Transportation Professional June 2014

Transcription

The magazine of the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation
ciht.org.uk
Transportation
P r o f e s s i o n a l
June 2014
Ricardo
Future vehicles
race forward
Features
1
on
ati
t
r
o
ry
nsp irecto
Traultants D
Cons
THE CHARTERED
INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAYS
& TRANSPORTATION
4
201
onal,
ofessi
on Pr
ortati
ansp
t to Tr
July
ings
ey list
s
des k
Inclu specialist
S
of IT
2014
lemen
Supp
Sponsored by
Free Consultants Directory inside
Pg 18 Bridge renewal in focus
Pg 22 Trams take shape in Paris
For appointments, visit CIHT’s official jobs website: cihtjobs.co.uk
Pg 26 Promoting female engineers
The Polymer Modified Binder Range best suited to
meet your needs in challenging environments.
STYRELF is produced through a patented technique to give asphalt excellence in:
Durability
Rutting resistance
Flexibility
Elasticity
Resistance to Binder Drainage
Fatigue resistance
It has been developed through continual technical innovations to give high performance and
encourage sustainable and efficient asset management practices. TOTAL is aware of the constantly
changing environments in which it operates, and through new products and applications continue to
pave the way in bitumen research and develop appropriate bitumens and mix designs to meet the
needs of all users in the areas of hot and cold mix applications.
Transportation Professional
Contents
June 2014
Transportation
This month’s cover: Advanced
vehicles with reduced emissions could
transform the UK motoring sector
(see page 12).
Top Jobs
Vacancies from our recruitment
section on page 35
Transport planners and traffic
engineers are sought to work in
London and the Home Counties.
Road safety engineer also sought,
prepared to travel overseas.
4
News & Analysis: Road and rail centre stage in air debate;
Floating bus stop concern for Cambridge; Services begin on delayed
Edinburgh tram scheme
8
Debate: Is sufficient attention being paid to asset management?
Working Life: David Frisby of mode transport planning
9
The Highway Engineer: Tales from the past
Just One More Thing: A different form of road charging
10
Letters: Local councils not doing enough to encourage cycling;
Why the continued tolls on QE2 Bridge?
11
12
Transport Sketch: Rail signals set to be shunted aside
18
20
22
25
26
28
30
Pg 11 High tech train control
Future Transport Special: Cover story – Cleaner, greener vehicles put through their paces; Self driving pods bound for Milton Keynes; Zero carbon emissions in sightmt
Bridge Maintenance: New bearings ease bridge movement at Milford Haven
Rail Station Redevelopment: Overhaul of London Bridge
Public Transportation: Tramways take shape in Paris
Transport Planning: London’s underground road plan
Diversity: Gender imbalance brought sharply into focus
Technical Paper: Helping the elderly to remain mobile and travel safely
CIHT News: Trustees Board discusses Branches Review; Asset management championed by CIHT;
Engineering Council revises Professional Standards
33
34
35
Events: National events – CIHT and others; international event; CIHT Branch events
Recruitment
CIHT Election List
Directory
20
publishing dates:
July/August: 18 July
September: 12 September
October: 17 October
November: 14 November
Pg 6 Rail bridge swings in
Transportation
BBA, 7 Linden Close, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8HH
T: 01892 524468 F: 01892 524456
Editor: Mike Walter, 01892 553148, [email protected]
News Reporter: Steve Dale, 01892 553146, [email protected]
Other material contributed by: Jon Masters MCIHT, Nick Barrett
Production Editor: Alastair Lloyd, 01892 553145, [email protected]
Production Manager: Andrew Pilcher, 01892 553147, [email protected]
Commercial Director: Fawad Minhas, 01892 553149, [email protected]
Sales Executive: Kirsty Barrett, 01892 524468, [email protected]
Consultant Editor: Ty Byrd MCIHT, 01892 524468, [email protected]
December/Jan: 30 December
Proprietor: The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation, 119 Britannia Walk,
London N1 7JE, T: 0207 336 1555, [email protected], www.ciht.org.uk
TP Editorial Panel: John Amos, Peter Dickinson, Billy McCoubrey
Publisher: Barrett, Byrd Associates, 7 Linden Close, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8HH T: 01892 524455, www.barrett-byrd.com
The views expressed in Transportation Professional are not necessarily those of the
Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation or Barrett, Byrd Associates.
Printer: CPG, 9-10 Orchard Business Centre, Sanderson Way, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1QG
T: 01732 366666, [email protected]
2014 Subscription rates:
UK – £78 per year (Jan/Feb to December only, 10 issues) Overseas – £83 per year
Transportation Professional – Journal of the CIHT
Circulation July 2012 - June 2013: 9347 ISSN: 1478-4467
© The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation 2014. Incorporated by Royal Charter.
A Registered Charity. Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC040873.
Transportation Professional is available online
in the ‘My CIHT’ section of ciht.org.uk/transportationprofessional
3
News & Analysis
June 2014
Road and rail centre stage in air debate
Surface transport improvements to a
new or extended airport in the South
East are likely to be more challenging
to develop than the runways they will
serve, conference delegates heard in
early June.
Law firm Pinsent Masons’ head of
infrastructure planning Robbie Owen
told a Runways UK event in London:
“Deliverability of surface transport
will be crucial going forward. There
will need to be a national policy
statement on the surface transport
as well as the airside solution.”
Engineer Mark Bostock, who is
leading one of two proposals for
Heathrow, added: “Roads, railways
and airports tend to operate in silos.
We have to bring all of these
disciplines together in order to make
strategic decisions.”
In just over a year the Airports
Commission is expected to deliver a
report to Government recommending
what needs to be done to increase
aviation provision in the South East.
Last December the Commission
shortlisted two proposals for
increasing runway capacity at
Heathrow as well as a second runway
for Gatwick. A decision has yet to be
taken over whether a Thames Estuary
airport on the Isle of Grain will also
be considered.
Also at the conference was former
Conservative Transport Minister Steve
Norris who warned that Government
will shelve plans to develop airport
capacity “if it believes the result (of
the report) is politically
undeliverable.” He described the
deferral of a decision on the future of
aviation capacity until after the
General Election as “dire politics” and
said he expected a decision on future
runway construction to be taken no
earlier than the middle of 2017.
A decision on whether the Thames
Estuary airport makes the shortlist
will be made this September and the
earliest a new runway could open
would be the middle of the next
decade, according to an Airports
Commission source. Mr Owen added
that when the report arrives next
summer “it may get processed quickly
or not depending on what it says.
This report is merely the end of the
beginning.”
Promoters of each of the three
shortlisted options and an advocate
of the Thames Estuary airport used
the conference to outline their
surface transport plans.
Heathrow’s head of surface access
strategy Simon Earles said building a
third runway to the west of the
airport would require the M25 to be
buried in a 650m long tunnel. But he
added that he did not expect traffic
levels to increase if his proposal was
given the go ahead. A series of
distributor roads would separate out
M25 traffic from vehicles heading to
the airport, a congestion charge is
proposed around Heathrow and
improved rail links include the so
called Western Rail Access Project.
Okea
4
A decision over additional airport capacity in the South East is due next summer
Heathrow Hub director Mark
Bostock said his alternative proposal
for the west London airport
(extending existing runways) would
see closure of junction 14 of the M25
and creation of more dispersed
access points from major roads to the
airport. “The key problem between
junctions 13 and 15 is not lane
capacity in our view but from
motorists weaving between lanes,”
he said. A new railway station for the
Heathrow Hub is proposed along
with a direct connection to Waterloo.
Gatwick’s presentation suggested
that rail connections between the
west Sussex airport and London
would be as frequent as one train
every two and a half minutes and
that 60% of passengers will arrive by
public transport in 2040. Hard
shoulder running on the M25 and
M23 would provide additional
highway capacity needed and local
road networks would be simplified,
with improvements funded entirely
by the airport, claimed head of
airport development Julia Gregory.
Proposals by architect Foster &
Partners for the Thames Estuary
airport include building several park
and ride sites around the M25 to
connect with new rail links. Hugh
Thomas of the practice said these
sites could incorporate baggage
check in facilities.
“The idea is to develop a public
transport network beside the
highway network,” he said. “We also
propose that a new Lower Thames
Crossing would include a rail link too
in order to better connect the
economies of Kent and Essex.”
Double deck trains shuttling
passengers between St Pancras
International and an Estuary airport
is also proposed, providing capacity
for 5000 people an hour. MW
Consultants forecast a year of growth
Optimism for future growth is on the
rise among transport consultants,
according to the results of the 2014
Transportation Consultants Directory
business trends survey.
This year 89% of 74 consultancy
firms polled said they were either
‘very’ or ‘fairly’ optimistic about the business climate over the next 12 months.
This compares to a figure of 73%
shown in last year’s survey, and 60%
in 2012. Just 3% said they were fairly
pessimistic about the upcoming year.
Three quarters of firms saw their
workload increase during 2013 and a
similar proportion expect growth to
continue this year.
But not all companies have had
the same experience. Of the 25% of
firms whose workload did not
increase in 2013, nearly half saw a
decrease in work. One sole trader said
redundancies in the bigger
companies during the recession has
led to more sole traders setting up,
and hence an increase in
competition.
Another firm said: “Continued
competition for new work is driving
fees down.”
In terms of recruitment, 54% of
companies have taken on new staff
during 2013 while 64% expect
staff numbers to keep growing this
year as well. There is concern
across the board about attracting
and retaining people with the
right skills.
The Transportation Consultants
Directory is distributed with this
issue of the magazine.
THE CHARTERED
INSTITUTION OF
HIGHWAYS
& TRANSPORTATIO
N
Features
tion
orta
p
r
s
to y
Tran
s Direc
t
n
a
t
l
Consu
s
4
201
ent to
Supplem
Sponsored by
rtation
Transpo
sional,
Profes
14
July 20
listing
es key
Includ ecialists
sp
of ITS
1
News & Analysis
June 2014
Floating bus stop concern for Cambridge
Plans for segregated cycle lanes
along two main roads in Cambridge
have been put on hold due to
concerns over the safety of ‘floating’
bus stops included in the proposals. Members of Cambridgeshire County
Council’s economy and environment
committee voted against the plans
despite being presented with
evidence that similar designs – where
cycle lanes pass around the back of
bus stops – have worked elsewhere.
Councillors were reported to have
rejected the proposals for segregated
cycle lanes on Hills Road and
Huntingdon Road in Cambridge due
to opinions about cyclists’ behaviour.
The councillors’ decision drew
criticism from cycling groups, which
accused the council of stereotyping
cyclists. University of Westminster
senior lecturer Rachel Aldred, an
author of research on cultural
attitudes to cycling, said: “There are
two stereotypes that come up in
people’s negative feelings towards
cyclists. People worry that cyclists are
either incompetent or dangerous.
“I’m particularly concerned about
the decision taken in Cambridge
because the plans present an
opportunity to provide high quality
infrastructure. In Cambridge, 58% of
people cycle once a month or more
and 33% of commuters are cyclists.
The city should compete with top
European cycling cities, but it needs
an infrastructure boost.”
Floating bus stops have been
studied by research body TRL as part
of its work with Transport for London,
which is due to report soon on a
range of new cycling infrastructure to
be adopted in London.
One such scheme installed as part
of a road improvement in Brighton
in 2013 was led by Mott MacDonald
principal transport planner Robin
Reed. “I’m surprised Cambridgeshire
voted against these plans because
when we visited them they seemed
A so called ‘floating’ bus stop between cycle lane and carriageway in Brighton
very much in favour of the designs,”
he said.
A Cambridgeshire County Council
spokesman said: “A decision on the
proposals has been deferred not
rejected. Segregated cycle lanes are
something the council has very much
backed but after hearing everyone’s
concerns we want more details to be
sure the proposals will be safe.” JM
Anti conflict designs supported in Brighton
Brighton & Hove City Council
installed 14 floating bus stops as
part of improvements to Lewes
Road, a dual carriageway leading
into the city and connecting two
universities. The road’s cycle lane
has been directed behind bus stops
to remove conflict between buses
and cyclists.
Project leader Robin Reed said
Brighton & Hove carried out a
“good degree” of consultation with
stakeholders and groups including
the Federation of Disabled People.
A monitoring review six months
after the scheme was built found
“less than five emails of concern”
and cycling numbers are up on the
Lewes Road without any reported
incidents, he adds.
“Our view is that the cyclist has
priority and the onus is on the
pedestrian not to walk out into what
is in effect a minor road. The cyclist
is not expected to stop. Ultimately
the design is intended to encourage
cycling.”
Queen’s Speech confirms roads reform on track
Real progress is being made to
develop the first roads investment
strategy for a new company to
replace the Highways Agency,
delegates to the Association for
Consultancy & Engineering’s annual
conference heard, writes Jon Masters.
