A message from the Chair, Nicola Kane 

I’m delighted to introduce myself as the new Chair of the Transport Planning Society. It’s a huge honour to take on this role, and I’m looking forward to working with you all to help champion the profession and support our growing community of transport planners across the UK and beyond.

With a new mission-led government, growing momentum around devolution, and a renewed focus on more integrated transport systems to support sustainable and inclusive growth, it’s a really exciting and pivotal time for our profession.  If you’d like to know a bit more about me and the rest of our Board members, do have a look at our profiles on the TPS website: TPS Board, and do connect with me on LinkedIn!

Whilst I’m still finding my feet and understanding the wide range of activities that the TPS delivers, my key priorities as Chair include:

🔹 Embedding 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 into national and local transport practice - particularly in shaping the sustainable delivery of new homes and jobs.
🔹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 and especially encouraging more women to come into transport planning and to progress to leadership roles.
🔹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗣𝗦’𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 in the regions and nations, with more events and networking opportunities across the UK, and beyond.
🔹𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 across the public, private and academic sectors, and working with other professional institutions to ensure TPS remains relevant, influential, and future-focused.

I’m very keen to hear more from our members, so please do fill in our Member’s survey and if you have any suggestions for me and the rest of the Board, or if you’d like to get more in our regional or national activities, please do get in touch (Chair@tps.org.uk).

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to Ben Plowden for his excellent leadership over the past 2.5 years. Ben has been a passionate Chair and advocate for transport planning, and I’m grateful for the strong foundations he’s laid - both behind the scenes in improving how the TPS is run, and in raising TPS's external profile. I’m really looking forward to picking up where Ben left off, working with the TPS Board, our members, and our transport planning community to shape an influential and inclusive future for the profession.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few important TPS activities and opportunities:

🔹 Nominate your Transport Planner and Young Transport Planner of the year

These awards celebrate excellence and innovation in our field – let’s recognise the brilliant work happening across the profession.

🔹 TPS Member Survey – We Want Your Views
Your feedback is essential to help shape our future direction. If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to complete the survey.

🔹 TPS Partner Programme 

Partners of the Transport Planning Society have access to exclusive resources, networking opportunities and brand exposure. We offer three different partnership packages: Skills Partners, Corporate Partners, and Public Sector Partners. Companies interested in joining the TPS Partner Programme should contact businessmanager@tps.org.uk.

🔹 Transport Planning Day – 10th November
Join us in celebrating the impact of transport planning on communities and the environment. Look out for events and activities near you, and share your stories on social media using #TransportPlanningDay.

Thank you for being part of TPS. I’m excited about what we can achieve together.

Best wishes,

Nicola Kane
Chair, Transport Planning Society