David Gillham,
CIHT President

20th April 2012

Sue Percy, my wife and I travelled to Warrington for the North West branch’s Annual Dinner and Branch Awards evening at the Park Royal Hotel.

We arrived in time for an informal meeting with Branch Chairman Mike Peet and Barry Heaps to discuss Branch matters and the programme for the evening.

After an excellent meal, and following the customary formal speeches and toasts, we were entertained by former professional footballer turned sports stadium developer Paul Fletcher MBE, with a very funny talk, liberally punctuated with some excellent humour, on his career.

The Branch Awards consisted of four categories – Transportation Project of the Year, which was won by M53 Bidston Moss Viaduct; Best Practice Project of the Year, won by Blackburn with Darwen BC’s ‘Delivering Highway Maintenance Efficiency Savings’ project; the Environmenta/Sustainability Project of the Year won by the 12 Quays Ro-Ro Pavement Reconstruction project; and the Safety Project of the Year, won by Lancashire CC’s ‘Improving the Road safety of Children and Young People’ initiative.

My congratulations to the winners, but also to the large number of entries for the Awards, some of which deservedly received commendations from the judges. I would also thank the event sponsors, Enterprise Mouchel and Waterman Aspen for their support for the Branch Awards.

In Britannia Walk for a full day of meetings. The first was with Sue Percy to discuss various institution matters including the forthcoming visit to Abu Dhabi, where the latest CIHT branch will be formally inaugurated at the end of May.
This was followed by a meeting of the Board of Trustees, which deals with the financial and governance aspects of the Institution’s business. We had a very full agenda, and enjoyed some healthy debate and discussions on a number of issues.


In the evening, Britannia Walk hosted the launch of the “Guidance Note: Residential Parking”, a joint publication from CIHT and IHE on planning, design and delivery of current good practice. The launch event was extremely well attended, and the audience enjoyed a very informed presentation from Bob White of Kent CC, one of the main authors of the document, which was followed by a very active question and answer session. I am very pleased that CIHT and IHE have collaborated on such a useful design guidance tool.


On the train home later, I read this month’s Transportation Professional, which this month includes the election papers, candidate biographies and ballot form for the election of officers and Council for 2012/13. I would encourage all members to vote in the election; it is important that Council members come from the full cross section of the industry in order to represent the views of all members.

29 March 2012

Sue Percy and I attended the West Midlands Branch AGM at the Manor House Hotel in Meriden. The branch elected David Black as their new Chairman, taking over from Dave Smith who was unfortunately unable to attend due to illness. One issue raised at the meeting was the need for all Branch members to ensure that the Institution has their up-to-date contact details, and in particular, e-mail addresses.

We then moved onto the Awards section of the evening with three categories; the Young Professional of the Year, which was sponsored by Arup, which was awarded to Matthew Atkins; The Best Small Highway or Transportation Project, sponsored by Carillion and awarded to the A4040 Highways Realignment at Yardley; and the Best Large Highway or Transportation Project, sponsored by Balfour Beatty, was awarded to Selly Oak New Road Phase 2. Congratulations to all the entrants and particularly the winners, and thanks also to the award sponsors for their support.

20 March 2012

I attended the Greater London Branch annual dinner at the Lansdowne Club in London. We were welcomed by Branch Chair Michelle Wood and sat down to a fine dinner at this lovely venue. The evening was well supported by contractors, consultants and public sector organisations.

After dinner we had the formal speeches; Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, talked about some of the transport challenges facing the capital in the Olympics and Paralympics in a few months’ time. I responded to his toast to the institution and toasted our guests; Michelle then spoke about the branch and its programme of meetings and activities.

The evening’s entertainment concluded around midnight – a very enjoyable evening.
 

12 March 2012

Next morning, we drove back into Belfast for a preview tour of the Titanic Exhibition which opens to the public at the end of March. It is an iconic  building set at the top of the slipways where the Titanic was launched ,and located in the middle of a major regeneration of Belfast’s docklands. A fantastic project which will without doubt boost the tourism industry in Northern Ireland.

