A group of highways industry leaders from both the private and public sector have agreed that transport technology must be delivered by a more joined up public sector over the next five years in order to maximise the benefits that can be delivered to the travelling public.
In an AECOM-sponsored round-table discussion ahead of the Transport Technology Forum Annual Conference, the group of invited guests debated how the industry needs to see a holistic approach to implementation of technology deployment across the country, rather than a series of small-scale pilots.
The group was made up of senior staff from a large multinational equipment supplier, SME and consultancy, plus representatives of unitary and county highway authorities and a regional highway authority. They met under “Chatham House” rules, where what was said could be reported, but exactly who said it is kept within the room.
The group agreed that in five years there will be much more use of Artificial Intelligence in transport and that cyber security would continue to grow in importance. There was also a general view that there would be more reliance on third party data and less use of roadside technology, but that this would lead to issues around data ownership and standards across highway authority borders. They said there is a proliferation of data from vehicles and mobile systems – from multiple sources – but this is not freely available to authorities and they can end up paying for software to interpret their own data and then effectively pay to access it.
Consistency between areas was a hot topic of conversation, as procurement of technology was discussed. The point was made that procuring suppliers to, for example, fill potholes in a local authority is very different to procuring technology which needs to work the same regionally, and ideally nationally.
Comments included: “It’s hard to encourage councils to innovate if you don’t set guardrails”, “funding pilots in certain areas doesn’t do much if these do not translate to adoption more widely”, and “a connected future won’t be regional or sub-regional, it needs to be national.”
The group said that over the next five years there has to be a move to a new way of procuring technology and the budgets to pay for it because the view was the current 12-month budget cycle does not allow for long-term planning and purchase, while the current spending balance between Capital and Revenue expenditure does not take into account the way technology, as opposed to, say, roadbuilding, is paid for.
One contributor pointed to a new way that Defence is being procured, with a simplified approach and an end to frameworks, meaning it is possible that any company with a product can sell it, rather than having to be approved for a set time period. “If you can’t find a business model that works for both the provider and the client, you’re not going to have providers,” the group was warned, with examples of “start-ups that arrive, get some funding but can’t see a route to market to properly monetise their proposition so they look for alternative industries.”
The group agreed that the sector needs to do more to make transport technology “sexy” because many politicians still like to “cut a ribbon” and that “you can’t see transport tech in the same way”. However, while transport technology might need to appear “sexy” to attract the next generation of recruits to deliver it, we should not underestimate the value future professionals is attracted by the way the sector can make a real difference to people’s lives both in terms of the environment and safety.
There was consensus over the lack of widespread adoption of technology, with too many small-scale trials delivering quantifiable benefits, but not then being adopted more widely. The industry will have to go from innovation to impact over the next five years, they agreed, and that the wider highways and transport industry will have to stop acting like pioneers, and properly demonstrate that the industry has gone from concept to delivery.
In summing up they said that over the next five years, there must be less risk aversion, a move from pockets of innovation to widespread adoption and a rethink on how technology is procured and paid for, because these are essential to deliver the benefits that will ultimately deliver a much more efficient transport network at much less cost to the taxpayer.
It was chaired by Darren Capes, ITS Policy Lead at the Department for Transport, and manager of the TTF. “This was an invaluable discussion which gave me much to think about when talking to my departmental colleagues,” Mr Capes said. “I will take this back to the Department, it will help to frame our thinking on how we can get the most out of the great work being done in the sector.”
The people who took part in the roundtable (pictured L-R) were:
- Mark Stapley, National Traffic Control Engineering Lead, both from AECOM
- Peter Boulton, Head of Highways, Transport for Greater Manchester
- Dwayne Lowe, Assistant Director, Highways, Engineering and Planning, Bolton Council
- Gavin Trimnell, Sales Director at Yunex Traffic
- Darren Capes, ITS Policy Lead at Department for Transport
- James Collingridge, Service Director, Infrastructure and Highways, Peterborough
- Nick Lanigan, Managing Director of Clearview Intelligence
- Paula Claytonsmith, CEO, LCRIG
- Neill Bennett, Assistant Director, Highways Commissioning, Derbyshire
- Lee Street, Director and Head of Technology, AECOM
The Transport Technology Forum Conference, sponsored by Clearview Intelligence, brings together national government, local authorities, suppliers and academia to discuss government policy and showcase best practice and innovation in the use of technology in transport.
(Picture – TTF)
