Infrastructure planning strategies need to be more imaginative to address future transport challenges, attendees to last week’s CIHT Annual Luncheon at Grosvenor House were told.

Principal speaker Bridget Rosewell of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) said the UK must find better ways of thinking about transport planning and modelling.

She urged attendees to move on from strategies used in decades past and start looking, for example, at how much difference electric and autonomous vehicles could make to the transport sector. She also called for a ‘busting of the silos’ between Government departments to help with future plans.

“In the last 30 years infrastructure has been all about making things nicer for people and not at all about economic growth,” said Ms Rosewell. “I’m hoping the Commission will give us the capacity to fundamentally change that.”

She explained that the NIC plans to produce a national infrastructure assessment by 2017. In the shorter term it will be looking at northern connectivity and London’s transport challenges.

Ms Rosewell concluded: “I’m looking forward to building consensus across the industry and having the ability to make important decisions that can be implemented without having to go through more reports and studies.”

CIHT President Sue Sharland then addressed the Luncheon with a discussion of her presidential theme ‘Intelligent Transport in a Connected World’. She explained that innovations such as the ‘Internet of Things’ and connected and autonomous vehicles are likely to provide safer and quicker journeys.

But new technology creates uncertainty, she added, which is why the Institution is providing thought leadership through the CIHT FUTURES initiative launched this year.

Dr Sharland also praised the work of CIHT in promoting diversity and skills, noting that 20% of new members are female and that more people than ever before are taking professional qualifications through the Institution.

CIHT Chief Executive Sue Percy also summed up a successful year for the Institution. She said that CIHT has more members and Corporate Partners than ever before and is proud of its 97% member retention rate.

Finally guest speaker Nick Hewer of BBC One’s ‘The Apprentice’ fame shared his experiences of being on the show and told guests the story of how he came to work with Lord Sugar.

Photo courtesy of Scott Ramsey Photography