|
|
USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood to Host Surface Transportation Reauthorization Meeting during ITS America Annual Meeting & Expo in Houston
Secretary LaHood, IBM Chairman Sam Palmisano to Keynote Closing Plenary
April 20, 2010
Contact: Emily Fishkin (Director of Communications): (202) 721-4204
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Washington, DC - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will convene a Surface Transportation Reauthorization Outreach Meeting with stakeholders on Wednesday, May 5th to conclude the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's (ITS America) 20th Annual Meeting & Exposition in Houston, Texas.
The USDOT Reauthorization meeting is scheduled from 12:30 - 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5, immediately following ITS America's Closing Plenary which will feature keynote presentations by Secretary LaHood and Sam Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM. The meeting is part of a series of sessions across the country designed to bring together Federal, state and local officials, as well as transportation providers, users, and other stakeholders, to discuss the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization.
More than 2,000 public and private sector officials and innovation leaders are expected to attend ITS America's Annual Meeting from May 3 - 5 at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center. The event will focus on advancing the development and deployment of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to reduce traffic crashes, congestion and emissions, strengthen economic competitiveness, create more livable and sustainable communities, and provide Americans with safer, cleaner, and more efficient transportation choices. A few examples of ITS technologies include real-time traffic and multimodal traveler information, vehicle collision avoidance systems, synchronized and adaptive traffic signals, electronic toll collection, smart transit and parking systems, and freight management technologies.
The 3-day event will kick off on May 3 with a Texas Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee hearing and an opening session featuring Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, and federal and state transportation leaders. The conference also includes a 150,000 square foot expo hall featuring nearly 150 companies and agencies showcasing the latest ITS technologies; tours of high-tech transportation projects including Houston TranStar's new web-based hurricane evacuation map; a live 18-wheeler truck rollover incident management demo; an advanced "driver assist" transit system; and more than 50 sessions addressing key issues such as distracted driving; traffic congestion; freight management; new Bus Rapid Transit technologies; job creation and economic competitiveness; rural safety; vehicle collision avoidance systems; incident and emergency response; innovative financing; road pricing; eco-driving and CO2 emissions reduction strategies; IntelliDriveSM; and other topics of important to the transportation reauthorization debate. A list of the daily highlights can be found here.
ITS America Annual Meeting & Exposition Highlights
Texas Leaders Kick off ITS America's 20th Annual Meeting & Expo
Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, and U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX/18) will kick off the opening session on Monday, May 3, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Texas Transportation Institute Director Dennis Christiansen that will include Texas DOT Executive Director Amadeo Saenz, Jr., Houston METRO President Frank Wilson, Houston Public Works Director Michael Marcotte, and TransCore President John Simler. U.S. Congressman Pete Olson (R-TX/22) will provide welcoming remarks and an update on the transportation authorization bill during the ITS Industry Awards ceremony on Monday evening in the 150,000 square foot exhibit hall.
Senate Transportation & Homeland Security Committee Examines Key Issues
On Monday at 9:00 a.m., the Texas Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee will conduct a hearing focused on congestion and air quality, overweight vehicles, hurricane response, and other issues such as transportation finance and traffic safety.
Senior USDOT Officials Discuss ITS and National Transportation Agenda
Tuesday will start with a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Plenary session moderated by Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) Administrator Peter Appel that will feature a panel discussion with U.S. DOT Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy Polly Trottenberg; Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Victor Mendez, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator David Strickland, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Anne Ferro, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Peter Rogoff, and RITA Deputy Administrator Robert Bertini about the Department's transportation priorities and the role of ITS technologies in creating a safer, smarter, more efficient and more sustainable multimodal transportation network.
Secretary LaHood, IBM Chairman Palmisano Keynote Closing Session
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and IBM Chairman and CEO Samuel J. Palmisano will discuss their visions for our nation's transportation future during the closing session on Wednesday, which will be moderated by Dr. C. Michael Walton, Professor and Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Participants will also preview the 17th ITS World Congress in Busan, South Korea and the 18th ITS World Congress in Orlando, Florida in October 2011.
High-Tech Demos, Exhibits & Houston Transportation Highlight Tours
Throughout the week participants will have the opportunity to visit the Expo Hall, tour high-tech transportation projects, and participate in technology demos including an 18-wheel truck rollover response and SAFE Clear incident management program, a Bus Rapid Transit demo featuring a "driver assist" guidance system developed by the University of Minnesota's Intelligent Vehicles Lab, and a smart parking meter demo. Other highlights will include tours of Houston TranStar, one of the most advanced transportation and emergency management centers in the country, as well as the Port of Houston, METRO HOV System and Rail Operations Center, and Harris County Toll Authority.
National and Regional Transportation Leaders Host Ancillary Events
The event will also serve as host to ancillary meetings held by the U.S. DOT, Houston-Galveston Regional Safety Council (RSC), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS), North America's SuperCorridor Coalition (NASCO), Texas Towing & Storage Association (TTSA), and the Department of Homeland Security's National Transportation Security Center of Excellence (NTSCOE). Find more infor on Ancillary Events here.
For more information and live updates throughout ITS America's 20th Annual Meeting and Exposition, follow our Twitter feed (its_america) and visit us on Facebook.