KPBS Midday Edition

SANDAG Executive Director Discusses New Vision For Transportation

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Brooke Ruth / Senior Producer, Radio News

Published March 6, 2019 at 11:15 AM PST

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

Hasan Ikhrata, incoming executive director of SANDAG, speaks during a press conference after his hire was announced, Sept. 14, 2018.

The San Diego Association of Governments board agreed in late February to delay updating its regional transportation plan to bring it in line with state targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

SANDAG’s countywide reassessment is set to consider fundamental changes in how we get around.

"The only change that will make San Diegans leave their car in the garages, or some of them at least, is a state of the art transit system," said SANDAG Executive Director Hasan Ikrhata.

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Ikrhata said that by November San Diegans will see a framework for the plan that shows, "we're going to have this underground system, this above ground system, this is how it is going to link together."

However, the delay will force the agency to miss a state deadline for regional transportation updates, which puts it at risk of losing state and federal funding for transportation projects.

Ikrhata said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez has agreed to put forth state legislation that would allow the 2015 regional transportation plan valid until the area has a new plan.

Ikrhata joins Midday Edition to discuss his vision for the county's new transportation plan.

SANDAG Executive Director Discusses New Vision For Transportation

GUEST: Hasan Ikhrata, executive director, San Diego Association of Governments Subscribe to the Midday Edition podcast on iTunes, Google Play or your favorite podcatcher.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Brooke Ruth

Brooke Ruth is the senior producer for KPBS Radio News. She previously served as a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

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