Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Wes Marshall and Trung Vo, AICP

Episode sponsor: Eastern Washington University


Episode URL:
https://planning.org/podcast/critical-conversations-in-transportation-planning-wes-marshall-and-trung-vo-aicp/


In this episode, co-hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall were excited
to take the podcast show on the road, recording episodes at the
2025 National Planning Conference in Denver. This dispatch of
Critical Conversation in Transportation Planning kicks off our
safety series and features Wes Marshall, PhD, PE, a professor of
civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, and Trung
Vo, AICP, PE, Denver Office Director, Senior Planner, and Owner
at Toole Design.


Our speakers highlight how many traffic engineering standards are
based on flawed assumptions rather than science, specifically
pointing to problems with level of service metrics, automatic
traffic growth assumptions, and designing for peak hours rather
than community needs. They emphasize the need for courage to
tackle arterial roads where most fatalities occur, challenging
the reactive approach of waiting for crashes to happen instead of
proactively designing safer streets for all users.


Relevant Links:


Death by Design: A New Book from a CU Denver Transportation
Expert Rethinks the Science Behind Our Roads


Killed By a Traffic Engineer, Shattering the Delusion that
Science Underlies our Transportation System


Denver Moves: Safe and Slow Streets with Bikeways


No More Five-Lane Roads: An Engineer’s Perspective


About Wes Marshall:


Wes Marshall, PhD, PE, is a professor of civil engineering at the
University of Colorado Denver, where he holds a joint appointment
in urban planning. He plays a pivotal role as director of the CU
Denver Human-Centered Transportation program and the
Transportation Research Center at CU Denver. Wes is a licensed
Professional Engineer and focuses on transportation teaching and
research dedicated to creating safer and more sustainable
transportation systems.


Wes is the author behind the 2024 book Killed by a Traffic
Engineer. He also has more than 80 peer-reviewed journal
publications and book chapters to his name and has received
millions of dollars in research funding. Wes was the winner of
the campus-wide CU Denver Outstanding Faculty in Research Award.
He also has a passion for teaching and mentoring students and is
the only three-time winner of the CU Denver College of
Engineering Outstanding Faculty in Teaching Award.


A native of Watertown, Massachusetts, Wes is a graduate of the
University of Virginia (BS) and the University of Connecticut (MS
and PhD). He is a recipient of the Eisenhower Transportation
Fellowship, Australia’s Endeavour Fellowship, and the
Transportation Research Board’s Wootan Award for the outstanding
paper in policy and organization.


About Trung Vo:


Trung serves as a Senior Planner and our Denver Office Director.
In his work, he leverages his certification as a planner,
licensure as a Professional Engineer, and experience in both the
public and private sectors to help communities become safer, more
connected, and more resilient. Trung specializes in multimodal
planning and design, public engagement, and design guidance.


Outside of the office, Trung enjoys photography, bicycling,
snowboarding, and spending time with his wife and two sons.