“We are targeting for publication
in autumn this year and it will be
linked to new legislation,” said
Department for Transport’s director
for strategic roads John Dowie. Announcement of a new statutory
footing for roads investment was
made in the Queen’s Speech on
4 June and a new Bill will set the
legislative framework for DfT’s reform
of the Highways Agency, turning it
into an arm’s length, Government
owned company.
Mr Dowie rejected the suggestion
that any work is being done on road
pricing. But a new public sector
company of the Network Rail mould
would, he said, operate and improve
the national road network with a
protected funding settlement.
Important questions for Local Enterprise Partnerships
Former Cabinet Minister Michael
Heseltine, author of the 2012
report ‘No stone unturned in pursuit
of growth’, is a key figure in the
local growth agenda and was also
speaking at the ACE conference.
He is helping advise Government
on Local Growth Fund bids of the
Local Enterprise Partnerships.
“For the first time in my
experience, we’re getting economic
concepts based on local judgements
by public and private sector people
as to what they really want,” he said.
But there are important questions
to be asked of the LEPs, he added.
How can we be sure they can carry
out the programmes put forward?
“Central Government has got
to change its means of handling
the issue, the LEPs have got to
prove they can deliver and some
have got to raise their aspirations
and improve their bids,” he added.
“But competition is an incredible
motivator and introducing it to the
public sector is a game changer.”
This is unlikely to give the reformed
Agency greater freedom to build
more roads. But it is seen as a crucial
part of the overall aim to get things
done sooner.
Commercial Secretary to the
Treasury Paul Deighton gave an
update on the progress of the
National Infrastructure Plan. “The
overwhelming challenge now is to
demonstrate delivery against the
plan,” he said.
What Lord Deighton effectively
said was that it is up to industry to
get on with road building. Treasury’s
work on infrastructure is now about
projects to come, HS2 and the next
phase of broadband communications
he said. But with a General Election
less than a year away, will everything stall or get put on hold
again?
5
6
News & Analysis
June 2014
Raising the roof in Manchester
Operatives from Morgan Sindall install the
first of 15 curved steel ribs for a new roof at
Manchester Victoria station. Upgrade to the
station forms part of work to improve rail and
tram connections as Metrolink looks to create
a second crossing of the city centre.
Steel ribs up to 96m long and 70t in
weight were lifted using a 1200t crane.
Two of the ribs were swung over a city tram
route, on to 18m high columns and 4m high
buttresses.
The new roof has been designed to allow
natural daylight to flood into the station. It
will feature lightweight, transparent plastic
similar to that used at the Eden Project in
Cornwall.
“The Victoria project is incredibly exciting,”
said Transport for Greater Manchester’s
Metrolink director Peter Cushing. “It
complements a wider transformation of
the station and also plays an essential
part of Metrolink’s Second City Crossing
development and ongoing expansion of the
network.”
Contracts
CORBY LINK ROAD OPENS: Completion of a 6km dual carriageway route
in Northamptonshire is expected to help boost the economy to the north
of the county. The Corby Link Road connects the A43 to the A6003 and is
set to improve access to the A14 and relieve traffic on local roads.
The road, which features three new bridges, was opened on 23 May
by Transport Minister Robert Goodwill. Work on the £34M scheme was
carried out by Interserve and MGWSP (Kier and WSP).
Government contributed £20.5M and Northamptonshire County
Council funded the balance.
The scheme’s project engineer Tony Ball said: “The A43 Corby Link
Road will connect employment areas on the east of the town, provide a
smoother link to the A14 and generate continued growth in the area.”
Among the first vehicles to use the new link road was a procession of
heavy goods vehicles from county firms, emergency vehicles, super cars
and specialist eco cars.
Balfour Beatty will start work this
summer to widen 6km of the A1
Western Bypass near Gateshead to
three lanes in both directions and
construct a parallel link road.
Capita has been appointed by
London Underground to develop
designs for the improvement of
Marylebone station.
Mott MacDonald will help to
design an upgrade to Auckland’s city
rail link in New Zealand, worth
£1.5Bn.
Network Rail is inviting tenders for
a £400M project to upgrade London
Waterloo station. The project
includes bringing the former
Eurostar terminal back into use for
domestic train services.
Pick Everard has been contracted
to provide cost and data
management advice for the High
Speed 2 rail project, including cost
analysis and projections for phases
one and two.
CIHT 100
Is the highways sector paying sufficient attention to asset
management?
YES
28%
Asset management plans have been introduced
by many authorities so that resources can be
allocated wisely. Good progress is being made.
NO
72%
There is not sufficient funds available to properly
manage roads. Some authorities are struggling.
More money is required for maintenance.
New participants are sought to join the CIHT100 panel. If you would like
to take part email [email protected] Also, see page 8.
News & Analysis
June 2014
Services begin on delayed Edinburgh tram scheme
Passenger services have finally begun
on a new tram line through
Edinburgh, more than three years
after the scheme was scheduled to
open. The first fee paying passengers
were welcomed aboard on Saturday
31 May.
Extensive delays and contractual
disputes hampered the project which
was originally due to launch in
February 2011. The extent of the
route had also been scaled back,
with a line out to Newhaven put on hold.
Edinburgh’s trams now run for
14km between York Place in the city
centre and the airport. It is hoped
that the trams will encourage modal
shift away from cars and ease future
traffic congestion as the number of
people living in and visiting the city
is expected to grow.
Transport Minister Keith Brown
said at the launch: “Although today
is clouded by what happened in the
early stages of the project, we have
worked with the Council and the
contractor to get the scheme back on track.”
City of Edinburgh Council
transport convener Lesley Hinds
added: “The tram project has been
hugely challenging for the people of
Edinburgh but now there seems to be a growing positivity in the city
about the start of a brand new
transport service.
“There are no current plans to look
at extending the line and it would be
inappropriate to do anything until
we’ve had a chance to review the
service’s performance over the first
six months or so. I’ve called for a
report to be presented to Council
before the end of 2014 so that future
options can be debated.”
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
chief executive David Birrell
welcomed the start of services. “There
is a real demand from the capital’s
business community for a fully
integrated transport system and the
recent launch of the trams is a
significant element within that goal,”
he said.
The first tram enters service in Edinburgh and proved popular with passengers
… as Waverley station becomes vehicle free
Edinburgh Waverley station has
banned motor vehicles from
its platform concourses – the
last major UK station to do so.
This follows measures taken in
January to restrict vehicle access to
registered taxis only.
Waverley station previously had
two vehicle access points leading
down alongside platforms to
turning circles.
Network Rail’s route managing
director for Scotland David
Dickson said: “We understand that
removing taxis and private vehicles
from the station does away with
a convenience that people have
become used to. However it is our
job to balance convenience with
the safety and best interests of all
of our station users.
“The changes now being
implemented will reduce risk to
passengers circulating on the south
side of the station and improve
air quality. In the long term, the
restrictions will also help to increase
capacity for the forecast growth of
the station.”
The vehicle ban is with the
exception of disabled service
vehicles, to be allowed access via
special arrangement.
Portishead to be reconnected to the national rail network
Work is ongoing to reopen a railway
line between Bristol and Portishead
on the north Somerset coast after
services ended more that 50 years ago.
Rejuvenation of the Portishead
line, via Pill, is part of phase one
of the £98M MetroWest scheme.
The first regular passenger services
are set to commence in May 2019.
Contractors have recently been
carrying out vegetation clearance
to enable ground investigation
work and analysis of any soil
contamination.
“The whole thing has suddenly
snowballed in the last year,” said
Portishead Railway Group chairman
Alan Matthews. “Since 2000 the
Group has been campaigning to
enable people from the town to
get to work in Bristol by rail. Our
campaign has a lot more clout as
part of MetroWest.”
Leader of North Somerset
Council Nigel Ashton said that
reintroducing passenger trains
on the Portishead railway line
would support economic growth
by enhancing workforce access to
major employment sites. He added
that it would address the increasing
demand for transport as a result of
population growth.
A final decision on the location of
a new Portishead station is expected
in June or July. The original plan to
build the station at Quays Avenue
Operatives have carried out vegetation clearance and bore hole drilling
required a new level crossing to
be built, which Mr Ashton noted
Network Rail would not accept.
Construction on phase one
of MetroWest, estimated to cost
between £49M and £55M, will start
in late 2017. The first phase will
include improved service frequency
on the Severn Beach and Bath Spa
to Bristol lines. SD
7
8
Debate / Working life
June 2014
Debate:
Is the highways sector paying sufficient attention to asset management?
Yes
Matthew Lugg OBE
Director of Public Services,
Mouchel Infrastructure
Services
As the overall public funding
available continues to reduce,
adopting an asset management
approach to maintain the
highway infrastructure is
crucial for local highway
authorities, to ensure best use is
made of limited resources.
Asset management is one of
the key components recognised
by the sector led Highway
Maintenance Efficiency
Programme (HMEP) initiative
to help deliver an efficient
and effective highway service.
The first HMEP product that
highlighted the importance
of applying good asset
management was the Pothole
Review ‘Prevention and a better
cure’ published two years ago.
According to the 2014
ALARM survey 95% of English
local highway authorities have
adopted the good practice
recommendations. HMEP
has developed further asset
Working life:
David Frisby
Job title – Managing director, mode
transport planning
Terms of reference – Providing
practical transport planning advice to
the commercial development sector
No
management guidance to help
authorities and the new UKRLG
Highway Infrastructure Asset
Management (HIAM) Guidance
was published last summer.
This year’s ALARM survey
also says 40% of local highway
authorities have yet to
complete their highway asset
management plans. So there is
clearly more to do.
The recently commissioned
HMEP E-Learning toolkit for
HIAM, when completed this
autumn, will help offer further
support to the sector. This
toolkit will help educate all local
highway authority staff involved
in delivering a highway service
of the importance and benefits
of asset management.
The Department for
Transport is also seeking more
evidence on the uptake of asset
management through the
application process for local
highway authorities to bid
for a proportion of the extra
£160M being made available for
potholes repairs.
And feedback from recent
DfT/HMEP roadshows has
demonstrated the sector’s
support for incentivising
the application of asset
management in allocating the
future capital maintenance
funding.
Jon Munslow
Asset and Infrastructure Group
Manager
South Gloucestershire Council
Asset management in highways
seems to me to be stuck; stuck
in silos, stuck in old ways and
it will remain stuck unless we
make some step changes in
how we in local authorities – as
custodians of the highway –
manage assets. We need to start
joining the whole service up.
Asset management
predominantly rests in the
maintenance arena of the
highways service – and this
is sensible. It is where a
significant proportion of risks
and financial liabilities sit. But
this has led to us rebadging our
old maintenance ways when we
should be reinventing ourselves
as asset managers.
As engineers we are focused
on the capital maintenance of
individual asset types. We need
to be looking at our assets as
systems, managing them to
reflect how they work together,
providing the required and
expected outcomes to our
customers.
When we use outcome
focused management of asset
systems we will see the need
to consider both the capital
replenishment and the revenue
serviceability activities as a
single system.
When we see that, we will
appreciate the changes required
to our financing. We should
move to commercial financial
management balancing
operational expenditure and
capital expenditure to minimise
cost over time.
Highways is just one of many
services that local authorities
and local politicians are trying
to manage. Highway needs
must compete against other
services.
Elected members do not give
sufficient attention to roads
because they are managing
multiple services.
Local authority financial
managers do not give sufficient
attention to highways because
it is not seen as a major
financial risk to the authority
and there is no commercial
driver.
And we, the engineers, are
not giving asset management
the right attention because we
haven’t quite joined it all up yet.
and supporting colleagues through
professional development.
Suitability for the job – Nearly
20 years experience in private
practice, half of which was spent at
Colin Buchanan & Partners. I am
very proud and fortunate to have
been a small part of its team – I
was surrounded by intelligent and
thought provoking individuals.
Where based – Birmingham and
London (and therefore often on the
West Coast Mainline).
Transport to work – 07.20 London
Midland train (front carriage).
Top of in-tray – A review of the
Curzon Street Masterplan and HS2
Hybrid Bill.
Best aspect of job – Being
surrounded by dedicated, passionate
and talented professionals who are
working together to unlock high level
strategic transportation issues.
Worst aspect – Stress!
What is the most important
transport issue today? High
Speed 2, whether you like it or loathe
it. It is an exciting and controversial
piece of strategic infrastructure.
How do you relax? Spending
quality time with my wife and four
children. Watching and reading about
70s/80s exploitation B-movies (after
the children have gone to bed.)
What car is in your garage?
I have a Marin Palisades Trail
mountain bike in the garage,
surrounded by empty luggage and
piles of logs. On the drive are a Ford
S-Max Titanium and a Mercedes Benz
A Class.
Ambition – To work hard enough
so that I can eventually upgrade the
mountain bike with a Classic 1970s
MKIII Jenson Interceptor.
