UTRC Webinar Series: Re-Opening New York’s Transportation Ecosystem
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 & Thursday, July 9, 2020
The University Transportation Research Center (UTRC) at The City College of New York has been analyzing how the COVID-19 pandemic has already changed every aspect of mobility. Following the months-long shutdown across the United States, some cities have already reopened in various phases. New York City has experienced a severe impact on its transportation system during the pandemic, including an empty Times Square and the first-ever shutdown of the NYC subway system. Public transit, motorcoach, school bus, taxicab and for-hire services continue to struggle, while personal motor vehicles, bikes, and e-scooters may surge in usage.
The UTRC is hosting a two-day live webinar series that will bring together academics, government officials and transportation industry leaders to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the transportation systems, the re-opening of the New York region, and how resilient New Yorkers will get moving again, safely. This series of webinars will focus on many critical transportation topics, including:modal-shift; inter-modal connections and governance; health and safety protocols; and impacts on business and aid/relief. The actual detailed plans for reopening and reopening experiences will be discussed, and opinions will be shared among panelists and with the audience on how – and whether – these plans will work. If you are interested in one or more of these programs, please register now!
Panel 1: Public Transit – Will It Ever Be the Same?
Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 11:00 am EDT
A panel of academic experts, rider advocates and present and former public transit officials will discuss mobility data trends, safety and health issues involving public buses and rail in the NY region, and lessons learned from other cities that have already re-opened public transit.
Moderator: Robert (Buzz) Paaswell, Director Emeritus of the UTRC, former Chicago Transit Authority CEO
Panelists: Dr. Camille Kamga (UTRC); Sarah Meyer (NYC Transit); Betsy Plum (The Riders Alliance); Andrew Bata (UITP)
REGISTER FOR PANEL 1
Panel 2: How Will the School Bus & Motorcoach Industry Survive in a Social Distancing World?
Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 3:00 pm EDT
Leaders of the school bus and motorcoach industries will join city officials to discuss how the economic challenges created by social distancing on shared rides can be overcome, and what is being done by the city and private companies to safely transport students and inter-city commuters upon re-opening.
Moderator: Patrick Condren, Patcon Associates Ltd.
Panelists: Glenn Every (BUS4NYC Coalition); Cam Morris (American Bus Association), Robert Brisman (Bus Transportation), Sasha Ozeran (IATR Health & Safety Committee), and Bryony Chamberlain (BUS4NYC Coalition)
REGISTER FOR PANEL 2
Panel 3: The Reinvention of the Taxicab & For-Hire Vehicles Industries
Thursday, July 9, 2020, 11:00 am EDT
This panel will feature local trade group leaders representing the taxicab, green cab, livery, black car, and luxury limousine industries, who will discuss: how their drivers kept busy delivering food and packages during the shutdown; whether federal and local grants and relief were sufficient; and how base and taxi owners are planning for a new, safer re-opening, with cleaner cars, partitions and other potential business opportunities. This panel will discuss what policies the government implemented to help the industry, and how these businesses will survive telecommuting and reduced business travel by reinventing services and operations.
Moderator: Matthew W. Daus, UTRC/CCNY/CUNY Transportation Technology Chair
Panelists: Ira J. Goldstein (Black Car Fund/Black Car Assistance Corp.); Brendan Sexton (Independent Driver Guild); Cira Angeles (Livery Base Owners Association); Michael Woloz (Metropolitan Taxi Board of Trade); Avik Kabessa (Livery Roundtable); and Eric Rothman (Driver Opportunity Services Association)
REGISTER FOR PANEL 3
Panel 4: Post-COVID-19 New Mobility Options & Re-Imagined Streets?
Thursday, July 9, 2020, 3:00 pm EDT
This panel of academics, micromobility companies, and present/former government mobility officials, will discuss how new mobility will factor into post-pandemic life, and how NYC streets may evolve in a safer, healthier, and hopefully more efficient manner. In light of New York State Legislation, as well as recently passed NYC Council Local Laws, e-scooters are now legal. Hear from the new NYC law’s sponsor, and from e-moped, bike share, e-bike, e-scooter and sustainable transportation advocates, as they discuss what the new laws mean, as well as the post-pandemic reconfigured city streets, and how such new modes will safely fit into the multi-modal ecosystem.
Moderator: Matthew W. Daus, UTRC/CCNY/CUNY Transportation Technology Chair
Panelists: Fernando Cabrera, (NYC Council Member), Russell Murphy (Lime), Lauren Vriens (Revel), Thomas DaVito (Lyft), and Marco Conner DiAquoi (Transportation Alternatives)
REGISTER FOR PANEL 4