At lunchtime we attended a CIHT presentation on professional qualifications at Queens University, where NI Branch Recruitment Officer Dennis Christie stood in at very short notice to give the presentation, as Jennifer Rasteiro had been delayed by fog at Gatwick!

After lunch we returned to Dunadry to prepare for the Branch’s Annual Dinner.

More than 200 from N Ireland’s highways and transportation community attended this very popular event in the social calendar. After the drinks reception, we sat down to an excellent meal before the speeches. The Minister for Regional Development, Mr Danny Kennedy MLA, spoke about the challenges facing the industry at the moment but I was pleased to note the commitment to fund 4 major improvement schemes on the A5. I replied to his toast to the Institution and we were then entertained by international rugby referee and local man, Simon McDowell, who gave us an insight in to some of the pressures faced by the man with the whistle!
 

11 March 2012

My wife and I flew to Belfast to visit the Northern Ireland branch, for a busy couple of days of visits, meetings and dinners!

Branch Chairman John Irvine and the branch committee held an informal dinner at the Dunadry Hotel, some 15 miles from Belfast, on Sunday evening which gave us the opportunity to catch up with local news and branch activity.

9 March 2012

I travelled to Penrith in Cumbria for the Northern branch dinner at the George Hotel. I was welcomed by the Branch Chairman, Darren Foote, and the branch committee at a pre-dinner reception, together with a number of other guests from neighbouring branches and the local engineering community.

The Toast to the Institution speech was given by Andrew Moss, the Head of Service, Highways & Infrastructure at Cumbria County Council, and after my response to his toast, we were entertained by local comedian Johnnie Casson. He gave us a real flavour of northern fun and humour – I was still laughing at his jokes when I travelled back to Sussex the next morning!

2 March 2012

The Branch Chairman, Martyn Evans, and Branch Secretary, Paul Warner, collected my wife and I from the hotel for a day of technical visits in the region.

We drove to Neath to the Peripheral Distributor Road (PDR), a major new 4.5km dual carriageway with link roads and a major crossing of the Swansea-Paddington main line railway. We were given an introductory talk by Costain staff, who then showed us around the brownfield site, which is part of a major regeneration of Port Talbot. One of the key challenges is in maintaining access to the operational steelworks during construction.

We then drove into Swansea to visit the bitumen recycling and reprocessing facility run by United Recycled Aggregates (URA Ltd), the recycling division of contractor Alun Griffiths. They have developed a method of rejuvenating road planings into patching and footway materials, using green additives and a low energy process. Managing Director Anthony Morgan demonstrated the process which converted approx. 2 tonnes of surfacing planings into a renewable material in about 15 minutes. The current operation, which is lorry trailer mounted, supplies sufficient material to feed Swansea Council’s patching and reinstatement gangs on a daily basis.

We drove back to Cardiff to the Welsh Government’s Traffic Control Centre at Coryton, where we were met by Ian Davies, the Head of Network Operations. He took us into the Control Room and explained how the Centre manages the Motorway and trunk network in South Wales on a 24/7/365 basis. The video wall is monitored continuously by a minimum of 2 operators, and there is a studio within the room feeding live traffic reports into local radio stations. 

 

We returned to the hotel to change for the Branch annual dinner at the Cardiff Hilton, which was attended by some 220 of the industry’s community in South Wales. I was particularly pleased to note that the Branch sponsors an Emerging Professionals table at their dinner, and it was good to see younger professionals enjoying the occasion. After dinner we were entertained by political journalist John Sargeant, who took questions from the floor after a short talk about his political and Strictly Come Dancing experiences! 

1 March 2012

I travelled to Cardiff (on St David’s Day!) for a 2 day visit to the South Wales branch. The visit started with a drop-in session for branch members at the Hilton Hotel in the centre of Cardiff, which was attended by about 20 members during the session. A very useful start to the tour and an opportunity for Branch members to discuss Institution and professional development matters with CEO Sue Percy and myself.

