Tag: member-profile

Transportation Planner at VHB

Matthew Kalish is a transit and rail planner at VHB with a passion for creating more livable cities and towns, and working on improving public transportation and promoting active mobility to help make that possible. Throughout his time at VHB, Matthew has worked on a variety of transit projects in the New Jersey and New York City region, including a First-Mile/Last-Mile toolkit, the Gateway Program expanding rail access for the Northeast Corridor, and redesigning a bus network in southern New Jersey. He obtained a Masters in City and Regional Planning at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, which is what brought him to New Jersey after living in Washington, DC for eight years.

1. What is your favorite YPT-NYC memory?  

My favorite memory was the Jersey City walking tour a few months ago. The city is leading the way in creating pedestrian and bicycle-friendly streets and public spaces. Being able to see that firsthand by the people working on it was a great experience.
 
2. If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?

I wish there could be a truly interconnected transit network in the NYC metro region, both with regard to fare payment and ease of transfer. Between the three commuter railroads, many bus networks, two subway systems, light rail, and ferries, people are frequently needing to change between two (and sometimes even three!) different fare payment systems, all of which come with their different intricacies. If there was a single fare payment system that could be used through someone’s phone or smartcard and transfers were timed and convenient, it would revolutionize the way people travel in the area. I also think that as far as wishes go, this is quite attainable!

3. What’s your favorite way to get around the YPT-NYC region?

Prior to moving to New Jersey (I currently live in Newark), I lived in Washington DC. One of my favorite parts about living there was how bike-friendly the city was. While a much smaller city than NYC, it felt like I was never more than 15-minutes away from anything on my bike. As we all know, prioritizing wider roads and more car lanes takes away from a city in many ways, but building a safe and connected bike network in cities and towns allows for people to get around in an efficient (and fun!) way. I love that Newark is piloting scooter and bikeshare programs, and am very encouraged by NYC’s implementation of new bike lanes and the growth in people biking around the city over the last few years.

4. What sparked your passion to work in the transportation industry?

One of the main reasons I became so interested in working in transportation is because it affects every person in one way or another. People who work in transportation, be it the train operators, bus drivers, construction workers, car cleaners, or decision-makers, all play a role in whether a stranger has a good or bad day.

5. What are you working on currently that you’re most excited about?

I recently completed working on a First-Mile/Last-Mile online interactive toolkit with MTA that helps towns, cities, counties, and transportation organizations plan and fund microtransit and micromobility projects in the seven New York counties surrounding NYC. The toolkit was a fantastic initiative brought on by MTA, and I can’t wait to see what programs come out of its use in the next few years.

6. What famous celebrity do you think should be given the opportunity to voice a NYCT Subway announcement?

Being from Boston and a diehard Boston sports fan (with the exception of the NBA–story for another time), I would love to hear David Ortiz over the subway PA system just to see everyone’s reaction in the subway car.

7. What upcoming YPT event are you looking forward to the most in 2023? Trivia night! YPT does a great job running the event, and it was great finally being able to do it in-person last fall.

Senior Manager of Planning, MTA Construction and Development

Alexandra Aiello is a Senior Manager of Planning at MTA Construction and Development. Prior to joining C&D in 2022, she was at MTA Bridges and Tunnels where she worked on the Central Business District Tolling Program and the Cashless Tolling Transition.

Previously, she was a GIS Analyst at NJ Transit and was a political campaign organizer, which included President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in Florida. She served on the YPT-NYC Board from 2015 to 2018 as Director of Programs and Deputy Chair. Originally from Callicoon Center, NY, a small hamlet in the Catskills, which doesn’t have a traffic light and boasts a population of 403, Alexandra has called the greater NYC area home for 10 years and lives in Brooklyn with her rescue cat, Smidge. Alexandra holds a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Science in Philosophy from SUNY Oneonta. She is currently writing her first children’s book.

1. What is your favorite YPT-NYC memory?  

I always loved the YPT Hikes where we’d take public transportation out to a hiking trail and spend the day together. I found that they are really great ways to get to know one another because there are so many opportunities for conversation.
 
