ypt mobility matters - fall 2008 (v1 i1)

Not a member? Join YPT today at http://ypt.transportation.org

cumstances truly exceptional. They include the future sustain-ability of our fossil fuel-based economy and the associated global climate change, sprawl-ing land use patterns reflective of our auto-dominant society, the role of promising advance-ments in technology, the im-pact of growing congestion in urban and suburban areas, and the globalization of freight movement, among a myriad of others.

In this and future editions of Mobility Matters, we will re-port on major issues currently affecting the transportation industry. And more impor-tantly, as we cover these is-sues, we will provide a per-spective to these important matters that is not available anywhere else – the perspective of the younger generation that represents the future of trans-portation.

--Joung Lee, YPT Chair

You’re reading this newsletter because you’ve found reso-nance with the mission of Young Professionals in Trans-portation which aims to provide professional development, fel-lowship, and networking oppor-tunities for all young profes-sionals in the transportation field.

You’ve probably also felt at some point in your career that since transportation is such a wide-ranging and dispersed field it is not nearly as easy to meet and connect with your generational peers as it seems for other large professional fields like law or business.

Finally, you’re also probably aware that in our graying soci-ety where a smaller proportion of young professionals are ex-pected to carry the torch passed from our preceding gen-erations, developing peer rela-tionships early in our profes-sional careers is absolutely

critical.

In a way it may feel daunting to see how the future direction of the field that literally touches every aspect of people’s lives will be dependent upon us to be shaped for decades to come.

But put in another way, I think this great challenge is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect lasting changes for the next 50 years and beyond. This is not a hyperbole. Aside from the dramatic demographic shift mentioned earlier, there are a number of other forces at work, all converging at the same time, that make our cir-

YPT held three successful leadership seminars featuring guest speakers from the Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), and the District of Columbia Depart-ment of Transportation (DDOT).

Transportation at a Crossroads: What does the Future Hold?

At YPT’s inaugural leadership seminar held Apr. 24, 2008, AASHTO Chief Operating Officer Jack Basso argued that demographic growth, rising freight traffic, vehicle miles traveled, and a

dearth of renewable funding sources have placed the US transportation system at a “crossroads” in terms of its infrastructure capacity and funding mechanisms. Officials and industry leaders face the difficult decision of whether to make short-range decisions to alleviate challenges temporar-ily or to make politically risky long-term deci-sions to address substantial policy, planning and financing matters to prevent the system’s bank-ruptcy or obsolesce.

Chair’s welcome

I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :

Increase in transit use

2

Next leader-ship seminar

2

Events reviewed

3

Washington update

4

Calendar of events

4

Connect with YPT

5

YPT leader-ship

5

YPT devel-opment

2 Leadership seminars

Young Professionals in Transportation

YPT Mobi l i ty Matters

F a l l 2 0 0 8 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

Did you know...

YPT sponsors regular opportunities for pro-fessional development through Leadership Seminar with experts in the transportation field.

In October YPT will welcome Mort Downey, Chair, PB Consult. Mr. Downey most recently served as Deputy Sec-retary of Transporta-tion for the US DOT. He has also held posi-tions with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Author-ity.

See page 2 for more information about Mr. Downey.

http://ypt.transportation.org

continued, page 3


“10.3 billion trips were taken

on mass transit …

the greatest number of

trips recorded in 50 years.”

V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1 P a g e 2

Transit agencies serve more passengers

YPT is a young organization. As such, we are working to develop an integral set of structures, activi-ties, and group values as we move forward. The Executive Committee is currently focused on three key tasks as we grow; 1) the establishment of Articles of Incorporation and development of compre-hensive Bylaws, 2) developing resources for financing our activities, and 3) reaching out to other or-ganizations to raise awareness of YPT and leverage membership building or other organization-

focused opportunities where appropriate.

YPT is fortunate to have the support and guidance of its Board of Advisors, a group of pre-eminent transportation leaders with a wide range of exemplary experience in both the public and private sectors. Through YPT's Leadership Seminar series and other network-ing events, the Board of Advisors guides YPT members in identifying today's key issues in the transportation realm, offers support for professional and career development, and serves as the bridge between the transportation world of today and tomorrow. To learn more about YPT's distinguished Board of Advisors, visit our website at http://ypt.transportation.org.

