SCCRTC Speaker Series

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has launched the Innovators in Transportation Speaker Series. This series of educational and informative talks and presentations will give members of the community the opportunity to hear transportation experts from around the country discuss the innovations and trends that are shaping the future of transportation in Santa Cruz County and beyond.

“Through this new speaker series, we hope to deepen the community’s understanding of transportation issues,” said George Dondero, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission.

The series will run throughout the year with speakers sharing their expertise on a variety of transportation-related topics, including the evolution of SMART, housing and transit connections, and future transportation trends. These events are free and open to the public.

The first of this series was, Planning Transit for a Prosperous Santa Cruz County by Jarrett Walker, International consultant in public transportation planning and policy, and author of Human Transit. (A video of the presentation is located at: https://youtu.be/9Wm2S8aTeZo)

Some of the high points of Mr. Jarrett’s presentation were very enlightening such as “Geometry” where he compares the amount of space required to transport the same number of passengers by car, bus and bicycle. He then pointed out that technology can’t change geometry such as with cars whether they are a private car, or taxi/Uber or self-driving as they all still take up the same space.

He also showed how transit success often is determined by ridership or by coverage, which have very different transit outcomes. (see graphic below)

Upcoming Talks

The Evolution of SMART by Farhad Mansourian General Manager of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Thursday, Aug. 2, 9:00 a.m. Watsonville City Council Chambers, 275 Main Street, Watsonville. Presentation & Discussion (During regular Commission meeting)

Housing and Transit Connections by Jeffrey Tumlin Principal and director of strategy at the transportation planning firm Nelson Nygaard Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Simpkins Family Swim Center, Community Room, 979 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz Presentation and Q & A.

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Thursday, Sept. 6, 9:00 a.m. County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 701 Ocean Street, Room 500, Santa Cruz. Presentation & Discussion (During regular Commission meeting)