APTA President Discusses Mobility Innovation at Carnegie Mellon Symposium

APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas participated on the Enabling Safe, Efficient Connected Infrastructure panel at the Carnegie Mellon University Safety21 Deployment Partners Consortium Symposium in Pittsburgh, PA, Nov. 14.

Costa Samaras, director, Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University, moderated the session. Joining Skoutelas were Thomas Bauer, general manager, V2X and connected vehicles strategy, Miovision TTS; Rich Fitzgerald, executive director, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission; Kim Lucas, director, department of mobility and infrastructure, City of Pittsburgh; and Amber Reimnitz, ITS multimodal digital infrastructure program manager, Federal Highway Administration.

The panel explored how connected infrastructure can significantly enhance safety, efficiency, and equity in transportation systems. Experts discussed the integration of smart technologies such as vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, intelligent traffic management, and real-time data sharing to prevent accidents, improve traffic flow, and create safer roads for all users.

The panel also examined the role of electrification in supporting safer, connected infrastructure, while addressing challenges such as cybersecurity, public adoption, and equitable access. Panelists provided their perspective on how research and innovation is providing a guiding light toward a safer, more inclusive future for transportation.

Themes discussed included the connection between electrification and automation; the “fiscal cliff” that many public transit agencies are likely to face, working with communities, ways to benefit from trail-blazing innovation, and existing data on autonomous safety and how the incoming Administration might use it.