Transit agencies across the nation are reporting higher volumes of passengers. Much of the increase in usage can be attributed to the

rapid increase in the cost of fuel. In June 2008, the American Public Transportation Association, APTA, announced that Americans took more than 2.6 billion mass transit trips in the first three months of 2008—an increase of approxi-mately 88 million trips over 2007 numbers.

In 2007 approximately 10.3 billion trips were taken on mass transit in the United States—the greatest number of trips recorded in 50 years.

Riders in both urban and suburban settings are taking advantage of

transit services. According to APTA, communities of all sizes saw an increase in bus travel.

In past years, as the summer driv-ing season comes to a close, fuel prices have historically fallen when compared to the highs of the summer months.

If fuel prices follow past practice and dip slightly from the summer highs into the fall and winter, it remains to be seen how the rela-tively slight decrease in fuel costs will impact the historic increases that have been recorded.

YPT welcomes all to the October 14 Leadership Seminar with Mortimer Downey. The seminar begins at 6 PM and will be held at the offices of PB Consult, 1401 K St. NW, Suite 300 in Washington DC [Metrorail: Blue/Orange to McPherson Square].

Mr. Downey is a Principal Consultant for PB Consult. Mr. Downey most

recently served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation for the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), a position with authority to act in all areas of departmen-tal responsibility – land, sea, and air. Mr. Downey de-voted the first 17 years of his career to the Port Author-ity of New York and New Jersey, the first established US

public authority.

He later became Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the largest U.S. public authority. At MTA, Mr. Downey directed the Authority’s $20 billion capital program, developed innovative public and pri-vate financing techniques, and oversaw capital project designs, budgets, schedules and performance. Mr. Downey holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale Uni-versity and a Masters degree in Public Administration from New York University. He has completed additional studies in advanced management at Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.

See the events list on page 4 for more information.

Capital Area Transportation Author-ity buses at Michigan State Univer-

sity in East Lansing, Mich.

Organizational development

What’s happening next...






‘SAFETEA-LU ... a missed

opportunity for directing the focus in

program evaluation

toward performance

as opposed to funding’

V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1 P a g e 3

Happy Hours provide an exciting opportunity to meet other professionals in the trans-portation industry in the Washington, DC area. If you’re from out of the DC area and will be in town, please stop by to join us!

YPT at the Nationals Ballpark—Transportation enthusiasts met to enjoy America’s na-tional pastime at the Washington Nationals new ballpark on July 31, 2008. YPT Mem-bers fraternized as the Washington Nation-als took on the Philadelphia Phillies. YPT is planning to host a second networking event at a Nationals game next season.

Networking Happy Hour—To date, YPT has hosted three highly successful Happy Hour

events at the Science Club (scienceclubdc.com) and Panache (panacherestaurant.com) in Washington, DC. Members from transportation agencies in Federal, state and local govern-ment, in addition to representatives from various private organizations and area universi-ties met to discuss latest developments in the field, network and socialize.

In addition to explaining how the US transportation sector reached this crossroad in its history, Mr. Basso recounted the original purposes for federal involvement in the Interstate Highway and mass transit programs, the difficulty of demonstrating the merits of raising the gas tax in the early 1980s and the recent importance of alternative funding and public-private partnerships for covering capital construction.

An Inside Look at the New USDOT: Transportation Policymaking in the 21st Century

YPT was pleased to host, in conjunction with George Mason University, USDOT Acting Under Secretary Tyler Duvall on May 19, 2008. Under Secretary Duvall’s semi-nar focused on the need for government officials to reshape transportation policy, finance and perform-ance-measures for programs to orient the sector based on market demand for facilities. He cited the privatiza-tion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the sale of the Indiana Skyway Toll Road as prime examples of future transactions between State DOTs and private develop-ers. He also characterized the 2005 SAFETEA-LU Act as a missed opportunity for directing the focus in program evaluation toward performance as opposed to funding levels.

In addition, Mr. Basso stressed the importance of lever-aging private capital for funding highway maintenance, capital construction and addressing budget shortfalls. He noted that 21 cities had submitted proposals to the USDOT to perform a variant of congestion pricing since December 2006.

Mr. Duvall pointed out that perhaps the greatest chal-lenge for USDOT officials was balancing the competing goals of land use, energy and environmental policies when formulating the long-term direction of transporta-tion in this country. In addition, he alluded to the fact

that policies, in particular alternative financing plans, will change quickly or slowly in the transportation arena depending on the actions (or inaction) of the federal government.

