The bike program was made public the same week as other transportation initiatives were publicly discussed by the city. Many were consistent with a study conducted by IBM. Our company spent nearly one month here last year performing a pro bono Smarter Cities Challenge consulting engagement for the city, during which we analyzed Pittsburgh’s transportation needs. IBM then submitted detailed recommendations for implementing innovative transportation-related programs. The city recently posted our suggested blueprint.
When my IBM colleagues were in town, they were struck by the degree of commitment by public, private, academic and not-for-profit stakeholders, and by the experiments already under way by such institutions as Carnegie Mellon University. The willingness to collaborate will be an important predictor of success for the area’s progressive transportation plans.