Texas Innovation Alliance hosts fifth annual Texas Mobility Summit
Transportation leaders converge virtually to discuss the policies, technologies, and funding strategies that will drive the future of Texas transportation
TEXAS (Sept. 28, 2020)–The unprecedented events of 2020 have impacted every part of our lives, including transportation. Texans have exchanged their morning commute for telework, restaurants and grocers are delivering food using self-driving vehicles, and public transit has found itself thrust into the center of a conversation regarding public health and equity. As the state adapts to the ongoing pandemic, Texas is accelerating implementation of innovative transportation systems with an eye towards technology and the future.
The Texas Innovation Alliance, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and metropolitan regions across the state, are convening virtually on Sept. 29-30, 2020, for the fifth annual Texas Mobility Summit, a crucial forum for transportation leaders to discuss the state of mobility and the role transportation will play in reinvigorating the economy.
“The pandemic is really a test of Texas’ resilience, and we are responding with innovation,” said Darran Anderson, Director of Strategy & Innovation at TxDOT. “To keep Texas moving forward, we are working collaboratively with our local, research, and private sector partners to develop new solutions – like connected and automated vehicles – that will help improve future challenges such as roadway safety, everyday congestion, public health, education, and job-access needs, and environmental disaster response.”
Recognizing that resilience is a team effort, and the Alliance is engaging leaders at all levels. Key policymakers participating in the Summit include State Representative Terry Canales and State Senator Robert Nichols, Chairs of the House and Senate Transportation Committees, respectively; Chairman Bruce Bugg and Commissioner Alvin New of the Texas Transportation Commission; Mayor Steve Adler of the City of Austin; Council Member David Robinson of the City of Houston; and Dan Morgan and Danyell Diggs from the U.S. Department of Transportation. A special highlight includes a panel of transportation leaders who will give voice to the challenges and opportunities facing rural Texas.
“Rural communities are at the heart of the Texas economy,” said Commissioner Alvin New of the Texas Transportation Commission. “As part of our core mission at TxDOT, we are connecting rural communities to job opportunities, enabling families to access medical care, and linking ranchers to the global supply chain. Technologies such as rural broadband and intelligent infrastructure can make Texas roadways safer while expanding economic opportunities.”
Additional priorities for the Summit include adapting the transportation system to meet new workforce demands, leveraging data to improve public health and mobility, bridging the digital divide, and integrating technologies to realize the Vision Zero goal of ending all traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
For more information on the Texas Mobility Summit and a full schedule of events, visit the Texas Innovation Alliance website.