June 2014
Highway Engineer / Just One More Thing
Just one more thing...
The Highway Engineer was the first journal of the
Institution of Highway Engineers. It was followed in
later years by Highways & Transportation magazine and
Transportation Professional. Here are extracts of stories
published in the journals 10, 25, 50 and 75 years ago.
10 years ago
London’s selection as one of the five cities shortlisted to host the 2012
Olympic Games has thrust transportation back into the limelight.
Transport is a key criterion used by the International Olympic Committee
for assessing bids and it notes that substantial investment would be
needed to improve London’s road and rail links.
Such investment, whether procured publicly or privately, will however
have to be made eventually, with or without the Olympics.
The host city will have seven years to develop its transport plans
between next summer’s announcement of the 2012 bid winner and the
start of the Games.
25 years ago
Levels of investment for building new motorways and trunk roads and
improving existing routes will be doubled in view of current congestion
and the implications of substantial future traffic growth, the Transport
Secretary has announced.
But caution has been urged by some commentators about using
national road traffic forecast trends to justify long term investment in
different parts of the country.
Central government has also been encouraged to address the
problems of urban transport and in particular an underfunding of local
authority capital programmes.
50 years ago
Within the past 15 years motor vehicle transportation has grown rapidly
into one of our most important industries, having great influence on
almost every phase of activity in Britain.
But in spite of the vast amount of money which is likely to be spent
on highway construction within the coming decades, there will never
be the Utopian situation whereby there is always ‘enough’ money and
facilities to satisfy all highway needs.
Therefore it is absolutely necessary that objective procedures be
developed that ensure the most beneficial use of this expenditure. At
this time it is not possible to present exact procedures by which this can
be done.
75 years ago
Calls for a marked improvement in road safety by a Parliamentary select
committee have been welcomed by many road engineers, who believe
that better road conditions lead to safer highways.
The committee said that if road defects were removed there would
be a substantial reduction in the number of accidents. Unless there is
more rapid progress made in rectifying these defects there must, with
increased levels of traffic, come a further increase in the number of
accidents, it said. The committee also called for every highway authority
to maintain accident maps in their region.
Modern life has been transformed by wireless communication in
recent years; not least the ability to connect a laptop to the internet
without having to attach a cable. Remember when that happened?
Now wireless communication promises to make its presence felt in
the transportation sector too. From motorways that provide electric
vehicles with a continuous charge, to trains that receive speed and
movement information wirelessly from a regional control centre. You
can read more about these two developments in our Future
Transport special on page 15 and in the Sketch on page 11.
According to the Highways Agency the installation of ‘dynamic
induction charging’ coils beneath the near side lane of motorways
could one day overcome the frustration of searching for a static
charging post. It may also convince drivers of electric vehicles
equipped with contactless charging equipment to commit to longer
journeys. Such a development would certainly provide a shot in the
arm to sales of electric vehicles, which have so far been sluggish.
A key issue which dynamic charging seeks to overcome is one of
‘range anxiety’ – only travelling locally and not too far, for fear of
running low on power. Electric car drivers are said to be particularly
nervous about venturing onto motorways for this reason. Imagine if
a vehicle left Birmingham for London, it started to rain and the driver
puts on the windscreen wipers, headlights and heater and the vehicle
with a limited battery life grinds slowly to a halt. A frightening
scenario, but one which the Agency is keen to avoid.
Range anxiety and the potential for dynamic charging are also
being investigated by the Transport Research Laboratory. One of its
researchers recently described the prospect of providing vehicles
with a continuous charge on motorways as “a game changer”.
Dynamic charging is not a far fetched concept, I was told, but a
natural progression in the evolution of electric vehicles. Digging up
motorways to install inductive equipment beneath the surface would
be costly and disruptive. But the benefit of helping electric vehicles to
drive further could mean that more motorists consider the switch to
alternative powered cars, helping the UK to meet or at least come
close to meeting its climate change commitments.
Wireless charging may be one thing, but it seems that self driving
cars are quite another. News that the technology giant Google is to
start building autonomous vehicles has been met with a nervy
response from transportation specialists, who fear for road safety.
The future, it seems, has finally arrived and presents much for the
professionals in our sector to mull over.
Aviation expansion must consider the people
Ongoing debate over where to position an additional runway in the
South East – and whether new capacity is needed – brought the issue
of taking account of public opinion to the fore.
At a recent aviation event Tony Burton, the director of Civic Voice,
challenged supporters of the four separate projects hoping to be
recommended by the Airports Commission to look beyond
discussions about economies, surface transport and congestion
when describing their schemes. What about local people, places and
their sense of community? How do they fit in to the equation, he
asked. An important point to remember as the arguments rumble on.
Mike Walter, Editor
9
Letters
June 2014
Transportation Professional welcomes letters from readers on all subjects raised by the
magazine and about any other transportation issue. Please keep your letters brief and
include your CIHT designation, if applicable. The Editor reserves the right to condense.
Address your letters to: The Editor, Transportation Professional, 7 Linden Close, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8HH, e: [email protected]
Britain is now one of the most successful
cycling nations in the world but you
wouldn’t know this from looking at the
state of our nation’s roads and junctions.
We’re getting it right on the world stage
but the work that is being done at a local
level is falling far short of the mark.
If we truly want to convince the British
public to choose cycling as their preferred
form of transport and create healthier,
more pleasant places to live, we need local
leaders to make some radical changes and
to be far more enterprising about how
they are using their public spaces.
Chris Boardman
British Cycling’s policy adviser
British Cycling, Stuart Street, Manchester
FUNDING CUTS HAVE NOT STOPPED
INVESTMENT IN CYCLING
Councils continue to invest in cycling
despite being hampered by deep
funding cuts and will always look to
introduce cycling provisions as part
of new infrastructure when there is a
clear need and demand. Many have
already laid cycle paths on roads and
in parks, installed bike racks in high
streets, organised community cycle
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES RAISE
LEGAL AND SAFETY QUESTIONS
Google’s unveiling of a test batch of 100
self driving cars (see page 14) is a highly
visible motoring landmark. However it
will take a big leap of faith for society to
embrace cars which drive themselves.
Intelligent cruise control and self parking
cars are already in mainstream use and
autonomous braking, now in some cars,
will save many lives once a majority of
vehicles are equipped. However, there
are significant legal hurdles to overcome
– currently drivers are responsible and
liable for what may go wrong. Many other
issues must be resolved too before full
automation transforms the ordinary car
into a fully accessible and safe transport
system for all.
London Cycling Campaign
LOCAL COUNCILS NOT DOING
ENOUGH TO ENCOURAGE CYCLING
The Space for Cycling Big Ride recently saw campaigners asking councils for safer cycling conditions
rides, supported town centre bike rental
schemes and held bike safety awareness
campaigns.
The Government’s own traffic
projections predict a potential increase
in local traffic of more than 40% by 2040,
while the bill to bring our roads up to
scratch has reached £12Bn and is growing
with every harsh winter. Councils need
increased and consistent investment
in the widespread resurfacing projects
we desperately need to improve road
We asked our AA Populus panel about
this subject and the 23,450 respondents
had significant misgivings. Only 12%
of respondents said they couldn’t wait
to ‘take their hands off the wheel’ and
respondents were split on whether selfdriving cars would be as safe as human
drivers: 38% agreed and 37% disagreed.
A majority (57%) would sooner see self
driving cars used on a separate dedicated
road network and 56% wouldn’t believe
vehicle manufacturer and Government
assurances that these vehicles would be
safe. Perhaps the most telling statistic
is that 65% said they actually enjoyed
driving too much to ever want a selfdriving car.
Google and major vehicle
manufacturer’s bold attempt to partially
conditions for all road users, including
cyclists.
Councils outside London must also be
handed greater powers to tackle moving
traffic violations. This will help prevent
drivers blocking cycle lanes and pulling
up in cycle boxes at traffic lights, which
causes havoc and puts cyclists at risk.
Peter Box
Chair of the Local Government Association’s
Economy and Transport Board
Local Government House, Smith Square, London
Google
10
or fully automate driving is very exciting
and will stir much debate over the next
decade or so. It will happen but on what
scale – only time will tell.
Paul Watters
Head of Roads Policy, the Automobile
Association
Fanum House UG, Basing View, Basingstoke
June 2014
Letters / Transport Sketch
Highways Agency
QE2 BRIDGE HAS COVERED COSTS,
SO WHY THE TOLLS?
With reference to Ty Byrd’s article on
the Dartford Crossing (Transportation
Professional April 2014), before
the construction of the QE2 Bridge
commenced opposition was generated
due to the fact that the crossing was
to be subjected to tolls. To overcome
the situation both the Kent and Essex
Councils together with the Ministry of
Transport reached an agreement that
when the collected tolls had covered the
construction costs no further tolls would
be imposed. All future maintenance costs
would come from the ‘Motorway Budget’.
Ken Niall FCIHT
[email protected]
Ty Byrd writes: My article mentions that
tolls were collected at Dartford Crossing
until all finance had been cleared, in
2003; when the tolling regime gave way
to one intended to alleviate congestion.
You haven’t been paying a toll of late, Mr
Niall, but a congestion charge. Don’t be
embarrassed about being confused: All
the signs leading to Dartford’s toll (sorry,
congestion charge) booths still refer – a
decade on – to tolls.
HARD SHOULDERS NEEDED
Having no hard shoulders on eight lane
motorways (TP Weekly News 16 April) is
both dangerous and foolhardy. It is bad
enough that the rural arterial trunk roads
are virtually all without shoulders and
only in rare cases have adequate lay-bys.
Six lane motorways should have a hard
shoulder both on the outside and next to
the median to guard against breakdowns
and accidents. In addition it all begs the
question: ‘What happens when the hard
shoulder has reached peak hour capacity?’
Michael Scott FCIHT
[email protected]
Rail signals set to be shunted aside
Wireless train control under test on a special rail service departing King’s Cross in London
Britain’s most technically advanced passenger
On board this special service to demonstrate
train pulled slowly into King’s Cross station one
the technology in action was Network Rail’s head
morning last month, but without fanfare. Rail
of operating strategy Simon Whitehorn. “Rail
users were unlikely to have batted an eyelid at
travel is more popular than ever and by the end of
the small, rather unimpressive looking class 318
2019 there will be 225M more passenger journeys
train that appeared on platform seven, dwarfed by each year,” he said. “We have to look at new and
grander looking intercity expresses
innovative technology to allow
SKETCH
alongside. Only the bright yellow
more trains to use the railways.”
paintwork and a large black
The railway operator plans to
“New train control
‘wireless’ symbol on its side gave any systems will come
eventually phase out trackside
indication that this special service
signals on the UK rail network.
at an aesthetic
may have been, well, special.
Signals are set to go on the line
and historic cost to
The train was equipped with
from King’s Cross to Doncaster by
Britain’s railways.
new technology that allows it to be Five hundred
2020 and on the Great Western
driven independently of ‘traffic light’ Victorian signal
Railway between Paddington and
signals or speed signs alongside
Bristol within nine years. But not
boxes will close.”
the track. Instead drivers receive
before the system is introduced
more accurate information about the maximum
to a host of remote branch lines with difficult to
permitted speed and whether they can proceed
access railway infrastructure.
safely from a remote control centre. And if the
Use of the train control system is also planned
driver ignores the information provided the train’s
in London on the Thameslink line between St
brakes will be applied automatically.
Pancras and Blackfriars, where up to 24 trains
This so called ‘European Train Control System’
an hour will soon be run. To achieve this level of
is necessary, Network Rail says, to increase a line’s
frequency the headway between services has to be
capacity to accommodate more trains. Use of
much reduced, so trains travelling beneath central
automatic braking should also reduce to zero the
London will not only make use of the train control
incidence of signals passed at danger.
system but they will be self driving too.
As you can expect there are significant cost
Self driven trains are also being considered for
savings from doing away with the need to
the crowded South West lines into Waterloo. But
maintain trackside signalling equipment. But
the point was made that autonomously driven
introduction of such a system will come at a huge
trains are being considered only for the most
aesthetic and historic cost to Britain’s railways
heavily used stretches of railway.
too. Five hundred Victorian signal boxes, some of
One problem with phasing out lineside signals
which are still operated by levers and loved by rail
is how steam trains which also make use of the
historians, will close.
national network will be able to negotiate the
The train control system was first tested on
railways safely. Fitting the European Train Control
the remote Cambrian line through mid-Wales
System to heritage trains would represent a major
three years ago and is now being put through
technical challenge, Network Rail admitted.
its paces at the railway operator’s test facility in
Attaching a special carriage to a heritage train
Hertfordshire; an 8km stretch of line closed to
is one option being considered. But railway
passenger trains during the day, through Wattonenthusiasts are unlikely to welcome anything that
at-Stone station.
detracts from a stream train’s visual appeal. MW
11
12
Future Transport Special
June 2014
A new portable emissions measurement system – seen here mounted on a Ford Focus – is designed to monitor exhaust pollutants while a vehicle is being driven
Cleaner, greener vehicles
put through their paces
Mass market demand for green vehicle technology has yet to materialise. But behind the scenes
enthusiasm for developing low carbon power trains is stronger than ever, reports Mike Walter.
