If we always do what we always did

20 March

 

The Central & Southern Scotland branch hosted a very successful and well attended WRA Best Practice Presentation   by Jim Barton, First Delegate of the World Roads Association.  Titled “If we always do what we always did” the presentation concentrated on how the WRA seeks to use world best practice to break the cycle of repeating processes and mistakes when more efficient solutions are available worldwide and can be learned from. 

Jim also detailed the project management and administration processes necessary to enable the promotion of world best practice including key documentation, promotional activities and highlighting future opportunities for development and involvement. 

The CIHT C&SS Branch thanks Jim Barton for presenting and IBI Group for hosting the event.

 

Transport Scotland's Carbon Management System

01 March

 

The Central & Southern Scotland branch hosted a very successful and well attended presentation on Transport Scotland’s Carbon Management System (CMS). John Fox (Halcrow) and Yvette Sheppard (Transport Scotland) addressed around 40 members and non-members in Glasgow.

The CMS was developed by Halcrow for Transport Scotland as part of the Agency’s aims to quantify and reduce the embodied carbon within its operations – which is part of a wider Scottish Government initiative. Yvette Sheppard discussed the need for the CMS and how it will be employed by Transport Scotland in the coming years for everything from corporate functions to major works contracts.

John Fox explained the mechanics behind the CMS. The system incorporates three scopes – the carbon emitted at the point of use, the carbon emitted at the point of energy production (such as electricity) and the carbon within the construction materials and transport. The CMS is intended for use at the design, construction and maintenance stages of a project. Initial designs for major road schemes can have the embodied carbon determined as part of a value for money exercise. When used in all three stages, Transport Scotland can quantify all the carbon associated with its activities on the network.

Both speakers explained that the CMS is seen as been one of the best systems in its class and may be developed in future for organisations such as Network Rail and the Highways Agency. Once rolled out across Transport Scotland, the data gathered in future years may be used to determine benchmark carbon quantities or establish likely emissions for typical projects.

The CIHT C&SS Branch thanks John Fox and Yvette Sheppard for presenting and IBI Group for hosting the event.  Transport Scotland CMS Presentation   

Regional Final of Colas Presentation Award, 25 August 2011

Fiona centre, with (from left to right) George Fiddes, Andrew Davidson (Vice Chairperson), Steven Revill (Programme Convenor) and Carolyn Rollo

Fiona Blackley of MRC McLean Hazel won the Central and Southern Scotland branch Regional Final of the COLAS Premium Papers Competition.  She took the accolade in a highly competitive final edging George Fiddes of South Ayrshire Council and Carolyn Rollo of SKM Colin Buchanan.    The final followed three Regional Heats which saw a total of ten entrants selected to present their papers reduced to three for Thursday’s event. 

The winning paper investigated travel habits of residential inhabitants of the new Quartermile Brownfield site in Edinburgh and considered the impact of the life changing act of moving home on sustainable travel choices.  Fiona shall now represent the branch at the National Final in Newcastle on Wednesday 2nd November. 
 

M74 Completion pre-Opening Site Visit, 13 June 2011

On 13th June the CIHT Central and Southern Branch hosted a tour of the site of the M74 Completion project in south east Glasgow. The project will be officially opened on 28th June by the Duke of Gloucester and this was the final chance to see the nearly finish route in detail.

Forty-two keen engineers attended and were shown the full site extents from Auchenshuggle Bridge, through Polmadie and onto the M8 junction before viewing the Port Eglinton Viaduct, which is the most significant, and probably most impressive, structure on the project.

Ewen MacDonnell of Interlink M74 JV gave an informative commentary along the route by pointing out features of interest and also provided construction and contractual information on the project.

Participants were able to appreciate the challenges posed by the proximity of railway lines, housing and surface streets which the Contractors faced during the construction.

The views of Glasgow from many parts of the M74 were very impressive and provided even more interest – the traditional Glasgow rain gave way to sunshine, allowing participants to admire the city centre and surrounding area from an unusual vantage point.

Thanks to Ewen for being the tour guide for the evening.

Central and Southern Branch Pub Quiz

Many thanks for all who came along to the extremely well attended Pub Quiz on Thursday 9th June, at Waxy O’Connors in Glasgow.  Consultants, Local Authorities, Scottish Government and rival Institutions all completed against one another to win the coved prize - a bottle of18 year old malt whisky.  Congratulations to Colin Buchanan who managed to scoop the title along with two of the four backwards bingo prizes!
 

 

Evening Seminar - The Traffic Scotland Information Service: Informing the Public during the ‘Big Freeze’- 22 February 2011

Speakers: Graeme Scott (IBI Group), Peter Cullen (Transport Scotland)



The C&SS branch hosted an evening seminar on the Traffic Scotland Information Service (TSIS) and its successful performance during the extreme weather conditions in the winter of 2010 – 2011. 

The Seminar highlighted the importance of timely, accurate traveller information provided pre-trip and in-trip evidenced by the extreme user demand for these services which grew beyond expectation in recent years and in particular in November / December 2010.
 
Recent developments and potential future enhancements were highlighted to show how the service is developing to meet the needs of an increasingly user specific personalised information service able to provide alerts and route specific information and guidance. 

