our mission

helping organizations

advance in multimodal transportation

Forward Progress, LLC was founded to research and advance multimodal transportation best practices with public and private entities. Our expertise aligns with emerging trends in transportation and land use, focusing on providing transportation services for users of all abilities in a safe and equitable manner. We offer consulting services spanning a wide range of topics, including progressive curbside management, complete streets planning and design, speed management, Vision Zero safety initiatives, and asset management / GIS. When delivering these services, our team applies facilitation and community engagement expertise to understand the subject community’s culture and unique transportation demands.

Forward Progress staff works closely with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and collaborates with the National Association of Transportation Officials (NACTO). The firm’s Founder recently completed a three year term as ITE’s Complete Streets Council Chair, overseeing the development of several guidance documents and training efforts.

volunteering our time to move the industry forward

As part of FP’s passion for improving the quality of life for everyone, the FP Team volunteers its time with ITE, NACTO, and George Washington University’s Geography Department. Below are a few recent examples. Check out summaries of our volunteer work here.

Meet the Team

Founder

Lawrence Marcus

Mr. Marcus has practiced multimodal transportation planning and engineering for over 30 years at the local, regional, and state levels of government as a public official and consultant. He possesses expertise in curbside management, group facilitation, multimodal street design and safety analysis, traffic engineering, and public sector policy.

Larry worked closely with ITE and NACTO to identify progressive curbside management as an important emerging trend in our industry and now is one of the leaders developing industry guidance on this topic. Mr. Marcus supervised the development and publication of ITE’s Curbside Management Practitioners Guide, and moderated numerous webinars launching the publication.

Mr. Marcus also actively researches processes and technologies to manage, prioritize, and price curb space. He is a co-author of a patent to optimize curb space use by the street owner, specifically related to connected and autonomous vehicles. The management system integrates an owner’s priorities with an asset management system, communicating with the vehicle’s navigation system.

Larry also has practical public sector experience managing curb space, most recently as Arlington County, Virginia’s Transportation Engineering and Operations Bureau Chief. His bureau managed all aspects of street design and operations, including curbside management / parking. He collaborated with all relevant departments regarding the County’s wide variety of curb space demands and prioritized the use of the sidewalk furnishing zone, curb space, and curb-running travel lane accordingly.

Planner

Mikayla Spierer

Mikayla is a city planner with a passion for creating communities that are sustainable, accessible for residents of all abilities, and operate a transportation system that minimizes severe injuries and fatalities to vulnerable travelers. She applies her planning, GIS, and communication engagement skills to help local, regional, and state governments improve their transportation and land use practices.