Seven Transportation Conferences Worth Attending
Seven Transportation Conferences Worth Attending
Transportation research, traffic safety, transit accessibility, and more – the list keeps getting better.
Cover Image: Transportation Research Board (TRB), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Planning to attend your next transportation conference? Amid the everyday routine of emails and virtual meetings, in-person conferences can present unique opportunities for strategic networking, genuine relationship building, and even serendipitous encounters with attendees from across the world. No matter where you are in your professional journey, we discuss seven transportation conferences worth considering attending.
American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Conference
South West Transit Association (SWTA) Annual Conference & Expo
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Traffic Safety Conference
Read on for a summary Q&A with The Goodman Corporation (TGC) Associates as we highlight key takeaways from our conference experience as well as industry insights in the space of transportation safety analysis, traffic analysis and operations, mobility and transportation planning, and transit planning.
Conference locations and dates vary each year, so visit each respective link for more details. Registration rates are also subject to change and may vary depending on registration type and potential combinations of options (e.g., attendee, presenter, exhibitor, student, member, non-member).
1. American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Conference
Source: planning.org/conference
The American Planning Association (APA) is one of the largest nonprofit education and membership organizations of professional planners with 47 chapters, 24 divisions, and 40,000 members. Given APA’s size and reach, their annual national conference aims to include a diverse range of topics, session types, tours, mobile workshops, and special events to embrace the wide range of planning.
Adapting to the changing learning environment, APA introduced virtual events since 2020 and has continued to host both virtual and in-person conference programming. There is usually a defined list of core content areas, and diversification of transportation was a part of the NPC23 program focus:
Climate Emergency,
Digitalization,
Diversification of Transportation,
Future of Work, Upskilling and Reskilling,
Health Equity and Nature,
Housing Affordability, Availability, and Accessibility,
Implementation of Federal Programs and Grants,
Political Shifts and Polarization, and
Population Diversity and Inclusive Design.
TGC, in partnership with the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, presented at the 2023 national conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in April. TGC Chief of Integrated Planning, Robert McHaney, AICP, CTP, chaired the annual APA Transportation Planning Division (TPD) meeting, hosted the TPD reception, and presented at a career booth.
APA NPC Session | Source: American Planning Association
2. Texas Vision Zero Summit
Source: visionzerotexas.org/summit
Vision Zero Texas Banner | Source: Farm&City
Texas has been averaging almost 12 traffic fatalities a day, which is why the people behind Vision Zero Texas work for change at the state and local level through the adoption of:
Vision Zero policies in every city, county and MPO across Texas,
Safe speed policies,
Comprehensive safety measures,
Systemic changes to how we approach transportation planning and funding, and
Hosting the Texas Vision Zero Summit.
The 2022 Texas Vision Zero Summit was held in Midtown, Houston, Texas and included interactive educational sessions, walk audits, bonus training, and keynote speeches from various firms and public entities. Nonprofit Farm&City hosts the summit as part of their Vision Zero Texas program, and with the support of sponsors, registration is free for attendees.
The 2023 Texas Vision Zero Summit was hosted in Austin, Texas in September (Part 1) and November (Part 2).
2022 Texas Vision Zero Summit in Midtown, Houston, Texas
TGC Insight
TGC Senior Associates, Boya Dai; AICP, Yige “Eagle” Tang; AICP, Bryan Brown, ENV SP; and Kristi Miller, AICP, led various presentation sessions at the 2022 Texas Vision Zero Summit in Midtown, Houston, Texas.
Q: What were some key takeaways from your experience at this event?
A: Boya: To achieve Vision Zero initiatives, it is important to bring together stakeholders from a variety of fields, including transportation planning and engineering, public health, law enforcement, and advocacy groups, to discuss strategies for improving road safety and reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries.
A: Eagle: While data plays a critical role in executing Vision Zero plans, it is common for data to be dispersed across different agencies and organizations. For instance, police departments gather accident data; medical professionals document crash-related injuries; state departments of transportations oversee traffic information; and other organizations count the number of cyclists. Yet, data exchange can be limited. Bringing multiple stakeholders together to share, analyze, and compare data enables more informed decision-making and effective policy changes that can ultimately save lives.
Additionally, Vision Zero is not a universal solution to traffic fatalities. What is effective in one city may not be effective in another. To be successful, the decision-making process must involve a thorough understanding of the communities in which it serves as well – as well as growing awareness of the varying cultural attitudes towards traffic safety.
A: Bryan: To make measurable progress for multimodal safety across the State of Texas, it is necessary to share our collective knowledge with other practitioners toward a common goal. I am honored to have been able to present some of TGC’s work and learned experience at this event.
TGC Associates present at the 2022 Texas Vision Zero Summit in Midtown, Houston, Texas | Source: TGC
“Bringing multiple stakeholders together to share, analyze, and compare data enables more informed decision-making and effective policy changes that can ultimately save lives.”
Q: Favorite moments?