2. What’s your favorite way to get around the YPT-NYC region?

Definitely by bicycle. As I write this, I’m on vacation in Iceland, and it makes me realize how lucky we are to have such a rich network of bicycle infrastructure in New York City as transportation in Iceland is very car-dependent. It’s also amazing what you can transport on just two wheels – one time, I even transported a rug on my bicycle’s rear rack and rode down to my apartment!

3. What sparked your passion to work in the transportation industry?  

It all started with a bicycle. When a sharrow was installed in my neighborhood in Albany, I decided to try out city cycling. I immediately became smitten – you can only imagine how I felt after riding in a protected bike lane! Afterwards, I started bike commuting, read blogs about bicycle and pedestrian planning, and attended public city planning meetings. At the time, I was a campaign organizer, but knew I couldn’t do it forever because of the long hours and I would move so frequently from campaign to campaign that I didn’t live in the same zip code for more than six months. I knew that I still wanted to make a difference and decided that after the Obama campaign concluded, it would be so wonderful to work in a field I was so passionate about, so I sent an application off to Rutgers and the rest is history.

The cause is personal as well – after losing my younger brother in 2020 from complications with depression, I am committed to promoting active transportation and its proven positive benefits on mental health. I also live with depression and generalized anxiety disorder and can relate all too well how it can be a struggle to simply get out of bed in the morning or not think you’re good enough, and while I certainly know a bike ride may not be able to solve all your problems, it can help ease stress and negative feelings. That is one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about improving access to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

4. What career advice would you give to other YPT-ers interested in your career path?

e have all been that person where you walk in the room and don’t know anyone. I absolutely encourage you to strike up a conversation because you never know where it may lead you. Taking those chances have helped me not only advance my career, but also gain friendships I cannot imagine my life without. Also, if you have FSA or HSA benefits at your job, I highly recommend that you use them. I find that a lot of people, especially those early in their careers, who have these benefits at work do not use them. I know it’s a little scary seeing money deducted from your paycheck but the way to look at it is: the money for healthcare and wellness products (bandages, sunscreen, over the counter medicines like Ibuprofen, etc.) is going to be spent anyway – might as well do so pre-tax! You come out ahead, I promise!

5. What famous celebrity do you think should be given the opportunity to voice a NYCT Subway announcement?

I think Tom Waits would be fantastic with his deep, gravelly voice. If you’ve ever listened to his album, “Nighthawks at the Diner,” I could see him giving every stop its own story. “Downtown Train” is one of his classic songs so I feel like it’s a natural fit.

Deputy Director, Bus Priority at NYCDOT

Philip Betheil is a transit enthusiast and planner who loves working to improve bus service for all New Yorkers as Deputy Director for Bus Priority at NYCDOT.

1. What is your favorite YPT-NYC memory?  

It’s too hard to choose one, but it’d have to be from the wonderful tours YPT sponsors. Gazing down on Grand Central from a catwalk high above, everyone covering their ears as a 6 train screeches by at Old City Hall Station, or standing on the bridge of the Staten Island Ferry, I really appreciate the opportunity to get behind the scenes and learn about how our transportation system works.
 
2. If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?

Regional fare rationalization and integration. Making intra-city commuter (regional!) rail fares affordable and allowing for free transfers to subway/bus/ferry/bike-share would do a lot to speed travel for people in the outer boroughs who might otherwise endure long bus and subway commutes due to economic necessity.

3. What sparked your passion to work in the transportation industry?  

Riding in the front of the 1 and 9 (RIP) trains and looking out the window as tracks, signals, and stations fly by got me excited about transit at a young age and I’ve never looked back.

4. What career advice would you give to other YPT-ers interested in your career path?

Once you get your foot in the door in the transportation industry, figure out what you want to do and what skills your current job gives you that overlap with where you want to be. The first job I could get coming out of grad school was doing traffic analysis for environmental review, which I was not particularly interested in. Expressing an interest in other parts of the business and figuring out what skills were transferrable allowed me to change the type of work I was doing and take transferrable skills from one job to another, and meant that I have a broader skill set than I would have had if I got my dream job right out of school.

5. What is your favorite transportation-related fun fact or joke?

That the Outerbridge Crossing is named after Eugenius Outerbridge and is not just the “outer bridge.” Or that the Holland Tunnel is likewise named after Clifford Holland and has nothing to do with the Dutch.

6. What upcoming YPT event are you looking forward to the most in 2023?

Summer Tours and Transportation Trivia.

