CIHT continues to  advocate for greater equality, diversity and Inclusion across the highways, transportation and infrastructure sector and is committed to meaningful action – which neatly brings us to this year’s National inclusion week’s theme ‘Time to Act: The Power of Now’.

As National Inclusion Week closes, its timely that CIHT reflects on our Shifting the Dial strategy and how our industry must implement change to deliver exceptional infrastructure while creating an environment that attracts and retains a progressive workforce.

We mustn’t be complacent, and we must do more to create genuinely inclusive transport for all in terms of both the workforce and creating a transport network that is used by everyone.

We know that the transport system both in the UK and worldwide has the potential to foster social, health, and economic inclusion for all. CIHT is working hard to support members in understanding and responding to key challenges through sharing best practice and innovative solutions, to create genuinely inclusive transport – whereby nobody is excluded in any way from our transport networks, highways infrastructure, the pedestrian environment and active travel. 

Inclusion is a core value of CIHT and we champion and promote the move to more sustainable and inclusive transport networks, services and infrastructure that are designed, managed and maintained by a workforce that is dynamic, progressive and of course diverse. Only then will we more accurately represent and therefore deliver transport solutions that meet the needs of all of society now and in the future.

To help us achieve this, we must respond to the diverse needs of transport users and consider them each as unique individuals with intersectional identities, rather than socially categorized homogenous groups – across various modes of transport - going well beyond minimal design guidance and equality legislation.

I know that inclusion can sometimes  be viewed as a challenge by professionals – yet it presents us with a real opportunity to lead innovation, social mobility and ultimately to business growth. Inclusive transport isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s business critical.

In order for our members to feel included – we need to know more about who our members are. To help us achieve this I would encourage  members if they are happy to, to self-report their diversity characteristics in surveys, when joining/renewing and so on.

I am keen that we use national inclusion week to focus on ACTION in professional practice. So do take a look at what we’ve been doing this week and beyond, along with how you can get involved, click below: 

Listen to our ‘Inclusive Transport’ podcast here. 

Our 'Shifting the dial' EDI Strategy sets out our commitment to diversity and inclusion in more detail.

Upskill via CIHT Learn.