Beth Thomas
Beth Thomas has over 15 years of experience in transportation planning and pedestrian and bicycle facility design. She holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. She was the lead author of “Cycle Track Literature Review” published in Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 52, in March, 2013.
Sarah Syed
Sarah Syed leads research at the intersection of equity and transportation to advance robust and sustainable solutions to increase access to opportunity. With more than 14 years of public and private sector experience delivering local and regional scale transportation projects, Sarah works to advance research, projects, and programs to challenge the racism that is deeply embedded in transportation policy and infrastructure development. Her specialties include transit project management including complex planning studies and large multi-year planning, design and engineering contracts, inclusive community engagement, active transportation, and parking policy. Her work has resulted in new infrastructure, plans, and services to improve mobility for people who walk, cycle, and ride transit in Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Clara County, and Los Angeles, California. Over the past two decades, Sarah has held several elected and appointed leadership positions. Sarah currently serves on the American Planning Association Los Angeles Board of Directors as COVID-19 Response Chair and Vice-Director of Programs.
Research and practice areas of interest include equity, community engagement, project management practices, transportation policy, good governance, preparing planners with the analytical competencies to understand and address structural racism, and initiatives to increase the pipeline of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color pursuing the planning profession. She received her Masters Degrees in City and Regional Planning and Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Her Master’s Civil Engineering thesis described the response of regional rail riders to parking price changes at the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.
Steve Raney
Steve Raney has been principal for Cities 21 smart mobility consultancy from 2001 to present. Invented and patented “smartphone instant carpooling.” Principal investigator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “Transforming Office Parks into Transit Villages” study of personal rapid transit (PRT).
Conceived the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Climate Innovations Grant Program for the San Francisco Bay Area. Research consultant for Google Self Driving Cars from 2012 to 2013. Principal for Ultra Global PRT from 2007 to 2012.
Conducted last mile studies for Raleigh, Austin, San Jose Airport, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, Edina, Microsoft, and the Oakland Airport. Published 18 peer reviewed reports for the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the EPA and other agencies on smart parking, smartphone instant ridesharing, transforming office parks, efficient cities of the future, mobility for suburban job centers and PRT concept and feasibility studies. Specialties include last mile studies, PRT feasibility studies and network design, Transportation Demand Management (TDM), multimodal travel demand forecasting, smartphone ridesharing applications and public policy.
Masters Degrees in Transportation Planning and Business Administration from U.C. Berkeley and Columbia University. Masters Degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Bachelors Degree in Computer Science form U.C. Santa Barbara.
Doug Kolozsvari, Ph.D
Doug Kolozsvari has spent the better part of his career on transportation issues, including ways that individuals and groups can effectuate positive change in this sector. He received his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan and also holds a Master’s in Urban Planning from UCLA. A recognized expert on parking, his Master’s thesis explained how a citizen and business group worked to improve services and infrastructure in their neighborhood using dedicated parking meter revenue.
His doctoral dissertation looked closely at the attributes and actions that can make civil society organizations successful in sub-Saharan Africa’s transport sector. As a professional transportation planner and consultant, he has worked with public sector actors and NGOs of all sizes while tackling issues related to air quality, climate change, community development, deforestation, energy, food security, and especially transportation. Doug also recently co-founded Kulea Games, which specializes in making mobile games for the nonprofit sector.
In his spare time, Doug enjoys walking his dog and playing epic games of tag with his eldest daughter. Living in Lyon, France has agreed with both his love of French pastries and the ability to live car-free. He and his wife, Marion, have recently celebrated the birth of another little girl who will soon join the morning ritual of seeking out fresh bread in the morning.
James M. Daisa, P.E.
