COMTO Headquarters’ Post

Keep up with COMTO in our new series as we move the mission forward! Every month, we will highlight appearances and speaking engagements of COMTO's leadership. In September, our dynamic President & CEO, April Rai, crisscrossed the country representing COMTO Headquarters at chapter conferences and industry events. April began the month as a guest speaker for Transportation Research Board's Women’s Issues in Transportation Conference and engaging with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the CBC Transportation Braintrust. April was then off to her native California for COMTO Southern California Regional Chapter's Summit before returning to the East Coast for the COMTO New York gala. Days later, COMTO HQ hosted our board of directors’ meeting and our annual legislative event, A View From The Hill. The month closed out with April back on the West Coast as an invited speaker at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) TRANSform Conference.

COMTO Headquarters is proud to lead the Networked Communities cohort as a National Capacity Builder and support 16 amazing communities! Thanks to our partners AECOM, ReConnect Rondo, Accelerator for America,Intelligent Transportation Society of America, Two Degrees Below & MWDBE training academy for your support in leading this work! Wonderful to connect in person with all of the communities, Federal leadership and capacity builders!

As Floridians brace for the impacts of Hurricane Milton, your COMTO family sends its heartfelt concern and support to everyone in its path. This destructive Category 4 storm, with 155 mph winds, threatens to bring catastrophic storm surges to parts of Florida, putting many communities, especially underserved ones, at higher risk. We recognize that severe storms like Hurricane Milton often have a disproportionate impact on underserved communities, which may face additional challenges in accessing emergency services and rebuilding in the aftermath. In light of this, we want to ensure that COMTO’s network is available to connect our members and their communities to essential services and resources that can provide support before, during, and after the storm. Sincerely, COMTO Headquarters #COMTOPalmBeachCounty COMTO CENTRAL FLORIDA COMTO MIAMI CHAPTER #COMTOJax #COMTOFtLauderdale

Changes in technology provide opportunities and risks to mobility, particularly as they relate to traditionally and newly underserved populations. In recent years, economic, environmental, and social forces have quickly given rise to shared and on-demand mobility—a collective of entrepreneurs and consumers leveraging technology to maximize transportation and financial resources and generate capital. For instance, shared mobility services have become part of a trend that has pushed shared, on-demand mobility from the fringe into the mainstream. TCRP Research Report 244/NCHRP Research Report 1101: Transformational Technologies and Mobility Inclusion Playbook, from Transportation Research Board's Transit Cooperative Research Program - TCRP and National Cooperative Highway Research Program, is a playbook of resources for public and private entities to assess, plan, and measure their progress toward achieving transportation equity and inclusive mobility in an era of transformational technology. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/ebWsi9hR #TCRP #Research #Transportation

A national movement is well underway to reimagine and restore BIPOC communities bifurcated and negatively impacted by state highways in the 1960's. COMTO, in partnership with AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) Center for Environmental Excellence was proud to support these change agents whose transformational ideas were on full display during the 2nd annual Reconnecting Communities Summit in St. Paul, MN.

Save the date for an engaging webinar series featuring COMTO members & thought leaders. Learn the latest trends in transportation and innovative ways to drive equity industry-wide. Our first webinar, “Leveling the Playing Field – Equity in Contracting”, kicks off October 21, 2024. Register here: https://bit.ly/4dresK8 November 20, 2024: Safeguarding Rail Transportation -Enhancing Cybersecurity – Register here: https://bit.ly/4dBpAnF December 3, 2024: Optimizing and Securing Yard Management – Register here: https://bit.ly/3BBgsCt January 23, 2025: Designing Equity into Oregon’s Streets – Register here: https://bit.ly/4gVirBC #COMTO #Webinar #Transportation

Ensuring diversity and inclusion in the construction supply chain. COMTO’s President & CEO, April Rai, joins this important conversation as part of Construction Inclusion Week 2024, presented by Flatiron Construction and Turner Construction Company. “Raising the Bar on Supplier Diversity” will be held Thursday, October 17th at 1PM EDT   Additional panelists include: Scott Blair, Engineering News-Record Teaera Strum, Strum Contracting Co. Inc Paul Pendergast, BuildOUT California Kuvesh Ayer, Amtrak Charles E. Wilson, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority  Ural Yal, Flatiron Jim Lears, Turner Tyra Redus, Esq., CDE®, U.S. Department of Transportation Register today: https://lnkd.in/g4vpG8cm

Transit agencies are beginning to harness the value of external data, but challenges remain. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) Transit Cooperative Research Program - TCRP Research Report 213: Data Sharing Guidance for Public Transit Agencies – Now and in the Future, is designed to help agencies make decisions about sharing their data, including how to evaluate benefits, costs, and risks.    Many transit agencies have realized benefits from sharing their internal data sets, ranging from improved customer information, to innovative research findings that help the transit agency improve performance. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/epe-ZA92

“COMTO, we need you now more than ever.” – A call to action by Acting Under Secretary of Transportation Christopher C. at a transportation briefing with our federal partners at The White House. COMTO Headquarters had the pleasure of hosting nearly 100 members, from across North America, for an engaging tour and exclusive briefing at the White House. We left informed, inspired and ready for the road ahead. #COMTO #TransportationEquity #AViewFromTheHill #COMTOproud #Leadership

The nation was reminded of the importance of security barriers for transit bus operators by the fatal attack on a Tampa, Florida bus operator in 2019. The need for security barriers was reinforced by a serious attack on another operator for that same system later that year. While these are two extreme examples, they are likely not unique, as many assaults against transit workers have been underreported in the past. Another important but more pernicious risk to bus operator health is viral and bacterial infection. TCRP Research Report 249: Bus Operator Barrier Design: Guidelines and Considerations, from Transportation Research Board (TRB's) Transit Cooperative Research Program - TCRP, provides information and guidance for North American public transportation agencies, standards committees, and government and non-government policymaking organizations on designing, procuring, and installing bus operator barriers to prioritize the health and safety of essential operators and the public they serve. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/egsqwZnQ #TCRP #Research #Transportation