What exactly is bus-rapid transit (BRT)? How can it benefit communities? And how is it different from other modes of transit? Learn how BRT, which combines the cost savings and flexibility of traditional bus service with the service quality of rail transit, has helped communities across the nation provide enhanced transit services while working within the constraints of increasingly limited budgets. This session examines BRT in varying contexts throughout the United States.
Speaker Details
Joseph T. Iacobucci
Chicago Transit Authority
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Bio: Joe Iacobucci is the Manager of Strategic Planning at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and heads long-range strategic initiatives vital to the growth and livability of Chicago and surrounding suburbs. In his 10 years of professional experience, he has managed various projects including the planning and implementation of the J14 Jeffery Jump, various Bus Rapid Transit projects, Rail Infill-Station Planning, Transit Oriented Development, Rail and Bus Corridor Planning, and Arts in Transit. He has a strong focus on inter-agency and civic coordination to ensure that economic and community development goals are leveraged with mobility improvements.
Education: Masters in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago
Past Assignments: TRB 2013 Annual Conference Nacto Designing Cities APTA Bus Conference Transport Chicago
Oliver J. Ernhofer
URS Corp.
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Bio: Oliver is a Traffic and Transportation Engineer and Planner. He has 15 years of experience in traffic management and control systems, as well as urban and transit planning from inception to completion. Oliver is currently a Project Manager for numerous diverse projects like the Jackson Heights Neighborhood Transportation Study, a comprehensive transportation study to address the safety and mobility of pedestrians, transit and vehicles, as well as quality of life issues in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. Oliver is also in charge of several bus rapid transit (BRT) projects in New York City, like the 34th Street Transitway Conceptual Design and Visualization project, a citywide Busway and Buslane Feasibility Study, the FTA compliant LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis, the Webster Avenue (The Bronx) SBS Conceptual Design project, and better bus service for 125th Street (Harlem).
Education: Technische Universität München Master, Civil Engineering 1991 – 1997
Key Publications: Designing Bus Rapid Transit Facilities for Constrained Urban Arterials: A Case Study of the Webster Avenue SBS Running Way Design Selection Process; Proceedings of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 92nd Annual Meeting, January 2013. Communicating a New Transit Concept - BRT in New York City Presentation within the Workshop ‘Visualize It! – Using Visualization to Communicate and Enhance the Public’s Involvement in Transportation’, 2011 TRB Annual Meeting, Washington D.C, USA, January 2011.
Other Publications: The Jackson Heights Neighborhood Transportation Study – A new Approach to Community Based Planning Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board Volume/IssueVolume 2307, Volume 2307 / 2012 PublisherTransportation Research Board of the National Academies, January 2013. Public Outreach for the Jackson Heights Neighborhood Transportation Study; Poster Presentation at the 2011 TRB Annual Meeting, Washington D.C, USA, January 2011.
Past Assignments: Overview of BRT - Select Examples from America and Europe Lecture at Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Introduction to Transportation Planning, Dr. Floyd Lapp, New York, NY, USA, December 2011
Roopa Dandamudi, AICP
Urban Planner
URS Corporation
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Bio: Roopa Dandamudi, AICP is a transit and land use planner with a range of experience studying various transportation planning topics such as multi-modal planning, light rail, high speed rail, and BRT systems.She has worked with URS Corporation as a planner for 4 years. Her past experience includes working for a local municpality working in both long-range planning and current planning.
Education: Master of Planning, University of Southern California
Veronica Siranosian, AICP
Senior Urban and Environmental Planner
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Bio: Veronica Siranosian, AICP, LEED GA is a senior planner with URS Corporation. She is responsible for environmental analysis and development of long-range land use and transportation plans and ordinances that support livable communities. Ms. Siranosian previously worked as a planner for Los Angeles County, where she developed an APA award-winning community participation model and successfully completed vision plans, community plans, technical reports, and zoning ordinances.
Education: Master of Urban Planning, New York University Wagner School of Public Service Bachelor of Arts in International Development and Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles
Past Assignments: 2011 National APA Conference Mobile Workshop Speaker: From Oil Fields to Open Space- Tracing development of the Baldwin Hills.
Christopher J. Ziemann, AICP
Chicago BRT Project Manager
CTA/CDOT/CCT
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Bio: Funded through support from the Rockefeller Foundation, Ziemann works between CTA and CDOT and coordinates the efforts of civic nonprofit groups with city agencies. He received a Master's in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and has worked with the BRT operating agency in Curitiba, Brazil. He led the planning and implementation of Washington, D.C.'s first protected bicycle lane.
Education: Master of Regional Planning, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill; Bachelor of Arts, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Key Publications: Parking Management in Curitiba, Brazil
Other Publications: Why don’t people obey the rules when they ride a bike?; 15th Street Cycle Track: Return on Investment Analysis
Past Assignments: Transit and Complete Streets, University of Illinois - Chicago (2012); National Bus Rapid Transit Insitute Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV (2012); Mid-Continental Transportation Research Conference, Madison, WI (2008, 2010); XV Panamerican Congress of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Cartagena, Colombia (2009) Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2009) Transportation in Latin America, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, 2006
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