Alan E. Pisarski

Oral History Initiative | Research
Alan E. Pisarski

For the last 35 years Mr. Pisarski has served as an independent writer, analyst and consultant in areas related to travel behavior, transport policy, and data development. A keystone of these activities has been the recurring nature in which his studies have been conducted and updated over several decades. These include several National Transportation Studies; The Bottomline series; and the Commuting in America series.

He represented the United States in International Agencies such as the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, chairing the United Nations Group of Experts in Transportation Statistics. As a consultant he has served the US AID, the World Bank, the United Nations, the European Union, the World Tourism Organization and the European Tourism Commission in statistical program matters. His work has been translated into seven languages.

He has advised the US Department of Transportation, the Bureau of the Census and other federal statistical agencies, commissions and private public policy associations on matters of measurement of transportation and travel and effective designs for transportation surveys and data collection.

At the national level he has been invited to testify in both Houses of the United States Congress on many occasions regarding economic and demographic factors that define travel demand, infrastructure investment requirements and public policy.

At the state level he has been invited to advise state Gubernatorial and Legislative Commissions regarding their economic, social, demographic and infrastructure circumstances.

His career has been closely allied with activities within the National Academy of Sciences and its Transportation Research Board and has received several honors from the Academy over the years. In 2007 he received TRB’s highest award, the W.N. Carey, Jr. Award, for Distinguished Service in support of transportation research.

Interview was conducted January 2015

This is one of a series of interviews conducted as part of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Library and Oral History Initiative, an effort to preserve the contributions and stories of renowned transportation professionals from New Jersey and throughout the United States.