In the evening the branch hosted an informal committee dinner, where Sue and I were presented with traditional Welsh love spoons carved from a single piece of wood with the Institution logo and the date of the visit. A wonderful gift as a memento of our visit.

9 February 2012

I travelled to Exeter for the South West Branch’s Annual Dinner at the Rougemont Hotel.
Hosted by Branch Chair Katherine Bright, the event was attended by over 80 people and after an excellent 3 course meal, we were invited to participate in a race evening. Everyone had a very enjoyable time – and there were some ingenious names on the race card. During the races themselves there was a lot of vocal support from the floor – almost the same as being at the races without getting cold and wet!

A novel and fun way of raising a collection; I am pleased to report that the Branch donated £250 to the CIHT Foundation at the end of the evening.

2 February 2012

In the evening, Sue Percy, Brian Murrell and I attended the Annual Reception for Patrons and Corporate Supporters of RedR in Westminster. The keynote address was given by HRH The Princess Royal who is the charity’s President. She reminded the audience that RedR’s focus is now on providing training to local people in disaster areas, working with them to develop the skills required.
 

1 February 2012

In Britannia Walk for an early meeting with Sue Percy. This was followed by an all-day meeting of the Board of Trustees, which focussed on the business aspect of running the Institution. Subjects discussed included the various external communications activities we are participating in, the follow-up to November’s Council Planning Day, the Action Plan for 2012 and also Institution finances.

Following this, we held a Presidential team meeting to discuss future events.

26 January 2012

I travelled to York for the Yorkshire & Humberside branch’s annual seminar “Change in Action”.

I was delighted at the start of the morning session to present the Institution’s Certificate of Merit to Craig Ellis, who has been Branch Secretary for over 10 years and has played a major part in developing numerous initiatives at branch level. These include events planning and obtaining sponsorship for training and development events, as well as providing support to the branch committee. A thoroughly deserved honour which recognises the valuable contribution Craig has made to the Branch.

The seminar was attended by over 50 people who enjoyed a varied programme of speakers who focussed on change initiatives taking place in the region.
 

19 January 2012

CIHT and ADEPT held a joint workshop in the afternoon to produce a response to HM Treasury’s ‘Reform of the Private Finance Initiative’ paper which they published in December 2011. The workshop included representatives of local authorities, contractors, financial institutions and the legal profession, and our collective views and response to the 44 questions posed by HMT will be submitted in February.

We are pleased to be responding promptly and effectively to the Government’s call for evidence – underlining the important role the Institution plays in representing the views of the industry.
 

18 January 2012

Sue Percy and I attended the annual ADEPT dinner at the RAC club in London, where we heard the Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, give an address which focussed on current transport issues, including her decision as the recently appointed Secretary of State giving the green light for HS2.
 

13 January 2012

I was in CIHT offices in Britannia Walk for a (regular) meeting with Sue Percy to discuss a number of CIHT business related matters, and plan the forthcoming Board of Trustees and Council meetings in February.
 

We had a meeting in the afternoon with officers from IHE to discuss opportunities for joint technical meetings and seminars.

9 December 2011

One of the major CIHT events of the calendar – the Annual Luncheon at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. As always, the Luncheon was sold out and attended by nearly 1800 people.

We were fortunate to have Honorary Fellow Louise Ellman MP as our principal guest and she gave us an insight into her role as Chair of the Transport Select Committee, as well as reporting on the Government’s acknowledgement of the important role that transport plays in supporting the economy.

In response, I acknowledged the contents of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and stated that the Institution called for continuing long term investment in UK infrastructure, with a particular need for new and different forms of finance to support transport schemes. I also reported that CIHT is applying for an Engineering Technician licence and we are about to open a new branch in the UAE.

Our guest speaker was Frances Edmonds, who treated the audience to a very witty and entertaining speech that also drew on her experiences as a successful businesswoman.

I was also delighted that the collection at the Luncheon raised in excess of £15,000 for the CIHT Foundation, and enables us as an Institution to continue to support transport related projects that are either charitable in nature or educational initiatives, at home or overseas.
 

