CSUSB Leonard Transportation Center conference focuses on stations for freight and mass transit

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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The potential need for transit stations to help manage the staggering amount of freight that passes through the inland region from Southern California to the east will be the focus of a conference today, Friday, Nov. 6. by Cal State San Bernardino's William and Barbara Leonard Transportation Center.

The center's second annual Transportation Research Conference, which will be renamed during a luncheon ceremony as the Jack. R. Widmeyer Transportation Research Conference, will focus on two topics - Going to San Bernardino: A Symposium on Intermodal Transit Stations, and Transit-Oriented Design, which will focus on the development of green and energy efficient construction projects and alternative transportation.

The all-day conference will be held in the Obershaw Dining Room in the university's Upper Commons. The event is free, though attendees must RSVP at the conference Web site. A free parking pass is included with registration; otherwise parking on campus is $5.

The conference will be renamed to honor the late Jack R. Widmeyer, a local businessman, builder and developer, who was interested in California transportation projects and how they could improve their effectiveness by taking advantage of the available input and expertise at Cal State San Bernardino and the Leonard Transportation Center.

The symposium starts at 7:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast, followed by a welcome from San Bernardino Mayor Patrick J. Morris, Leonard Transportation Director John Wu, Brett Clavio of Omnitrans and Richard Flierl of Cooper Carry Inc.

The first session at 9 a.m., "Going Beyond Roads - Intermodal Transit Stations," will be moderated by Mitch Alderman, the director of Transit and Rail Programs for the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG). The panelists are Cornelius Nuworsoo, a professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who will discuss transportation and land use planning; Francisco Oaxaca of Metrolink; Kevin Fang, a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who will talk about accessibility issues; and Sharon Greene of Sharon Greene and Associates, who will address the art of financial intermodal transit stations.

The second session at 10:30 a.m., "Going Beyond Zero - Transit, Development and Energy Efficiency," will be moderated by an official from the San Bernardino mayor's office. The panelists are Richard Willson, a professor at Cal Poly Pomona, who teaches transportation planning; Marcus Guerrero of the U.S. Building Council, who will focus on sustainable design strategies; Do Kim, a professor at Cal Poly Pomona, who will explore the impacts of Transit Oriented Development from a regional land use perspective; and Jesus Barajas, a student at Cal Poly Pomona, who will discuss regional bicycling planning in Los Angeles County.

At lunch, there will be an interregional discussion on transportation issues moderated by Richard Flierl of Cooper Carry. The panelists are Jeff Mayer, the district council president of the Orange County/Inland Empire Urban Land Institute; Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments; and Raymond Wolfe, district director of Caltrans District 8.

At 1:45 p.m. the panel session "Going Beyond the Boundaries - New and Emerging Technologies," will be moderated by Lindell Marsh of the Leonard Transportation Center. The panelists are Steve Done of the global consulting firm ARUP; Jeff Gerfen, a lecturer in the electrical engineer department of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Sarah Catz, a research specialist for UC Irvine's Institute of Transportation Studies; and Felix Oduyemi of Southern California Edison.

The last session, "Going to the O" will be at 3:15 p.m. and moderated by Brett Clavio of Omintrans. The panelists are Michael D. Reynolds of the Concord Group, Cliff Garten of Cliff Garten Studios, and Richard Flierl of Cooper Carry Inc.

At 5 p.m. there will be a reception focusing on "Going Beyond Design - sbX Public Art Exhibit."
The event is sponsored in part by the Leonard Transportation Center, the Widmeyer family, HDR, Omnitrans, Cooper Carry Inc., Caltrans and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

For more information or to register for the event go to the conference Web site.

The potential need for transit stations to help manage the staggering amount of freight that passes through the inland region from Southern California to the east will be the focus of a conference at CSUSB today.