Over 220 highways and transportation professional delegates attended the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation’s National Conference in central London on Tuesday 10 March.
 

The theme for the conference was ‘Making Local Transport Work’. Guests heard from a range of speakers including Baroness Kramer, Minister of State in the Department for Transport, Cllr. Peter Box CBE, Local Government Association and Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Commissioner, Transport for London.
 

CIHT’s President David Gibby said:
 

“CIHT have repeatedly called for a National Transport Strategy to be developed. CIHT believe that this would provide clear direction and certainty for local transport.
 

“We today call for a National Active Travel Bill to encourage alternatives to car travel and to make local transport work. We must encourage our current and future generations to use more integrated transport to move around the UK.”
 

Baroness Kramer emphasised the importance of local transport for economic growth and quality of life in local areas and stated that devolution empowers local people to make decisions on how local transport can be delivered effectively for them.
 

Councillor Box also spoke passionately about the need for local devolution of transport. He stated that this would mean a greater local ability to manage traffic, provide public transport that is sustainably funded and meets local needs. He also called for councils to have certainty of funding so that they can effectively deal with the backlog of road repairs.
 

Councillor Box called for five year funding for local transport rather than annualised budgets in order to provide the certainty which will help transform local communities.
 

CIHT’s Chief Executive, Sue Percy, said:
 

 “Following today’s conference it is clear that action is needed now to ensure that local transport is fully integrated and can be managed effectively We will be drawing up a series of recommendations on ‘Making Local Transport Work’ for the next Parliamentary term."
This will build on CIHT’s manifesto and our 10 point Skills Action Plan. We will send the recommendations to UK political parties, local authority leaders and our key stakeholders in advance of the general election."
 

"What we have discussed during the conference will shape how we plan, deliver and support the local transport network now and in the future".
 

Attendees also had the chance to take part in interactive breakout sessions to discuss:
• Resilient Networks – Improving Places
• Harnessing Technology and Innovation to provide the Transport Systems users need
• Driving Economic Growth through improved local transport
• Delivering Effective Integration – improving the organisation of UK transport systems
• Making streets and urban areas work for cities
 

Other speakers at the conference included:
• Tony Ciaburro, Director of Environment, Development & Transport,Northamptonshire County Council
• David Brown, Chief Executive, Merseytravel
• Alex Pratt OBE, Management Board Chair, LEP network
 

A full conference summary will be available at www.ciht.org.uk soon

For more information please contact:

Daniel Isichei, Director of Communications
e: daniel.isichei@ciht.org.uk  t: +44(0)20 7336 1567 m: 07912 122573 www.ciht.org.uk