25 November 2011

An early start the next morning to travel from Newcastle to Abergele in North Wales ; this involved three different train journeys as well as taxis and some walking, so my experience of integrated travel solutions was slightly increased!
The North Wales branch is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year, and there were many from the engineering community of North Wales in attendance to celebrate the event.
 

24 November 2011

I travelled to Newcastle for the North Eastern branch annual dinner held in the magnificent Assembly Rooms. The dinner was well attended and I was particularly pleased to note that there were four tables of postgraduates and Young Professionals at the dinner. It really is most encouraging to see so many at a Branch social event. The after dinner speech was given by Professor Eric Sampson, who has spent the majority of his career at the DfT and is currently
a Visiting Professor at Newcastle University.

 

Following my visit to the Tees Transporter bridge centenary celebrations in October, I was presented with a book about this historic bridge by the Branch Chairman, Vinnie Holden. I am most grateful to him and the committee for their kind gift.
 

18 November 2011

My wife and I attended my local branch (South Eastern) annual Dinner and Dance at the magnificent Grand Hotel in Eastbourne. We were welcomed by Branch Chairman Mark Pemberthy and his wife Mandy, and were treated to a very enjoyable evening; certainly the energetic majority danced the evening away to the live band ‘Visage’ following an excellent meal.

17 November 2011

After several days working at Amey’s HQ offices in Oxford, I drove to Birmingham University for a ‘Meet the President evening’, organised by the West Midlands branch, where I gave a short presentation to the MSc students. Louise Evans, CIHT’s recently appointed Membership Development Officer, gave a presentation on the benefits of membership – and about 35 students all filled in Student membership application forms as a result! A great evening which concluded with a light buffet and coffee with some of the students.
 

10 November 2011

I started my visit to the Institute of Transport Studies at Leeds University with a guided tour of the world class driving simulator in the transport research department. Following a detailed explanation of how it works, I enjoyed a half hour drive on the simulator; a very realistic experience on this sophisticated equipment used by the University for a number of driver behaviour research projects. My thanks to Hamish Jameson for a fascinating morning.
Photo of Simulator

Following the simulator experience, I delivered an address to the Institute’s MSc students on the subject of ‘Issues currently facing the Industry’, which was followed by a questions and answer session on the subject and also on the benefits of Institution membership.

9 November 2011

In Britannia Walk for a meeting of the Institution’s Board of Trustees, where the principal focus was on discussions to set the Institution’s budget for 2012. We also discussed trialling a different approach to the Presidential Conference next year.
Whilst at Britannia Walk I signed another 29 membership certificates; the Institution continues to attract new members and encourages existing members to upgrade where appropriate.

4 November 2011

I travelled by train from Newcastle to Inverness, via Edinburgh, for the North of Scotland dinner at the Drumossie Hotel just outside Inverness. Although the journey took 6 hours from start to finish, I was able to enjoy the spectacular scenery as the train travelled through the Cairngorms – a trip I would thoroughly recommend to anyone.
 

The evening dinner was attended by some 250 people, and it was indeed a grand occasion. We were led into dinner by a piper, and started dinner. Some 20 minutes later, the Haggis was piped in to the Dinner and  Angus gave the traditional Burns ‘Address to a Haggis’; a very dramatic and stirring poem which culminated in him drawing a knife, plunging it into the haggis. Certainly not something I am likely to forget in a long time!

My thanks to Angus and the branch for a very warm welcome to the North of Scotland – my third visit north of the border in seven weeks.
 

3 November 2011

We held the biennial Branch Officers’ Conference at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle; every UK branch sent delegates and in a full programme of presentations and workshops, discussed and debated key issues of importance to branches. As well as being an important activity in the Institution’s calendar, it gives Branch officers the opportunity to meet colleagues from across the UK and share best practice with each other.

A particular thank you to the Chairman of the North Eastern branch, Vinnie Holden, who acted as host and MC for both the Colas Presentation competition and also for the conference itself.
 