25 attendees split between members and non members witnessed the event at Buchanan House, Glasgow which was one of the most successful during the 2010 – 2011 Programme.

 

 

Branch Evening Meeting - Improving Health using Personalised Travel Planning: evidence from Dundee - November 09 2010  

Speakers: Tim Steiner and Caley McDowall (JMP Consultants Ltd)

See the presentation: Improving Health Using Personalised Travel Planning  

The Central and Southern Scotland branch hosted their most recent evening presentation at Napier University’s Merchiston Campus.  The presentation summarised the benefits and findings of the successful ongoing project aimed at improving health using personalised travel planning in Dundee.

The £2.2 million, Smarter Choices, Smarter Places programme aims “to increase levels of active travel (walking and cycling) to improve the physical health and mental wellbeing of residents of and visitors to Dundee”.

Personalised Travel Planning (PTP) is at the heart of the initiative. It is the first large scale application of PTP in the UK that has a specific health improvement objective.  Evidence will be presented of how established PTP techniques are being adapted to promote healthier lifestyles, and the opportunities and benefits of joint working with partners outside the transport sector (particularly those involved in healthcare delivery).

Findings to date show that PTP can reduce car trips and car mileage by 9% and 5-7% respectively, and increase bus use (10-22%), cycling (26-30%) and walking (10-13%).  A post implementation evaluation found that of those surveyed:

• 40% had maintained increased physical activity;
• The increase was approximately 22 minutes extra activity per person per day; and
• The increase was more in the less affluent areas with a 47% increased activity rate upheld.

The success of the project was attributed to the personalised nature of the travel planning which involved engaging with over 3000 residents to date and providing specific travel information tailored to that individual.  It was found that gaining commitment from the member of the public was an important driver for change and allowed the individual to visualise and put into context the changes they could make.

It was noted that travel behaviour change works best as part of a broader package of transport interventions as the investments can support each other to produce benefits which are greater than the sum of their parts, helping to lock in the benefits.  This also enables transport to contribute to a full range of public policy outcomes.

Perhaps most interestingly, improving health was the objective of personalised travel planning in Dundee but as users found health benefits from new travel decisions the health benefits themselves became a driver for maintaining or enhancing these changes.

 

 

Presidential Visit 2010

The Central and Southern Scotland branch of the CIHT was pleased to be able to welcome CIHT President Geoff Allister to Scotland on Thursday 7 October.

During the day, Geoff was able to visit the M74 Completion Project in Glasgow, currently the largest ongoing civil engineering project in Scotland. The weather was kind for the visit and Geoff was accompanied on a tour of the site by CSS Branch Chair Claire Carr, Vice Chair John Robertson and Junior Vice Chair Andrew Davidson. Hosted by Interlink JV, the visit took in the most important aspects of the current works and included walks along sections of the route currently under construction.



In the evening, Geoff was the chief guest at the branch’s annual dinner. He joined more than 200 guests at the event held in the Radisson Hotel in Glasgow where the guest speaker, Scottish Government Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson, gave an entertaining and informative speech on the current issues facing transport in Scotland.

Branch Evening Meeting - Effect of Removing Traffic Control Regulations from busy junctions in the UK

By Keith Firth, Director, Colin Buchanan

The Central and Southern Scotland branch hosted an evening presentation by Keith Firth on Thursday 23rd September 2010.  Keith is the Director of Traffic Engineering for Colin Buchanan based in Bristol.  He has been researching at studying shared space which follows the principles of Manual for Streets and the Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman.  The UK DfT advice encourages designers to apply ‘naked street’ principles, yet with little guidance on traffic management implications.
















Keith interest lies in the traffic management impacts, risks and potential cost saving.  The majority of previous studies focussed on lightly traffic areas or there was not sufficient before and after data.  However anecdotal evidence of a few busy town centre junctions which appeared to work more efficiently when the signals failed, spurred UK trials into highly trafficked junctions with significant pedestrian activity with a focus on data collection before and after.



Such a contentious subject is obviously going to spark debate and receive resistance from professionals, local authorities, elected members and the public, however it is those debates which challenge our abilities as designers, preconceptions of the way things have always been and perceptions of risk.

Thank you to Transport Scotland for providing the venue, Keith for travelling up from Bristol and to all those who attended. If you would like a copy of Keith’s presentation which includes videos of before and after trials, please send your postal address to fiona.docherty@aeocm.com and you will receive on disk.

Branch Visit to M74 Completition

The Central and Southern Scotland branch visited the M74 completion project in Glasgow on Monday 24 May.  The visit, the third of its kind in the last 12 months, is part of a branch initiative to bring alive the most important transportation projects in Scotland for its members. 

Hosted by Interlink JV the 25 strong group took in the most important aspects of the current works and walked sections of the route currently under construction. 



The visit allowed members to see first-hand how projects of this magnitude are developed from design stage through to final construction. 

The £450 million project due for completion in 2011 will form a vital road link supporting economic development in Scotland and reducing congestion in Glasgow. 

(Above) Ewen Macdonnell of Interlink JV describes the construction processes for the Auchenshuggle Bridge.  The site will soon take delivery of the World’s largest mobile crane to complete the bridging point over the River Clyde at this location.