Transport Talks

Innovation is - at its core - about solving problems. The response to Covid-19, a global pandemic illustrates how we all have to be innovative to smaller or greater extent – to test existing medicines to developing a new vaccine to an economic response and so on. For our transport system this has meant a combination of things – innovation of processes, of how we work, of technology. But the transport sector has long been innovating – augmenting the power of humans through the use of exoskeletons, to the deployment of sensors and satellites to enable us to see and hear beyond our own limited human capacities. This podcast features an interview with David Ogden from Amey.This podcast was produced as part of Amey's support to the CIHT AMEY Innovation of the Year Award 2020 - more see here: https://www.ciht.org.uk/events-listing/featured-events/ciht-awards/2020-shortlist/ciht-amey-innovation-of-the-year-award-2020-shortlist/

How to digitally build Britain. In recent years there has been an emphasis on how infrastructure can be maintained through digital technology. In this podcast Marek Suchocki Infrastructure Engagement Lead at Autodesk speaks with Justin Ward from CIHT.In the wake of COVID-19, the construction sector faces an existential crisis of what do next. Marek Suchocki discusses the potential of adopting digital workflows in the construction sector to enhance services and improve productivity. The interview covers a wide range of aspect including the evolution of technologies, BIM (Building Information Modelling) and Digital Twins. As the UK recovers from COVID-19, there is the potential to adopt the ideas and principles of building digitally to produce better quality outputs. This podcast was produced as part of Autodesk's support to the CIHT Autodesk Collaboration Award 2020 - more see here: https://www.ciht.org.uk/events-listing/featured-events/ciht-awards/2020-shortlist/ciht-autodesk-collaboration-award-2020-shortlist/

The Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, announced (on 9 May) a £2 billion package to create new era for cycling and walking. In this podcast Justin Ward interviews Phil Jones. Phil has over 30 years’ experience in the planning and design of development infrastructure, with particular expertise in traffic analysis, transport planning and highway design. The discussion focuses on what investments would be most effective to increase walking and cycling, if you can you buy yourself to increased active travel, and what needs to happen to ensure the investment is delivered effectively

Barriers to imposing car-free streets are being lifted following a government decision to enable key workers to walk or cycle more safely. This podcast features an interview with Roger Geffen, Policy Director at Cycling UK. With approximately one-third of the global population in lock-down, vehicle traffic from the road network has reduced considerably. There has been a decline in public transport use in the UK. But essential workers are still needing to get to work and one of the ways of supporting them is by closing some streets to vehicle traffic and reallocating road space for walking and cycling. New Zealand has a plan to fund wider footpaths and cycle paths to help people stay apart to help manage social distancing during Covid-19. A number of countries and cities across the world are implementing similar plans. Berlin and Madrid have also looked to support car-free streets to take advantage of reduced car travel during the pandemic.The UK government recently relaxed procedures for making temporary changes to roads following a call from a number of organisations to do so, and thereby allowing car-free streets to be implemented. The first local authority to take advantage of these new powers was Brighton.But wider plans for more car-free streets could be implemented by local authorities across the UK. As Roger Geffen, Policy Director at Cycling UK explained in the CIHT podcast. Roger said the followings routes could be considered for cycling: "The route to the hospital or the route to the park so that parents and their children can get there in safe cycle conditions. As we start to approach the possibility of schools re-opening we should start thinking about the route to the school so that the children can get there without a revival of the car transport and giving them the opportunity of healthy travel"The interview outlines the links between road maintenance and cycling safety, the health benefits of cycling and what the future implications of transport are arising from Covid-19.Cycling UK has produced a guide for local authorities, see: www.cyclinguk.org/advice-for-councils.

New guidance is allowing the highways sector to maintain worker safety and social distancing, while aiming to operate as close to business as usual as possible. This podcast features an interview with Suffolk Highways' assistant director of operational highways Mark Stevens.“How do you mitigate the effects of Coronavirus day to day, and equally how do you build a post Covid-19 future?” asks Mark Stevens, as he reflects on the challenges – and opportunities – for the roads sector during the crisis.Mark has been part of a joint public and private sector effort to develop guidance for the highways sector that will allow safe operating procedures for highways maintenance and improvement operations during the pandemic.Coronavirus (COVID-19) Local Highways Safe Operating Procedures – Protecting our workforce guidance document https://www.ciht.org.uk/media/11135/covid19-highways-safe-operating-procedures-version-1-27th-april-2020-final-1040-002.pdf

How trees can be used to tackle roadside air pollution. Interview with Professor Prashant Kumar from the University of Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research. Further research and evidence: Paper reference in the interview and available for free download: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-020-0115-3Professor Kumar says: “We have a long history of research in this area, starting with our first journal publication in 2014, which assessed the potential of roadside vegetation to reduce exposure to ultrafine particles, a study that was subsequently expanded to investigate larger-sized fine and coarse particles along busy roadsides. This journey continued with assessments of the relative potential of trees, hedges, green roofs and walls in city environments and proposed modelling methods for evaluating the impact of green infrastructure. Most recently, our research has highlighted the nexus between green infrastructure, air pollution and human health and we have even released guidance on the implementation of green infrastructure for air pollution abatement.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to huge drop in air pollution. In this podcast Paul Monks, professor of air pollution at the University of Leicester, discusses the important lessons to learn. Monks is the former chair of the UK government’s science advisory committee on air quality.The interview explores what exposure to air pollution might mean with regards to risk with COVID-19 and the emerging evidence-base around if airborne pollution particles can carry viruses and bacteria. Professor Monks outlines a potential silver lining in being able to see what can happen if there are large-scale actions to turn off air pollution. The moves to electrification of the vehicle fleet offers one route to doing this.

This episode is relevant to today's global events as the world looks to respond to, and be resilient to, Covid 19 - a global pandemic. The CIHT podcast is an interview with Justin Ward speaking with Juliet Mian, an infrastructure resilience expert. Juliet has many years of experience on a wide range of infrastructure projects across many sectors. She is Technical Director of Resilience Shift, Associate Director at Arup and also a UK representative to PIARC. The interview looks at the implications for infrastructure as a result of the climate crisis, how black sky hazard scenarios can help and how green infrastructure can make places and people more resilient. There are lessons given from Day Zero, where Cape Town faced the situation of running out of water.

In the second part of this podcast series, CIHT explore what positive changes can be made to address the huge climate - and ecological - emergency challenge before us. In this episode we are looking at what can be done in the uplands for water management, the benefits of trees and permeable paving and what how tech can do to help. Featuring interviews with:- Dr Gemma Jerome from Building with Nature- Jane Rickson, Professor of Soil Erosion and Conversation at Cranfield University,- John Fox from LucyZodion- George Warren, from the Greater London Authority, Climate Change Adaptation Team- Robert Webster, Senior Civil Engineer at Civic Engineers

Severe flooding has once again hit parts of the UK, this time during Storm Dennis, damaging homes and leaving many people stranded. We have a huge climate - and ecological - emergency challenge before us and we are seeing significant changes in weather patterns, increased flooding, heating etc. This podcast focuses on the extent to which green infrastructure and sustainable drainage can contribute to both adaptation and mitigation. Featuring interviews with:- Jane Rickson, Professor of Soil Erosion and Conversation at Cranfield University, - George Warren, from the Greater London Authority, Climate Change Adaptation Team - Zac Tudor - Sheffield Council’s principal landscape architect - Robert Webster, Senior Civil Engineer at Civic Engineers