There were 7 finalists from branches across the UK who each gave a 10-minute presentation on an industry-related topic. The large audience was treated to presentations of a very high standard indeed; the competition has been running for many years now, and the standard gets better and better each year. It was genuinely a very difficult job for the judges, Sue Percy, Jackie Whitelaw (Editor of Transportation Professional) and Richard Evans, Business Manager, Colas North.
 

I was delighted to present Carly and the runners-up with their certificates later at the pre-conference dinner. Carly won a trip to the Colas Laboratory in Paris for two – which includes 2 nights in Paris and a half day excursion to the Colas Laboratory.
 

21 October 2011

My wife and I attended the Thames & Chilterns/Southern Branch joint Dinner Dance at the Barcelo Hotel, Basingstoke. The neighbouring branches had decided to hold a joint event this year in order to ensure a successful evening; a wise decision as the dinner was well supported by local companies. We were hosted by the Chairman of the T&C Branch, Stuart Atkinson, and his counterpart in Southern Branch, Mike Jones. After an excellent meal – I fear for my waistline by the end of my Presidential year! – the more energetic danced off the calories until the early hours. Sue Percy and her husband Peter also attended the evening.

19 October 2011

An afternoon meeting with our Chief Executive, Sue Percy, to discuss the forthcoming Branch Officer’s Conference in November, and a number of other CIHT initiatives.
 

I am delighted that Sue has settled in to the role very quickly and has already identified areas of focus in the next few months. She has some very good ideas to help move the Institution forward and is already building on the external relationships with other organisations.
 

Whilst at Britannia Walk I signed another 45 membership certificates; an encouraging sign that despite the recession, the Institution continues to attract new members and encourages existing members to upgrade where appropriate.

17 October 2011

I travelled to Middlesbrough to join in the centenary celebrations of the world-famous Tees Transporter Bridge. On a sunny but blustery day, the event started at lunchtime with a local radio reporter bungee jumping from the high level walkway in the centre of the bridge – very dramatic!
 

On behalf of the Institution, I presented an engraved piece of crystal to the Chief Executive of Middlesbrough Council, Ian Parker, to commemorate the occasion. In addition to the official guests, who included the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, The Lord Crathorne, a large number of the local community were also present.

7 October 2011

I was delighted that he had invited a number of Young Professionals from the Area 12 contract and from the Y&H Branch; we had a long discussion about safety of road workers, particularly on high speed roads.

My wife, Linda, and I flew to Glasgow to attend the Central & Southern Scotland branch Annual Dinner. We were met at the hotel by Branch Chairman, John Robertson, and members of the Branch Committee; after a light lunch, we walked to Traffic Scotland’s Traffic Control Centre for a presentation from Stein Connelly, the TCC Operations Manager.

In the evening we attended the Branch Dinner; a lively affair in the Radisson Blu hotel in the centre of Glasgow.

  

This year’s theme was ‘Adapting to Change’ which I had selected three years ago and focussing on Political, Economic, Environmental and Technological change. When I chose the subject I had not envisaged a Coalition government, a deep recession, the extreme winter and flooding conditions over the last couple of years or the relentless advance in technology (I am only just getting used to blogging!). I have been given superb assistance by my Vice-President, Sheila Holden, in preparing this conference and I was delighted with both the format and the content of the day. We ran it as a workshop event and will take the results from table discussions to CIHT Council in November to develop our change strategy. I was delighted that 20 young professionals from across the country – tomorrow’s leaders of the profession - participated and assisted with the conference.

I travelled to Inverness to attend the Locan Cup pre-competition dinner at Nairn Golf Club. Dinner was an excellent and well-attended affair. The event this year was being hosted by the North of Scotland branch and Mary Lewis and I  together with the organising committee were led into dinner by a piper and enjoyed some traditional Scottish hospitality. Mid-dinner we were entertained to some Scottish dancing by the Forres Country Dancing Class before the customary after-dinner speeches. I was asked to keep my speech as brief as possible in order that the golfers could get an early night before the following day’s competition. It is certainly unusual for a CIHT dinner to finish before the bar closes!

I am delighted and honoured to have been elected as President of this great Institution, and am looking forward to the challenges ahead.