Agendas

• Finishing the second road period strongly
• Preparing for RIS3
• Highlighting the value of the strategic road network to the UK economy

• Following the first two rounds of the PfD funding, Darren Capes will talk to two of the successful authorities about their experience and spending plans.  

• Presenting an artificial intelligence system to control traffic lights in real time.
• The system – the first of its kind – reads live camera footage and adapts the lights to compensate, keeping the traffic flowing and reducing congestion.
• We present the findings of deploying this AI traffic control to real-world junctions, in collaboration with Coventry City Council.

• Outlining the infrastructure to meet net-zero operations in Coventry
• Providing an enhanced test bed for the future development of vehicle technologies and transport systems, including micromobility, EVs, and an urban airport
• How the city is encouraging behavioural change 
• The steps take to increase the effectiveness of traffic management, leading to reduced congestion, pollution and associated economic/social benefits  

• Achievements within the transport community to date in this area of R&D, and its benefits in defining urban transport requirements.
• What's needed among councils, researchers and other players to enable AI to be used in a smart cities context?
• What are the barriers to accessing data, and how do we weigh up convenience against privacy? 

The council perspective:

• Reasons for considering civil MTE
• Getting members on board
• Selecting sites 
• Consultation and explaining it to the public

The consultant's input:

• Are the signs clear and legal?
• What else could be improved to increase compliance?
• Will the adjudicators expect advance signing?
• How big are your boxes?
• Can you find all your orders?

Case studies followed by a Q&A covering:

• Share data or question systems?
• Building from first (Gemini) principles & architecture.
• AI & Digital Twins.
• The power of story-telling to unlock potential.

• Improving transportation efficiency, enhancing vehicle safety, reducing emissions, and enabling new mobility services are touted benefits of connected vehicles. 
• But how are these opportunities being realised on the ground? 

• We all have a vision for the future. The “C” in CITS & CCAM is much mentioned, but more difficult to deliver. The desire is there. The ideas are plenty.
• As an industry, how do we enable our Local Authorities to deliver the change.
• In this talk, SWARCO will cover feedback from Local Authorities in the UK on their real-world challenges in embracing the connected future.

• Discussing what local authorities, regional and national bodies are doing to unblock innovation in this area.
• A look at how lane rental schemes can be used to fund innovation and improve the quality of reinstatements.
• Discussing routes to improving the quality or accessibility of records about the location of underground pipes, wires, and other apparatus.
• Analysing the importance of quality control throughout the maintenance process and the need for strong regulation to ensure this.

• National Highways is modernising and digitalising the Specification for Highways Works that are used by all road authorities across the United Kingdom, and this will be published in March 2025.
• New ways of preparing and distributing site-specific specifications will be introduced and this will require changes to the way in which clients, designers and constructors work.
• This presentation will outline these changes so that organisations can adapt to the new requirements in advance of the launch in March 2025.

• How we will consider asset management capability in our advice on setting RIS3.
• RIS2 Asset Management performance.

• An exploration of the huge opportunities to improve front-line learning in the highways sector and whether 'using AI' is a realistic or remiss solution.

• Background to the setting of 20mph as the default speed limit for urban roads in Wales.
• A partnership approach to default speed limit change in Wales: discussing the change from policy to practice.
• Overview of ongoing review into setting exceptions to the default.
• How connected vehicle data has informed analysis and research of compliance since the new speed limit was implemented.

• Both buses and trucks serve critically important societal functions.
• The perils of modal comparison – collision rates vs casualty vs net prevention value? 
• Reducing exposure to risk, safe driving, incident avoidance, severity reduction during impact, and post-crash response.
• Discussing the success of TfL's Prince Michael Award-winning schemes in the Direct Vision Standard, Bus Safety Strategy, Vision Zero on London’s Bus Network and Implementing a Safe System Approach.

• Discussing the science of passive safety: designing for human error and building safer roadsides.
• How do signs and lamp columns injure people and how can we prevent it?
• What does data tell us about where to prioritise investments in pursuing Vision Zero?

• At which point of a project do you consider the impact of congestion on road-users, including public transport and pedestrians?
• Steps we can take at design stage to reduce risk for highways workers, and road users.
• Sustainable solutions currently available that can keep traffic flowing, with particular focus in urban areas, and intermediary solutions to be considered when permanent systems are being replaced.

• The role transport networks can play in nature’s recovery while also factoring in Vision Zero considerations.
• Considering how habitat management is important, not just habitat creation
• The value of the National Highways Soft Estate.
• How we manage our land, historic management, and consequences.
• Key biodiversity issues caused by the road network, specifically habitat connectivity.

• The Sub-national Transport Bodies have worked together, as well as liaising with DfT, to develop a number of evidence-based carbon calculation tools for use by local authorities.
• The tools are focussed on user emissions and are place based, so provide bespoke outputs for local authorities.
• The presentation will introduce the tools, including transport carbon baseline dashboards; TfN’s Clean Mobility Tool; and the Carbon Assessment Playbook – potentially with short demo’s.
• The Carbon Assessment Playbook, developed by a consortium of STBs including Englands Economic Heartland, Transport for the South East and Transport East, allows users to understand the carbon reduction effects associated with different interventions/policies on bespoke local authority carbon baselines.

