Former US DoT boss says job was sometimes like ‘sitting over trapdoor’

The political pressure on transit organisations was starkly highlighted by the distinguished former boss of Michigan Department of Transportation at a UK conference this week. Kirk Steudle, who joined Econolite recently after a career in the public sector, said he often felt as though there was “a trapdoor under your seat” while he was in charge of state transportation. Talking about the development of ITS solutions at regional authority level, he said: “The ability to move forward is largely dependen
November 30, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

The political pressure on transit organisations was starkly highlighted by the distinguished former boss of Michigan Department of Transportation at a UK conference this week.

Kirk Steudle, who joined %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external Econolite false http://http//www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/econolite-hires-ex-michigan-dot-boss-kirk-steudle/ false false%> recently after a career in the public sector, said he often felt as though there was “a trapdoor under your seat” while he was in charge of state transportation.

Talking about the development of ITS solutions at regional authority level, he said: “The ability to move forward is largely dependent on the political structure in which you work.”

Having leaders who are receptive to the ideas that ITS brings means that some authorities will allow you to fail and learn from your efforts – but, he added: “Others will just kill you if you fail.”

Feeling as though you were sitting over a trapdoor was an uncomfortable experience, he says: “Some days it feels like ‘one mistake and you’re gone’. Some days [the trapdoor] felt like it was held together with toothpicks.”

But at other times, if politicians understood the challenges of introducing ITS, the ‘trapdoor’ felt as though it was supported by “steel rods”.

Speaking at the ITS (UK) 2018 summit in Bristol, Steudle praised current Michigan governor Rick Snyder’s support for ITS projects, saying: “Under Governor Snyder, it felt like it was welded shut.”


UTC

Related Content

  • August 2, 2018
    UK government gets future mobility challenge underway
    The UK government has unveiled plans under its Future of Mobility Grand Challenge which could change how people, goods and services move around the country. These initiatives have been outlined in the Last Mile and Future of mobility call for evidence, which provide an insight into how technology could make transport safer, more accessible and greener. Under the plans, electric cargo bikes, vans, quadricycles and micro vehicles could replace vans in UK cities as part of a strategy to change last-mile
    Read More
  • March 13, 2018
    UK govt seeks cycle safety evidence as report calls for new laws
    A report from legal expert Laura Thomas has claimed that there is a strong case for changing the law to combat dangerous cycling, which if implemented, would bring offences in line with dangerous driving. It ties in with the Department for Transport's Call for Evidence, which is seeking to address issues that cyclists and pedestrians face, or perceive when using the road infrastructure. Thomas said: “Overall, in my opinion, the present law on cycling is not sufficient. I suggest that an offence comprising
    Read More
  • August 7, 2019
    Trust is the key, says Cubic’s Crissy Ditmore
    Trust is the key to encouraging people to take up shared mobility and MaaS services, thinks Cubic Transportation Systems’ Crissy Ditmore. She tells Adam Hill why sharing must be the way forward Crissy Ditmore is on the move. Director of strategy at Cubic Transportation Systems since September last year, she lives in Boise, Idaho, but doesn’t see a great deal of the city as she is “90% of the time on the road”. This is appropriate for someone whose business is working out how to get people from place to p
    Read More
  • September 18, 2019
    Falling asleep in an AV… but what happens next?
    Sleeping while a driverless car speeds you to your destination has long been touted as the dream of the new technology – and something of a nightmare for safety campaigners. A new video from the BBC shows exactly what happens if a driver falls asleep in an autonomous vehicle (AV). In the filmed test, the AV prompts the driver to resume control when approaching roadworks on a motorway. When the driver fails to act, the vehicle comes to a halt and automatically parks in a lay-by. Motor industry research
    Read More

Highlighted Content