RSG123: Dr. Joshua Schank on the State of Mobility in Los Angeles

If you spend any time of your day driving during the commuting hours, you’re very familiar with traffic. But what are transit authorities doing to address the ever-growing traffic problems many cities are now afflicted with? If you’ve been asking that question, you won’t want to miss this episode.

If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.

Intro

  • Today I’m talking with Joshua Schank
  • First-ever Chief Innovation Officer for the LA County Metro
  • Urban planner by trade
  • A realist – he can really speak to the biggest challenges facing transit, congestion pricing, etc.

Intro to Joshua Schank

  • Chief Innovation Officer for the Los Angeles County Metro
  • Background in urban planning
  • Dislikes traffic – now works in LA!
  • Day to day job involves solving transportation problems in LA in creative ways

Challenges Facing LA Transportation

  • The way we use our transportation network is the issue
  • Efficiently allocate space
  • Traffic does not have to be our default
  • Testing new ways to address transportation in a major city

Solutions for Addressing Transportation Issues

  • Congestion pricing – is it feasible?
  • Attacking Uber/Lyft is easy – but not necessarily the best way to go!
  • Issues are more systemic than TNCs
  • Combine the best of TNCs with the best of the public sector

Mobility on Demand

  • Partnership with Via
  • Best of TNC and best of Metro
  • Pilot program (grant program)
  • Uses TNC to get to Metro stations – first/last mile
  • Just approved for a second year – outperformed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Upcoming Innovative Transit Opportunities

  • Incentives – Travel Rewards Program
  • Partnering with TNCs to encourage people to not drive alone
  • Work with employers around LA to incentivize people to not drive alone
  • Encourage a mode shift

Outro

  • Big thanks to Dr. Schank for coming on the podcast and chatting all about the current and future states of mobility in LA
  • I’m very excited about the pilots coming out – it’s not just studies anymore
  • Cities still have a ways to go, but clearly there are hardworking and talented people working on this
  • Follow along with the Request For Proposal (RFP) process – LA Metro website below – they’re not just for big companies!

Show Notes