T
ight security surrounds Millbrook
proving ground where the next
generation of engines are calibrated
and alternative powered vehicles tested.
Hidden from the outside world and with
a strict no photography policy the 285ha
Bedfordshire site welcomes leading
automotive manufacturers keen to
develop vehicles and components that
give them a competitive edge.
Vehicles on test include electric, hybrid
and hydrogen powered cars as well as
those with conventional engines being
refined to improve fuel efficiency and
reduce emissions. Laboratories on site
make modifications to power trains
before extensive trials on several test
tracks outside check the performance and
durability of vehicles.
Millbrook was established by General
Motors and has been testing vehicles for
over 40 years. Last autumn ownership of
Putting driver assistance systems to the test
Traffic sign recognition cameras fitted
to the front of the latest vehicles scan
approaching roundels and display their
contents on the dashboard for the benefit
of motorists. Making sure the systems
provide accurate results is one of many
highway infrastructure tests carried out by
Millbrook’s vehicle engineering team.
The camera scans for circles and reads
the numbers and symbols inside. Use of
such a system means driver information
is provided in real time, rather than from
satellite navigation devices whose data can
be out of date.
“We did a lot of work on Smart
Motorways and their LED signs on gantries,
making sure that the cameras could pick
up the roundels overhead and display
the correct information,” says vehicle
engineering director Peter Stoker. “The
worst thing would be for the systems to
give false readings.”
the facility was transferred to investment
firm Rutland Partners and the proving
ground began offering its services more
widely to the automotive sector. This
spring Millbrook appointed a new chief
executive, former Williams F1 boss Alex
Burns who says now is a great time for
everyone involved in developing future
vehicles.
“There is currently so much variety
in terms of the technologies going into
vehicles and transportation. Many
techniques in development for several
decades are now coming off the kerb and
to the fore,” he says.
“The future is quite complicated
in terms of the power trains available
and there is going to be a lot of choice
for consumers. You have pure electric
vehicles and range extended electric
vehicles, internal combustion engines
are becoming more efficient and other
sources of power such as hydrogen fuel
cells are coming forward too. It’s a very
exciting time.”
Two clear challenges faced by
developers of alternative powered
vehicles, such as electric cars, are to
convince motorists that a higher purchase
price is justified by lower running
costs and to provide suitable charging
infrastructure. But competition from
conventional automobiles being made
more efficient makes it even harder to
market electric cars, Mr Burns suggests.
“It is quite extraordinary what gets
packed into conventional cars these
days; they are extremely refined and offer
good value for money. They set a very
high barrier for electric cars to meet.” But
promises of money from Government
such as a recent £500M to promote ultra
low emission vehicles is welcome and
should help the UK to continue as a leader
in developing emerging automotive
technologies, he adds.
“Many techniques
in development for
several decades are
now coming off the
kerb and to the fore.”
Millbrook chief executive
Alex Burns
Reducing emissions and improving
air quality continue to be big drivers for
automotive manufacturers, with new
legislation imposing ever tighter controls
on what comes out the back of a vehicle.
The European Commission says that by
2021 car makers should average 95g/km of
carbon dioxide across their entire fleet of
new vehicles, compared to a 2015 target of
130g/km.
Laboratories on site at Millbrook fine
tune engines to help car manufacturers
achieve reduced emission targets. And in
a development last summer the facility
started using a portable emissions
measurement system (known as PEMS),
fitted to the back of a vehicle to monitor
exhaust pollutants.
Vehicles are then subjected to a series
of repetitive cycles including urban and
high speed driving. PEMS is already a
requirement of vehicle tests in America
and is set to become part of European
emissions legislation for light duty
vehicles in 2017.
“This system gives a more realistic view
of a vehicle’s emissions, rather than just
relying on laboratory data,” says principal
engineer Anthony Sale. “We can also
connect a webcam to a car so that if we
later find there was a spike in emissions at
a certain point, footage can be reviewed
June 2014
Vehicles on test at Millbrook are sometimes camouflaged in an effort to keep their identities hidden
PROVING GROUND A HARD TEST FOR VEHICLES: Millbrook has 70km of test tracks
including a high speed circuit, Alpine style hill route with gradients up to 21%, a twisting
‘city’ course and a series of unforgiving ride surfaces designed to give new vehicles –
including the next generation of electric cars – a thorough work out.
“This car has only done 2700 miles but they are probably the hardest miles it will ever
see,” says test engineer Alistair Wynn, who took me for a quick drive around the facility.
Suspensions are tested on a Belgium ‘Pave’ cobbled road and electronic stability systems
are checked on a variety of surface course textures kept wet. One test involves driving at
30MPH along a route strewn with gravel to roughen a car’s paintwork and underbelly, before
it is sprayed with a salt solution designed to accelerate corrosion.
Quality of asphalt surfacings on some of the test tracks are among the best you will ever
see. But to replicate real world situations there are “calibrated disturbances” on other tracks
too, such as potholes.
to see how the vehicle was being driven at
the time.”
Another area of development is hybrid
buses and Millbrook works on behalf of
Transport for London to test and certify
new engines for its passenger vehicles.
Inside a vehicle temperature emissions
chamber a double decker bus drives over
a rolling road to record pollutants. But the
clever bit is that the road speeds up, slows
down and stops as if the bus was driving
through London traffic. The bus ‘journey’
in the lab is based on a real journey from
a particular route, providing realistic
emissions data.
There is no disguising a London bus,
but some vehicles on test at Millbrook
feature camouflaged paintwork and have
their branding removed. Secrecy and
discretion, it seems, are as important to
automotive development as the vehicles
themselves.
13
June 2014
Self driving pods bound
for Milton Keynes footpaths
A
utonomous vehicles (driverless
vehicles by another name) could
soon be on Milton Keynes’
footpaths following appointment of a
contractor to manufacture self driving
‘LUTZ Pathfinder pods’ for the town.
Engineering firm RDM will initially
create three futuristic electric powered
pods on behalf of Low Carbon Urban
Transport Zone (LUTZ) project manager
the Transport Systems Catapult. Test track
trials are set to begin early next year.
LUTZ project director John Miles of Arup
said: “The trials are less about technology
and more about human perception and
behaviour – you have to test these things in
an urban laboratory.”
The pods will carry up to two passengers
on footpaths at a top speed of 12kmh.
Mr Miles said the LUTZ project will have
a potentially transformative impact: “Jump
forward to 2050 – you could imagine that
lots of city centres would be pedestrianised.
“These pods could run in pedestrianised
areas alongside people, providing a
high degree of mobility with much less
congestion.”
GOOGLE TO TEST DRIVERLESS
PROTOTYPES: Google has announced
it is to start building its own self driving
cars, designed to operate safely and
autonomously without human intervention.
The company is planning to build 100
prototype vehicles, with early tests to start in
the summer.
Google says the cars will have the ability
to see 360 degrees and simultaneously
track hundreds of objects around them,
responding quicker than humans in many
scenarios.
On the safety side the first vehicles will
have a capped top speed of 25MPH and
will be programmed to perform actions
like staying out of other drivers’ blind spots
and nudging away from big trucks and
motorcyclists who ride between lanes.
RDM is scheduled to complete the
manufacture of the first pod by the end of
this year, allowing Oxford University Mobile
Robotics Group experts to install robotics
technology. By mid 2017, it is hoped that
100 fully autonomous pods will be running
on pathways alongside people using
sensors to avoid obstacles.
“The first step is Milton Keynes,” Mr
Miles added. “If we can demonstrate that
you can run 100 pods, make money and
provide taxi style mobility that the public
likes, the next step is to find other locations
such as shopping malls where they can be
introduced without much adaptation.”
The pods project is the autonomous
mobility strand of the £60M five year LUTZ
programme, based in Milton Keynes, which
is studying the feasibility of autonomous
and on demand vehicles.
One of the other strands being worked
on in the town is ‘spontaneous mobility’,
whereby LUTZ is coming up with
alternative ways of moving people around.
Mr Miles said: “Cars are an easy
spontaneous choice – we are looking at
trialling systems that would provide that
Transport Systems Catapult
Exciting innovations in technology such as autonomous vehicles and electric charging systems offer a
glimpse into what the future holds for transportation.
An early stage concept design of a Pathfinder pod
convenience through shared transport. If
it’s easy people will use it.”
Mr Miles mentioned the idea of a bus
on demand scheme which would cost the
same as timetabled bus services but be as
convenient as a taxi. He also confirmed that
LUTZ is working on the development of a
real time city motion ‘heat map’ which, he
suggested, would show where in the town
vehicles and pedestrians are concentrated,
enabling people to make a decision on how
to travel.
Early demonstrations of this are expected
within two years. SD
Google
14
June 2014
Motorways look towards wireless charging of electric vehicles
would provide power and only 30 miles of a
100 mile stretch of motorway would require
new infrastructure. Cars would, the plan goes,
receive power if travelling at around 60MPH.
So why is there interest in dynamic
charging? Apparently there was a 25%
increase in pure electric and hybrid vehicles in
the UK over the last three years, admittedly
from a low base. This trend is set to continue.
But fixed charging posts, of which there are
thought to be 6000 in the UK, are not evenly
spread across the country and tend to appear
in cities, not beside motorways.
And some drivers of electric vehicles suffer
what is called ‘range anxiety’ – a fear of
running out of power. Many of them would
not contemplate driving on a motorway
without knowing where the next charging
point is. Taking the worry out of charging
and being able to do so while driving could
encourage many more people to drive further
and for longer in electric vehicles.
The Highways Agency also has an interest
in providing new ways of charging electric
vehicles because it will be obliged to focus
more on drivers’ needs when it becomes a
Government owned company next spring.
“The number of electric vehicles is starting
to grow and a few vehicle manufacturers
are looking to produce cars that will take
inductive charging,” says Mr Thompson. “We
need to be able to respond to that.”
But who will pay for the new infrastructure
to be installed, how will drivers pay for the
electricity consumed, and will the technology
work? Time will tell. MW
Siemens to charge up
the South West
Siemens
TED
Imagine driving along the M1 in an electric
vehicle and not having to stop at a service
area to recharge your car. Instead, your car
charges wirelessly as you go.
This may sound like a science fiction
fantasy, but it is in fact being seriously
considered by the Highways Agency. It is
about to invite tenders for a feasibility study
into the potential for ‘dynamic induction
charging’ of electric vehicles on strategic
roads, including motorways.
If all goes well, trials on motorways could
take place within three years, according to
Ian Thompson of the Agency’s intelligent
transport systems group, who spoke about
the prospects at an ITS (UK) event in London
during May.
Coils buried beneath the near side lane
International EV travel proven possible
An 80 hour electric car rally through seven
northern European countries was successfully
completed in April to demonstrate the fact
that e-mobility across nations is possible.
The race was a 2201km challenge
undertaken by five teams using Tesla Model
S sports cars to go the distance in under 80
hours. It started in London and was won in
Oslo 78 hours and 14 minutes later by 80
Day Race CEO Frank Manders.
Mr Manders said: “When promoting
sustainable mobility it is important to
capture the hearts and minds of the public. A
legendary race, a test of man and machine,
has proven over time to be an excellent
method to inspire people.“
Competitors travelled from the United
Kingdom to Belgium, the Netherlands,
Germany, Denmark, Sweden and finally
Norway to mark the end of the five year
North Sea Region Electric Mobility Network
(E-Mobility NSR) project.
The EU funded E-Mobility NSR project was
set up to help create favourable conditions
to promote the common development of
e-mobility in the North Sea Region as well as
to strive towards improving accessibility and
the wider use of e-mobility in this area.
E-Mobility NSR coordinator Professor
Walter Leal said: “We wanted to stir up
people’s curiosity to make them more aware
of electric mobility. Even with the prevailing
challenges in terms of infrastructure, driving
range and lack of coordinated charging,
travelling in e-cars from London all the way
to Oslo is possible already today.”
An 80 Day Race starting in April 2016 will
see teams competing to travel around the
world in 80 days without using a single drop
of fossil fuel in an attempt to accelerate the
transition towards zero emission mobility.
The 40,000km journey will be raced over
eight legs with each starting and finishing in
major world cities.
Siemens has been appointed to deliver
electric vehicle charging services in
South West England by the Source West
consortium, made up of Bristol City
Council, South Gloucestershire Council and
Gloucestershire County Council.
This will see the technology firm installing
and maintaining 15 multi standard triple
outlet rapid chargers in the region, providing
charging times of just 20 and 40 minutes
depending on EV (electric vehicle) type. The
chargers will be connected to a Pay As You
Go national network provided by Charge
Your Car.
