Distinguished Speaker Series

Under the Distinguished Speakers Series, the LTA Academy organises seminars and workshops for the benefit of LTA staff and local professionals. Such seminars and workshops are conducted by eminent experts in the areas of transport policy & and planning, transport infrastrcuture development & management, and transport innovation & systems.

(from left) Prof Vuchic, Prof Hensher, Prof Ridley, Mr Lew (LTA), Mr Rat, Prof Morichi, Prof Kim

These included:

• Promoting and Branding Public Transport
  by Ms. Heather Webster on 26 June 2008

  Heather Webster is the former Executive Director of the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure in the Public Transport Division of South Australia.

• Behavioural Economics in Land Transport: Understanding the Psyche of our Customers
  by Professor Jack Knetsch on 20 August 2008

  Jack Knetsch is Emeritus Professor of Economics, Simon Fraser University, Canada. He was a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Civil Service College of Singapore when delivering the workshop.

Dr. Makoto Kanai, Obayashi Corporation

• Tunnelling: Changing Technology, Unchanging Challenges
  by Mr. John Busbridge on 10 September 2008

  John Busbridge is Vice President of Golder Associates Corporation, a leading civil/geotechnical and environmental consulting services provider with 50 years of history.

• Insights of six world-renowned experts on land transport, who are also international advisors to LTA.

  • Intermodal Balanced Transport with Focus on Efficient Transit
    by Professor Vukan R. Vuchic on 7 November 2008.

    Vukan R. Vuchic is UPS Foundation Professor of Transportation Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

  • Metros – Productivity and Service
    by Professor Tony Ridley on 7 November 2008.

    Tony Ridley is Emeritus Professor of Transport Engineering, Imperial College, United Kingdom.

Professor Alan Altshuler, Harvard University

• Innovation in Construction
  by Dr. Makoto Kanai on 17 December 2008.

  Makoto Kanai is Senior Managing Director of Obayashi Corporation, Japan, a leading construction contractors with a history of about 120 years.

• Urban Transport in the USA: Global Implications; Prospects for Change
  by Professor Alan Altshuler on 16 February 2009.

  Alan Altshuler is a Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor and the Ruth and Frank Stanton Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, Harvard University, USA.

• Effects of Tunnelling and Deep Excavations on Buildings
  by Professor Robert Mair on 2 April 2009.

  Robert Mair is Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at Cambridge University, United Kingdom.

Professor Robert Mair, Cambridge University

• Proactive National Transport Strategy for Low Carbon and Green Growth
  by Dr. Hwang Kee Yeon on 29 January 2010.

  Hwang Kee Yeon is the President of the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI), Korea.

• State of Practice in Travel Survey
  by Professor Peter R. Stopher on 9 July 2010.

  Peter R. Stopher is Professor of Transport Planning, Institute of Transport & Logistics Studies, University of Sydney, Australia.

• Principles of Bus Rapid Transport Design
  by Mr. Pedro Alvaro Szasz on 30 July 2010.

  Pedro Alvaro Szasz, Transport Consultant, has more than 37 years experience, on urban transport in terms of Traffic Engineering, Public Transport, Road Tools and high-capacity bus systems (BRTs). Since 1988, he has been working as an independent consultant in 60 cities across 20 countries on 5 continents.

• Measuring Urban Mobility Performance Across Scales, Times, & Places: Examples, Challenges and Possibilities
  by Associate Professor P. Christopher Zegras on 17 August 2010.

  P. Christopher Zegras is Associate Professor, Transportation and Urban Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.

• Transportation Policy and Pricing in the U.S.
  by speakers from University of Minnesota, Oregon Department of Transportation and US Congressional Office on 21 October 2010.

  
  
  • Laurie G. McGinnis, Director, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, USA
  • Lee Munnich, Senior Fellow and Director, State and Local Policy Program, University of Minnesota, USA
  • James Whitty, Manager, Office of Innovative Partnerships and Alternative Funding, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), USA
  • Alex Herrgott, Professional Staff Member, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Office of Senator James Inhofe, United States Senate, Washington, DC
  • Paul Schmid, Legislative Assistant, Environment and Public Works Committee, Office of Senator Tom Carper, United States Senate, Washington, DC

• A Framework for Reducing Carbon Emissions from Urban Transport: Examples from Latin America and Asia
  by Dr. Lee Schipper on 12 November 2010.

  Lee Schipper is a Senior Research Engineer at the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center (PEEC) at Stanford University, USA. He is also a Project Scientist with Global Metropolitan Studies at University California (UC) Berkeley and an affiliate of the Energy and Resources Group at UC.

• Building a Bike Friendly City
  by Councillor John Tognolini on 3 June 2011.

  John Tognolini has been a member of the City of Perth Council since October 2007 and was elected to the office of Deputy Lord Mayor following the elections in October 2009.

• Sustainable Transport: Some Recent Trends and Application to Singapore
  by Professor Peter Newman on 28 June 2011.

  Peter Newman is Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University, Australia, a Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and was recently appointed as a Lead Author for Transport on the next IPCC Report. His book with Jeff Kenworthy 'Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence' was launched in the White House in 1999.

• It Pays To Do The Right Thing: Incentive Mechanisms for Societal Networks
  by Professor Balaji Prabhakar on 29 July 2011.

  Balaji Prabhakar is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Stanford University, USA.

• Understanding and Modeling Transit Customer Behavior – Measuring Users’ Costs
  by Associate Professor Jeffrey M. Casello on 4 October 2011.

  Jeffrey M. Casello is Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada.