On Friday, March 4th, METRANS held a Spring Lunch with a Practitioner Seminar event with Steven Mateer, Transportation Planning Manager at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro, or Metro). Mateer met with students over lunch to discuss his role and current projects at Metro. He also shared encouraging and practical advice to students with interests in the planning field.

Mateer began with an overview of many of Metro’s current projects. He described the Expo Light Rail extension to Santa Monica beach opening in May and the Metro Bike Share that plans to integrate over 65 bikes into the fabric of Downtown Los Angeles travel options this summer.

One of Mateer’s major roles is allocating funding and resources for projects. A common challenge he faces is being able to deliver community supported services on a very tight budget. He has also led studies on how people get to and from stations, and highlighted the importance of accessibility for people with disabilities.

With the rise of new transportation technologies, Mateer emphasized the need to collaborate with private companies to close the gaps between rider destinations. He explained, “It is important we stop viewing new vehicle technologies as a threat and, instead, work in tandem with them to improve services.” Similarly, he touched upon the new driverless vehicle proposals and called to question whether or not individuals will have their own or if there will be a government fleet for public use.

The event gave students an invaluable opportunity to ask an active and successful transportation professional both general planning questions and specific ones regarding Metro. One topic of interest to students was the TAP card, particularly Metro’s proposal to integrate all public transit payments into one card and the feasibility of implementing a tap-on tap-off system. Amanda Negi, a graduate student in USC’s Master of Planning program who attended the session, was delighted with Mateer’s presentation. “It gave me a fantastic inside look into the world of Metro as an institution, employer, and community partner, which is invaluable as a future planner,” she stated.

In the second half of his presentation, Mateer gave valuable recommendations to students regarding their career search. Helen Jadali, another MPL attendee remarked, “I gained a better understanding of transportation issues at the county level and the related required soft and hard skills.” Mateer emphasized having an open mind throughout the career search and advised students  to consider taking jobs outside one’s immediate area of interest. Above all else, Mateer stressed the importance of a proper work-life balance. He shared, “I work to live, not live to work.”

Katie Jagodka

Katie is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Southern California pursuing a dual Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Bachelor of Science in Policy, Planning, and Development. Her interests include community development, transportation technology, and race and ethnicity.