TRANSPORTATION TECH-CONGRESS COLLIDE AT COUNCIL MEETING

The Bay Area is a global center for transportation technology innovation, rapidly developing technologies that are pushing the conventional boundaries of our transportation system. Autonomous vehicles are expected to hit the roads in a mere couple of years, smart grid developments are optimizing transportation systems, and ridesharing technologies are revolutionizing the way people get around. How will government evolve to accommodate these new advancements?

This week Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Illinois) came to the Bay Area to learn just that. The Bay Area Council under the leadership of Transportation Committee Chair and Arup Principal John Eddy on March 12 hosted an invigorating discussion about transportation technology and its implications for the future of the transportation system throughout the country. Rep. Lipinski leads the House Intelligent Transportation Systems caucus so he was especially interested to hear from the Bay Area’s leading transportation technology companies about how emerging technologies are developing and how the federal government should respond to take greatest advantage of these advancements. The companies identified numerous regulatory solutions that would optimize the efficiency of the current infrastructure, including incentivizing ridesharing, supporting a network for autonomous vehicles, streamlining standards, and adapting land use planning to accommodate future advancements.

The discussion tied nicely into the Bay Area Council Transportation Committee’s focus on near-term commute improvement strategies that include implementing transportation technology to squeeze the most efficiency out of the current transportation infrastructure. To engage in the Council’s transportation work, contact Senior Vice President Michael Cunningham.