Charles Komanoff

Recent Media Coverage

Charles continues to garner his share of media attention. Here's a sampling: 

UK-based Traffic Technology International featured Charles on the cover of its Jan. 2013 issue, under the banner, "Transport economist Charles Komanoff is determined to solve New York City's traffic problems -- and mathematical models are his congestion-busting tools." The scintillating article, by British science journalist Max Glaskin, spotlights Charles's epic (but elegant and user-friendly) Balanced Transportation Analyzer traffic-pricing spreadsheet.

On WNYC's Brian Lehrer show on April 4, 2013, Charles deflty shifted the focus of traffic injuries from pedestrian behavior to driver misconduct, and called out Mayor Bloomberg and Ray Kelly's NYPD for barring access to NYC crash investigations by epidemiologists and street-safety activists. Tune in to Brian's interview, which included NY Times transportation reporter Matt Flegenheimer, by clicking here.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, C-Span brought me on to discuss the carbon-tax antidote to climate disruption and to explain how keeping the tax revenue-neutral might make it less anathema to Republicans. The 42-minute interview from Nov. 17, 2012 includes Q&A with viewers. Click here to watch.

Does New York City Need More Taxis? was the title of NPR's July 31, 2012 "Planet Money" clip delving into my traffic modeling and advocacy in NYC. To listen (it clocks in at 6 minutes, 14 seconds), click here.

In 2010, The Nation magazine asked Charles to respond to the demise of climate legislation in Congress. Charles's piece, Senate Climate Bill Dies -- Does the Environment Win?, posted July 28, 2010, urged climate advocates to reject the discredited cap-and-trade approach and to unite behind a transparent, equitable, revenue-neutral carbon fee or tax.

WIRED magazine: In the June 2010 issue, noted financial blogger Felix Salmon profiled Charles and his Balanced Transportation Analyzer spreadsheet model for optimizing congestion pricing in New York City. To download and read "The Man Who Could Unsnarl Manhattan Traffic," click here.

WIRED follow-on: The NEW YORK TIMES City Room blog picked up on the Wired story in this short but sweet post on May 26, 2010. For links to more follow-on to Felix's story, click here.

The NEW YORK TIMES June 9, 2010 letters page led with Charles' letter on behalf of the Carbon Tax Center, criticizing the Kerry-Lieberman bill as a step backward on climate. Click here.

REUTERS traffic roundtable: In June, 2010 Reuters.com featured Charles in a roundtable discussion of traffic and congestion pricing. View the proceedings, moderated by Felix Salmon, here (in two parts, roughly 20 minutes each).

WNYC-TV interview with Brian Lehrer: Also in June, 2010, media impresario Brian Lehrer brought Charles to WNYC-TV to discuss traffic pricing, traffic calming and traffic policy in New York City. View here (Charles' segment is last in the program).

NOISE! Garrett Keizer's scintillating book, "The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want: A Book About Noise," published in 2010, touches on Charles's advocacy and research on noise pollution. For book excerpt, click here. To purchase the book, click here.

In March, 2010 the NEW YORK TIMES Dot Earth blog carried Charles' report from Guangzhou on traffic congestion and road pricing's prospects in China's third-largest city. Photo highlights: Charles' shot of a monster traffic jam, and Charles on a bicycle. Click here.

STREETSBLOG: Also in March, 2010, Charles reported on his success in unraveling the rationale for congestion pricing for traffic specialists at South China University of Technology. Click here.

CHINESE TV CLIP of Charles cycling in Guangzhou: In this clip that aired on June 5, 2010, a reporter for station TVS interviewed Charles as he cycled around Guangzhou. Click here to view (approx. 2 minutes, follows a commercial, requires Adobe Flash Player or similar). Click here for translation.