Following the last TPS Board meeting, Lynda Addision,TPS Chair, has prepared a brief report on recent activities and future initiatives.  A lot has been happening over the last few months ! And the tasks for the next 2 years are extensive…..

The Board of TPS has agreed the following at its meeting in September:

• A revised mission and set of objectives for the TPS – see the attached TPS Strategic Objectives 2017.pdf
• An overall strategy to seek to achieve: better interaction with members; the recruitment of more members, corporate, stakeholder and individual; improve the web site; and a higher profile for the Society and the work that is does to achieve more impact on national policies that affect transport.
• An initial action plan based on the objectives for the next 18 months to 2 years.

One of the strands of work is about the “principles” of transport planning in the light of discussion at the TPM and some further work by James Gleave. We are proposing to engage the whole membership in this discussion and will be looking at ways to do so at a meeting next week.  But if you want to contribute now please feel free to do so and let us have you views. Please email us at info@tps.org.uk

Alongside this society-wide debate on principles we also want to think through what skills and behaviours are required of the 21^st century transport planner to ensure that as a profession we can deliver our objectives.  Given the changing nature of transport planning they are likely to be different in part from those identified say 10 years ago.  What do you think?  This follows on from a workshop at the last TPM in Nottingham.

The other main  strand concerns our profile and its impact.  How can we ensure that policy and practice, whether at the national level or at local level, is driven by best practice in transport planning and that the outcomes are what we as a society want (or need?). Again this needs a lot more thinking and work but we have contributed to a letter to the Government suggesting potential changes to the NPPF.

We will, over the next yea,  be trying to ensure that all our communications, activities at regional or national level and any other actions reinforce each other and our objectives. This is clearly the beginning of a long and substantial journey but we hope that you will want to be part of it - so get engaged!