At the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) Annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia this week, the world’s tolling executives, engineers, and planners gathered to share best practices and innovations in transportation from 19 countries around the globe.
IBTTA selected Vancouver for its 81st Annual Meeting and Exhibition due to the city’s dramatic transportation renaissance over the past-decade that has been fueled by innovative funding solutions, including public-private partnerships, serving as a world-class example for transportation professionals.
“Tolling professionals and mobility experts from 19 countries gathered in Vancouver, a leader in transportation innovation, to share best practices that will ultimately benefit their customers – the traveling public – and the facilities they use,” said Patrick D. Jones, Executive Director and CEO of IBTTA. “From the new Port Mann Bridge to TransLink, Vancouver’s public transportation system partially funded by tolls, Vancouver is a beacon of transportation progress for not only Canada, but also the world.”
As dramatic changes continue to take place in the world of transportation, IBTTA’s 81st Annual Meeting focused on the newest advancements in the tolling industry ranging from All-Electronic Tolling and interoperability to the spread of public-private partnerships (P3). IBTTA’s meeting offered transportation professionals from around the globe an opportunity to engage colleagues and learn about the latest industry trends.
“British Columbia has been leading the way on innovative funding models, including public-private partnerships and other effective methods of transportation financing,” said Mike Proudfoot, CEO of Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp). “While innovative transportation systems are happening around the globe, Vancouver can learn from its counterparts ahead of decisions about the future of transportation in our own backyard. We can all learn from our shared experiences to make traveling smarter.”
This year’s 2013 meeting, Moving Smarter: How Tolling Meets the Challenge, featured a keynote address from Daniel Sieberg, an author and former information technology reporter and current Head of Media Outreach for Google.
“This meeting gave international, transportation industry professionals a unique opportunity to meet with representatives from around the world to talk about front-line issues affecting the mobility of their customers,” said Rob Horr, IBTTA Board President, and Executive Director, Thousand Islands Bridge Authority. “Transportation innovations and sustained leadership has been a hallmark of Vancouver’s inter-modal, transportation renaissance over the last decade and I can’t think of a better place for us to gather to learn from each other and work towards tackling the transportation challenges of tomorrow.”
On September 23rd, Jones authored an op-ed in the Vancouver Sun on the future of transportation.
In 2013, IBTTA launched Moving America Forward, a public awareness campaign that highlights the benefits of tolling to policymakers, the media, and other interested parties. For additional information on IBTTA’s Moving America Forward campaign, including fact-sheets, background documents and other materials, please click here.
