Long Reply...
Bucky alum said:
How did you get into transportation planning if you didn't get a masters in it? How much experience did you have before you got to work on these size projects?
Uhhh...tough question, with a long answer.
I've always been a transportation geek - cars, planes, trains, buses, etc. As to how I got into transportation planning, well that was a combination of luck and determination (mine). Planning education seems to be a little different in Canada than it is in the States - a planning undergrad degree here is quite specialized (e.g I went to the University of Waterloo, School of Urban and Regional Planning). The main reason I actually ended up in TP, was co-op education. I was able to get work experience in the field while I was at school, so even though I was in a general program, I got specific work experience.
IIRC, you work for the city of Toronto. On any of your projects (such as LRT) do you deal with private firms or is most of you work with government agencies? Do you know of any programs that are heavy in emphasis such as what you currently do.
I deal with a mixture of public and private - depending on the project. I tend to do a lot of co-ordination with the local transit authority in responding to development applications. And I work with them on projects (such as the LRT study). In reviewing Traffic Impact Studies, I'm dealing with the consultants that have prepared them. I also deal with consultants that have been employed by the City to prepare studies.
I can't think of any specific programs - I mean I got by with a general planning degree and my own interest. Going for a Masters in Transportation Planning could potentially trap you into a very technical role such as transportation modelling - I deal with that too, but it's not my life. Unfortunately, I have zero knowledge of U.S. Transportation Planning programs outside of the continuing Education courses offered at Northwestern.
I have a question about your light rail project, if you are building passenger projections, how do you do it. Do you estimate O&M costs to figure out a breakeven and develop your costs and build demand based on different costs? Just curious. Thanks.
Well - the LRT project I'm working on right now is not at that level of detail. Basically what is happening right now is there is a corridor identified in the City's Official Plan as being a future LRT corridor. There is development pressure along this corridor, so we are looking, in a preliminary manner, at how the LRT facility would fit in the current right-of-way (along with the traffic lanes, streetscaping, etc.) and what it might mean in terms of access to these developments which are being brought forward - i.e., do we need to restrict access or protect for addtional right-of-way to accommodate streetcar platforms, portals, and below-grade stations. Right now the study consists of me, a big map, and a pencil. It is very conceptual, and not a technical study. That comes later.
In terms of building passenger projections, well - in this case, that work was done previously, using an EMME/2 transportation model, and other tools to develop a transit network. There need to be further studies done to determine exact timing, and also the more detailing engineering work. Those studies will be lead by others, but I/my office will be involved as a part of the study team.
