The TPS is delighted to announce that the University of Hertfordshire has been selected to prepare “A State of the Nation” report which will be published in November 2020 and presented in November as part of  this year's Transport Planning Day.  The project will be led by Professor Stephen Joseph, Visiting Professor at the Smart Mobility Research Unit.

The State of the Nation report builds on our six priorities for politicians and decision-makers to tackle the impacts of our transport system on both society and the environment

(https://tps.org.uk/news/six-things-the-new-government-should-do-to-improve).

The report will address the mismatch between Government’s decarbonising transport strategy and the current approach to planning for and investing in schemes, strategies, skills and resourcing across Great Britain. 

The report will address also our changing transport choices as we emerge from COVID-19 travel restrictions.  In particular, the long term aim for a sustainable national transport system will be challenged post-COVID if restrictions on public transport capacity leads to a widespread private car use.

In announcing the launch of the project Stephen Bennett, TPS Chair said 

“The TPS has long commented on the issues emanating from the Government’s approach to transport strategy and its transport spending commitments around the country. Our State of the Nation report is about taking stock of where we are with transport planning in the UK, on organisation, funding, skills, tools and techniques, and identifying current strengths and areas for improvement.  The research by experts at the University of Hertfordshire will allow us to make clear recommendations to Government and stakeholders about how transport planning can more effectively support not only a recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic in the short term, but also our long term aim of achieving a sustainable and resilient transport system for everyone in the country. We are delighted to be working with them and look forward to the results. We would also like to thank the other organisations that bid for this project and for the very high quality of their submissions”

In confirming their appointment Stephen Joseph said

“Transport planning in the UK has great strengths but also faces tremendous challenges, notably with decarbonisation and now with Covid-19. There are also issues of transport provision in new developments and the growing importance of active travel. This project gives us the opportunity to explore these challenges and look at ways in which transport policy should adapt for the future.

“The project builds on the expertise at the University of Hertfordshire and its new Smart Mobility Unit; we are pleased to have been awarded this contract and we look forward to working with the Transport Planning Society.”

NOTES

The Smart Mobility Unit at the University of Hertfordshire.

The Smart Mobility Unit (SMU) at the University of Hertfordshire was launched in 2018, building knowledge and skills around successful applied transport projects such as the Government’s Plugged-in-Place scheme for the East of England, integrated ticketing and implementing shared transport solutions on its University campuses (the University implemented and the UK’s first HEI entirely electric pay-per-use car club).

The SMU’s interests and expertise include area-wide travel planning, transport-related behaviour change, intelligent transport systems, biometrics, multi-modal integrated ticketing, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) applications, big data analysis and spatial mapping. The Unit is currently developing postgraduate offers in the field of transport planning, due to launch in 2021.

The Unit works with the Government, local authorities, private sector organisations and public transport operators to develop transport solutions. It is also a partner in projects such as the Herts Living Lab, Hatfield 2030 plan to redevelop Hatfield town centre and in developing wider partnership working with England’s Economic Heartland, and others who aim to make sustainable transport an integral part of community planning and change.