I think we had an exciting few days together in San Diego. And as so often happens, the learning, engagement, and excitement don’t end here, within the confines of the meeting. They continue for days, months or years after the meeting happens. You renew old acquaintances or make new ones. You take in a new idea that you begin to implement immediately; or perhaps it takes you a few weeks to start working on it. Or maybe the annual meeting stirs in you the embers of some ancient fire that begins to burn more brightly only years after the meeting is over.
In an interview in the most recent issue of Traffic Technology International, Steve Snider commented that he is still reaping the benefits of the first IBTTA membership dues he paid more than 16 years ago. In short, a great idea or experience is not limited to the three or four days in which it first emerged.
What is your big idea? What is your big learning or takeaway from the IBTTA Annual Meeting? Share it with us. Your idea could be the one thing that makes the difference for someone else.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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Maurizio Rotondo
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking about the big takeaway from San Diego, the words coming to my mind are awareness and consciousness.
They refer to our sector, having IBTTA worked on its mission and goals, and to our world, where the simple action to let a plastic bottle cap drop in the water instead of disposing of it properly can cause a young albatros to die.
The paradox of the effect of a butterfly wings fluttering on the other side of the world does not seem such paradoxical anymore.
In IBTTA terms, awareness and consciousness can mean to take into account, if not each and every comment from the members, at least the spirit of the comment and of the request; the member can be fluttering or letting a cap drop, either the case it will have an effect on IBTTA.
In tolling sector terms, awareness and consciousness are perhaps what lacks, in the politicians and in their constituencies and in the administration officers; IBTTA may help bring them the tolls to become aware and conscious, and this is a part of the big audacious goal to become the leading voice in user financed road transportation.
It was a good conference and I am gratful for the opportunity to continue to learn and meet interesting and knowledgeable people.
ReplyDeleteMy take away after listening and talking with folks is unfortunately IBTTA still appears to be isolated from main stream of transportation activity, the DOTs and the environmental community. It is critical for IBTTA's future and continued success that it develop significant partners and for IBTTA to take a leadership role in the partnership on issues that concern them. Coalition building outside IBTTA was not evident at the meeting.
IBTTA continues to be an organization composed of good, capable and bright people that more often then not talk amongst themeselves. Even the session on Toll Authorities and DOTs did not address key issues about resposibilities within a state or a region. IBTTA is too small a player on the national/regional scene to be successful on issues that will effect them from the outside.
There is still time.
Thanks
Bill Ankner
This was my first conference.
ReplyDeleteI learned that the toll industry is in a rapid shift to automate, but that a driver cannot pay with cash at 65MPH.
Our tool, PayNearMe.com, lets the cash consumer pay with cash at all 7-Eleven stores (and soon other locations), so I expect a long and vital relationship with your industry.
Thanks again for having me. You throw good parties! ben@paynearme.com
Great conference. It raise my awareness about the role that each of us need to play safeguarding our "Planet"
ReplyDeleteGB
It was my first time at IBTTA , a newbie .........that TOLL ROADS are coming and coming ....It appers that Origin and Destination studies will become more critical for TOll Roads, and undertaking those types of studies using the Old Manual methods is not what the Bond Holders seek. using ALPR technolgy is the a great way to provide the INVESTMENT GRADE analysis and results that Wall Street and others will seek now and in the future. ALPR can provide a match of 85 % or more , and is the technology needed for Toll Roads .
ReplyDeleteDavid Lewis' presentation on Wednesday morning for the general session on sustainable return on investment (SROI) was not only thought-provoking for those of us attempting to market the tangible "green" benefits of our respective projects but struck me as an idea to investigate further. Thanks David.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first IBTTA annual meeting as well and our firm's first as a participant (in this case as an exhibitor). I think a challenge (short term) we face is that the economic and political situation clearly affected the ability for toll agencies and operators to be present at the meeting. I think we are seeing a paradigm shift in the philosophy of road pricing - while we will continue to have traditional toll roads and facilities, we are seeing both new participants (state DOT's, private concessionaires) and emerging applications (congestion charging, managed lanes, MBUF). I also have to concur with many of the remarks, which is at some point the transportation community will need to stop "waiting for Washington". While the UPA programs look to be yielding excellent examples, until there is genuine support for new ways of funding and operating transportation from decisionmakers, the lessons/opportunities may end up being isolated examples unless regional and state leaders take it upon themselves to both innovate and learn from others' innovations.
ReplyDeleteToll road projects and opertions are being discussed in the context of a general road funding system that has broken down from the federal level (as made clear at the presentations during the Highway Authorization - Are We There Yet? session)to the municipal level. As leaders in the most viable way to keep our roadway system in good condition - user fees - IBTTA and its constituents are well placed to take a leadership roll in providing solutions. Interoperability, with charging schemes and technology based on some type of VMT model, will be a central element. (I heard very little about trucking, and important user, during the conference.) It is in the tolling community's best interest to lead the way for our entire roadway system, lest crisis of congestion and severely deteriorated and unsafe infrastructure several years "down the road" lead to bad fixes being imposed.
ReplyDeleteAll around excellent conference. My hat is off to IBTTA and all the people who put the program together.
Peter Espy
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt was my first Annual Meeting.
I really enjoyed it!
The IBTTA team is very well prepared to conduce all the event and to help with all the doubts.
The infraestructure of the event was very good too.
Discuss about the new technologies, the importance of thinking tolling as a strategy to improve mobility, economic development and the environment, this is the true Sustainability.
Talking about this, the last conference that talks only about Sustainability was fantastic! A very goog example and helps us here in Brazil to think about it.
Chris Jordan presentation was life altering. This presentation was not what I expected but it was what was needed. I shared my experience with my family and we have all made changes to the way we live as a result of his message. Who would have thought that I would have had this experience at a conference about transportation? Thanks for the knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI was a little taken aback by the Tolls and Transit panel. I thought it was very biased towards sharing of toll revenue, with little response to 'need to share'. There was mention of inability to find an alternate viewpoint: how hard could it be? Any one of several board members trying to access the credit markets for toll projects could have been asked. The panel was skewed toward transit, and particularly systems that are in high density corridors in large metro areas. Agencies attempting to finance new or expanded roadways are often hamstrung by financing requirements and credit concerns. There are too many differences to address here, but perhaps a more balanced panel in future can do so.
ReplyDeleteThe 2010 annual meeting was a confluence of yesterday’s big ideas implemented and tomorrow’s big ideas taking shape. There is irony in freeway laced Southern California becoming a hotbed of tolling. In case there was any question, State DOT’s are now firmly established among who we call “toll operators.”
ReplyDeleteA quite a stir - an undercurrent beneath the confluence of big ideas surrounding talk of planning mass transit solutions for implementation in toll corridors. That may very well be the next hot debate leading to a big shift in our thinking.
That’s business stuff. There was a personal takeaway for me. Photographer/artist Chris Jordan shocked me into an awareness of the impact my generation’s mass consumer mentality has already had on the water that gives life to plants and animals, aka, the food chain. If you missed the meeting, go to http://www.chrisjordan.com/ and look at “Midway” under the “Artworks” tab. We had a major family meeting when I got home to reduce our use of plastic and aluminum and renew our commitment to recycling.
Dan Baxter