- One word to describe yourself: Motivated
- Alma Mater: University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (undergraduate), University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (graduate)
- Favorite movie: “RBG”
- Favorite hobby(s): Backpacking, cooking
Fun fact about yourself: I got my black belt in taekwondo when I was 13 while I had a serious case of laryngitis. - Favorite station or stop that you have ever visited or frequent (and why): Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Shinjuku is the world’s busiest train station with more than 3.5 million daily passengers using the station. Its sheer scale is mind boggling. My husband and I visited it during our honeymoon during afternoon rush hour and were totally mesmerized (but slightly disappointed we did not get the quintessential experience of being physically pushed into a train by white-gloved transit employees).
- Favorite route you have ever ridden or frequent (and why): Since I’ve spent the last three years working to improve the route, I’d have to go with the 38 Geary Rapid line. I love that you almost never have to wait more than a minute or two for the next bus to come, and the buses are always full of a broad cross-section of San Franciscans going about their daily lives.
Liz Brisson leads the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) five-person Major Corridors Planning team that is responsible for project management of early stages of major rail and bus corridor projects.
Since 2017, Brisson has overseen the Geary Rapid Project, a $35 million investment to improve transit reliability and pedestrian safety along an important transit corridor that carries 56,000 bus riders daily. Her team conducted inclusive outreach with affected communities, building relationships with neighborhood stakeholders. Her team partnered with community members to identify decorative elements to be installed in the crossing’s median refuge to represent the rich history and culture of the neighborhoods.
Her leadership of the outreach process culminated in unanimous approvals at the SFMTA Board in August 2018. The project completed its near-term implementation in December 2018, including installation of nearly two new miles of transit-only lanes, and commenced major civil construction in February 2019.
She also led the preliminary planning for the Muni Subway Expansion Project, a $3 billion vision to underground two miles of existing surface light-rail line. It would also re-design a high-speed auto thoroughfare as a multi-modal boulevard. Although still early, Brisson has led the project through initial alternatives analysis, concept development and community outreach, culminating in the project’s inclusion in the SFMTA’s long-range capital plan.
Outside of work, Brisson is active in transportation advocacy in Oakland. In 2014, she co-founded Transport Oakland, achieving the organization’s founding goal of creating Oakland’s first Department of Transportation less than two years later. Transport Oakland has educated the city of Oakland and transit board elected officials about the importance of great transportation and endorsed and supported candidates most supportive of this vision.
“There are so many project stakeholders who I have built strong relationships with, who I have learned from, and who have made the projects I’ve planned better.”
“I’m proud of my team’s work to bring the Geary Rapid Project through its final project approvals in summer 2018 and get the first improvements in the ground only 40 days later. Getting improvements in the ground so quickly after approval is not typical and is a testament to my entire team’s hard work.”
“In order to do good planning, it is essential to connect with people who work in all other parts of the public transportation industry. Connecting with transit operators and other front-line staff really helps me understand how transit priority treatments are actually working on the ground.”
