, LA

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—A. BRADLEY MIMS PRESIDENT & CEO

Carla Williams

Manager of Community Relations HART Tampa, FL IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

Warren Montague Click on a member’s photo to read their bio on COMTO’s website.

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Transportation Management and Compliance Consultant Philadelphia, PA

COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

WeGo Public Transit/ RTA of Middle Tennessee Nashville, TN

Advisory Board

Senior Communications Manager WSP USA Dallas, TX ACCESSIBILITY ADVISOR

Christian T. Kent Principal Christian T. Kent Transit Management Consulting Virginia Beach, VA

Beverly Greene

Executive Director, External Affairs Marketing & Communications AC Transit, Oakland, CA

COMTO RISING STAR

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Meet Jasmine Narcisse, A COMTO Rising Star Narcisse earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business with a concentration in Marketing from Temple University in Philadelphia in 2013. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Business Honors Program and was the Student Commencement Speaker.

Right out of school she worked for BREE & Associates, Inc. (BREE), a growing consulting engineering/construction management firm, before being recruited

by Jacobs in 2015.

Early in her school years, she was encouraged to become a COMTO City intern with the Philadelphia chapter, she recalls. “It was one of the best decisions I ever made.” At COMTO, she honed her leadership skills and depth of understanding of the transportation, infrastructure and engineering fields. She helped to plan and to organize a Career Fair, served on the Chapter board and built a strong cadre of mentors and friends.

“I would encourage any young person looking for a way to learn more about the transportation profession and its ancillary industries to join COMTO,” she asserts.

“Join and make your mark there!”

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I also learned how to reach out to understand varying points of view and to develop acceptance for cultural differences.

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OMTO’s Jasmine Narcisse, age 27, has just begun a six month assignment in Australia for Jacobs Engineering Group. On the phone from nearly 10,000 miles away from her hometown of Somerset, PA, she sounds buoyant and confident.

“I’ve always dreamed of a job with international opportunity,” Narcisse said, with a lilt in her voice, “And, darned if one didn’t come my way.”

Now, as a sales growth professional with a focus on pursuing transportation and infrastructure opportunities for Jacobs, she is charged with helping to train her Australian counterparts in the global corporation’s business development, marketing, and sales strategies.

Though she makes it sound like the international opportunity was a simple stroke of good fortune, her dream was fulfilled from a base of solid education, hard work, good people skills development, strategic career planning and energetic networking.

“I grew up in a town where we were the only African American family,” she recalls.

“As the only black person at my school, I encountered unique issues and challenges every day. That experience taught me a lot about building my own internal selfesteem. I also learned how to reach out to understand varying points of view and to develop acceptance for cultural differences.”

By the time her family moved to a city with a more diverse population, Narcisse had developed the seeds that ultimately grew her into a poised communicator and an insightful “people person” with strong leadership skills.

“My childhood experiences helped me to become very independent and flexible,” she said. “I truly believe that you could set me down anywhere in the world and I would find ways to make my way around, make friends and be thoroughly comfortable.”

— JASMINE NARCISSE

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CBCF/COMTO CEO BRAINTRUST

CBC Foundation/ COMTO CEO BrainTrust

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he Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) once again combined forces to host the annual “Transportation BrainTrust” panel discussion on Thursday, September 13th.

This year’s CBCF/COMTO CEO panel discussion addressed the challenges presented by the convergence of emerging technologies in transportation and infrastructure with workforce development in order to ensure workplace diversity, said COMTO National Chair Freddie C. Fuller II. Examples of emerging technologies

include autonomous vehicles, drones, mag-lev, high-speed rail, he noted, adding “these can create dynamic, even volcanic, changes in workforce needs.”

“COMTO assembled an impressive panel of distinguished experts in their fields,” said COMTO President and CEO Brad Mims. “They explored the following questions in solution-oriented discourse”: l How do we as leaders in either the private or public sectors attract, train and retain the best talent in light of the changing needs? l

F urther, how do we overcome the inertia and resistance to change in the current, aging workforce?

Emerging technologies in the transportation industry…can create dynamic, even volcanic, changes in workforce needs.

“

— FREDDIE C. FULLER II COMTO NATIONAL CHAIR

Panel members

COMTO President & CEO Brad Mims enjoys the BrainTrust 12

COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

The Hon. Rodney E. Slater, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, moderates the BrainTrust Panel

CBC/COMTO CEO BRAINTRUST

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ven in the face of changing E technologies, people and processes continue to be of critical importance so how do we reconcile a changing of the guard with the effort to maintain a culturally intelligent organization and institutional knowledge?

