Record Year for Transport Bursary Scheme

Every year the Transport Planning Society gives a number of young transport planners the opportunity to participate in their Bursary Scheme.  The results for 2010/11 are being released today.  Winners prepare a short paper, together with a formal presentation of its findings, which they deliver to the TPS Board.  They each receive £500 and have a senior TPS Member to mentor them.  An innovation for 2010 is a “Bursary of the Year” award, to be announced in February 2011.

This year 17 transport planners reached the final application stage, double last year, and the six successful bursarians come from Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, Manchester and Newcastle.  The topics are all related to this year’s TPS theme of transport planning in a period of austerity, and cover sustainable travel, local authority planning, community involvement, private sector funding, and appraisal.  Full titles are set out below.

Keith Buchan, Board Member responsible for the scheme, said, “We are very pleased to welcome such a diverse group of young transport planners into the scheme in 2010. This is a great opportunity to improve skills and experience with the help of a senior professional and is part of the TPS commitment to maintaining and raising standards.  The Board is looking forward to some valuable and stimulating contributions to the transport planning debate.”

Contact Keith Buchan on:
07788724827
020 8994 0900
kbuchan@mtru.com

Bursary subjects are:

The vulnerability of current approaches to appraisal in light of low traffic growth and public sector austerity

The evolution and role of public private partnerships

Can transport really help the national economy to grow? And if so, how do we choose between projects in the Age of Austerity?

What role can the private sector play in achieving sustainable transport objectives in Scotland?

Economic Recession and Uncertainty - a platform for LTP3 to be innovative?

Should sustainable transport planning be the fodder of transport planners and politicians or is it time for grassroots activism?