Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Transportation established a committee to advise DOT and the secretary of transportation on transportation innovation plans and approaches, the department announced Dec. 29.
- The committee comprises 27 members including public officials, labor representatives, safety experts, researchers and industry representatives.
- “The deep expertise and diverse perspectives of this impressive group will provide advice to ensure the future of transportation is safe, efficient, sustainable, equitable, and transformative,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Against a backdrop of rising pedestrian traffic deaths, the arrival of self-driving cars and flying taxis, the electrification of cars, buses and government fleets along with the challenges faced by many transit agencies, transportation is undergoing both opportunities and challenges, Buttigieg said.
“It’s definitely overdue to have this type of committee that can really be driving forward a comprehensive strategy for leveraging transportation technology,” said Laura Chace, president and CEO of ITS America, who will serve on the committee.
Chace added, “It’s not about the technology per se. It’s about how those solutions, if integrated on a more scaled, holistic level, can actually reduce deaths on our roadways, can reduce the emissions that we see from transportation, can help improve the efficiency of our transportation systems and enhance equity.”
Government officials on the committee include Kim Lucas, director of mobility and infrastructure for the City of Pittsburgh; Jeffrey Tumlin, director of transportation at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency; Chief Tom Dwiggins of the Chandler, Arizona, Fire Department; and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
“I am honored and excited to serve as Phoenix’s voice on the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee,” Gallego told Smart Cities Dive in a statement. “Cities like Phoenix are ground zero for innovation in transit and transportation, and as we continue benefiting and learning from major federal infrastructure investments, I am looking forward to how this group will use its exchange of expertise and knowledge to improve folks’ lives across the country.”
Also selected was Mark Chung, executive vice president of roadway practice at the National Safety Council. “This appointment is an opportunity to directly advise and contribute towards the department’s vision for a transformative and safe mobility system in the U.S.,” Chung said in an email.
Among the issues the committee intends to address are:
- Safe, equitable and environmentally-friendly ways to roll out emerging technologies.
- Policies to grow and support a safe and productive U.S. workforce while fostering economic competitiveness and job quality.
- Ways to encourage the secure exchange of key transportation data across the public and private sectors.
- Approaches the DOT can take to improve cybersecurity and privacy protections across transportation systems and infrastructure.
“I would really like to see some road maps and frameworks come out of this from the U.S. DOT for the integration of emerging technologies, including connectivity, automation, artificial intelligence and enhanced cybersecurity for our transportation system,” Chace said.
The committee will hold its first meeting on Jan. 18. Members will serve two-year terms and may be reappointed.
