From City Councillor and Urbanist Patrick Johnstone, on the City of New Westminster’s Transportation Forums at Innovation Week:
Thursday March 1 would be a good day to spend in New Westminster if you are interested in learning about urban transportation and how we pay for it. As part of Innovation Week, the City of New Westminster is hosting free events all day where planning professionals, policy experts, and anyone with an interest in the future of the region can learn about how technology is changing transportation planning, and could re-shape the region. The day starts with a Keynote presentation by Robin Chase, the transportation entrepreneur behind ZipCar and Veniam. She will be speaking about a positive vision for shared mobility, based on her international experience at the cutting edge of car share and creating the information solutions required to make them work.
The day will be populated with panels featuring thought leaders in local government, academia, and private companies working in applying new technology to transportation. The conversations will be relevant to people working in planning, but also those interested in the region’s sustainability, and those who are trying to find opportunity in the disruptive aspects of the new tech. Panels through the day include:
· The future of, and challenges for, public entities managing Open Data to make transportation systems and cities work better;
· Electric vehicles, and how we can build the necessary infrastructure and data systems to support their charging needs in our existing built environment;
· Autonomous vehicles, and a “fireside chat” about what they mean for our economy, for mobility within our cities, and for our existing public transportation systems.
The evening forum will discuss Road Pricing Congestion Charges Mobility Pricing, and what it means to the Lower Mainland as the Mayors Council looks to implement some form of it to fund future regional transportation investment. The panel discussion will feature the Vice Chair of TransLink’s Independent Commission on Mobility Pricing, Joy McPhail, sustainable urban planning gadabout Brent Toderian, and Economist Marc Lee from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The combination should result in a dynamic discussion around what TransLink is trying to achieve, what it means for the shape of our cities and our region, and what the public policy implications are as we try to develop a “fairer” pricing system for transportation.
All events are free, you can come and go as you like, but the organizers would love if people can register to let them plan better.
It will be a long day, but don’t feel the need to pack a lunch, as the Anvil Centre is surrounded by several great restaurants and pubs if you need refreshments. Look for Councillor Patrick Johnstone to give you the best restaurant advice to fit your taste and/or budget! A list of the several events is available on the Innovation Week website:
https://www.newwestcity.ca/innovation-week
Transportation Forums (part of Innovation Week)
March 1, 2018
10:00. Keynote by Robin Chase
11:00. Open Data 101
1:30. Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure
3:15. Autonomous Vehicles
4:00 Wrap-up and Reception
6:00 Mobility Pricing Independent Commission
Anvil Centre (across the street from the New Westminster SkyTrain Station)
Open to the public, limited seating, please register to assure a seat.