Siemens head of electromobility Mark
Bonnor-Moris, said: “EV charging equipment
manufacturers, drivers and infrastructure
owners are now demanding more powerful
fast charging units.”
The scheme represents Siemens’ largest EV
project to date and was funded by the Office
for Low Emission Vehicles, a team working
across government to support the early
market for ultra low emission vehicles.
15
16
June 2014
Zero carbon emissions in sight
Vehicle emissions are a major contributor to pollution and global warming but zero emission car engines are
only a few years away thanks to pioneering work by engineering companies like Ricardo. Nick Barrett reports.
D
eveloped world countries seem
to have been getting more and
more anti car for many years as the need to drive down carbon
emissions has risen to the top of the
political agenda.
UK politicians do little for the
future prospects of the motor car
by happily presiding over a long
term underinvestment and hence
deterioration in British roads.
Government has also been trying to
encourage a rebalancing of the economy
away from over reliance on financial
services and personal consumption and
towards manufacturing and exports.
A look towards the small west Sussex
seaside town of Shoreham reveals a
leading engineering company that
is caught between these conflicting
pressures – and thriving while it works
towards eliminating emissions altogether
and selling this and a host of other
expertise worldwide.
Ricardo employs over 2,000 engineers,
consultants and scientists and its clients
include the world’s major transportation
manufacturers, energy companies,
financial institutions and government
departments.
But it is not all about cars. Ricardo
manufactures parts for the Airbus
A320 aircraft to exacting tolerances.
Construction equipment benefits from
Ricardo research, such as the work
carried out for JCB to produce its 4.4
litre Ecomax T4 engine, designed to
be the lowest emissions engine in the
automotive market.
Much testing and development of low carbon
vehicles is under way
Engineering expertise on show at Ricardo’s facilities at Shoreham in West Sussex
Ricardo and JCB captured the world
land speed record for diesel cars of
350.092MPH in 2006, using a standard
JCB444 engine commonly used to power
backhoe loaders that Ricardo sprinkled
some of its magic engineering dust on.
The company has been lauded for
its work on Formula 1 and World Rally
Championship cars and it developed
Jaguar’s first ever diesel engine.
As well as undertaking engineering
design development and engine testing
projects, Ricardo manufactures high
performance products like engines for
McLaren cars. The company currently
makes 55 of these supercar engines
a week and is completing a factory
extension at Shoreham to increase
manufacturing to 110 a week.
Ricardo was instrumental in the
development of these engines and it is
a testament to the trust in which it is
held by a leading motoring brand like
McLaren that it was asked to take on the
manufacture as well.
A recent report from the RAC
Foundation and the petroleum industry
said that fossil fuelled cars will dominate
the industry for at least the next two
decades. There is a lot of life left in the
internal combustion engine, Ricardo
says, with some of its optimism based
on the fact that it can see further ahead
than most of us to what is coming down
the line.
“Zero emissions will be with us before
too long, and cars with fuel consumption
of better than 100mpg will be with us
within three to five years – and this is as a result of development projects
currently under way,” a company
spokesman said.
A visit to Ricardo’s existing
advanced manufacturing plant, or
High Performance Assembly Facility,
at Shoreham might be an unsettling
experience for anyone who has not
seen a high end manufacturing facility
in recent years. No sign of dark satanic
mills, only a strangely almost antiseptic
production line where skilled operatives
stand on pristine clean floors while
adding their specialised part to the
engines.
The engines are worth about £50,000
each and their raw material parts only
£5,000 – the value added comes from
engineering nous. Ricardo has a lot more
of that to add to the battle to minimise
or even eliminate emissions problems
stemming from road and construction
site traffic.
BOOK NOW
www.ptrc-training.co.uk/tpm
12th Annual Transport Practitioners’ Meeting
2-3 July 2014 London Metropolitan University
A must attend event in any practitioners calendar
Featuring:
Chair:
Keynote Speakers:
Jim Steer
Isabel Dedring
Louise Ellman
Stephen Joseph OBE
Professor David Metz
Founder and Director,
Steer Davies Gleave
Deputy Mayor for Transport
& Deputy Chair of Transport
for London
MP for Liverpool Riverside &
Chair of House of Commons
Transport Select Committee
Chief Executive, Campaign
for Better Transport
Centre for Transport Studies
and more…
Sessions covering the latest developments and emerging best practice in
transport led growth and regeneration, active travel and health, scheme
appraisal, smarter travel techniques, road safety and many more topics
Networking drinks reception and prestigious awards
ceremony and dinner at the Emirates Stadium
Special 2 day discounted rates including 2
day attendance at TPM, access to the drinks
reception, awards and dinner
RETURN OF THE “2 FOR 1” LOCAL AUTHORITY RATE
PLUS
PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS CEREMONY AND
DINNER AT EMIRATES STADIUM
Supported by
For more information contact Bini Kaur on T: 0207 348 1979 | E: [email protected] | W: www.ptrc-training.co.uk
Bridge Maintenance
June 2014
New bearings ease bridge
movement at Milford Haven
Bearings installed at Cleddau Bridge in the 1970s to accommodate thermal movement had been giving problems due to corrosion. They have now been replaced
First use in Britain of German ‘double sliding cylindrical bearings’ should
sort out movement problems on Cleddau Bridge. Ty Byrd reports.
C
leddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire
(previously known as Milford
Haven Bridge – see box) has
recently received new movement joint
bearings, and not a moment too soon.
Having served for nearly 40 years, and
largely unprotected, the two original roller
bearings were showing significant wear.
Now new sliding plate bearings have
been installed capable of longitudinal
rotation as well as linear movement. As
such, they should suffer less distress than
did their predecessors and – protected
from salt and water – last longer.
Cleddau Bridge spans the natural
harbour of Milford Haven, on the south
side of which sits Pembroke Dock, on
Attachment plate
Top plate
Intermediate
sliding plates
Bottom plate
Attachment plate
Illustration courtesy of Maurer Söhne
18
Maurer’s new double sliding cylindrical bearing
the north side the town of Neyland. A
ferry plied between the two shores but
expansion of the area as a major oil port
in the 1960s meant that a fixed crossing
became essential.
The main component of this – Cleddau
Bridge – was built as a 820m long
trapezoidal steel box girder, 17m wide on
its top (road deck) side. The crossing, up to
40m above the water, opened in 1975.
Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) is
responsible for the bridge and its upkeep.
PCC’s head of highways and construction
Darren Thomas says: “The weather had
got to the structure’s bearings which were
beginning to wear and have the potential
to seize up. A section of one of the bearing
flanges had broken off. Something
obviously needed to be done.”
Bridge consultant Bill Harvey
Associates (BHA) was called in to report
on the movement joint, in particular
the condition of its bearings and the
deterioration that had occurred.
The movement joint is located within
Cleddau Bridge’s main span, the gap
between the northern section of the box
girder and the southern one covered
at deck level by a Demag roller shutter
expansion joint. Beneath this, the bearings
were positioned to allow full movement
in excess of 600mm. Both bearings
were formed of a very hard steel roller
sandwiched between equally hard plates.
The bottom plates were supported on
corbels out from the northern box girder
section, the top plates on corbels out from
the southern box girder section – a typical
half joint arrangement.
The rollers in between were designed
with integral flanges at either end to
‘straddle’ their top and bottom steel
plates in order to resist wind loading;
plus equipped with gear mechanisms of
intermeshing cogs and racks to ensure
correct longitudinal alignment as the
northern and southern box ends expanded
towards and contracted away from each
other. The gears also prevented the
bearings ‘escaping’ from their top and
bottom plates.
“Lack of space meant the bearings
could not be contained in a grease box
or otherwise protected from the weather,
nor was drainage provided to prevent
water coming through the Demag joint,”
says BHA principal Bill Harvey, formerly
Professor of Civil Engineering at Exeter
University. “Corrosion was the root cause
of the problems.”
But there was a secondary cause,
however. “The bridge runs almost due
north, due south,” Mr Harvey says. “The
edge of the bridge gets the rising sun in
the early morning and the setting sun
in the evening. This caused the bridge
to bend, twisting the rollers on plan,
inducing movement for which they were
not designed.”
Bolts started to break on the gear system
due to wear caused by the corrosion, then
the cogs themselves began to deteriorate,
followed by the cracking off of a large piece
of flange on one of the rollers. All this
led to “a slow and inexorable increase in
resistance to expansion and contraction,”
according to Mr Harvey, “which unchecked
would have probably overstressed parts of
the bridge and caused the rollers to crack”.
BHA’s report confirmed the county
council’s fears and work began on the
feasibility of removing and replacing
the roller bearings. Consultant Flint &
Neil was brought on board to carry out
the necessary design work. Jacking tests
were conducted which indicated that
the bearings could indeed be removed,
crucially while traffic used the bridge.
Feelers were put out to find companies
to supply and fit replacement roller
bearings but none were found, capable of
coming up with the kind of quality steel
used on the originals. The lack of space
at the site of the bearings was another
daunting factor. However, the German
firm of Maurer heard of PCC’s predicament
and offered an alternative: their innovative
double sliding cylindrical bearing (DSCB).
Maurer engineers said that its DSCB
could be made to fit in the space
available and to function admirably. Their
arguments were persuasive and the quality
of their products was high. PCC gave the
go ahead.
“Expressed simply, Maurer’s bearings
have four principal elements,” says PCC
bridge engineer Kevin Lowther. “There’s
a top plate and a bottom plate, both with
sliding surfaces; and in between these
two, a pair of much smaller mating plates
that sit one on top of the other and slide
anywhere between the top and bottom
plates.” It is the smaller items that are the
key to the design.
The upper one has a slightly convex
lower surface (akin to that of a portion of
cylinder) which fits into the lower one’s
concave upper face. Together they can
accommodate Cleddau Bridge’s linear
movement plus the necessary longitudinal
and rotational movement as well. All the
surfaces that slide are faced with MSM,
June 2014
Bridge Maintenance
All photographs courtesy of Pembrokeshire County Council
Non sliding surfaces of the Maurer bearing – seen here under assembly – are clad in stainless steel
Milford Haven Bridge, before the name change
Site of the last major British bridge disaster:
that is the dubious honour held by the
crossing now known as Cleddau Bridge.
It was on 2 June 1970 as box girder
sections for the new Milford Haven Bridge
were being jacked into position that a
major structural failure occurred, killing four
men and injuring two others. Sections of
box girder tumbled to the ground narrowly
missing houses of a nearby village.
The bridge was under construction by AE
Farr to a design by Freeman Fox & Partners;
contract sum was £2.1M; and completion
a Maurer patented sliding medium
which is claimed to outperform PTFE in
all respects, including longevity. Other
surfaces are clad in stainless steel.
Installation was contracted to the British
structural engineering company Ekspan,
the German bearings effectively being
assembled in situ in very cramped areas.
The bearings came equipped with a dust
skirt to keep out debris and PCC ensured
that they are also protected from water
coming through the Demag joint above.
“The replacement took eight days and
was originally planned for March 1971.
However, following the failure bridge work
was halted until October 1972.
The Merrison committee of inquiry
into the design and erection of steel box
girder bridges concluded that the cause
of the collapse was the inadequacy of the
design of a pier support diaphragm but
also pointed a finger at the failure of site
organisation between the parties involved.
Construction was eventually completed
at a reported final cost close to £12M. The
bridge opened to traffic on 20 March 1975.
was actually rather simple – a lot of work
humping big bits of steel around in a
confined space with a wee bit of finesse
employed at the end,” says Mr Lowther.
“Each of the new bearings can support
up to 1100t, with a full movement range
of 857mm. They’re guaranteed by Maurer
for five years but the expectation is that
they’ll last at least 50. They’re nice pieces
of work.”
Total cost of the replacement project
was £263,000 – of which £109,000 was for
the bearings and their installation.
Left to right: Cleddau Bridge’s corroded old bearing; jacks acting against corbels to create space for bearing removal; carefully manoeuvring in new steel plate
19
20
Rail Station Redevelopment
June 2014
Capital’s commuters await
overhaul of bottleneck station
Increasing capacity on the through platforms at London Bridge will cut down on delays. All images (including this artist’s impression) courtesy of Network Rail
Britain’s biggest ever station redevelopment is on track at London Bridge to provide a centrepiece for the
£6.5Bn Thameslink Programme. Steve Dale reports.
L
ondon Bridge station in its current
form represents a predictable hold
up for those commuting to the
capital on trains from the south and South
East. But by 2018 a dramatic rebuild of the
Victorian structure to create a modern
station with a capacity lifetime of at least 60 years will see passengers benefit from
more space, better facilities and more
reliable journeys.
With £700M of investment in it as part
of the Thameslink Programme, London
Bridge will be a station capable of running
trains at a frequency of one every two/
three minutes. It will also provide better
connections to lines including to Crossrail
via Farringdon and north London termini
including St Pancras International.