• A discussion covering embodied carbon across all lifecycle stages, from material supply to design, construction, maintenance and end of life.
• With the whole value chain in mind, how can asset owners work towards PAS 2080 and ISO 14001? 

• DfT will present an outline of the challenges of bringing technology to the road network, in particular in terms of the human and institutional barriers in place.
• Participants from a range of backgrounds are invited to share their experiences and perspectives, with a particular emphasis on what barriers they face and what opportunities they have to help others address barriers of their own.
• As part of that, we invite people to suggest what DfT should have in its ‘top five’ roads technology topics for the next two-three years.

• Who we are and what we do.
• How we hold National Highways to account with a focus on RIS2 deliverables
• Our role in setting the next road investment strategy, with a focus on our efficiency review.

• Some of the sector's key trade associations, consultancies and local authorities will discuss the challenges the industry faces in hiring and retaining diverse talent to fill a growing number of roles.
• Emerging young professionals in the early stages of their careers will also be involved to discuss their recent experiences and how things might be improved for the next generation of recruits.

• What Network North means for investment in local road infrastructure.

• How the Teckal Exemption works in practice, allowing Cormac to operate as a council-owned company, the largest of its kind in the UK, with a turnover of £145 million, and 1,000 employees in the South West.
• Examining increased customer satisfaction and the activity of other council-owned companies in other parts of the country.

• A session delivered by representatives from across the Digital Traffic Order lifecycle.
• Short presentations from each party will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A.
• The DfT will introduce Digital Traffic Regulation Orders and the latest on the D-TRO Beta project to build a centralised repository of Digital TROs and how to participate in that work.
• Lambeth Council will demonstrate: 
  • Rationale and objectives for digitising orders;
  • Process used to make the transition;
  • Issues and solutions encountered; and
  • Operational user experience, benefits and efficiencies.

A perspective addressing the wider challenges of the Government’s fast approaching target date of July 2025, including:

• What this means for the 80-plus authorities using ParkMap and the 110-plus LAs using one.network.
• What authorities with less sophisticated processes in place, need to do.
• The here-and-now benefits of sharing data with a case study from award-winning Kent County Council.

• There is an emerging belief that mobility pricing will be implemented.
• However, since it's not for road operators to decide how government raises revenue, it's the responsibility of the industry to make the case for the right interventions.
• What are these, and what are the technical, political and practical barriers to implementation?
• Insight from schemes in place across Europe, USA and New Zealand.

• Despite Highway Code changes, investigations show the majority of motorists still believe they are top of the road hierarchy. What can be done to change this?
• How do we balance restraining the most "aggressively anti-driver traffic management measures" as per the Plan for Drivers document with Active Travel England's objective for 50% of trips in England's towns and cities to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030?

• What we know about the scale of social exclusion caused by transport issues in England.
• The areas and communities that tend to be most affected by transport issues.
• The impacts of COVID-19 and the rising cost of living on transport-related social exclusion.
• How transport policy, strategy, and investment can act to deliver a more equal and inclusive transport system.

• Maintenance Services
• Sustainable Solutions
• Achievable Benefits
• Setting the Standards
• Preserving your Resilience

• What powers and duties do local authorities have to address air pollution?
• How do councillors, officers, campaigners and members of the public feel about action on air quality?
• What are the barriers and enablers to action on air quality?

• Behaviour Change Science: the scientific foundation of behaviour change will be highlighted, stressing the importance of applying theories, approaches, and logic models to drive effective road safety interventions.
• Purposeful Innovation: the need to avoid pursuing innovation solely for the sake of innovation will be underscored.
• Collaborative Potential: the significant potential in collaborative efforts and knowledge-sharing will be explored as an important component for driving innovation and enhancing road safety outcomes.
• Scientific Design and Evaluation: the critical role of rigorous scientific design and evaluation in ensuring that interventions lead to the desired behaviour change.
• Professionalisation of the Sector: the importance of professionalising the road safety sector to ensure behaviour change approaches improve safety.

• Effective problem identification using AI technology supported by robust collision and casualty analysis.
• Confident design through simulation, visualisation, and traffic control software.
• Proactive assessment using immediate and long-term solutions.

• Discussing the use of drones for structural inspections to improve worker safety, eliminating the need to have inspectors work in areas with dangerous traffic, at high altitude or in risky confined spaces.
• Considering the case study of Netivei Ayalon: a major highway operator in the Tel-Aviv metro area where an inspection was conducted without the need to stop traffic.

Up to eight businesses will be selected to receive a free stand in the Launchpad area at Traffex, with automatic entry into the 2024 Launchpad Lightning Presentations and Awards.

As part of the Lightning Presentations, each company will deliver a three-minute-twenty-second presentation: Ten slides, 20 seconds per slide. It's fast, furious and fun. 

Guests and judges will be asked to judge the best presentation, with prizes including a free exhibition stand at Traffex 2025.