Ciht Podcasts - Transport

As part of a focus by CIHT on the future of transport, this episode explores how micromobility could change the way we move in the future. As this is high on the government agenda, with trials of e-scooters currently underway in the UK, this podcast features an interview with Philip Ellis, CEO of Beryl. Beryl is the UK's largest bike share provider outside of London. Beryl has recently been announced as the e-scooter provider for a DfT trial in Norwich.The interview explores safety aspects, international lessons on e-scooters and the global market for micromobility.

Welcome to the second part of this podcast series looking at cities. This one is called the century of cities, but might have better been called the century of sustainable cities, or even the century of 15 minute cities as it continues a conversation that I had with Professor Carlos Moreno from the Sorbonne in Paris where he is scientific director of entrepreneurship and innovation. Professor Moreno is also special envoy to the Major of Paris, Anne Hidalgo where he was the driving force behind the concept of the 15 minute city. This was a core element of her re-election platform and has, since then, the idea of the 15 minute city has gained global momentum. The interview explores whether global problems – particularly climate change - will be better solved, at a mayoral at a city state level than at a nation state level and how to address inequalities in cities.

Welcome to the 15-minute city. This is whereby all the daily urban necessities are within a 15-minute reach on foot or by bike. Work, home, shops, entertainment, education and healthcare. Some urbanists are pushing for proximity over mobility and this has gained traction during the global pandemic, so is this the potential solution to how cities should operate now and in the future? Where: think global but act local could become a reality.This podcast sees Justin Ward from CIHT discuss this with the architect of this concept – Professor Carlos Moreno from the Sorbonne in Paris where he is scientific director of entrepreneurship and innovation. Professor Moreno’s idea has and will continue to shape the how people live in Paris as it was taken up by Anne Hidalgo when it was announced back in February during her run for re-election as Major of the city. Since then the idea has gained global traction as a measure to respond to – and also provide - a green recovery from covid-19.Further information: 15-minute

Whilst we are in the midst of a global pandemic, today we explore measures for how – potentially – me might help address another one. Inactivity has been described as a pandemic due to the health impacts of people not being active – and therefore needs to be addressed. Rachel Aldred, Professor of Transport at the University of Westminster and Director of the Active Travel Academy helps to unpick how we might solve this with increasing cycling levels. This is an important time to discuss given thoughts being given to what world might emerge out of Covid-19.This included references to the following research:Rachel Aldred, Joseph Croft and Anna Goodman (2018) Impacts of an active travel intervention with a cycling focus in a suburban context: One-year findings from an evaluation of London’s in-progress mini-Hollands programme, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Open Access, available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856417314866 Propensity to Cycle Toolkit: https

This podcast explores the work of a start-up predictive AI company that improves the way vehicles and systems interact with people in any environment. Humanising Autonomy’s horizontal solution fuses behavioural psychology, statistical AI and novel deep learning algorithms to create synergy between people and machines. This podcast explores issues such as standards, data, disabilities and looks at how to deliver safer roads by preventing accidents and near misses. There is also a focus on freight and how machine learning can make journeys faster & more efficient with precise decision making.In this interview Justin Ward speaks with Paddy La Torre from Humanising Autonomy.

This podcast explores the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) review of the local highway network (LHN) in England. This review was undertaken in a similar time frame to theJuly 2019 report of the UK Parliament Transport Select Committee (TSC) into thesubject. The report acknowledges that the LHN is receiving insufficient funding.This review has been underpinned by engagement with CIHT members and keysector bodies involved in the LHN.The podcast starts with an introduction from Ginny Clarke, Chair of the CIHT Learned Society and Technical Strategy Board, Andrew Hugill from CIHT, Mike O'Dowd Jones, Matthew Lugg and Steve Gooding.For more on the review see here: https://www.ciht.org.uk/knowledge-resource-centre/resources/improving-local-highways/

The UK passed a net zero emissions law - this target requires the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. How will the highways and transport sector deliver on this target? How will industry support the sector in doing this? Justin Ward from CIHT speaks with Maggie Hall, Sustainability Advisor for Ringway as well as the wider Eurovia businesses in the UK about this. Ringway delivers specialist highway services including improvement schemes, routine maintenance and severe weather response across the largest, dedicated, highways portfolio within the UK including the strategic road network, DBFO motorway and trunk roads, and the local authority network.This podcast was produced as part of Ringway's support to the CIHT / Ringway Climate Change Award.

As the world moves to electric vehicles this episode explores the supply of one of the key metals, cobalt and the mining industry.The interview is with Christophe Le Bec - an economic journalist with Jeune Afrique. He covers news from the petroleum, mining and industrial sectors (automotive and aeronautics). He is interested in transparency and governance issues, as well as in employers 'and workers' organizations. https://www.jeuneafrique.com/auteurs/c.le-bec/

Big Data is all around us - but what use is it if our roads are still congested, our cities crowded, our air polluting. How can we make meaningful change using insights from data? This podcast focuses on the science behind our cities - how we can use data to understand how to plan our cities and how this can, in turn, help improve peoples' health.The episode features an interview with Laurence Oakes-Ash, founder and CEO of City Science. City Science is an ambitious new technology company developing data-tools and software solutions to optimise city systems.This podcast was produced as part of the support from City Science to the CIHT City Science Healthy Transport Award 2020 - https://www.ciht.org.uk/events-listing/featured-events/ciht-awards/2020-shortlist/ciht-city-science-healthy-transport-award/

How to reduce accident rates for the workforce that keeps our transport network operating? This episode looks at how Highways England's, Commercial Director, Malcom Dare set the supply chain the challenge of halving accident rates by adopting a new set of common standards. This challenge meant every supplier must half its Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) within the next 12 months and support own supply chain to do the same. The interview provides an insight into how Kier responded to the challenge. Kier Highways RIDDOR AFR now stands at 0.03 having completed 6 million hours without a RIDDOR at the end of May. The RIDDOR AFR has been halved since December 2019 when it was 0.06.This podcast features a panel discussion including Malcolm Dare from Highways England, Joe Incutti Group MD from Kier, Scott Cooper MD for strategic highways from Kier, and Neil Wilson Head of Safety, Health, Environment and Assurance (SHEA) from Kier.This podcast was produced as part of Kier's support to the CIHT Kier Road Safety Award

This episode focuses on the issues associated with the building blocks of our infrastructure: the raw materials that are used for constructing and maintaining our highways.And, it is fair to say, the materials sector has faced major challenges – recently with Covid-19, but in the background, there is uncertainty around Brexit and supply-chain issues, and then there is a wider challenge of the need to reduce carbon. To explore this, Justin Ward is joined by Tim Mole from Fosroc. They are a CIHT knowledge partner. Fosroc is a global manufacturer of specialised construction chemicals that cater to a range of sectors including commercial, industrial, residential, marine and infrastructure covering Europe, the Middle East, North and South Asia.This episode is looking specifically at highways and what changes have and might be required to standards in the future.This podcast was produced as part of Fosroc's support to the CIHT Fosroc Engineering Award 2020 - more see here: https://www.ciht.org.uk/events-listing/

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-shortl

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 tempora

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

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