Richard Allsop contribution to the transport sector was considerable: particularly in improving road safety, through his extensive experience of research, training and advisory work.

Richard commenced his studies at Queen’s College Cambridge, gaining a First in Mathematics. Whilst at university Richard was involved with the United Nations Association, Refugee Action Group, War on Want, College Chapel demonstrating his humanitarian interests. The combination of his sharp intellect and desire to improve peoples’ lives proved to be of great value to the transport community.

Richard gained a PhD and DSc from University College London and eventually become Emeritus Professor at UCL, having been a Professor there since 1976.  

Richard was a long-time supporter of CIHT’s education provision, serving on the Education Board, the Individual Route Assessor Panel and the TPP Professional Standards Committee over many years.

As well as assessing Individual Route candidates for CEng, he was one of the leading figures in the development of the Transport Planning Professional (TPP) qualification which he himself applied for and was awarded in 2009. 

Richard’s experience in academia and advice on assessment and quality assurance matters, as well as his extensive knowledge of transport planning and engineering, was highly valued by the committee members and Education staff who worked with him.

He held a longstanding involvement in road safety research and policy, including being a member of CIHT’s Road Safety Panel and a Special Adviser to PACTS (the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety). He was also a Board Member of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) and advised its European road safety performance index programme PIN.

Richard worked internationally providing input into road safety policy in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Poland. He was made an OBE in 1997 for services to traffic management and road safety, was Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and held the IHT Award for professional excellence. His report The Effectiveness of Speed Cameras: A review of evidence for the RAC Foundation was given the 2011 Prince Michael Road Safety Award. In 2015 he received a TRL Academy Award for outstanding contribution to road safety.

Richard died in January 2024; he was recently interviewed for CIHT’s Transport Talks podcast where he said that, since he started working road safety has become progressively more systematic as a national task.  Richard played a key role in helping to take that approach forward, and in doing so, his contribution to the sector has helped save many lives.

Glenn Lyons, Vice President of CIHT, fondly remembers Richard’s presence throughout his own career:

“Richard was one of the titans of transport studies and his influence on countless academics including myself stretches back to the very beginnings of the ‘Universities Transport Study Group’ and its annual conferences which have run for well over 50 years. To mark four decades of UTSG it was of course Richard – a constant presence at the conferences - who was asked to reflect on how transport studies had changed over this period. He was a consummate professional and gentle giant as a human being, always willing to share his wisdom and advice with those around him. Richard stands firmly and tall in the history of our sector and will be sorely missed.”

Richard Allsop photo

Richard Allsop in 1976