ACT Book Club - Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US Transit

The second pick for ACT's book club is Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US Transit by Christof Spieler.

Transit is the most effective TDM measure and, along with parking managers, the most important partner to a TDM project. Let’s sharpen our transit chops by getting a compelling “Transit 101” through reading and discussing Christof’s book. This will be a tactical discussion of how TDM and transit can work better together and what TDM professionals should know about being a strong transit ally in 2025 and beyond.

Christof was appointed to the Houston Metro transit board during a time of immense reimagining of the system, so he brings an implementer’s gritty lens to transit planning. His book covers transit planning principles but also an overview of 57 US & Canadian metro area’s transit systems – so you are likely to find a sharp critique of your own transit system or those in the cities in which you work to guide your next transit coordination meetings.

TDM professionals have a lot to offer transit planners and our tools directly build ridership – let’s sharpen our transit connections!

Meet the moderator

Lauren Mattern is the founder of Journey, a TDM-centric mobility planning firm that also has transit and engagement practices. She has been in the mobility planning industry for 17 years, and cut her teeth on parking policy as a core leader of the SFpark pilots in San Francisco, implementing Donald Shoup’s pricing ideas using new technologies.

She’s a longtime consultant leading cutting edge TDM work in the industry, including at the most recent Major League soccer stadium. She just returned from doing TDM work at Transport for London before starting Journey.