He ended his presentation stressing the role of Intelli-gent Transportation Systems for improving the real time performance of traffic flow and education cam-paigns to help the public see the benefits of paying for access to superior facilities.

Strategic & Tactical Initiatives In Our Nation’s Capital

One June 24, 2008 then-Director of the District of Co-lumbia’s Department of Transportation Emeka Moneme addressed members of YPT on the importance of sev-eral major initiatives in the nation’s capital city. In particular, he explained how public-private partner-ships can be shaped into a win-win proposal for financ-ing public transit.

Drawing on his experience at the Washington Area Transit Authority, where he serves as Chief Administra-tive Officer, Mr. Moneme mentioned that even small assets, such as bus shelters, could be sources of reve-nue if sold for advertising space. He stated that funda-mentals of business management and finance could be applied to the public agencies in transit and transpor-tation to make programs run soundly in addition to cost-effectively.

Mr. Moneme spoke about DCs “SmartBike” program, similar to the car sharing programs like ZipCar, whereby people can rent bikes at different stations dispersed throughout the city. The remainder of the Q&A session revolved around the integration of urban planning, transportation, safety programs and the pro-motion of mass transit. To learn more about the speakers, visit the YPT website.

Homerun events

Leadership seminars, continued from page 1

-- Tyler Duvall


shortfall of $3.2 billion sometime in FY 2009. What was surprising to most observers, how-ever, was how quickly this picture changed in the past month. The Office of Manage-ment and Budget, as recently as July, ex-pected that there would be $4.3 billion of cash available in the Highway Account at the end of FY 2008. However, due to declines in fuel tax receipts coming into the Highway Trust Fund thanks to reductions in vehicle miles traveled, the cash balance was peril-ously close to the zero point by early Sep-tember.

While this was the most pressing short-term issue facing surface transportation, its reso-lution only buys the highway program one more year before the same problem resur-faces next fiscal year at a greater magni-tude, which, if no action is taken, would reduce the highway program from $43.6 billion in FY 2009 to $23.6 billion in FY 2010. This recent scare and the future threat of further cash flow challenge is a clear symp-tom of the overall national infrastructure deficit, which will have to be addressed quickly in the next transportation bill once SAFETEA-LU expires at the end of September 2009.

Highway Trust Fund Shortfall Averted

President Bush signed into law a stop-gap measure to preserve the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund by transferring $8.017 billion from the General Fund of the Treas-ury to the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund on September 15. If this action to provide an infusion of cash to the Highway Trust Fund was not taken, the Federal high-way program level would have had to be reduced by $13.5 billion in FY 2009. Such scenario would have forced a significant reduction of construction activities and jobs in the highway industry.

With the national economy already suffering the burst of the housing bubble and the asso-ciated credit crunch, a teetering highway program was recognized as unacceptable first by the House of Representatives, which passed a bill with the $8 billion fix on July 23, and eventually by the Bush administra-tion, which reversed it earlier veto threat to this fix.

The solvency of the Highway Trust Fund has been in question over the past year as the President’s budget in February expected a

YPT Events

• Wednesday, Sep. 17—Happy Hour Networking. 6:00-8:00 PM at the Beacon Hotel Rooftop Res-taurant; 1615 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington, DC. Metrorail: Red to Farragut North; Blue/Orange to Farragut West.

• Thursday, Oct. 9—Executive Committee Meeting. 6:00-7:30 PM at AASHTO; 444 N. Capitol St., Ste. 249, Washington, DC. Metrorail: Red to Union Station.

• Tuesday, Oct. 14—Leadership Seminar with Mort Downey. 6:00-7:30 PM at PB Consult; 1401 K St. NW, Suite 300. Met-rorail: Blue/Orange to McPher-son Square.

• Thursday, Nov. 13—Executive Committee meeting. 6:00-7:30 PM at AASHTO; 444 N. Capitol St., Ste. 249, Washington, DC. Metrorail: Red to Union Station.

