(Image Source:Kitty Wheeler Shaw Photography)
Leading speakers from across the sector gathered at Nottingham Conference Centre, 28th-29th June, to identify the challenges facing transport planners and what this means for the profession.
The event’s opening plenary session involved a lively panel debate about the major challenges that face transport planners. Concerns raised included accommodating for a growing population, addressing health issues, transport planning in London and the need to improve quality of life.
David Metz, University College London, said: ‘It’s a very challenging time. New thinking is needed, but we mustn’t lose sight of the basic disciplines involved.’
Nicola Kane, Transport for Greater Manchester, said: ‘Investment in the right transport solutions is critical. We need more diversity in the transport sector that will offer new ways of thinking and help guide our future.’
Rebecca Craig, London School of Economics, said: ‘Transport planning is political, we need to be more finely attuned to the fact that certain people miss out with each decision we make and be conscious of this.’
A total of 52 individual sessions followed the morning plenary, with a further four interactive workshops taking place before lunch. Topics discussed included the future of urban spaces, smart cities, environmental impacts, freight planning, accessibility challenges and much more.
After the end of the first day delegates then gathered for an awards ceremony and dinner. This year’s winners were:
• PTRC Lifetime Achievement Award
Luis Willumsen, Kineo Mobility, for his contribution to the world of transport modelling
•Best Paper Demonstrating Sustainable Transport Solutions
Rachel Tate and Adam Sendall for their paper ‘Make it personal: Lessons learnt from successful business engagement in Derby’
•Transport Planner of the Year
Nicola Kane, Transport for Greater Manchester
•Best Paper at the Conference by a Young Professional
Edward Dawes, Arup, for his paper ‘Evaluating the Impact of Light Rail on Urban Gentrification: Quantitative Evidence from Nottingham’s LRT’
•Voorhees-Large Prize
Colin Harwood for his Westminster University Masters dissertation ‘An Investigation into the Accuracy of Trip Generation Forecasts for New Developments in England’
•Urban Transport Design Award
Waltham Forest for their scheme Walthamstow Village. Two commended awards were given to Kidderminster for the Exchange Place, Kidderminster scheme and Hounslow Council for their scheme Church Street, Isleworth
Day two’s plenary session built on the challenges discussed during the opening day’s plenary and focused on what the future holds for the profession.
Lynda Addison, Transport Planning Society, said: ‘We need to have some common ground, so we aren’t pulling in different directions and can change the minds of communities and politicians.’
John Dales, Urban Movement, said: ‘We are often too insistent on using numbers and figures, but we need to move away from data and better connect with people.’
James Gleave, Transport Futures, said: ‘Transport planning has a very bright future and the presentations over the last couple of days have proved that. We need the confidence to try out new approaches; otherwise we will never know if they would work.’
All the panellists closed the debate by agreeing that the easy part is being confident within your own transport planning field, but the challenge is converting those outside that circle and engaging with them to encourage development.
On the second day a total 40 sessions followed the morning plenary, with four more interactive workshops that allowed delegates to discuss what they had learnt over the past two days. Topics that featured on the second day included cycle planning, inspiring mobility, autonomous vehicles, healthy streets and policy horizons.
The ongoing message throughout this year’s event was the importance of taking all the great ideas that had been shared and ensuring that they are delivered in the foreseeable future. Whilst plenty of challenges were raised, the majority agreed that there is a huge opportunity for the profession to progress and continue improving people’s daily lives.
Next year’s TPM will take place on 5 – 6 July 2018, Oxford. Follow #2018TPM for event updates.