A: Eagle: Boya and I presented at the summit and highlighted TGC’s work in connecting capital to communities. I was especially proud when I shared our recent success in securing federal funding for competitive safety projects through a comprehensive grant application process, which involved benefit cost analyses, crash data evaluations, preliminary engineering, community engagement, and more.
A: Bryan: Listening to Congressman Pete Olson and Gina Torry describe their efforts to enact the Lisa Torry Smith Act, which went into effect September 2021, to protect pedestrians who are legally crossing at a crosswalk.
3. Bridging Transportation Researchers (BTR) Conference
Source: bridgingtransport.org
Bridging Transportation Researchers Banner | Source: Bridging Transportation Researcher
The Bridging Transportation Researchers (BTR) Conference virtually and globally brings together transportation engineers, planners, and policymakers together by removing the burden of travel, the cost of registration, and greenhouse gases associated with transport and accommodations. They welcome researchers and practitioners from diverse disciplines, particularly individuals who are unable to obtain a visa or afford traveling to and participating in international conferences. This two-day, online event consists of multi-track, Zoom-based meetings. Registration is free, and topics cover multiple transportation-related areas, including but not limited to:
Public transportation,
Emerging mobility services (shared, electrified),
Intelligent transportation systems,
Connected and automated vehicle control,
Travel demand modeling,
Freight transportation,
Transportation safety,
Infrastructure management,
Design, construction, & pavement engineering, and
Others.
TGC Insight
TGC Senior Associate, Kristi Miller, AICP, served as a shared mobility panelist in the 2022 BTR Conference and presented her recently published research focused on building inclusivity in transportation services, aiding in wider acceptance.
Q: What were some key takeaways from your experience at this event?
A: Kristi: This was my first online conference experience, and I thought it was a great way to interact with researchers across the world while minimizing environmental impacts and the financial burden of conference registration and travel expenses. The tradeoff is the loss of networking/socializing.
This research study reinforced the importance and impact of community engagement, especially with emerging technologies, and introduced a new type of service model. Although TGC has not historically been involved in the autonomous vehicle space, community engagement plays a role in nearly every project we do. People want to be included and involved in the planning process. Although I heard this statement 10,000 miles away in Singapore, it is so similar to what I hear working with communities here in Houston.
Q: Favorite moments?
A: Kristi: Favorite moment from the research study was the opportunity to interact with so many people with different communication and mobility needs than myself, to learn more about their daily lives and about Singapore, and to understand their perspectives using public transportation – especially as Singapore was newly emerging from one of the strictest COVID-19 lockdowns in the world.
2022 BTR Conference Research Presentation: Understanding acceptance of shared autonomous vehicles among people with different mobility and communication needs | Source: Kristine Miller, Samuel Chng, Lynette Cheah
4. South West Transit Association (SWTA) Annual Conference & Expo
Source: swta.org
SWTA Annual Conference & Expo | Source: South West Transit Association
The South West Transit Association (SWTA) represents more than 127 transit agencies and 140 business members across an eight-state region: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. Their mission is to support their members and strengthen their ability to provide public transportation and mobility services across the region through education, communication, and advocacy. With over 500 attendees, their Annual Conference & Expo features various session tracks, including Planning, Equity & Accessibility, Management & Leadership, Marketing & Safety/Security, and Technology.
TGC Insight
TGC Transit Practice Lead, Jonathan Brooks, attended the 2023 SWTA Annual Conference & Expo, along with Chief of Integrated Planning, Robert McHaney, AICP, CTP. Robert led multiple sessions, in partnership with the City of Conroe, Texas representatives: Shawn Davis, Assistant Director of Transportation, and De’Andre Guin, Operations Mobility Planner.
Q: What were some key takeaways from your experience at this event?
A: Robert: Public transportation is one of the backbones of our transportation system. Thousands of individuals throughout the SWTA region work daily to ensure that public transportation is running smoothly, equitably, and cost effectively. The pandemic sent shock waves worldwide, and public transportation felt the impacts at levels we have never experienced. As we emerge from the pandemic, transit agencies are emerging with new opportunities and challenges, making the best of these opportunities by providing new types of service, higher quality of service, and strategic planning for the future.
A: Jonathan: The following quote by Jeff Arndt from VIA (San Antonio, TX) set the tone for me: “People notice the missing piece of a puzzle.” Several conversations touched on one key puzzle piece: making being a bus operator an excellent experience. This goal is critical to me as a transit rider and planner. In the words of Debra Johnson from RTD (Denver, CO), we must understand our own “why”, identify the pain points, and work with empathy to ideate solutions. Operators are the front line of transit. Frequent and reliable transit with excellent stops is fundamental, and we need plans, policies, and work cultures to adapt to improve quality of life for people at the wheel and riders alike. We must do better.
Kurt Luhrsen from METRO (Houston, TX) related several instances of headwinds to changing workplace policies. A common refrain has been: “But I had to do it that way.” His response? “It was not acceptable then, and it is not acceptable now.” With a focus in the Southwest U.S. region, I continue to work towards being part of the solution and improve transit for all.
“Operators are the front line of transit. Frequent and reliable transit with excellent stops is fundamental, and we need plans, policies, and work cultures to adapt to improve quality of life for people at the wheel and riders alike. We must do better.”
