Panelists: Mary Elbech (with Julie White, head of multimodal transportation for NCDOT; Keith Benjamin, Director, Department of Traffic and Transportation for the City of Charleston)
Friday, February 21; 1:45-3:00
What’s your favorite example of ‘mobility for a new era’? Will autonomous vehicles solve transportation problems in our communities? How can the transport system increase access for all? Understanding the changing dynamic in mobility requires taking a different look at how to organize traffic as city experience growing demands on limited space. From both an increase in population as well as an increase in the ways people travel – from e-scooters, to autonomous vehicles, to modes we haven’t even thought of yet. A step back from the individual modes is needed in order to examine how they can all function together well in a way that also promotes safety and enjoyable public spaces.
For this panel, the focus will be on urban areas and exploring how to accommodate a broad range of new technologies that are entering the urban landscape like e-bikes and scooters and integrate them with other forms of mobility. Mary will provide her perspective and knowledge through the lens of the ANWB Traffic in the City methodology, examining how to approach new modes through road hierarchies and vehicles families to create safe, equitable traffic environments.