The UK needs to look beyond pothole repairs and take a long-term, place-based approach to transport investment, speakers told the CIHT fringe event at Labour Party Conference 2026. 

The panel, ‘Beyond Potholes: Investing in Transport, Investing in Britain’, brought together representatives from across the transport sector to discuss how investment can support economic growth, improve connectivity and unlock opportunity. 

Opening the session, Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair of the Transport Committee, highlighted the importance of maintaining the existing road network while ensuring roads work effectively for communities, businesses, pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. 

The panel was chaired by Sue Percy CBE of CIHT and featured Jason Prince - Urban Transport Group, Marie-Claude Hemming - Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), Jo Field OBE - JFG Communications, and Max Sugarman - Intelligent Transport Systems UK. 

A key message from the discussion was the need to move away from stop-start funding towards long term investment programmes. The panel agreed that greater certainty would allow local authorities and the supply chain to plan effectively, invest in skills and improve project delivery. 

The panel also called for a stronger evidence base to demonstrate the wider benefits of transport investment including productivity, access to education, healthcare, and employment. 

Devolution was another major theme, with speakers broadly supporting greater local decision-making while stressing the need for national coordination and better collaboration across administrative boundaries. 

Technology was also highlighted as an opportunity to improve the network, including connected vehicles, digital speed limits, intelligent speed assistance and digital twins. However, speakers warned that funding models must account for the ongoing operational costs of new technology, not just initial investment. 

The discussion also highlighted the importance of long-term asset management, with greater focus needed on maintaining and renewing existing infrastructure alongside new projects. 

The session concluded with a call for policymakers and the sector to focus on what transport investment delivers for people and places, rather than viewing individual roads or projects in isolation. 

Investment in transport is investment in Britain's economic and social future, which requires a long-term approach.