At present the layout of the station and
the surrounding track means that no more
trains can run during peak periods to deal
with the demand of 54 million passengers
a year (2013) and rising, making this
improvement much needed.
“Many trains from the South East into
London have got to come through London
Bridge, but as a station it doesn’t really work
at the minute,” says Network Rail project
director Andy Gent.
“Because of the track layout and the way
An enormous street level concourse,
the signalling works, any sort of delay here
bigger than the pitch at Wembley, will
becomes quite serious very quickly and has
“unify the station for the first time” so that
a knock on effect right the way through the
all platforms are accessible from one place
network in the South East.”
via lifts and escalators. “The current station
Work involves replacing the current six
is complicated by through and terminating
through platforms and nine terminating
areas having different entrances,” says
platforms with nine through and six
Costain project director Clive Loosemore.
terminating, which will result in fewer
The concourse requires the demolition
trains delayed outside the station waiting
of 200 year old brick arches in order for it
for a platform to clear.
to sit beneath the
“We can’t be late
In addition, features of
platforms. New
on any phase of
Thameslink such as the
undulating steel and
construction. Keeping
£50M Bermondsey ‘dive
aluminium canopies
on programme is
under’ will untangle
will then be placed
probably the biggest
tracks outside London
over the top with
challenge overall.”
Bridge and ensure a freer
natural light allowed
Andy Gent
flow of trains. Set to be in
to filter through.
operation by 2017, this ‘dive under’ will take
“The key is getting people onto the trains
one track down and another over the top so as quickly as possible so they can get out
trains will no longer have to wait in line at a
of the station,” Mr Gent continues. “We are
signal before they can access the station.
putting customer information systems in
Mr Gent adds: “Improvements in
place so we can hold people in comfortable
signalling and track layout will also allow
surroundings and let them through when the six terminating platforms to operate
it is time to go, loading the platforms at
at the same capacity as the existing nine
three points.”
do. You then get increased capacity with
The concourse has been designed to
the three additional lines on the through
make London Bridge more passenger
platforms.”
friendly and Network Rail has made
June 2014
Rail Station Redevelopment
Thameslink – the wider context
Rebuilding of London Bridge is part of
the Thameslink Programme, a £6.5Bn
Government sponsored scheme to meet rising
demand for capacity on north/south train
travel through central London.
The programme has already delivered
upgraded stations at Blackfriars – the first
station to span the Thames – and Farringdon
extensive use of pedestrian behaviour
modelling. A huge survey was carried out
around the station using cameras and
other methods to map where people walk
at various times, which then influenced the
design process.
“The worst thing we could do is put an
exit for instance in the wrong place and it
overloads a pavement,” Mr Gent explains.
“At first the station might seem quite
empty when work is completed, but you
can’t build this thing for next year only –
passenger growth is a serious factor we had
to take on board.”
At the end of March, Network Rail in
collaboration with contractors Costain
(station construction), Balfour Beatty
(track) and Siemens (signalling) completed
and opened the first two new terminating
platforms at London Bridge (14 and 15).
At the same time the construction team
was able to start demolishing the next two
platforms.
The project will go through nine stages
across the station in this manner, with the
next milestone – the completion of the two
terminating platforms 12 and 13 – set for
this August according to Mr Loosemore.
in addition to track work and longer
platforms at stations between Brighton and
Bedford.
By 2018, Farringdon will become a rail hub
connecting the Thameslink line and Crossrail,
providing new links to Gatwick, Heathrow
and Luton airports as well as St Pancras
International.
Network Rail project director Andy Gent
said: “East/west will meet north/south at
Farringdon – that doesn’t happen at many
places.
“Both lines will allow people from outside
London to get across it without having to get
off the train, use the tube and then get back
on another train somewhere else.”
Passengers will have plenty of space to wait for their train in the new concourse
“At the moment we are working on the
first ‘island’ stage where we have got live
traffic either side of us. When this finishes
there will be an eight day blockade to allow track and signalling works to be done and then we move on to the next
stage,” says Mr Gent.
All six new terminating platforms are
The construction team is currently working on two terminating platforms between live traffic
scheduled to be finished at the end of
this year and construction of the nine
through platforms will start in 2015. With
blockades for track and signalling work
already agreed, Mr Gent says: “We can’t be
late on any phase of construction. Keeping
this thing on programme is probably the
biggest challenge overall.”
The task is made difficult by a number
of factors including the logistics challenge
of working in central London and the
complexity of building a new structure into
a Victorian station while retaining certain
heritage aspects.
Another challenge is Network Rail’s
commitment to maintaining full operation
at London Bridge throughout its
redevelopment, despite the fact there is a
live construction site in the middle of the
station. This commitment is with the
exception of off peak blockade periods.
Mr Gent concludes: “The travelling
public might see the blockades as a big
thing. Personally I look at it from the point
of view that this is a £700M project to build
a new station in the middle of London. If
that’s the only disruption we are causing I
think it’s an excellent job.”
21
22
Public Transportation
June 2014
Tramways take shape in Paris
Nearly 90 years since their heyday trams are becoming popular with Parisians once again
Trams are enjoying a revival in Paris as the city looks to encourage public transport use to combat air
pollution. New lines being created include the T6 in the south of the French capital, reports Mike Walter.
D
eep beneath the picturesque
Parisian suburb of Viroflay a
tunnel boring machine recently
completed a 1.6km drive linking two new
underground passenger stations.
But the subterranean route is designed
not to accommodate metro trains. Instead
it forms part of tramway T6, a 21 station,
14km line that will link together a series
of residential neighbourhoods, local
employment centres and a large retail
destination.
This project is not a one off either.
Two further tramlines opened in Paris
last year; the nearby T7 between Villejuif
and Athis-Mons and the T5 to the north
of Paris from Marche de Saint-Denis to
Garges-Sarcelles. Three tramlines were
extended in the Paris region in 2012 (the
T1, 2 and 3) and another new line, the T8,
is due to open within a year.
Creating new tramlines and extending
existing networks through outer Paris
broadly aim to link suburbs together, so
that people do not always have to travel in
to the city to move around it.
Placing a section of tramway in tunnel
where no obvious route exists above
ground, such as on T6, is perhaps an
indication of how important these new
A 1.6km long tunnel will take trams on route T6 to a station beneath Viroflay in South West Paris
transport connections are to the city’s
authorities.
“The Paris tram network has more
than doubled in size in recent years and
provides quicker journeys for people
who were previously obliged to use buses
that do not offer such frequent services,”
says tramway development director
Jean Rouzaud from public transport
operator RATP. “New tramlines have also
transformed areas of Paris which may
previously have appeared to some to be
undesirable.”
Improving public transport networks
for those living in suburban Paris should
also make residents feel more connected
with their city, adds RATP spokeswoman
Laure Bencheikh. “The ring road around
Paris is a prominent dividing line for
many people. Some say they are either
‘inside’ or ‘outside’ the city depending
on which side of the highway they live.
Introducing tramways can help change
that. What is being created could be
described as a ring road for trams.”
Tramline T6 to the south will, when fully
open at the end of next year, provide a
more convenient alternative to the car to
reach popular areas of work and shopping
including nearby Velizy.
“It will take 17 minutes to travel from
Viroflay to Velizy by tram, a distance of
Public Transportation
June 2014
Drastic measures introduced to reduce air pollution in Paris
Air pollution in Paris became so bad this
spring that half of all cars were banned
from the city and public transport became
free to use. “We introduced emergency
measures between 14 and 17 March because
pollution levels were extremely high,” said a
spokeswoman for the Ile de France regional
council, which includes Paris.
The measure to ban certain cars was based
on whether a vehicle’s registration plate ends
with an odd or even number. But the ban
lasted only one day and did not go down
well with all Parisians, she admitted. “It was
a brave thing to do, as no more than 30%
of the population were in favour, but it was
necessary.”
France is now considering the introduction
of a law that would specify measures that
need to be taken to reduce air pollution
should it exceed a certain limit.
Could road pricing work in Paris?
“Unlikely,” the spokeswoman said. “Such a
6km. But by car it can currently take an
hour,” says Akou Insafe from the Conseil
Général des Yvelines, the territory through
which part of the tramline will run. “This
area’s public transportation network is not
very good at present. The tram project will
certainly be worth it.”
Links are also being created between
tramlines and metro services. At the
western end of line T6 the new tram
terminus at Viroflay will connect to a train
that reaches the centre of Paris in around
15 minutes.
Creation of the 8m diameter, 1.6km
long tunnel and construction of the
underground station are being carried out
by a construction team of Eiffage TP, Egis
and Soletanche Bachy.
Parisians are encouraged to embrace sustainable travel to help combat pollution from vehicles
move may be seen to penalise people living
outside of the city centre, who only reside
there because they cannot afford to live any
closer.”
Instead the council is looking to develop
Exhibition charts the fall and rise of trams
Curator Yo Kaminagai at the Paris tramway exhibition
Trams may be popular in Paris once again,
20 years after the first line in the current
network opened. But the city’s 82km of
tramways is still some way short of the
1100km of lines that were operating
in 1925. Within 12 years however the
automotive lobby had become so vocal that
tram services in Paris came to an end.
The history of tramways in the French
capital and across the world is explored in
an exhibition at the Le Lieu du Design in
Paris, which runs until 12 July. Exhibition
curator Yo Kaminagai, head of design at the
Paris transport authority RATP, says trams
Central Paris is often crowded with cars
public transport initiatives to help change
travel behaviours. These include the ‘Grand
Paris’ scheme which aims to enhance Metro
connections from the city centre to the
suburbs and between surburbs as well.
have come a very long way since their early
incarnations and play an increasing role in
improving city street scenes.
“Tramways are not just about mobility but
about creating good places as well,” he says.
“We have 26 tram networks in France and in
2020 there will be 30 cities with 80 lines.
These are popular projects and can help
Mayors to win elections.
“Many people don’t realise how modern
a tram can be. They either remember how
trams used to be or take note of their
father’s memories. However things have
changed.”
23
SOLUTIONS
SURFACING
In-situ road recycling for cost effective
highways maintenance
For more information call:
01858 880499
or email: [email protected]
2534_Keysoft Traffic_Adverts_135x90_AW_Layout 1 14/03/2013 13:49 Page
Stabilised Pavements Advert Quarter Page HWv03.indd 1
18/11/2013 14:2
KIELY Bros.
Sealing the future of our
carriageways and footways.
KIELY Bros. is a leading specialist carriageway and
footway Surface Treatments contractor. A complete
package of pre-patching and surface treatments is
provided to ensure the lives of carriageways and
footways are maintained for years to come.
If you would like more information on our range
of products, help or advice with your Surface
Treatment problems call Don Cuningham on
0121 772 3800
or email: [email protected] www.kielybros.co.uk
Head Office:
135 Cherrywood Road,
Bordesley Green, Birmingham B9 4XE
www.kielybros.co.uk
KEYSOFT TRAFFIC:
REVOLUTIONARY
HIGHWAYS SOFTWARE
Keysoft Traffic’s computer aided design software and database
applications are the go-to products for designers and
engineers in:
•
•
•
•
Traffic engineering
Road safety
Street lighting
Highways maintenance
Intuitive to use and intelligent in content, Keysoft Traffic’s
software can boost your efficiency and productivity, as well as
the safety and efficiency of our roads.
BS EN ISO 9001 : 2008
Certificate No. 2327
T: +44 (0) 8451 30 30 40
www.keysoftsolutions.com
DESIGNING
EVERY
JOURNEY
June 2014
Transport Planning
25
Snvv
London’s underground road plan
Reducing congestion on surface roads and improving the urban realm are behind a plan to build a large vehicle tunnel under the capital
London could follow other major cities of the world and divert through traffic underground in tunnels.
But should this idea be welcomed?
C
onstruction of a 35km long
subterranean ring road in
central London to relieve traffic
congestion on the surface is being
seriously considered by Boris Johnson.
The capital’s Mayor has asked
Transport for London to carry out a
detailed analysis to assess whether the
plan is feasible and affordable. Such a
scheme may cost £30Bn.
A map has been published (see below)
showing where the ring road could be
placed, with 10 portals providing access
for vehicles.
Deputy Mayor for Transport Isabel
Dedring says: “We are at a very early
stage but other cities such as Paris, Oslo
and Boston have undertaken these kinds
of ambitious projects and have seen
dramatic results.”
She adds that the project also aims
to free up capacity on the city surface,
improve air quality and reclaim space for
public parks, pedestrians and cyclists.
Transport for London’s managing
director of planning Michele Dix says:
“An inner orbital tunnel could help
relieve longer term congestion and
support growth. We will look to complete
our assessment by the end of this year.”
It is understood that Transport for
London would look to introduce demand
management measures such as road
pricing for the new tunnel.
