Transport Planning Day 2023 highlights the importance of equity in the transition to a decarbonised transport system

On Monday 13th of November, transport professionals gathered in London for the sixth Transport Planning Day, to discuss the topic of planning and delivering a rapid and equitable transition to a decarbonised transport system.

The Transport Planning Society held its sixth annual Transport Planning Day on Monday (13 Nov) at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London. The event brought together a diverse audience, including industry leaders, academics, and young professionals from across the UK, to highlight the pivotal role of transport planning in enhancing everyday life and celebrating best practice in the industry.

The theme of this year’s event was carefully chosen in response to the cost-of-living crisis which is increasing social exclusion, particularly in relation to transport. The event also highlighted the need to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on people with lower incomes, who contribute minimally to CO2 emissions but bear the brunt of its consequences.

Reflecting on the day the Chair of the Transport Planning Society, Ben Plowden, said:

“The quality of the presentations and discussion at this year’s Transport Planning Day was confirmation of the importance of the topic – “planning and delivering a rapid and equitable transition to a decarbonised transport system”.  It was fantastic to hear such a diverse range of views and voices and to see many of our members attending and engaging both online and in-person.

“This is our sixth annual Transport Planning Day, and I am delighted it continues to be a success, highlighting the importance of transport planning – and transport planners – in tackling some of the key challenges we face. 

“The Transport Planning Society will continue to engage with all communities and interests in addressing these challenges, both through future Transport Planning Days and our wider work.

“We are very grateful to our members and sponsors, who make the event possible”

Federico Cassani, Partner and Global Director of Transport and Mobility at Buro Happold, who discussed “Infrastructure in the age of Mobility as a Service, do we still need to invest in physical infrastructure?” said:

“Delivering a rapid and equitable transition to a decarbonised transport system is not an easy challenge and needs to be considered at the micro-, meso- and macro scale.

“It is clear from the discussion that we need to consider people at the core of all our efforts to make places and spaces great and easy to move around in.

“At Buro Happold we are involved in several projects which requires considering what can be done using existing infrastructure and what needs a much more transformative, whole system approach.

“Whilst the meso-scale needs further discussion to find suitable solutions, we are encouraged by the Transport Planning Society members’ active engagement in this area and look forward to working with the members on addressing this.”

Aoife Dudley, Senior Transport and Sustainability Consultant at City Science and runner-up for Young Transport Planner of the Year said:

“This was my first Transport Planning Day, and a great opportunity to both listen and contribute to such interesting discussions with colleagues.

“It’s clear that we all know the scale of the challenge we’re facing with decarbonisation, and that achieving it will likely deliver positive outcomes for communities that currently experience the greatest negative impacts from transport.

“What was clear from the discussion is that we need to think carefully about how we’re communicating the changes and benefits that are coming, who we’re working with and listening to when engaging with communities, and how our own biased view of the world affects the solutions we might propose which could have serious implications for people who move through the world differently to us”

The Transport Planning Day event featured speakers including Professor Glenn Lyons, Emma Griffin, and Federico Cassani, who delved into the crucial topic of "The role of government and industry in fostering a rapid and equitable transition to a decarbonised system." Additionally, a panel engaged in a thought-provoking discussion on "What is an equitable transition and how can we plan for it?"

Notes to the editor:

1. The Transport Planning Society is the only professional body focusing entirely on transport planning in the UK and represents the views of over 1400 members and 40 stakeholder members. You can find out more about TPS here: https://tps.org.uk/    

2. The Transport Planning Society celebrate Transport Planning Day every year to raise awareness of the role transport planning has in changing people’s lives as well as showcasing fantastic examples of best practice from across the profession. Our theme for this year’s Transport Planning Day was planning and delivering a rapid and equitable transition to a decarbonised transport system. You can find more information about the campaign here.

3. Transport Planning Day was sponsored by: Buro Happold, ioki, Stantec, Believ, Kestrel Surveys, Heurisic Games, and Charge Surveys.

4. For further info contact Eneko Garcia-Perez at eneko@jfgcomms.co.uk / 07864864128 or Alex Bennett at alex@jfgcomms.co.uk

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