The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) is looking forward to welcoming colleagues from around the world to America’s west coast. The city of Los Angeles is where west meets east – it truly defines the conference theme, ‘The New Age of Mobility.’ It is the hub of moving people, data and freight.

Los Angeles takes the long view when making transportation decisions by developing innovative ways for people to move around the city. Just as it did for the 1984 Olympics, the city is making infrastructure improvements in advance of the 2028 games that will benefit residents for decades to come – including Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Twenty-Eight by ’28 initiative to complete 28 transit projects by 2028.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the two largest in the nation and combined are the tenth largest in the world. Together, they move roughly 40% of the nation’s total containerized imports and 30% of exports. The modernization through technology at these ports is an example of how to move the 21st century economy.

In addition, Los Angeles is the leader in using data to improve its transportation system, which is key to improving safety, managing congestion, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 The world is changing at a breakneck pace. As I write this in the spring of 2019, I can’t even imagine what the next eighteen months will bring, but I know the 27th ITS World Congress will capture those changes and showcase the future by featuring the best and latest transportation technology.

ITS America members are eager to engage with others around the world who share our vision of a better future transformed by intelligent mobility – one that is safer, greener and smarter. We look forward to a transformational event, and I hope you will join us in Los Angeles in 2020.