The BrainTrust panel members included: l The Hon. Rodney E. Slater, former US Secretary of Transportation – Moderator l

l

iana Mendes, Mid-Atlantic Division D President of HNTB Corporation, a national infrastructure solutions firm

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elva McGruder, Director of Global T Facilities Engineering & Manufacturing Operations at General Motors

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ena Davis, Senior Public Policy R Manager, LYFT

Nalini Mani, Principal Strategic Initiatives Director for Internal Business Operations at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)

l J ohn E. “Jack” Potter,

President and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

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Rena Davis and Jack Potter at the BrainTrust

red Craig, Jr., PE, CEO of Purple Line F Transit Partners, currently directing the development of the 16.2-mile, $5.6 billion light rail project for the MDOT Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA)

ACCELERATE Wants to Congratulate and Celebrate our Members and Chapters

Rodney Slater speaks with a BrainTrust attendee

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ubmit a photo and announcement for our COMTO Members On the Move feature if you have: • Accepted a new job • Received a promotion • Earned an award • Earned a fellowship • Received a scholarship Submit photos/captions and a description for our Chapters on the Move feature if your Chapter has: • Held a successful event • Awarded scholarships • Been recognized by your community • Announced new sponsors, board members or leaders

Send your information to JaLissa Coffee via email jcoffee@comto.org Telva McGruder, Nalini Mani and Diana Mendes at the BrainTrust FALL 2018 | ACCELERATE

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A VIEW FROM THE HILL

A View from the Hill

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n Thursday, September 13, 2018 the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) held its annual View From the Hill (VFH) legislative forum. COMTO’s VFH is a day of legislative advocacy on Capitol Hill for COMTO members to discuss legislative issues that impact the transportation industry. The day began with a briefing to discuss issues that integrate the perspectives of legislative and industry experts. The theme of the discussion was Infrastructure Inclusiveness, and Workforce Development in Emerging Technologies, the focus of COMTO’s legislative efforts

this year. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) provided remarks, and panelists included Mark Copeland, Chief of Staff for Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); Helena Zyblikewycz, Democratic Staff Director (Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR), House T&I Highways & Transit Subcommittee; John Don, Legislative Assistant – Education & Workforce for Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC); and Andrea Martin, Senior Policy Advisor & Staff Counsel – Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN). COMTO is most appreciative of the insight and diverse perspectives provided by all the participants, including the COMTO membership.

Andrea Martin (left), Senior Policy Advisor & Staff Counsel – Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) and Helena Zyblikewycz, (right) Democratic Staff Director (Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR), House T&I Highways & Transit Subcommittee

COMTO National Chair Freddie C. Fuller II at the Capitol Hill event

Mark Copeland, (left) Chief of Staff, Senator Tammy Duckworth, (D-IL and member of U.S. Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation) and John Don (right), Legislative Assistant, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), member of U.S. Education and Workforce Policy, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) 14

COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) addresses the panel

2018 LEGISLATIVE MESSAGE IN SUMMARY

l Local

Hiring Preferences

COMTO Message - We do not believe adequate time or attention was given to evaluation of the Ladders of Opportunity Program for the Administration to have reached its conclusion to terminate the program, and we urge Congress to act to restore the Local Hiring Preference and the Ladders of Opportunity Program, which account for jobs and business opportunities for the minority community. lF ederal

Railroad Administration Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program COMTO Message - Since the midnineties, the U.S. DOT has established a DBE goal 0f 10%, which applies to all federally funded projects, except those funded through the Federal Railroad Administration. COMTO strongly endorses a disadvantaged business program within the FRA, and we urge Congress to require the U.S. DOT to resume and expedite the requisite disparity study and institute a DBE participation plan for that agency.

lS BA

Small Business Size Standards COMTO Message - COMTO strongly supports efforts by members of Congress to correct the discriminatory and confusing treatment of minority and women owned firms under the U.S. DOT, which enforces a small business size of $23.98 million, by having the agency utilize a size standard that is consistent with that of the SBA small business revenue ceiling of $36.5 million.

CO-CHAIR, COMTO LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY COUNCIL

lW orkforce

Development Initiatives/Business Development COMTO Message – COMTO strongly supports efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the workforce as well as continued authorization and expansion of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), as well as the Minority Business Development Agency, the EEOC and other compliance oversight agencies, which continue to be under threat.

l Infrastructure

Legislation

COMTO Message - In light of proposals to alter funding mechanisms for public transportation, we stand strongly against efforts or petitions to decrease, waive, or eliminate DBE participation goals, workforce initiatives and antidiscrimination program requirements by private sector firms and government agencies on public transportation projects. We believe that a national infrastructure program is a top priority and that it is imperative that equity and fairness be an integral component to any future legislative proposals in order to preserve these hard-won opportunities.

