Austin's transportation is often on the minds of many residents, and the March 5 Engage Breakfast will look into the various ways to address this ongoing issue.

"The state of Austin transportation is bleak right now," said Joseph Kopser, founder and CEO of RideScout. "We're a victim of our own success in that more than 100 people a day want to move to the region and our infrastructure just can't keep up."

Panelists for the event include Kopser, writer and transportation advocate Julio Gonzalez Altamirano, CEO of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Linda Watson and City of Austin Urban Rail Manager Scott Gross. The discussion is moderated by KXAN anchor Shannon Wolfson.

Altamirano said congestion is one of the key concerns as it pertains to transportation and it is important to try and solve that issue.

"The reasons we have to address congestion are happiness and competitiveness," Altamirano said. "People are miserable when they're stuck in traffic, and I think many of our business leaders will point out that if people are spread out over a larger area and have a tough time getting to where they need to go to work, it reduces our productivity during the day."

Other business factor affected by congestion Altamirano mentioned included movement of goods and being an attractive area for business relocations.

Kopser said one way to help alleviate some congestion issues is through alternate transportations.

"[Using alternate transportation] has an immediate impact not only on your quality of life—more time for texting and email when you're not driving yourself—but it also takes cars off the road, which is ultimately the only way we're going to get out of this transportation problem."

Ridescout is a mobile app that combines public, private and social ride options in a city so users can decide which combination of options best suits their travel needs. The local Austin company went live with its app in Washington D.C. in November.

The event starts at 7:30 a.m. in the Kodosky Lounge at The Long Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit https://leadershipaustin.org/ 2014/02/13/information-and- tickets-for-the-march-2014- engage-breakfast/