Carl Sedoryk, GM & CEO, Monterey-Salinas Transit

The CTPodcast returns with an expansive discussion with Monterey-Salinas Transit General Manager and CEO Carl Sedoryk. Having just (Oct. 1) celebrated MST's 40th birthday, Sedoryk provides an overview of the wide variety of services MST provides, including fixed-routes, regional connections, a taxi voucher program, military commuter services and a soon to be completed JAZZ BRT line. MST is truly a full-service mobility provider for a region the size of some states.

Listen Here (21:50)

Mike Davis, Manager, Atomic City Transit

Mike Davis, Transit Manager for Atomic City Transit in Los Alamos, New Mexico joins the CTpodcast to discuss the burgeoning five-year old, completely fare-free transit system in the north-central part of the state. In a recent community survey, Atomic City Transit found that more than a third of local residents were aware of the system and that more than a quarter had used it. With strong ridership from local students and commuters at Los Alamos National Laboratory, as well as a supportive city council, Davis  sees a future where the system builds upon its innovations and continues to thrive.

This podcast accompanies the Summer 2012 DigitalCT Magazine edition focusing on transit across New Mexico.

Listen here: (11:42)

Kevin Coggin, Coast Transit Authority, Gulfport Mississippi

Coast Transit Authority Executive Director Kevin Coggin provides insight into his agency's preparations and response to the approaching Hurricane Isaac. With the bulk of local evacuations completed, Coggin covers all that the system undertakes as a storm approaches, and Coast Transit's role in local hurricane preparation and planning. "Clear communications between responders and with the public is really critical," says Coggin. "We do this often enough and have a good plan and experienced staff."

Listen here (8:45)

Larry Harman, Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative (VTCLI)

Larry Harman, co-director of the geograhics lab at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass., talks about his work with Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative (VTCLI) grantees and the positive impact these projects are having on both the transit and the veterans fields. He's excited about the commitment of the grantees, as well as the Federal Transit Administration, to improving transit services for veterans and how these innovative grants represent "real" projects with a "can-do" approach that he believes will prove successful.

Listen Here (16:05)

Commuter Rail Evolves: The RAIL #30 Editorial Discussion

RAIL Magazine Editors Scott Bogren and Rich Sampson — along with Brent Riddle, Senior Program Officer for Urban and Regional Policy at the German Marshall Fund — discuss the editorial development of the latest edition of RAIL, and the commuter rail themes that emerged as the edition progressed. Don't miss this discussion of New Mexico's Rail Runner, Orlando's SunRail, Denver's FrontRunner and Minneapolis-St. Paul's NorthStar, among others.

Listen Here (16:23)

Burgess Everett, Politico Transportation Reporter

With much of the capitol press corps turning its attention in late June to the surface transportation bill, Burgess Everett's coverage of the surface transportation reauthorization process for Politico provided the latest breaking news from Capitol Hill. In this edition of the CT Podcast, Everett provides insight into how the conference committee suddenly gained traction and how Congressional leadership looked to the key negotiators and said, "Get this done." He talks about the surprising addition of a second year of funding and reveals how important suburban legislators were in keeping transit in the trust fund. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of MAP-21 that you won't want to miss.

Listen here (15:22)

Transportation Lobbyist Jason Pavluchuk

Jason Pavluchuk, principal with Pavluchuk and Associates, discusses the passage of MAP-21 and its implications. Who won and who lost in MAP-21? What exactly happened that took the conference committee from being mired in seeming stalemate to overwhelmingly bi-partisan vote totals? What were the big issues that MAP-21 leaves to another day? Take a listen to an insider's perspective on the new surface transportation law that broke a 1,000 day SAFETEA-LU extension

Listen here (21:50 minutes)