R

enee Y. Banks, President and Chief Communications Officer for G. W. Peoples (GWP), is a rail transportation expert. She coordinates the company’s marketing and internal/external communications. She is also manages the firm’s federal, state and local government relations, including DBE/MBE/ SBE certifications, business licenses, annual reports, contractors’ licenses, and tax filings. GWP is the only national African-American owned firm that specializes in heavy and light, railroad and transit construction, maintenance and repair.

Please contact COMTO National or Renee Banks, Co-Chair, COMTO Legislative Advisory Council for the complete Legislative Message document or if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

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PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

The Future of Transportation: Autonomous vehicles, transportation networking companies & public transit

by Walter Allen, President & CEO, Acumen Building Enterprise, Inc.

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offee thermos and mobile device in hand, you sit relaxed in the back seat on your way to work. The automated car you are in waits for the light to change from red to green then begins to move through the urban landscape. In the next 3-15 years, autonomous vehicles (AVs) will be the norm for commuting and other trips.

The economics of removing drivers will reduce the traveler’s cost of getting from point A to point B. Hybrid and fully electric AVs will further reduce cost and have a positive impact on the environment. They are also expected to greatly improve safety.

According to the National Safety Council, in 2017 an estimated 40,000 people in the U.S. died from automobile accidents, up 6 percent from 2015, and this number continues to grow annually. In addition, more than 2 million people each year are injured or disabled because of auto accidents. Clearly, these numbers are going in the wrong direction.

Most automobile accidents are caused by human error (e.g., speeding, distracted drivers, and driving under the influence).

COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

Peter Hancock of The Conversation says, “Eliminating this error would, in two years, save as many people as the country lost in all of the Vietnam War.” But as Hancock points out, comparing safety statistics of the preliminary testing of AVs in good weather to human-driven vehicles on different roadways in various weather conditions is not an even comparison. Despite these inconsistencies, the general public needs to be educated about the increased safety associated with AV adoption, yet accidents will not be eliminated by AVs, and automated and electric cars will not resolve congestion problems.

Another trend that will continue to shape transportation is the proliferation of transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Lyft and Uber, the majority of which provide rides in downtown urban centers or to airports. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority reports in “TNCs Today” that TNCs travel an average distance of 3.3 miles in San Francisco, and significant numbers of TNC vehicle trips occur on both weekdays and weekends.

As TNCs adopt newer vehicles and establish AV fleets, we can surmise that TNCs will be more available and at some point become routine in daily commutes.

TNCs are already seen as a good solution for the last mile to major rail or bus rapid transit lines. The removal of drivers from the TNC business model will further disrupt the standard taxi, limo and parking models as well as reduce travel costs.

Looking at the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) system that moves more than 400,000 people over the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge every day, it would not be feasible to put that many people into AVs/TNCs crossing the Bay Bridge on a daily basis. Transit planners are looking at alternatives such as building a second tunnel under the San Francisco Bay and ferry service. The situation is similar in New York and other major urban centers throughout the U.S.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Greater investment is needed in the major rail and bus infrastructure already in place.

For example, the eBART East Contra Costa extension to Antioch that BART opened on May 26, 2018 provides muchneeded service for commuters. Ridership is 3,000 people per day; however, the new station only has 1,000 parking spaces.

The parking lot fills early in the morning, causing some people to continue to drive, seek parking at another BART station or park in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Many riders rely on a kiss-and-ride dropoff or a TNC. In 5-10 years, use of AVs and TNCs will most likely offset this parking shortage at the Antioch station and throughout the BART system.

Even if AVs/TNCs solve some public transit parking issues and make restaurant valet parking obsolete, they cannot handle the growing demand for transportation as the population rises. To have the greatest efficiency, protect the environment, reduce congestion and improve mobility, AVs, TNCs and public transit must

work together, and public and private organizations will need to invest in the infrastructure to make this possible.

That way, you can get dropped off by your AV, board the high-speed train, then travel from San Francisco to LA in under three hours, coffee thermos in hand while catching up on some reading. You will get to the meeting on time, safely and relaxed.

What a great way to move through the day!

A BART train leaving San Francisco

Autonomous cars

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FOCUS ON MEMBERSHIP

COMTO is your voice for diversity in the multibillon dollar transportation industry...

Join COMTO today!

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oin COMTO and enjoy all of the benefits of membership. View membership levels for individuals, students, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs), private sector businesses and transportation agencies on our website www.comto.org/membership.

l Participate in professional and

leadership development and continuing education training l Gain mentors who will provide

support and guidance for your career or business goals l Advocate on behalf of diverse

involvement in the industry with key legislators and government officials

l Network with multi-modal

transportation leaders, decision makers and professionals l Access up-to-date industry issues

and information, contracting and career opportunities

COMTO | MOVING THE NATION

l

S upport youth programs to create a pipeline of minority professionals and leaders

Fill out your membership application at www.comto.org