Professionals in transportation are
split as to whether the plan is a sensible
suggestion to relieve traffic congestion.
Atkins Highways & Transportation
service director Tony Meehan applauds
the idea. “Unless we start thinking more
radically about our highway needs, cities
of the future will not function and the
public realm will
suffer,” he says.
Building a large
orbital road tunnel
A1 Highbury
A12 Hackney
& Islington
under London is
Wick
2
3
1
certainly feasible
A503
from an engineering
4 A10 Shoreditch
Camden
point of view, he
thinks, “although
the financial and
environment
5 A1203 Wapping
costs will need
to be carefully
6 A2 Old Kent Road
near Elephant & Castle
considered.”
7
Existing London
A3205
Underground and
Battersea
Crossrail tunnels
Proposed underground ring road
A41 St John’s Wood 10
9 A40 Westway,
near Latimer Road
A4 near 8
Earl’s Court
are certainly likely to complicate the
road design, but Mr Meehan points out
that the proposed new route is largely
outside of the crowded centre.
He adds that autonomous and reduced
emission vehicles of the future are likely
to allay fears over safety and pollution in
a long new tunnel.
But Transport Planning Associates
director David Knight MCIHT said:
“This is shaping up to be one of those
vanity projects that our industry often
suffers from. It appears to be a scheme
to increase road capacity in London
and would lead to traffic growth and
more congestion not less. Money should
be spent on more sustainable forms
of travel; extending public transport
systems and solutions is critical here.”
London, he added, is in danger of
undermining the good work of recent
years with this “archaic solution from the
days of ‘predict and provide’.”
Douglas McWilliams of the Centre for
Economics & Business Research, who
championed the idea of underground
roads in London at a lecture last
summer, described that Mayor’s strategy
as “a good start”. But he said that
another, more comprehensive proposal
known as the ‘London Greenways’
should be considered which includes
inward routes and underground car
parks as well as orbital routes. MW
• What do you think? Should an orbital
road tunnel be built beneath London?
Write to us at the address on page 10.
Diversity
June 2014
Sturti
26
Gender imbalance
brought sharply into focus
Efforts are being made successfully to encourage more women into engineering careers – but more role models are needed
A steep rise in workload and recruitment has turned the spotlight on skills issues again, this time with
greater scrutiny of the reasons for shortages and a general lack of diversity. Jon Masters reports.
F
or every woman working in
transportation and associated
construction sectors there are
thought to be nine men. Females are
better represented in transport planning
than before, but it is widely regarded that
women need more encouragement to
enter the industry. So what can be done?
“The issue for civil engineering is not
just about attracting
more women but
retaining them in
engineering activities,”
says Atkins technical
director for asset
management Lila
Tachtsi. “And while there
is emphasis on a need for better or more
mentoring, this should be treated as a
means to help career progression rather
than anything else.”
Ms Tachtsi is a member of Atkins’
Women’s Leadership Council, which
includes all of the firm’s women
at director level or above, and an
ambassador for STEM subjects – science,
technology, engineering and maths.
“The engineering profession is male
dominated with a lack of female role
models,” she adds.
Ms Tachtsi has been working in the
industry for 25 years. When she started as
a graduate she did not want to be treated
any differently because she was a woman,
she adds. “It’s very
“Pretty much all
frustrating if people
women deplore
are promoted
any positive
because they are
discrimination.
a woman; pretty
They want to be
much all women will
promoted on merit.”
deplore any positive
Lila Tachtsi
discrimination. They
want to be promoted on merit.
“Now I’ve reached director level it’s
more apparent how few women there are at senior levels. The teams I work with are about 10% women. There are
fewer at more senior levels, but we’re
working on it.”
Another company actively promoting
women in transportation is Parsons
Brinckerhoff, where females represent
between 10 and 15% of staff engaged in
engineering positions. “There is a growing
body of evidence that better decisions
are made with a wider variety of people
and backgrounds sat round the table,”
says the company’s European business
marketing and communications director
Rachel Skinner.
“Equality and diversity is a hot topic
across many sectors. Many companies
have targets for diversity in recruitment,
but there is a danger of getting too hung
up on the numbers when we should
be focusing on the reasons why there
are such imbalances of gender and
backgrounds.”
With regard to gender balance,
the answer would seem to lie at
least partly with career support and
perceived difficulties with maintaining
a professional path concurrently with
family commitments, or after a career
break.
Diversity
June 2014
Employers and professional bodies team up to promote careers for women
Highways Agency is inviting its tier one
contractors and consultants to a National
Women in Engineering Day in Birmingham
on 23 June. Chief executive Graham Dalton
will be chairing the event, aimed at ‘inspiring
more focused collaborative work to achieve
greater gender balance across the sector’.
“We know a lot of effort has gone into
improving the gender balance in our sector
but it is not yet delivering marked results,
particularly at the top,” says the Agency’s
diversity manager Nicky Ensert.
“We all need to do more. The event in
Birmingham is a great opportunity for us to
listen to some fabulous speakers as well as
to discuss how we can make more significant,
sustainable progress in the future.”
The event will include an overview of
research carried out by CIHT into diversity in the workplace, funded by a grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering. Women
in Science & Engineering will be carrying out the research, overseen by a CIHT steering group.
The Institution hopes to establish the
staff profiles of its Corporate Partners and
identify and disseminate good practice on
Louise Ellman MP addresses a House of Commons event where women in transport was discussed
encouraging and supporting diversity. A
good practice toolkit is planned as part of
the project.
In May, the Women’s Transportation
Seminar networking group and CIHT joined
forces to hold a free webinar, following on
from an event at the House of Commons last
October, entitled ‘Women in Transport: Good
for Business’.
The webinar, intended to be the first of a
programme of online seminars, took the form
of a question and answer session on topics
including career progression, professional
development, flexible working and mentoring
support. On the panel were CIHT President
Sheila Holden, WTS London President
Camilla Ween and ITS (UK) President Sharon
Kindleysides.
But there is universal recognition that
insufficient numbers of young people are
selecting STEM subjects to fulfill demand.
In May the Government launched the
‘Your Life’ initiative, aimed at getting
business more actively involved in
promoting STEM subjects, particularly to
young women.
“Skills shortages can generally be
traced back to the decisions children
make at school,” says CIHT director of education and membership Sue Stevens. The membership of CIHT is now 11% women after the recent
CIHT500 recruitment drive, which
attracted 75 new female members out of a total of 500.
Figures show there is a lot more of
a balance of interest in engineering
between the genders at younger ages,
Ms Skinner says. A large number of
Network Rail
“Many companies have
targets for diversity in
recruitment, but there
is a danger of getting
too hung up on the
numbers.”
Rachel Skinner
Network Rail is making tracks to encourage more young women into engineering
young women are joining engineering
professions then changing their career
choice or taking a career break and not
returning.
“There is a bundle of issues going on
and it is difficult to generalise, but in a lot
of cases women reach a point of making
big family or lifestyle decisions just as
they get to the point of their career taking
off,” Ms Skinner says. “It’s a big challenge
and there is an important outreach
element to this, to ensure women are
aware of all the support available and
options open to them.”
27
Technical Paper
June 2014
Helping the elderly to
remain mobile and travel safely
More can still be done to make streets safer for elderly road users, but good progress has recently been
made at a European level, say Paul Mathieson and Adrian Dean
Introduction
We are living longer, people are working
beyond normal retirement age and
grandparents today often take on family
duties such as caring for grandchildren.
As a consequence there is an increasing
demand to remain mobile well into our
later years.
However we have become over
dependent on the use of the car and for
older people this has implications both
for health and road safety. Lack of exercise
through over reliance on the car, for
instance, can mean older people are more
susceptible to health problems. Increased
frailty can also result in more serious
injuries in collisions and there are concerns
too for those with sight loss and hearing
impairment.
Update
This Technical Paper is an update of
‘Looking closely at the needs of elderly
drivers and pedestrians across Europe’
published in the March 2013 edition of
Transportation Professional and focuses on
the recommendations of SaMERU (Safer
Mobility for Elderly Road Users).
The final SaMERU technical report was
submitted to the European Commission
(EC), Directorate General for Mobility and
Transport in September 2013 and was
approved by the EC in October. The full
report can be read at: bit.ly/1vyzvBw
SaMERU was co-funded by the European
Members of the public were asked for their views
during Carers’ Week in Southend
andresrimaging
28
Age should not necessarily proclude drivers from remaining behind the wheel
Commission with the balance funded by
lead partner Southend-on-Sea Borough
Council and partners The French Institute
of Science & Technology for Transport,
Development and Networks (IFSTTAR),
The Technical University of Dresden
(Germany), the City of Modena (Italy),
the City of Burgos (Spain) and Lancashire
County Council.
Stakeholder groups consulted during
the project included representatives from a
broad range of organisations including Age
UK, Alzheimer’s Society, the British Heart
Foundation and National Federation of
the Blind and the equivalent organisations
in Italy and Spain. The stakeholder
consultations and the questionnaire reports
identified the varying needs of people with
different mobility issues.
Results of the questionnaire indicated,
for example, how visually impaired people
like the use of tactile paving whereas
arthritic people can find tactile paving
uncomfortable to use.
There are 43 recommendations in
the report, which are grouped into
three sets: principal recommendations
(nine), recommended good practice
(28) and recommendations for future
research (six). Here is a summary of those
recommendations:
Principal recommendations
1.Action must be taken to co-ordinate
transportation, social and health services
to enable older people with diverse needs
to remain mobile and to enjoy a good
quality of life.
2.Giving up driving is a sensitive issue
as it can often have a major impact on
mobility and independence. Funding is
needed to develop training and support
programmes for older drivers to enable
them to continue driving safely for
as long as they are able, to reduce car
dependence and encourage use of other
means of transport.
3.Initiatives to encourage use of public
transport, walking, cycling and taxis
should target pre, as well as post,
retirement age groups and should
highlight the significant health and long
term independence benefits.
4.Fitness to drive is an area for further
detailed work to establish appropriate
standards that may be applied
consistently across the EU. Age
should not be considered a barrier to
driving as people have very different
driving abilities. Support, training and
involvement by the medical profession,
families, the Police and other agencies
must be provided.
A crossing in Burgos incorporating ‘countdown’
signs that assist elderly pedestrians
5.The method of recording and analysing
road accidents should be standardised
across all the EU. This would enable
accurate monitoring of trends and make
it possible to compare the effectiveness
of actions to improve safety and identify
possible causes of accidents involving
older people.
6.Guidelines should be developed and
adopted across the EU to improve the
design and maintenance of streets
for safety and ease of use by all older
pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. In
the past, streets have rarely taken full
account of mobility difficulties faced by
older people.
7.For pedestrians, inconsiderate use of
footways and pedestrian areas by cyclists,
parked vehicles and mobility scooters
is a concern. There is a need to consider
more the needs of older pedestrians
who are fearful of being involved in an
accident. Footways of appropriate width
and adequately maintained for the older
user must be considered in design and
maintenance regimes.
8.Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
(ADAS) can assist the driver by increasing
safety and comfort in complex traffic
situations. It is recommended that steps
are taken to further develop ADAS for the
specific needs of older drivers.
9.Promotion of road safety messages,
information and guidance are very
important for all age groups to develop
an inter-generational understanding
and awareness of the needs, limitations
and potential of each generation. In
particular, the active role of older citizens
in society should be promoted.
Good practice recommendations
Residential, shopping and recreational
environments should be made to appear
different from areas where vehicles
dominate and indicate to drivers they must
slow down and give priority to pedestrians
Technical Paper
June 2014
and cyclists. The introduction of 30km/h
(20MPH) speed limits should be considered
to help achieve an improved environment
for the elderly, particularly in respect of
reaction times for drivers and time to cross
the road for pedestrians.
Effectiveness of these measures and
their acceptance by the public should
be underpinned by selecting high risk
locations with a history of collisions or
where the presence of traffic has created
environmental problems.
Technical approval authorities in the
member states should consider the
provision of countdown signals at road
junctions and crossings together with
audible signals/warnings to inform
pedestrians of the duration of their priority
crossing time. At controlled pedestrian
crossings, electronic detectors that track
crossing movements of pedestrians should
be provided.
These are already incorporated in
PUFFIN (Pedestrian User Friendly
Intelligent) crossings in the UK which
automatically allow crossing times to
match the speed of crossing pedestrians.
This type of crossing has been shown to
reduce collisions.
Stakeholders also requested that
countdown facilities be installed to give
more certainty regarding the remaining
time they have to cross the road. Explaining
how these crossings work and the
underlying principles is vital because many
stakeholders were not aware of the new
features.
Age based assessments have been
implemented in some countries
but research has revealed that their
effectiveness is unclear; they are unlikely
to produce safety benefits and could have
a counter productive effect on the mobility
of elderly road users. It is recommended
that other methods of assessment should
be employed, such as driver evaluations on
the road.