KPMG, Infrastructure and Projects Advisory

“I’m a consultant with KPMG’s Infrastructure and Projects Advisory practice in New York. Our group specializes in providing financial and strategic advisory services to public and private sector clients involved in infrastructure or major construction projects. We work directly with public agencies and corporate clients at the management level to ensure their organizational and capital project needs are met. My focus is on transportation but the projects I’m staffed on can vary widely – I’m helping a DOT transform their incident response program through data optimization; doing a P3 financial analysis for an upcoming light rail line in LA, and construction auditing for a major airline’s new terminal at LGA. I’ve even done PMO work at a Whiteclaw factory!

I’ve dedicated my career to making an impact in transportation infrastructure and am also an avid railfan – my first job out of college was designing and inspecting railway tracks as an engineer.”

1. What is your favorite YPT-NYC memory?  

I’m pretty new to YPT and I’ve only been to one event! Looking forward to attending more events and meeting more people in the organization.
 
2. If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?

A more dynamic and unified commuter rail system in NYC – we need something like the RER in Paris. Getting the Interborough Express built and combining the LIRR, MNR and NJT would be a good start.

3. What sparked your passion to work in the transportation industry?  

I grew up in Hong Kong, which had a great public transit system that allowed me to experience so much of urban life without ever needing a car. I’m a firm believer that building robust transit infrastructure is the only way the rapid urbanization of the world remains sustainable – but the US is really lagging behind.

4. What are you working on that you’re most excited by? 

The best part about consulting is that you’re exposed to a lot of super exciting projects and clients – everything I’ve worked on, I’ve found objectively really cool. I recently attended Delta’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new LGA terminal where they brought in Governor Kathy Hochul, Delta CEO Ed Bastian, and PANYNJ Executive Director Rick Cotton. The program is still ongoing and I can’t wait to see what the fully completed terminal will look like. I’m personally very passionate about rail so I’m also excited to see where our work with LA Metro’s new light rail line will take us.. 

5. What career advice would you give to other YPT-ers interested in your career path?

Network, network, network! Consulting is a people-oriented job and soft skills are valued just as much as technical skills.

6. What famous celebrity do you think should be given the opportunity to voice a NYCT Subway Announcement?

Lin-Manuel Miranda, everyone’s favorite New Yorker.

Transportation Engineer at Greenman-Pedersen Inc

Raymond Tam is a transportation engineer and avid urbanist. He has worked on Transit Signal Priority, ADA pedestrian ramps, and asset management for the Empire State Trail. He is passionate about transit-oriented design and complete streets. He enjoys exploring historical sites of NYC and is planning on touring Gracie Mansion soon.

1. What is your favorite YPT-NYC memory?  

I think just meeting so many different people in the transportation industry. As an engineer, I do not get to meet as many planners and people within transit. It is great to pick their brain and learn more about what they do. I like figuring out how engineers can complement planners and vice versa. One event I am looking forward to is the LGA tour in August.
 
2. If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?

I’d love it if all elected officials and city employees all took transit to and from work within the city. Even our congressional representatives should take Amtrak to DC. Once they all take transit I think transit would change for the better.

3. What sparked your passion to work in the transportation industry?  

I’ve always been into sustainability and reducing my own footprint. After learning that the transportation sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) in America, it just made sense. One of my first internships was with NYCDOT and it kept snowballing. I interned at different consulting firms and I realized just how much I love transit after growing up commuting around the city on the subway and buses. I hope to work on more projects that complement both transit, freight, and personal vehicles. We can all thrive in the city.

4. What are you working on that you’re most excited by? 

One recent project was working on the Empire State Trail. I loved seeing how this trail was connected and seeing how beautiful the trail is. The trail is well maintained and we managed the asset inventory of the trail. I would love to bike this trail one day. 

5. What famous celebrity do you think should be given the opportunity to voice a NYCT Subway Announcement?

I know the unofficial talent scout of NY, New York Nico, who had partnered with the MTA to get some celebrities to do announcements. To add to his extensive list, I’d like any member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Bobby Shmurda, or Pete Davidson.

Discovery Attorney, Litigation Analyst and Bar Committee Member

1. What is your favorite YPT-NYC memory?  

My first Transportation Camp. The exchange of ideas, and refreshing format, really gave me a different taste of things than what I get in the legal community.
 
