Transportation Commission Office – PO Box 47308 – Olympia, WA 98504-7308
(360) 705-7070
Date: July 1, 2020
Contact: Reema Griffith, Transportation Commission Executive Director, 360-705-7070
OLYMPIA – The June transportation revenue forecast, reflecting the impacts of COVID-19 on state transportation revenues, will be one of the topics at a July 7 meeting of the Washington State Transportation Commission. The meeting will also kick off a year-long series of discussions on the future of transportation post-COVID-19, with the goal of identifying potential challenges and opportunities for change in the areas of transportation policy, planning, and investments in Washington state.
The meeting starts at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7. Due to limitations on the size of gatherings in response to COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted using GoToWebinar. People interested in attending can find participation instructions and a link to register on the commission website.
The commission will hear an overview of the June 2020 Washington State Transportation Revenue Forecast, as well as additional presentations specific to the revenue forecasts based on tolling traffic and ferry ridership.
Commissioners also will hear from experts offering insights into the future of transportation. The purpose of this session is to establish the big picture of potential impacts and changes to transportation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This discussion will kick off the commission’s year-long plan for assessing the possible ways in which the transportation system will evolve at all levels in Washington state, such as potential changes in shared mobility, mass transit, bicycle and pedestrian access, teleworking, and congestion management.
The commission will first hear from the principal futurist at Seattle-based Teague, who will explore what the future of transportation might look like through the lens of technology and the passenger’s experience.
An expert panel will share their perspectives on various aspects of the new future for transportation. The panel will be moderated by Sabrina Minshall, executive director, Spokane Regional Transportation Council. Panel speakers include: Former Governor Chris Gregoire, currently the CEO of Challenge Seattle; Chris Mefford, CEO of Seattle-based Community Attributes; Mark Hallenbeck, director, University of Washington Transportation Center; and Dr. Susan Shaheen, professor, UC Berkeley, and director, Resilient and Innovative Mobility Initiative.
The panel will address such topics as: what travel data is telling us; what the foreseeable impacts will be to shared mobility, transit, and social equity; what the broader, long-term economic considerations are for COVID-19, including private sector impacts and anticipated shifts; and, opportunities for re-focusing long-term transportation system planning and re-inventing the “commute.”