June 2020 Issue

From the NJTPA Chair

Kathryn A. DeFillippo, NJTPA ChairWe're pleased to present this latest issue of InTransition magazine, which is being published online only due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has drastically curtailed travel on our nation’s transportation system, with 15 percent or more of the nation’s workforce now unemployed and others telecommuting.

We must thank all those who still leave their homes and travel every day to keep us safe and provide essential services—health care workers, delivery persons, cashiers and others.

As people gradually return to work and the economy bounces back, we can expect that the transportation system will need to adapt to ensure people can stay healthy, including incorporating social distancing into transit and everyday interactions among people.

The transportation issues we faced before the crisis will take on new dimensions, and in some cases new urgency. Articles in this issue of InTransition, much of which was under preparation before the crisis, address some of those concerns:

The prospects for electrifying the transportation sector to combat climate change

The efforts of local governments to implement resiliency strategies to address sea level rise and flooding from climate change

The need to reinvent suburban malls in the face of growing e-commerce and changing land use

This issue also includes a Research Exchange section highlighting recent studies on COVID-19 impacts.

While this issue may only be appearing online, we think you’ll find these articles as insightful and thought-provoking as always. Please give us your ideas and let us know what you think!