2. If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?

The RPA’s Fourth Regional Plan’s T-Rex (Trans-Regional Express) Regional Rail. This would revolutionize not just suburban and regional commuting, but also transportation in the outer boroughs.

3. What sparked your passion to work in the transportation industry?  

I’ve been fascinated with cars, trucks, trains, and planes since I was a child!  As an adult, I’ve always found ways to be involved in my community. While some matters that I’ve worked on involve transportation, most don’t, although this is something I hope to change sooner than later. So when a colleague suggested that I look for a committee at the NYC Bar Association, I applied and got accepted!

4. What are you working on that you’re most excited by? 

Getting involved with and learning more about Weigh in Motion and freight movement around NYC. We too often forget how important this issue is and how little improvements, such as the Off Hours Delivery Program and Weigh-in-Motion can make business more efficient, preserve our infrastructure, reduce traffic, raise our revenue, and reduce emissions. 

5. What career advice would you give to other YPT’ers interested in your career path?

Find ways to get involved civically.  Join a committee or two to lend your expertise and knowledge to help make an even greater impact!

6. What famous celebrity do you think should be given the opportunity to voice a NYCT Subway Announcement?

We don’t have to look too far.  How about Irv Gikofsky aka Mr. G the weatherman? [Ed. Good choice. Real New Yorkers know.]

Sophie Maerowitz (she/her)

Project Manager, Bicycles Unit, NYC Department of Transportation

For the better half of a decade, Sophie Maerowitz has advocated for better cycling, pedestrian, and bus infrastructure in New York City, having served on Transportation Alternatives’ Manhattan Activist Committee and on Manhattan Community Board 3’s Transportation Committee as a public member. Notable advocacy milestones have included the Chrystie Street two-way protected bike lane and the 14th Street Busway in Manhattan and City Council legislation mandating Open Streets permanence. 

In 2020, Sophie co-launched the Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition, a volunteer group managing the operations and programming of Avenue B’s Open Street in Manhattan. 

Sophie graduated from CUNY Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and International Affairs with a Masters of Public Administration in Fall 2021 and in April 2021 started as a Project Manager at the New York City Department of Transportation’s Bicycles Unit. A lifelong New Yorker, she holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

1. What is your favorite YPT-NYC memory?  

I attended a networking event as part of a larger multi-day conference and didn’t know anybody there, but swallowed my nerves,  walked over to a table of YPT members, and soon we were merrily talking bus infrastructure. It stuck with me that the group made an effort to make me feel included even though I come from the advocacy world rather than a traditional planning background.

 
2. If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?

Fewer and smaller cars in the roadway—prioritizing space for pedestrians, buses and bikes over less equitable street uses like free curbside parking for private vehicles. 

3. What sparked your passion to work in the transportation industry?  

I started biking to work about 10 years ago and it woke me up to the unconscionable way we treat our most vulnerable road users. I became thoroughly invested in trying to promote safer, carbon-free, and carbon-light ways of getting around cities. 

While I’m by no means a hardcore cyclist—I’ve never completed a century ride, and can’t change a tire for my life—I firmly believe the best way to experience cities is by bike. Case in point: A close friend threw her bachelorette party in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and I insisted we all try out their bikeshare system while we visited. Turned out it was the easiest and most fun way to hop between parade routes! I later noticed she added an e-bike to her wedding registry….Coincidence? I think not!

4. What are you working on that you’re most excited by? 

As a new recruit, I’ve been running support on some bike network expansions and improvements in the Bronx and Brooklyn, as well as on our new Bike the Block program which brings learn-to-ride and bike repairs to neighborhoods that have long been underserved by bike infrastructure. It’s awesome to see a new generation embrace active transportation!

5. What career advice would you give to other YPT’ers interested in your career path?

Active transportation happens in the open air and is therefore social by nature. There are ample opportunities to meet like-minded people on group bike rides, Open Streets events and through volunteering and organizing at advocacy organizations like Transportation Alternatives, Open Plans, Riders Alliance, and Families for Safe Streets. And Twitter has been a great place to meet planners, nonprofit pros, and advocates. Simply by using #bikenyc #OpenStreets hashtags, you can build out a great network of locals with their ears and eyes on the transportation beat.

