Ridepanda Launches PandaPod- Watch Episode 1 Now!
At Ridepanda, we spend a lot of time talking about behavior change, or what it actually takes to get people out of their cars and onto something better. We've seen it happen at large employers, county governments, and research institutions. But the most interesting insights don't always show up in a data dashboard. They live in the heads of the people doing the work every day: the TDM managers, transportation coordinators, and mobility program directors who are quietly solving some of the hardest commute problems in America.
That's why we're launching PandaPod! Our new video podcast series, hosted by Ridepanda Co-Founder and CEO, Chinmay Malaviya, where we go straight to the experts. From transportation demand management and reducing parking, to biking, sustainability, and the future of urban mobility, each episode is a candid conversation with someone on the front lines of making commutes better.
Episode 1: John Chernowski, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Our first guest is John Chernowski, Senior Manager of Transportation and Parking Demand at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, one of the oldest national labs in the country, perched on a hill above Berkeley with 3,000 employees and just 1,600 parking spaces.
John has spent nearly three decades at Berkeley Lab, moving from environmental management and compliance into a role he describes simply as: solving the parking problem. In our conversation, he talks candidly about what it's like to manage transportation at an institution where parking is free, public transit is limited, the road up the hill is narrow and steep, and total supply is fixed by federal lease. There are no options to build additional garages. The only path forward is changing behavior.
His advice for TDM professionals trying to build internal support? Demonstrate value in terms leadership understands, show the before and after, run the surveys, make the invisible visible. And when it comes to actual behavior change: "Give people attractive options. Let them try it out."
Berkeley Lab has tons of active Ridepanda members. John is candid about what it takes to grow a program like this in a complex institutional environment; the test ride events, the targeted outreach, the role of super users, and what he still hopes to see happen next.
Watch Episode 1 here: https://hubs.ly/Q04lDkbh0
Want to Be a Guest on PandaPod?
We're looking for TDM managers, transportation coordinators, sustainability leads, and mobility innovators who are doing interesting work and want to share it. If that sounds like you or someone you know, please reach out at hello@ridepanda.com. We'd love to have you on the show!