This week Landor Links held their first Transport AI (artificial intelligence) conference in Manchester. Despite the rain and disrupted travel from Storm Isha, over 200 transport professionals gathered to discuss pressing issues such as:

• Making the business case for AI. A number of panel discussions concluded that AI innovators must engage with the public sector to identify the challenges that AI can address. This will ensure new technologies bring the most social value and create even adoption of AI on both the supply and demand sides of the equation.
• Generating public trust. Successful transport use cases should be shared to prove to the public that AI can make transport more efficient, economical, accessible and environmentally friendly. Several speakers also brought up the post office scandal, after its recent prominence in the news, highlighting how leaders in AI must ensure we protect those who use technology and build communities that are resilient to AI failures. 
• What is ethical AI? At times discussions veered on the philosophical, questioning what is ‘good’ and ‘evil’, especially if AI is to be used for behaviour change. The use of data protection came into question too, especially when handling personal data and using cameras to track traffic movement. In response to this, the UK BioBank was highlighted – a biomedical database containing de-identified genetic, lifestyle and health information and biological samples from half a million voluntary UK participants. One speaker questioned why we don’t have something equally useful in the transport sector, especially when it comes to active travel data – something the industry has very little information on. 

CIHT’s recent report on the role of data and artificial intelligence was presented by Policy Advisor Isobel Wilson during the ‘How AI can support decarbonisation’ session. In her talk, Isobel provided the audience with an independent review of AI technologies already being used in the sector to encourage modal shift, decarbonise road transport and implement low carbon infrastructure. Isobel specifically focused on AI technologies that:

• Make active travel a more attractive option by monitoring and analysing sustainable transport use, active travel infrastructure maintenance needs and accurate user experiences. These insights are then used to make active travel faster, safer and more reliable. 
• Decarbonising road transport by supporting the rollout of electric vehicles (EVs) through identifying charge point site selection and optimising EV charging, whilst minimising pollution of petrol/diesel vehicles by enhancing traffic signals to reduce congestion. 
• Implementing low carbon infrastructure by predicting future deterioration, providing early implementation strategies and creating local transport plans that suggest the best way to build and maintain low carbon assets. 

CIHT Awards

Have you worked on a project that uses innovative technological solutions to solve transport issues? Why not submit it in the CIHT Awards, so it can get the recognition it deserves. 

The CIHT Awards is an annual global competition that can provide the work you are most proud of with the international recognition it deserves. The awards celebrate your innovative work, what it takes to be the best and the incredible benefits your work and the highways and transportation sector bring to society.

Your role is to produce incredible work, our role is to celebrate best practice, promote your professionalism and give it the biggest stage.

• The awards are free to enter
• No project too big or too small
• Entries can be from any location
• Entries are open to every organisation working in the sector, whether a CIHT partner or not
• Entries can be submitted by anyone whether a CIHT member or not
• Eligible projects can be entered for as many categories as appropriate
• An organisation can also enter as many distinct eligible projects as they wish for a category
• Entries are judged by impartial expert judges with a diversity of experience and opinion

Deadline 4 March 2024

Help & Support

For enquiries about the 2024 CIHT Awards please contact awards@ciht.org.uk
For any press enquires please contact communications@ciht.org.uk
For any technical enquiries please contact technical@ciht.org.uk