The government must give the UK a confidence boost about the future of major infrastructure projects or we risk losing momentum, according to transport experts at a Guardian roundtable event. The issue, they agreed, is at the heart of making the UK’s transport systems more intelligent and responsive, in a political environment where Brexit negotiations, regional devolution deals, the chancellor’s autumn statement and the modern transport bill all loom large.
Political confidence in future transport
The government’s full intent on transport infrastructure remains to be seen, though panelists at the event said they felt encouraged by the rhetoric. “We must hold our nerve and invest in transport for the future regardless,” said Nigel Foster, strategy director for Transport for the North (TfN). He said it would be crucial to get the powers to create a statutory northern transport body, something TfN is setting its sights on for 2017. “This would give the north a single voice on strategic transport issues and the ability to make decisions locally on how to invest in transport.”
Others round the table agreed a long term investment plan was necessary to build a confidence in the future for transport. Philipa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, emphasised that only by having that long term commitment would people train for transport industries. Meanwhile, Clare Cornes, transport strategist at Transport for Greater Manchester, voiced concerns about a skills gap in areas such as engineering and said efforts were being made to work closely with higher and further education bodies to address this in the region.
Joshua Hardie, deputy director-general of the Confederation of Business Industry, said many CBI members had voiced a need for reassurances from the government that there are solid plans in place, particularly with the “spectre of Brexit hanging over us”. Agreeing with Hardie, Jason Pavey, local transport director at Atkins, said too much stop-and-start over transport plans would mean losing people from the industry. “To plan for the future we need long term certainty, and I don’t think at the moment we have it.”
The panel did proffer examples of more long-term thinking. Heathrow airport, for instance, is working with local schools to develop Mandarin speakers, in anticipation of a third runway in 2025 which will increase services to China, according to Nigel Milton, director of external affairs at Heathrow. Another example is a taskforce, to be chaired by Lord David Blunkett, will look at the skills needed if the third Heathrow runway goes ahead, he said.
Passenger-focused transport
The panel agreed that passengers on different modes of transport are not interested in who runs it – they just want it to work, so sector collaboration is vital. “Working together and moving away from a mindset that we are all different entities is key,” said Pavey. “The focus should always be on the public, and we can use data to create more intelligent mobility.” He added that he was heartened to see the partnerships happening in the north.
Campaign for Better Transport spends a lot of time talking to passengers. Laura Tomlinson, head of corporate partnerships at the organisation, said the conversation invariably comes back to being able to use different modes of transport easily, across different networks, using a single payment method. “The biggest issue we hear about is journeys on buses run by different networks,” she said. “They don’t work properly in terms of timings, how they’re paid for and how complex it is. Bus operators are not working together. Administrative boundaries mean bus services terminate in the middle of nowhere and it puts people off using public transport.”
Andrew Everett, chief strategy officer at Transport Systems Catapult, said there could be no integrated transport while the sector was still focused on different modes of transport. Sharing data would help but, as Milton pointed out, the data commercial companies have on their passengers is valuable. “Getting airlines to share data on their passenger’s onward journeys so we can work with coaches or taxis is proving to be extraordinarily difficult,” he said, adding that although it may take time, some organisations agencies are already seeing the advantages for their customers.
Technology and new kills
Ultimately, Cornes pointed out, the technology to make transport systems more intelligent is just a tool. The ultimate aim is to give people integrated mobility and simple fares. Hardie agreed: “Technology is so exciting but we need to get the basics right and make sure there is trust between the passengers sharing data and the commercial organisations using it. We need to use data for the nuts and bolts of travel like making sure people have transparency on fares and which journeys will be simplest and cheapest.”
The panel agree that to build intelligent mobility will require a big shift. “We will need a whole raft of different skill sets beyond the traditional science, technology, engineering and maths skills for transport systems of the future; such as systems engineers, software developers and human-computer interaction skills,” said Everett. “If we don’t think about it now we will be left behind.”
On the panel:
- Clare Cornes, transport strategist, Transport for Greater Manchester
- Andrew Everett, chief strategy officer, Transport Systems Catapult
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Nigel Foster, strategy director, Transport for the North
- Joshua Hardie, deputy director-general, CBI
- Jason Pavey, local transport director, Atkins
- Nigel Milton, director of external affairs, Heathrow
- Philipa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing, Institution of Mechanical Engineer
- Hannah Randle, public affairs manager, Rail Delivery Group
- Laura Tomlinson, Corporate partnerships, Campaign for Better Transport
The discussion, which took place 27 September – during the Labour party conference – was sponsored by Atkins.
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