What connects a pedestrian crossing that recognises wheelchair users, a fibre optic cable that monitors passing traffic and a robot using automotive technology? They all feature in our opening-day Highways Voices “pitwalk” at the ITS World Congress in Gangneung, Korea.

Paul Hutton takes you around the UK-Europe Pavilion, meeting 11 guests in just 27 minutes to discover the technology, partnerships and ideas tackling transport’s biggest challenges. With the welcome reception’s drummers threatening to drown out the final interviews, there’s no shortage of atmosphere either.

Subscribe to Highways Voices on your favourite podcast platform and never miss an episode.

Organised by the Local Council Roads Innovation Group in partnership with the Transport Technology Forum, Transport for West Midlands and ERTICO – ITS Europe, the pavilion brings together British and European expertise while helping build international interest in next year’s World Congress in Birmingham.

Our guests, in order of appearance, are:

• Kerry Winstanley, Managing Director, LCRIG, who explains the pavilion’s three priorities: supporting UK businesses overseas, promoting Birmingham 2027 and strengthening European collaboration. She also discusses bringing international learning back to UK local authorities.

• Devon Barrett, Chief Technology Officer, Podaris, on why better transport planning starts with asking more questions. Hear how quickly testing different networks can reveal who gains access to jobs and healthcare, and what UK planners can learn from South Korea’s rich transport data.

• Giorgio Potenza (pictured with Paul Hutton), International Business Development Manager, AGD Systems, who introduces the company’s 646 pedestrian detector. He explains how recognising different vulnerable road users, including wheelchair users, opens up opportunities for crossings that respond more intelligently to people’s needs.

• Dongyun Kang, President and Chief Executive, AUMOVIO Korea, standing beside a robot demonstrating how automotive technology could find new applications. He discusses helping start-ups bridge the difficult gap between a brilliant idea and a product that can be manufactured and deployed at scale.

• Neil Levett, Managing Director, Levett Business Services, representing TAMDATA, who explains how a fibre optic cable can become a continuous traffic sensor. Discover how technology installed in the road or along a concrete barrier can provide information on vehicle movements while reducing the need for roadside equipment.

• Mark Elmore, Director of Finance, ITS Ireland, discussing Ireland’s support for Birmingham 2027, its involvement in the preparations and the potential for wider international partnerships around the event.

• Paul Chandler, Head of Traffic Management Digital Services, Department for Transport, on taking the rules of the road out of filing cabinets and putting them into digital services. He reports that more than 130,000 traffic regulation orders are already in the Government’s service and explains the next steps towards wider coverage.

• Niels Peter Skov Andersen, General Manager, CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium, explaining how vehicles can warn each other about hazards through direct communication. From approaching emergency vehicles to a breakdown in an isolated location, hear why agreeing the smallest technical details matters for safety.

• Mark Talbot, Chief Executive, Q-Free, on the growing challenge of paying for road infrastructure as fuel tax revenues decline. He discusses the company’s approach to road user charging, a Norwegian pilot and how vehicle classification helps authorities understand demands on their networks.

• Darren Capes, Head of Road Infrastructure Technology, Department for Transport, who sets out the twin mission of promoting British expertise and learning from international partners, alongside encouraging governments and industry to put Birmingham 2027 in their diaries.

• Jordan Cowley, Commercial Lead, West Midlands Combined Authority, working within Transport for West Midlands, who rounds off the tour with the case for bringing the world to Birmingham: a global audience, expertise from across the UK and opportunities to collaborate, innovate and invest.

Whether you manage a road network, develop transport technology or want to understand what international collaboration delivers in practice, this episode gives you plenty to think about — and people worth listening to.

Listen now and take a walk around the pavilion with us.

Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.