December 2020 Member of the Month: Brienne Eby

Meet Brienne Eby

What is your name?

Brianne Eby

Where do you work?

Eno Center for Transportation

What is your title?

Senior Policy Analyst

What is your preferred way to get around the District? 

I typically ride my bike, but have been walking for most of my errands during the pandemic. 

What is your favorite part of being a YPT-DC member? 

I appreciate the opportunities for continued learning at YPT's events! 

What inspired you to pursue a career in transportation? 

I think a lot more can be done in the United States to shift to a transportation system that is better for the environment and isn't an outsized contributor to climate change. I was first interested in the behavioral aspects of this (i.e. what are the mechanisms to encourage people to use more climate-friendly modes), but I also think it's imperative to put in place policies at all levels of government that enable the shift to a cleaner transportation system. 

Describe a job or project that you are most proud of: 

I enjoyed working on a report at Eno about overcoming institutional and political barriers to implementing congestion pricing. It was fun to publish work that adds to a conversation a lot of places around the U.S. are having right now. That report also made me think holistically about the transportation policy-making process; since congestion pricing is an unfamiliar idea in the U.S., there are a multitude of challenges that need to be worked through in the early stages to make sure there is political and community support and that when implemented, the policy achieves the goals it was designed to meet. 

What is the best professional advice that you've received? 

Don't restrict yourself to a specific or pre-defined path. I think this comes from my academic training, but I've always found that having a natural curiosity opens up more doors (and is ultimately more fun and fulfilling) than trying to climb an artificially-created ladder. 

Share a non-transportation fun fact about you!

I play the flute, mostly by myself but pre-pandemic I played in a couple of casual ensembles.