IBTTA’s 2016 Conferences to Focus on People, Partnerships and Progress
IBTTA Seeks Presentation Ideas for Transportation Policy & Finance Summit and Maintenance and Roadway Operations Workshop
As IBTTA gears up for a busy 2016, incoming IBTTA President Buddy Croft and Executive Director of the Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority, will lead the year with a theme of People, Partnerships and Progress. Buddy selected his theme to intentionally build on the accomplishments of the past several years. As IBTTA brings members together from around the world to provide cutting edge content and education, we are now requesting presentations for the first two conferences of the 2016 season.
The first deadline is December 11 to submit your presentation ideas for the 2016 Transportation Policy and Finance Summit, March 13-15, 2016 in Washington, DC. The second deadline, December 15 for topics relating to the 2016 Maintenance and Roadway Operations Workshop, May 15-17, 2016 in Newport, Rhode Island.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Association is already gearing up for a new conference season, at a time of year when most industries are tying up loose ends for the holiday break. It’s always the right time for ideas and innovation in tolling—and when 2016 rolls around, our first all-member event will be just a few weeks away. (Our annual Leadership Academy takes place in early February).
A Spirit of Innovation
If you scan the prospectuses for the two conferences, you’ll see that the spirit of innovation will be alive and well in Washington and Newport.
Key sessions at the Transportation Policy & Finance Summit will focus on connected and autonomous vehicles, policy and governance issues in road user charging, changes in P3s and monetization concepts, and the reality that “all politics (and solutions) are local”… among many other topics.
“We have not had a long-term transportation bill in years, and now policy-makers are turning to states for solutions,” the call for presentations notes. Legislators are finding that “state leaders can make a better case for the importance of infrastructure investments and find more innovative vehicles to fund those projects.”
What’s Old is New
The Maintenance and Roadway Operations Workshop will focus on day-to-day issues like roadside safety, bridge construction and maintenance, customer mobility during maintenance and construction and sharing tolled facilities with utility corridors.
Regular participants in this annual event will also find that this year much of the discussion will focus on connected vehicles and concepts of customer collaboration that create new impetus and expectations for effective roadway operations.
Let’s Get Rolling
It’s going to be a jam-packed year. So when it comes to session abstracts, submit early and submit often! IBTTA conference programs are only as good as the thought, insight, and experience that tolling leaders contribute to them. And year after year, that means they’re very good, indeed. We can’t wait to see what you propose for 2016.
Click here for a summary of IBTTA’s 2015 Washington Briefing, here for materials from the 2015 Maintenance and Roadway Operations Workshop.