About Transportation Trajectories

Featuring Volpe experts, Transportation Trajectories is a new dialogue on advancing transportation innovation for the public good.

You are cordially invited to Join us in person or via webinar for our next Transportation Trajectories conversation. Join us as Volpe staff describe their work, share their knowledge of the transportation enterprise and respond to questions from participants.

About the Event

The Challenge of Transportation Planning for Megaregions

By 2050, 70% of U.S. population and economic growth is forecast to occur in 10-12 megaregions. Will our transportation network support global competition, avoid gridlock, and protect the environment? We plan transportation for states, urban areas, and modes, but who will plan for megaregions?

With William M. Lyons
Principal Technical Advisor for Transportation Planning at the Volpe Center

Tuesday, July 24, 2012
12:00 noon-12:30 p.m.
Management Information Center 1
Volpe Center
55 Broadway, Kendall Square
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Meet William M. Lyons

Mr. William M. Lyons is a Principal Technical Advisor in transportation planning at Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center.

He holds an M.A. from the University of California (Institute of Transportation Studies), an M.A. from the University of Lancaster (UK), a B.A. in Government and International Relations from Carleton College, and completed post-graduate studies in transportation and civil engineering at MIT.

Mr. Lyons' research interests include a broad range of topics involving integrated transportation planning and policy, including performance-based planning, planning for megaregions, and innovative ways to incorporate considerations of sustainability, public health, land use, or climate change in transportation decisions. In addition to research projects, he leads Volpe support for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on regulatory reviews of transportation planning by states and metropolitan areas. The projects involve multi-disciplinary teams and significant collaboration with transportation planning and operating agencies at state, regional, and local levels.

Mr. Lyons has represented Volpe and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on numerous international initiatives. He participated on international studies for the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), including a multi-year study to recommend policies to ministers on urban travel and sustainability. Mr. Lyons serves as coordinator for an agreement for research collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Transport's Centre for Transport and Navigation and served on the USDOT team reviewing transportation planning and policy in Panama.

Mr. Lyons is active in the Transportation Research Board (TRB), serving as a member of the Public Transit and Planning; Sustainability; and Metropolitan Policy, Planning, and Processes Committees. Through TRB, he has published numerous reports, served on numerous panels, and organized workshops on planning for megaregions and evaluation methodologies for non-motorized transportation.

For further information on Transportation Trajectories, please contact Ellen Bell, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Research and Innovation, 617.494.2491.