Washington update

V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

“…[the HTF] resolu-tion only buys the

highway program one more year before the same problem resur-

faces next year…”

P a g e 4

UPCOMING TRANSPORTATION EVENTS

GHSA Annual Meeting Scottsdale, AZ Sept 7-10

ARTBA Public-Private Ventures Washington, DC Sept 15-16

North American PPP & Infrastructure Finance Bridgewaters, NY Sept 18-19

IBTTA Annual Meeting Baltimore, MD Sept 20-24

APTA Annual Meeting & Expo San Diego, CA Oct 5-8

European Transport Conference Netherlands Oct 6-8

AASHTO Annual Meeting Hartford, CT Oct 16-20

ARTBA National Convention Chicago, IL Oct 21-24

Rail~Volution 2008 San Francisco, CA Oct 26-29

ULI Fall Meeting & Urban Land Expo Miami, FL Oct 27-30

AMPO 2008 Annual Conference Seattle, WA Oct 28-31

ITS World Congress New York, NY Nov 16-20

Int’l Summit on Ag & Food Transportation Washington, DC Dec 2-3

IBTTA Transportation Finance Summit Washington, DC Dec 7-9

The New Railway Age Washington, DC Dec 11-12

2009 TRB 88th Annual Meeting Washington, DC Jan 11-15

2009 AASHTO Washington Briefing Washington, DC Feb 21

To have an event added to the YPT events calendar, contact us.

Railway Age Passenger Trains on Freight RRs Washington, DC Oct 21-22


as a discussion forum for members to discuss YPT news and events. As YPT continues to grow, it is important that members who are not in the Washing-ton, DC area be given an opportunity to share their ideas and opinions on YPT events and strategies. You can review photos from past events and

view announcements of upcoming YPT events. To join the YPT Google Group you will need to create a Google ac-count.

YPT @ Facebook

Facebook is a social networking site. This site provides a forum for our

There are various avenues to obtain information about YPT and connect with the membership. To ensure our members have access to the latest news and information YPT has launched a website and developed groups on various online networking sites to help our members connect with each other and YPT.

YPT Website

This is the site for everything you need to know about YPT. The web-site provides information about YPT’s mission, activities, upcoming events, transportation resources (which in-cludes links to all the communication resources, links to transportation related websites, and job openings), photos of recent events, and contact information. The website is also where you can sign-up for the YPT e-mail list.

YPT Google Group

YPT envisions that this site will serve

members to communicate and con-nect with each other, view photos of recent YPT events, and post discus-sions and comments for all members to see. This is another way for mem-bers from across the nation and the globe to connect and discuss the fu-ture of YPT. In order to join the Facebook group you will need to cre-ate a Facebook account.

YPT @ LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking site that offers YPT members oppor-tunities to connect with each other and build professional contacts. YPT is committed to furthering the pro-fessional development of its mem-bers. In order to join the LinkedIn group you will need to create a LinkedIn account.

Linking to YPT

Join us online! Visit the YPT website for direct links to the Google, Face-book and LinkedIn YPT groups. Click on “Resources” from the YPT home-page.

Young Professionals in Transportation

http://ypt.transportation.org YPT is a Washington, DC-based organization. Membership in YPT is open to anyone engaged or interested in transportation regardless of age. All are welcome to participate in the organization and activities. Mobility Matters is the official publication of YPT. If you have questions about this newsletter or wish to contribute material, please contact Nick Perfili, Vice Chair for Communications, at [email protected], Subject: Mobility Matters. For additional information, visit our website.

Stay connected


Jack Basso, Chief Operating Officer, AASHTO

Mortimer Downey, Chairman, PB Consult

Robert Flanagan, Senior Vice President, First Southwest Company

Emil Frankel, Bipartisan Policy Center

John Horsley, Executive Director, AASHTO Tony Kane, Director of Engineering & Technical Services, AASHTO

Janet Friedl Kavinoky, Director of Trans-portation Infrastructure, US Chamber of Commerce

Emeka Moneme, Chief Administrative Officer, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Gloria Shepard, Associate Administrator for Planning, Environment & Realty, Federal Highway Administration

Stephen Van Beek, President & CEO, Eno Transportation Foundation

YPT Board of Advisors

YPT Executive Committee

Chair — Joung Lee, American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

Deputy Chair — Marcus Bowman, IAC Transportation

Vice Chair for Administration — Susan Howard, North Carolina Department of Trans-portation

Vice Chair for Communications — Nick Perfili, Fairfax County (Virginia) Department of Transportation

Vice Chair for Finance — Laura Feast, Science Applications International Corporation

Vice Chair for Professional Development — Adrian Merceron, University of Maryland

Vice Chair for Membership — Chris Smith, American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials

Vice Chair for Social Programs — Steve Pinkus, Gorove/Slade Associates, Inc.

ypt mobility matters - fall 2008 (v1 i1)

Documents