Experts Available to Discuss Congestion Pricing

--ExpertSource:

TOPIC: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg stated it is unlikely the State Legislature would approve a congestion pricing plan, which would allow New York City to charge a fee to drivers entering Manhattan, according to an article by The New York Times. A study released by the Partnership for New York City found heavy traffic in New York reduces worker productivity, delays the delivery of goods and services and cuts into the profits of many businesses. Although the Partnership has supported congestion pricing in the past, the group is not suggesting that for New York at this time. The group's goal is to get city officials to further study the negative effects of heavy traffic in the city, according to an article by Reuters.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

David Lewis, Ph.D., of HDR/HLB Decision Economics Inc., is a renowned expert and published author and speaker on public policy and risk management related to public infrastructure projects such as mass transit or highways. He has worked with a variety of public and private sector clients who are considering their infrastructure investment choices such as whether to build a toll road or transit system, providing cost/benefit analysis and other risk analysis. His experience includes creating congestion management plans for 23 corridors in 15 urbanized areas for the Federal Transit Administration, a public works investment report for the U.S. Congress and a plan evaluating finance and program options for the U.S. Interstate Highway System for the Senate Budget Committee of the U.S. Congress. Dr. Lewis has written three books on public policy and cost-benefit analysis of infrastructure projects, including "Public Policy and Planning as Public Choice: Mass Transit in the U.S." by Ashgate Press. He has developed decision-support software tools that provide a framework for applying cost-benefit and risk analysis to a wide range of prospective transit and highway investments. He recently served on a U.S. Government Accountability Office expert panel on the benefits and costs of highway and transit investments.

PR Contact: Jackie Fox

402-926-7058

Jackie.Fox@hdrinc.com

Victor Lindenheim is executive director of the Golden State Gateway Coalition. He is an expert in transportation related issues dealing with I-5 corridor and transportation funding. The Golden State Gateway Coalition is an organization established to promote improvements to the regional transportation system, with particular emphasis on Interstate 5 and other "gateways" into Southern California. Its initial objective is to secure funding for improvements to Interstate 5 from the confluence of the I-5 and SR-118 freeway to southern Kern County in the form of carpool lanes and truck lanes in order to ease congestion and promote safety. Interstate 5 is an important regional transportation facility for the Santa Clarita Valley and is one of California's key economic lifelines linking job centers, cities, ports, agriculture, and tourist attractions throughout the state.

661-775-0455

vlinden@goldenstategateway.org

Sudhakar Ram is a founding director and Group CEO of Mastek who spearheads the global growth of this leading software solutions and integration services provider around the world. With Ram as part of the company’s leadership team, Mastek has grown from its start-up by first-generation entrepreneurs in Mumbai, India in 1984, to a $156 million global technology leader with 3,200 employees that has implemented more than 1,000 projects worldwide. Ram has 24 years of information technology experience, and is an expert on software and technology solutions for insurance, financial services and government, as well as outsourcing/offshoring. Ram joined Mastek in 1984 from the advertising industry. At Mastek, he has held various positions related to new product development, offshore delivery processes and business development. He served as COO from 2001-2003 and was named Group CEO in 2003. Ram graduated second in his class at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC). He holds a graduate degree in commerce and a post-graduate degree in management from IIMC, one of the country’s top management institutes.

PR Contact: Sandy Frinton

845-454-3895

sandy@mallen.com

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