The Intelligent Transportation Society of America showcased some leaders in smart transportation on Wednesday night at the Cannon House Office Building. As the traffic "heat map" picture below reminds us, the urgency of speeding up, and smoothing out, American transportation is, indeed, severe.
Among the political luminaries present were a Cabinet Secretary and at least seven Members of Congress.
ITSA President and CEO Scott Belcher (below) kicked things off, celebrating the broad participation of both the private and public sector at the ITSA event.
Belcher's first speaker was outgoing Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (below) as one of the most engaged and involved transportation secretaries in US history.
In brief remarks, LaHood said that he would focus on just one aspect of smart transportation, the "V2V" pilot program currently ongoing in Ann Arbor, MI. As LaHood explained, the goal is "To get cars taking to one another, and to their cars. This is the next generation of auto safety."
Among the political luminaries present were a Cabinet Secretary and at least seven Members of Congress.
ITSA President and CEO Scott Belcher (below) kicked things off, celebrating the broad participation of both the private and public sector at the ITSA event.
Belcher's first speaker was outgoing Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (below) as one of the most engaged and involved transportation secretaries in US history.
In brief remarks, LaHood said that he would focus on just one aspect of smart transportation, the "V2V" pilot program currently ongoing in Ann Arbor, MI. As LaHood explained, the goal is "To get cars taking to one another, and to their cars. This is the next generation of auto safety."
Next up was Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who echoed LaHood in saying that the goal was to "make our cars safer." And she also emphasized the importance of "data protection" and and resolving the "spectrum crisis" for transportation.
The next speaker was Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who said that one goal for intelligent transportation was "coaxing more value out of the transport action system." He argued that the current system for road funding, financed mostly by the gas tax, is on a "downward spiral." And while he noted that Oregon was the first state to introduce a gas tax, back in 1919, it was now his goal to replace the gas tax with a VMT. The goal, he added is "a fundamentally different transportation experience," in which driving, parking, and everything can be paid for "seamlessly."
In his remarks, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) emphasized the need for infrastructure repair and added that "the things that make America great are the things America makes.
Freshman Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) told the audience, "I campaigned in the idea of investing in American infrastructure," noting that "one-quarter of the bridges that are structurally deficient are in Pennsylvania." Cartwright further added that "every car owner spends an extra $1300 a year" thanks to deficient infrastructure. He declared, "There's no smarter way to protect the environment than to save energy," including by cutting down time stuck in traffic.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), an MIT engineering graduate, quipped to the audience that Congress needed "more engineers." He further quipped that engineers would recognize that the number of his House office address, 314 Cannon, is the same as the first three numbers of Pi.
Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) recalled that he had just been with President Obama as he spoke about climate change the day before; Tonko observed that intelligent transportation could play a key role in reducing greenhouse gases.
And oh yes, Rep. John Mica (R-FL), the former chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, stopped by to say a few words.
Here are some shots of others, and other institutions, participating at ITSA:
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