Transit
Mobility Speaker Series
In 2017 NWARPC, through a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, started hosting a four part speaker series titled “Growing Mobility in a Growing Region” over a ten month period. This educational series consisted of four public events – three speaker lectures and one panel discussion with peer transit agencies.
The educational series included events with nationally known speakers, discussions with local transit agencies and staff, and a panel discussion with peer transit agencies on fixed route design and Bus Rapid Transit. Additionally, a half-day hands-on transit system design workshop was held with key stakeholders. This educational effort will also complement the FY 2018 NWARPC Transit Development Plan (TDP) update and the ongoing Light Bus Rapid Transit (LBRT) Study.
The speaking events took place in Northwest Arkansas (Benton and Washington Counties) and were available free of charge to local officials, transit agencies, advocacy groups, transit riders and the general public. The events provided an opportunity for participants to learn about existing transit systems, challenges and successes, and dialog with the speakers. It will also provided an opportunity for Northwest Arkansas stakeholders to learn from other transit agencies’ experiences and how these lessons learned can potentially be applied to Northwest Arkansas.
Below are the events that took place in 2017 and 2018:
Part One – Jarrett Walker Lecture on Human Transit – How Clearer Thinking About Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities And Our Lives: Monday, November 13, 2017 6:30PM – 8:30PM : Lecture at Record Downtown in Bentonville – Check out an interview with Jarrett Walker and his lecture recording here.
Part Two – Jeff Speck Lecture on Walkable City – How Downtown Can Save America, One Step At A Time: Wednesday January 31, 2018 6:30PM – 8:00PM at the Fayetteville Town Center in Fayetteville – Check out an interview with Jeff Speck and his lecture recording here.
Part Three – Growing Mobility – The Business Case for Transit: How and Why the Raleigh-Durham and Indianapolis Business Communities Support Transit: Thursday April 19, 2018 from 4:30PM-6:30PM at the Northwest Arkansas Board of Realtors in Lowell, AR. The guest speakers were Joe Milazzo and Mark Fisher.
Part Four – Our Next-Door Neighbors’ Transit Initiatives: Wednesday, August 8, 2018, 4:30PM-6:30PM at the Jones Center in Springdale: presentation and panel discussion.
Part 4 of the speaker series featured representatives from three near-by regions: Tulsa Transit – Tulsa, City of Tulsa, Embark Transit, Oklahoma City, Mid -America Regional Council (MARC), Kansas City and Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). This final event was planned to build upon what we learned over the last nine months with a focus on how our neighbors’ across the Stateline are improving mobility. The following were featured speakers at this event:
Keith Sanders, Chief Engineer, Kansas City Area Transportation’ Authority
Mr. Sanders is a registered professional engineer with 35 years’ of experience in the engineering, planning, design and construction field. He has been with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) since 1999. He is also KCATA’s liaison with the Kansas City Streetcar Authority and sits on the Kansas City Streetcar Operations Committee.
Laura Machala, Planner, Mid -America Regional Council, Kansas City, Missouri
Ms. Machala is a Transportation Planner at the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City, Missouri. In this position since 2015, she helped manage the development of Smart Moves 3.0: The Long-Term Transit and Mobility Plan for the Kansas City Region.
Dawn T. Warrick, Planning Director City of Tulsa
Ms. Warrick is the City of Tulsa’s Planning Director. In this role, her focus is on implementation of the community’s comprehensive plan, adopted in 2010, which was the result of the very successful PlaniTulsa community engagement process.
Ted J. Rieck, General Manager, Tulsa Transit
Mr. Rieck is the general manager of Tulsa Transit in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has over 35 years of transit experience spanning operations, planning, technology, and community partnerships.
Jason Ferbrache, Director/Administrator, Embark Transit, Oklahoma City
Mr. Ferbrache was appointed Administrator of the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA) and Director of the City of Oklahoma City’s Public Transportation and Parking Department in February, 2014. He is also a member of National Center for Civic Innovation’s Government Trailblazer program.
