James Cretella // Senior Transportation Engineer, Arup
I’m a Senior Transportation Engineer at Arup, working for my esteemed colleague and former YPT Chair Kristy Tu! I specialize in traffic modeling and simulation, with a big focus on airport landside planning. Over the past eight years, I’ve modeled roadways at every major NY airport including LGA Terminal C, JFK Terminals 4, 5, 7, and the new Terminal 6, and just about all of Newark. I’m also really passionate about street safety, having been a survivor of a motor vehicle collision on my bike. I will never allow unsafe designs to cross my desk!
It’s up to us to be brave and bold in the face of unhinged opposition to protecting and saving lives on our streets from traffic violence.
Why transportation?
Picture it, Drexel University, sophomore year, a baby faced semi-closeted twink in the Civil Engineering program who was so unsure about his future. Suddenly, a savior arrives, a professor gives a passionate and funny presentation about this strange, unique field called traffic engineering. These engineers “model” traffic? They work on roads, traffic signals, sidewalks, highways? That’s a thing? Who knew! From that moment, I realized it was the perfect field for me. I always had an interest in transportation infrastructure since childhood, and once I knew it was a specific career path, I was sold.
What’s your favorite way to get around the YPT-NYC region?
I’ve only recently moved to an area with SBS lines that I can use and boy is it a game changer. Frequent service? All door boarding? Not stopping an ungodly high number of times every other block? Sign me up!
If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?
I would wake up the city to the failure that is our roadway system full of death and mayhem.
We aren’t where we should be with respect to Vision Zero, and a frightening number of people simply accept what’s happening on our roads as a fact of life, rather than something to be fixed. It’s up to us to be brave and bold in the face of unhinged opposition to protecting and saving lives on our streets from traffic violence.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Always bring your full, unapologetic self into whatever you do. Energy vampires are forgettable, whereas people remember our passion and interest. Holding yourself back makes any environment suck, whether in school, at work, or in your personal life. Be out, be open, surround yourself with friends and colleagues who accept you and your passions, and ditch the ones who don’t.
What are you working on currently that you’re most excited about?
I’ve been deep in the weeds helping prepare Toronto Pearson Airport for future passenger demands. It’s been a fun challenge to perform traffic modeling of the airport and stress test the roads and highways. If there’s still traffic issues in the future, just remember, I can give the airport advice, but they have to choose to spend money to enact that advice!
YPT-NYC 