On the 19^th April the Transport Planning Society organised an event to discuss the work it has undertaken looking at the principles of transport planning,  identifying the main challenges and opportunities for transport planners going forward and what skills are required in the future.  The debate, hosted by Mott MacDonald in Birmingham, was attended by over thirty transport professionals from a range of backgrounds. The panel was made up of the following people: ( shown below)

 

·         Lynda Addison (chair) – Chair of the Transport Planning Society

·         Dr Lucy Rackliff – Transport Lecturer at Aston University

·         Dan Pass – Principal Transport Planner at Transport for West Midlands

·         Kate Morris – Director (Transportation) at AECOM

·         Keith Buchan – TPS Skills Director 

 

 

 

The panel of speakers

 

To kick off the debate each member of the panel set out their initial thoughts on the document, which was followed by contributions from the attendees. Lots of interesting points were paid, particularly around the role of technology and innovation, how to make the principles as encompassing as possible, and how transport planning interacts with day-to-day life (including politics and the economy). It was also suggested that these principles could help form a better brand for TPS which are accessible to people from the range of people who interact with the profession.

 

The TPS  Board will now reflect on the views expressed at the event when revising the document setting out our findings. Thank you to all those who made contributions during the session, as well as those who have put their thoughts forward through the Annual Survey and networking events.