couldn't we just hire this guy and let him go to work?

Ian Lockwood shows that indeed, traffic planners can be successful without catering to cars. Mr. Lockwood spoke at a transportation summit in Hamilton a few years ago, with pretty much the same message. Despite all the proven examples of traffic calming, planners in Hamilton still think the "old way" and plan for cars ahead of pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. If you need evidence for this, take a look at the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan: road widening, extra turning lanes for cars, and sometime later, improvements for walkers, cyclists, and maybe transit users.
See what Lockwood has done in West Palm Springs, and then see how little innovation we have here.