City of Conroe, Texas and TGC Staff presents at the 2023 SWTA Annual Conference in Aurora, Colorado | Source: TGC
5. Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Traffic Safety Conference
Since 2020, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI)’s Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) annually hosts the Traffic Safety Conference, a three-day event for public policy makers, traffic safety practitioners, law enforcement, traffic engineers, public health officials, and others in the transportation industry. The inaugural conference, supported by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), focused on traffic safety issues and forward-looking research aligned with TxDOT’s goal to end all traffic fatalities on Texas roadways by 2050.
TGC Insight
TGC Senior Associates, Boya Dai, AICP, and Yige “Eagle” Tang, AICP, attended the 2022 Traffic Safety Conference in College Station, Texas.
Traffic Safety Conference - Session Tour | Source: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Q: What were some key takeaways from your experience at this event?
A: Boya: Roadway fatalities and fatality rates were on the decline for 30 years, but progress has stalled over the last decade. It is important to rethink how to approach safety practices to achieve reductions and prioritize safety system elements into all projects.
A: Eagle: The following quote stood out to me:
“Zero is our goal. A Safe System is how we get there.” – Stephen Ratke, Senior Safety and Geometric Design Engineer FHWA Resource Center
Speed is central to the concept of a forgiving transportation system. It affects every aspect of safety – there can be no movement without speed, but with speed comes kinetic energy, and with kinetic energy and human error, comes accidents, injuries, and fatalities.
Another takeaway includes learning about the National Roadway Safety Strategy, which acknowledges the Safe System approach and encompasses all initiatives aimed at improving road safety, including infrastructure, human behavior, effective regulation, and emergency services. It is designed to include all road users in every community, regardless of their mode of transportation or reason for using the streets.
In addition to preventing accidents, it is crucial to also improve post-crash care, and technology plays a significant role in this. By enhancing technology, first responders' response time can be shortened, more information can be gathered, and crash scenes can be cleared more efficiently. On the legal front, improved technology can assist in educating lawmakers on the impact of impairment on safety and procedures and provide additional laboratory resources.
“In addition to preventing accidents, it is crucial to also improve post-crash care, and technology plays a significant role in this. By enhancing technology, first responders’ response time can be shortened, more information can be gathered, and crash scenes can be cleared more efficiently.”
6. Texas Transit Association (TTA) Annual State Conference & Expo
Source: txtransit.org/events
TTA Annual Conference & Expo – Bus Roadeo Setup | Source: Texas Transit Association
The Texas Transit Association (TTA) is a membership organization consisting of Texas metropolitan, small urban, and rural transit agencies as well as private and public entities from across the U.S. Their mission is to support the needs of Texas public transportation systems through statewide advocacy and education, working with members of the state legislature in the pursuit of resource support for public transportation. Their Annual State Conference & Expo serves as one of the largest public transit conferences in Texas, bringing together transit professionals from across state and beyond. It includes multiple general sessions, 20+ breakout workshops and training sessions, a Texas State Roadeo competition, and numerous networking opportunities.
TGC, in partnership with the City of Conroe and The Woodlands Township, Texas, will present at this year’s conference in Corpus Christi, Texas in April.
7. Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is one of six divisions within the National Research Council, the primary operating agency of the National Academies of Science and provides leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange. They engage thousands of engineers, scientists, and others in the transportation industry, and are supported by departments of transportation on both the state and federal level.
Covering all transportation modes, the TRB Annual Meeting is held every January in Washington, D.C., attracting over 10,000 policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academia. For programming, there is usually a curated program sample that includes themed spotlight sessions as well as critical issues sessions. Registration grants access to approximately 4,000 presentations, including peer-reviewed technical papers, 600+ workshops and sessions, an exhibition showcase, and 300+ meetings organized by TRB committees to discuss current research and identify research needs.
TGC Insight
TGC Senior Associate, Yige “Eagle” Tang, AICP, and Senior Traffic Engineer, Mahmoud Raoufi, PE, PTOE, attended the 2023 TRBAM in Washington D.C.
Q: What were some key takeaways from your experience at this event?
A: Mahmoud: In recent years, the availability of big data and advances of analysis tools have given great direction to transportation research in academia. These improvements will continue to help conduct valuable research more applicable to practice in future years. The possibilities are endless.
Q: Favorite moments?
A: Eagle: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acknowledged that local match funding is a significant challenge for local governments and communities. It is encouraging to learn that FHWA and its partner agencies are exploring ways to reduce the local match requirements for certain grant opportunities to strengthen support for local governments and communities.
TGC Associates in Washington D.C. for 2023 TRBAM
“In recent years, the availability of big data and advances of analysis tools have given great direction to transportation research in academia. These improvements will continue to help conduct valuable research more applicable to practice in future years. The possibilities are endless.”
See you at the next transportation conference! Comments, questions, or suggestions? Email contact@thegoodmancorp.com.
For additional information or questions, contact TGC to learn more about our services, our team, and our mission to connect capital to communities across Texas and beyond.