13:45 – 15:00  CIHT Republic of Ireland Emerging Professionals Presentation Competition based on the theme of the conference.

Shortlisted presentations on:

• Influencing Road Safety in Ireland through Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
• Raising awareness of experiences of all road users (walking, wheeling, cycling, public/private transport)
• Improving planning, design and operation of transport networks for safer mobility for all

Moderated by Glenn Hingerty, TU Dublin & Suhas HS, OSCS

09:45 – 10:45  “Integrating Active Travel in Universal Design in Ireland: New Standards and Real‑World Delivery" a Designer & Planner's Perspective with
- Suzanne Meade - TII
- Sarah Rock - TU Dublin
- Sarah O’Donnell - TII
- Joe Seymour - NTA
- Robert Curley - NTA

Moderated by John Fleming

15:15 – 16:00  Afternoon Panel – Influence Road Safety in the Republic of Ireland with a focus on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion with Anne Shaw, NTA CEO and Anne Graham, RSA Chairperson & a representative from SoRSA.

Moderated by Sue Percy, CIHT CE

Sue Percy - Chief Executive, CIHT

Sue Percy is the Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. Sue’s interests include improving the way transport infrastructure - including roads - is planned, funded, designed, built, managed and operated to meet societal needs, environmental imperatives and supporting a strong economy.

She has a deep interest in changing the image of the transport infrastructure industry and making it a more diverse and inclusive career for all. Sue holds several voluntary Trustee and non-executive Director roles. She has worked in the built environment sector for over 30 years in allied professions, Higher Education and in local government.

Sue was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours in June 2019 for services to transport.

Kate Carpenter - Director of Operational Road Safety at Jacobs & CIHT President

Kate is a Fellow of CIHT and is the Director of Operational Road Safety – Buildings & Infrastructure (B&I) Europe at Jacobs. She is a Chartered Civil Engineer with 10 years’ experience in the planning, design and delivery of transport projects, and a further 26 years specialising in highway safety governance.

This includes casualty reduction; road safety audit; policy and process preparation; collision database management; speed management, development control and safety governance.  She delivers road safety services to local and strategic highway authority clients including National Highways, Welsh Government, Transport Scotland and Transport for London, and represents Jacobs through conference paper presentation and CIHT including SoRSA, PACTS, and Road Safety Observatory. 

Anne Shaw - CEO, National Transport Authority

Anne Shaw is a highly respected and experienced leader in the transport sector. For over 30 years she has worked in regional and local roles that have delivered vital transport systems for communities across the UK.

In 2022, she was made Executive Director of Transport for West Midlands – one of the biggest transport authorities in the UK. During this time, Anne delivered a highly successful transport strategy for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Anne Graham – Former Chief Executive Officer, NTA & Chairperson of the Road Safety Authority

Anne was appointed as Chairperson of the Road Safety Authority in February 2025. The RSA is responsible for vehicle safety standards, driver education and licensing and the promotion of road safety

Anne Graham was Chief Executive Officer with the National Transport Authority (NTA) for 10 years up to December 2024 and an Executive member of the NTA board for that period.

Prior to joining the NTA, she worked for over 20 years in the Dublin local authorities as a chartered civil engineer in the drainage, roads and traffic divisions; as a project manager on the redevelopment of Dublin’s O’Connell Street area and as an Area Manager in the South West area of the city.

Anne was awarded BE (Civil) and Master of EngSc (Transportation) by UCD and Diploma in Environmental Engineering by TCD and an MBA by DCU. She is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.

Suzanne Meade – TII

Suzanne will present where safety reviews showing gaps between technically compliant designs and actual user experience; insights from Empowering Women to Cycle on perceived safety, design barriers, and overlooked tactile/crossing elements.

Sarah Rock – TU Dublin

Sarah will present evidence‑based findings from the Blackrock Main Street study: increases in footfall and vibrancy, user responses to materials and layout, and how lived experience reveals needs not captured by standards.

Sarah O’Donnell – TII

Sarah will discuss mobility expertise and practical considerations for integrating accessibility into active travel schemes.

Joe Seymour - NTA

Joe will speak on national accessibility and Universal Design standards: strengthened frameworks and persistent implementation challenges at local authority level.

Robert Curley - NTA

Robert will speak on national accessibility and Universal Design standards: strengthened frameworks and persistent implementation challenges at local authority level.

Jamie Millar – Vision Ireland / NCBI

Jamie will discuss visual impairment, tactile guidance, crossings, shared spaces, and how new standards respond to visually impaired users.

John Fulham – Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA)

John will share lived experience of mobility barriers in current Active Travel schemes as well as practical recommendations.

Mary Tallant – NDA

Mary will provide a National Disability Authority perspective on inclusive mobility.