6. What famous celebrity do you think should be given the opportunity to voice a NYCT Subway Announcement?

I’ll level with you, I’m still kind of annoyed at Natasha Lyonne for her anti-bike lane comments a few years ago, but the newest season of Russian Doll is a love letter to the subway at a time it could really use a boost, so her iconic rasp would be a win in my book.

Priyanshu Sharma

Urban Planner & Designer at Equitable Cities

Priyanshu is an urban planner and designer at Equitable Cities who specializes in transportation planning, design, data analysis, and visualization. He holds a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Planning from CEPT University, India. His work and research primarily focus on transportation planning and design, land use, spatial analysis, and data analysis and visualization. Moreover, his academic and professional experience in the planning profession has also inculcated the art value of good communication, which is not limited to maps, visuals, and interactive platforms, but also persuasive and engaging storytelling for our communities.

1. What is your favorite YPT-NYC memory?  

It was fascinating how I joined this group. I had an opportunity to speak with some New York-based transportation professionals during one of the career workshops. After that session, I contacted that person on LinkedIn to ask more questions about transportation planning opportunities. And they recommended that I join this group, and I’ve been a member of the YPT-NYC group for a year now. I am always on the lookout for new opportunities and events within the group. And it was really helpful. It’s wonderful to be a part of this and to be able to share and learn from the other group members. I’m excited to meet some of them in person.

 
2. If you could snap your fingers and make one change to regional transportation, what would it be?

When it comes to planning, there are many things I’d like to change, but having last-mile connectivity would be interesting if I had to specify changes for regional transportation. Create active transportation or bike-share programs that connect our neighborhoods to major transit stations, for example. I believe that the way we plan our cities, particularly in suburban areas (which encompasses the majority of America), has made us overly reliant on automobiles, and that small changes can make a significant difference. Cities and communities will benefit from differences not only in terms of connectivity, but also in terms of economy, environment, and improving public health.

3. What sparked your passion to work in the transportation industry?  

People spend an ample amount of time of their day on the streets or commuting through various modes to reach their destinations. It is intriguing for me while commuting to observe people and see how people respond to their surroundings.After my undergraduate degree in planning, I spent considerable time living in two metro cities i.e. Mumbai and Bangalore for work. On one of the monsoon days, while heading back home, as I was getting down to my metro station suddenly it started pouring heavily and everyone was rushing towards finding a safe place and tried gathering under a cantilever. Some held their bags on their head to try to escape the rain. I was amazed when I saw that chaos. That day I realized the role of urban professionals in planning and designing cities beyond just the provision of infrastructure to create livable environments where people can stop, pause and play instead of just treating them as spaces they need to pass by to reach their destinations.These encounters reasonably entrenched my interest in planning and design, especially in transport and urban design where I, as an urban planner and designer, can create a better urban environment by working on the most used public spaces and transit systems.

4. What are you working on that you’re most excited by? 

I don’t know where to begin, but I suppose being a young professional in this fraternity, I got an opportunity to work in a diverse sector and with some really amazing people. To start with now, a lot of my work focuses on transportation equity, planning, and research which is exciting. Previously, I had an opportunity to work with the NYC Ferry team where I was responsible for developing a framework for the database system to facilitate the operation and maintenance of the waterfront development and ferry projects. Before that, I provided technical assistance in the implementation of a micro-mobility project for the City of Newark. So, these two work experiences were really fulfilling because I was involved in the planning throughout the project. But prior to that, I had two years of work experience in the field of planning, design, and research in India, where I worked in different capacities with social entrepreneurs, planning organizations, and research institutions.

5. What career advice would you give to other YPT’ers interested in your career path?

I would definitely say build your technical skills, as it will be helpful to brand yourself while giving interviews or working with the team. Don’t limit yourself to your area of interest, especially during the initial years of your career. Find out what opportunities you think are right for you, learn new things, and broaden your skills and knowledge. It will boost your network and help you to identify your area of interest because in the real world things are very different from the academic world.

6. What famous celebrity do you think should be given the opportunity to voice a NYCT Subway Announcement?

It would be amazing to hear the announcement in Abel Makkonen Tesfaye’s Voice aka “The Weeknd” or Alicia Keys since her work is strongly associated with New York.