In order to more accurately assess
injury severity, medical practitioners, local
hospitals and public health practitioners
should be encouraged to work together on
data sharing protocols, especially in the
area of falls prevention because, although
some information is collected, it does not
always appear alongside more recognised
accident data. A more accurate assessment
of injury severity could be achieved by
collecting more data from the emergency
services, hospitals and insurance
companies.
Paul Mathieson MCIHT
is a Chartered Civil
Engineer and transport
planner at Southend on
Sea Borough Council.
Paul leads the strategic
transport and planning
group, focusing on policy and project based
work to deliver sustainable growth and
better quality of life for citizens.
Adrian Dean MCIHT
is a civil engineering
consultant with
more than 30 years’
experience of highways
and transportation
related projects including
traffic management and road safety. He
works as a group engineer with Atkins and
is a specialist in European funded projects.
Future research
More research is needed into the elderly
road user as a pedestrian, cyclist and bus
user and not just as driver. Changes should
also be identified to road infrastructure
that could allow greater safety for older
pedestrians and cyclists without impairing
the mobility of other road users.
It is necessary to develop and put in
place improved regular and systematic
tests of ability for all elderly drivers. Follow
up studies are needed to evaluate the long
term effectiveness of pictograms, such
as ‘Danger do not drive’ shown on the
packaging of French medication and it
is also necessary to study whether lower
limits of blood alcohol content should
apply to older drivers.
A modal shift away from the car to
more sustainable forms of transport could
help older people become safer, more
independent, less isolated and healthier,
thereby reducing demands on health
services. More research is needed in this
area particularly with regard to the practical
issues of accessibility to public transport
services, cycling, walking, the highway
environment and the effect on the levels of
fitness and wellbeing of older people.
Feedback welcomed
It is hoped that all our recommendations
will be the catalyst for future debate and we
invite readers to offer their contributions.
Acknowledgement
This paper has been peer reviewed by the
CIHT Road Safety Panel.
29
30
CIHT News
June 2014
Trustees Board discusses Branches Review
Proposed review of the CIHT’s
Branch Network was discussed at
a Board of Trustees meeting on
21 May, which considered issues
and concerns raised by an initial
consultation and a further period of
engagement with branches.
Chair of the Trustee Board Sheila
Holden said after the meeting:
“The Board met today and gave full
consideration to the recent visits
and telecoms with branches.
After a full debate and very
careful consideration the Board
unanimously agreed that change
was necessary and reaffirmed their
decision to support proposals set
out in the consultation document. “However having listened to the issues raised by both the initial consultation and the further discussions with branches
the Board recognised that the
original proposals would need some modification and clarification.
“The Board also recognised
that these changes could not be
introduced immediately and there
would therefore need to be a
transitional period of 12 months to
prepare and plan for change to be
introduced.
This transition would be guided
by a Trustee led working group but
with involvement of branches, Mrs
Holden added. “The Board also
made a commitment that branches
would be given support and advice
to assist in effecting a smooth
transition to the new arrangements.” A full report on the Board of
Trustee’s decision and the plans for
implementing change will be made
to the Council meeting on 18 June. Issues of concern raised by
branches included the new
boundaries, the operation of
sub groups in the new regional
arrangement and the term “service
level agreement” which defines
minimum standards from branches
and the level of support from
Britannia Walk.
Trustees Steve Rowsell and
Spencer Palmer will lead an
implementation working group and a Past President will be invited to join this group. Branches
will be involved in shaping and
delivering a detailed
implementation plan. A project manager will be
appointed for an initial 12 month
period to co-ordinate the work of
implementing the new
arrangements and a branch officer
will be appointed to provide general
support and assistance to branches,
also initially for a 12 month period.
More info is available at www.ciht.org.uk/branchreview
Annual review highlights a successful year for Institution
Increased level of political
engagement with decision makers
in Westminster and the devolved
nations is one of the key items for
CIHT in the past year highlighted
in the Institution’s 2014 Annual
Review published in May.
The review demonstrates that
the Institution has appeared and
commented in more media than
ever before, including recent activity
relating to issues such as the UK
Budget, network resilience, highway
maintenance, high speed rail and
skills provision.
CIHT President Sheila Holden
Furthermore CIHT has over the
last year made 18 responses to
Government consultations, held
over 150 events across the UK and
recruited 513 members.
CIHT President Sheila Holden
wrote: “The last year has seen
infrastructure clearly identified by
politicians as a key economic policy
priority. Investment in transport
infrastructure is essential to underpin
a successful economy and has been
at the forefront of CIHT’s vision for a
prosperous future for the UK.”
She explained that a high
quality, well maintained transport
infrastructure would improve
connectivity and the competitiveness
of the UK’s economy, creating jobs
and supporting sustainable economic
growth in the future.
“We also need to ensure that
our transport infrastructure meets
everyone’s needs from the youngest
to the oldest,” she added.
Addressing the issues of
The Chartered Institution of
Highways & Transportation
119 Britannia Walk,
London N1 7JE
tel: 0207 336 1555
fax: 0207 336 1556
email: [email protected]
web: www.ciht.org.uk
President:
Sheila Holden FCIHT
Chief Executive:
Sue Percy
education, skills and professional
development, Mrs Holden noted
that the current skills shortage
faced by the industry is a good
reason for promoting diversity
and ensuring that people from all
backgrounds consider highways and
transportation as a possible career.
The report details the successful
implementation by the Council of the
CIHT 500 campaign, with over 500
new members recruited, in addition
to the recent launch of the #Journeys
campaign to encourage even more
people to join the Institution.
A popular National Conference on the topic of how transport
infrastructure will support the UK
economy as well as a variety of other great events run by the
Branches and Britannia Walk have
also helped make the past year a
success, it notes.
Mrs Holden, summing up her
presidency, wrote: “The last year
has been a great honour for me to
To suggest stories for CIHT News
contact Steve Dale.
Telephone 01892 553146,
fax: 01892 524456 or email:
[email protected]
Or you can write to: CIHT News,
Transportation Professional,
CIHT has increased political
engagement with Westminster
be President of CIHT. As the first
woman to take on this role I have
used it as an opportunity to address
some of the challenges we face as
an industry.
“Through my theme of ‘Access
for All’, we have been showing
how the infrastructure we build
and maintain and the services
we deliver have a profound effect
on everyone’s quality of life,” she
added.
A copy can be downloaded from
www.ciht.org.uk/annualreview
Barrett Byrd Associates,
7 Linden Close, Tunbridge Wells,
Kent TN4 8HH
Please make sure that any copy to be considered for publication in the next issue is submitted by
Friday 27 June.
CIHT News
June 2014
Asset management championed by CIHT
Highway engineers have much to
benefit from adopting the
principles of good asset
management, a CIHT seminar
heard last month. But the roads
sector is some way behind that of
other construction and
transportation disciplines in taking
asset management to heart.
Round table discussions at the
event at Britannia Walk on 12 May
concluded that railway and airport
sectors are far more willing to get
to grips with understanding the
lifecycles of their assets and
intervening early to prevent costly
repairs.
More should be done, the
seminar concluded, to encourage
the highway sector to follow suit.
The seminar began with a
presentation from the Canal &
River Trust’s Graham Holland who
explained that historic structures,
embankments and cuttings beside
inland waterways are assessed on a
five point condition assessment
score. Infrastructure in a poor or
terrible condition had seen a
decline since 2001 in part, he said,
because of good asset
management to prioritise
investment.
Gatwick Airport’s Paul Gibbons
then explained that the airport had
created an asset stewardship
process known as GRASP which
allows it to control the assets it has
and prepare for uncertainties. The
process also allows for expenditure
to be cut if one area is deemed to
be over performing.
Network Rail’s Rob Dean then
explained that inspections on
99.7% of its assets are up to date
and said the operator is looking to
use drones to monitor the condition
of some difficult to access
structures, such as those over
watercourses.
The afternoon session included a
presentation by Stephen Fidler of
the Department for Transport. He
said that long term funding,
making money go as far as possible
and communicating the benefits of
good asset management can be of
real benefit to highway engineers.
Highways Term Maintenance
Association’s Geoff Allister said no
one should be in any doubt as to
the importance of timely
intervention for roads. “The
highways maintenance industry has
been characterised by stop start
funding. I argue that when
resources are scarce it is more
important than ever to consider
asset management,” he said.
He called for local highways
authorities to be incentivised to
adopt the principles of asset
management and argued that it
can help politicians to take difficult
decisions on priorities in a much
more informed way.
Haydn Davies of the Highways
Maintenance Efficiency Programme
concluded that it is important to
see what is being achieved by
using asset management. A lot of
material is produced on the subject,
he says, but there is a need to have
good evidence of its outcomes.
Road safety conference addresses key issues
‘Saving lives through safer
roads’ was the theme of the
4th international Safer Roads
Conference, held in May to
promote the efficient use of
engineering knowledge as a way
of reducing highway accident rates.
The event, endorsed by CIHT as a means of sharing good
practice worldwide, was put on in
order to collate and share papers
on a wide range of road safety
matters at an international level.
It featured presentations from a
cross section of those involved in
producing safer roads across nine
different countries.
Kate Carpenter of CIHT’s Road
Safety Panel was on the organising
committee for the event and
chaired a technical session entitled
The conference brought together
speakers from nine countries
‘Case studies: Safety engineering,
design and maintenance’, while
CIHT Council Member Matthew
Lugg also chaired a parallel
technical session.
Ms Carpenter said: “This was
a great event with a lot of useful
content and a diverse range of
themes, the response we got was
very positive.
“The conference also gave us a
chance to raise the profile of the
Institution,” she added.
Some of the matters discussed
included the challenge of managing
skid resistance and other surface
characteristics, the effect of
increasing traffic flows on existing
materials and practices, the impact
of changing climate and increasing
frequency of extreme weather events
and the technology and ethics
behind future safety developments.
Ms Carpenter picked out the
latter as one of the key themes
from the event, which included
a demonstration by Thatcham
research of vehicle reversing sensors
and automatic emergency braking.
She said that with the UK
potentially having fully autonomous
CIHT’s stall attracted interest from delegates at the exhibition
vehicles in 10 years, certain
ethical issues must be raised:
“The psychology behind switching
to autonomous vehicles is quite
complex,” Ms Carpenter said,
adding: “If you are driving a
manual vehicle and you see an
autonomous vehicle coming in the
other direction, your reaction may
not be the same as for another
manual vehicle.
“It also poses the question of
who owns responsibility in the
event of a crash, the driver or the
car?” she continued.
Dr Chris Kennedy of WDM
noted that another key theme
was questioning attitudes to road
safety. He explained that system
designers and those who use the
roads must jointly create a road
system where crash forces do not
cause death or serious injury.
Ms Carpenter concluded that
getting road safety research
evidence to the people who can
use it effectively is a vital step to
safety improvement. She suggested
that knowledge transfer through
liaison with institutions could be a
way to achieve this.
The 5th Safer Roads Conference
will be held in New Zealand in
2017.
31
32
CIHT News
June 2014
Qatar Group considers climate change solutions
Carbon footprint reduction was the
topic discussed in a presentation by
governmental advisor to the Qatar
Ministry of Municipality & Urban
Planning Keith Clarke CBE to an
audience of over 50 transportation
professionals. Hosted by the CIHT
Qatar group, the event took place
at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in
Doha city centre.
The focus of the talk was on the
impact of climate change around
the world and specifically how Qatar
could reduce its own carbon footprint
while delivering its ambitious
infrastructure programme.
Mr Clarke explained that while
many businesses and governments
have to varying degrees embraced
sustainable development, climate
change is still a fundamentally
different issue requiring concerted
action throughout society.
He went on to say that while
individuals can all participate in
reducing their carbon footprint, the
ambitious carbon dioxide targets
set by governments the world over
are only achievable through the
development of new technologies
and new approaches to sustainable
development. Unlike many other
issues facing the global community,
climate change has a time limit
beyond which its effects become
irreversible.
Mr Clarke pointed out that
by structuring the delivery of its
infrastructure programme over a
number of years Qatar was able
to take advantage of the latest
technology available today without
missing out on new technology
currently being developed.
You can find more information
about CIHT Qatar Group and future
events by contacting ciht.qatar@
gmail.com
Engineering Council revises
Professional Standards
The Engineering Council has
published a revised version of UKSPEC, the document that sets out
the Standards for EngTech, IEng
and CEng (available to download
from www.engc.org.uk).
The revisions are mostly for
clarification or updating in areas
such as ethics, safety and risk
management. There is an enhanced
focus on the ‘commitment’ element
of the Standards and the addition
of one new standard of competence
E5 – ‘Exercise responsibilities in an
ethical manner’.
CIHT’s Director of Education
& Membership Sue Stevens
said: “With a matrix comparing
the requirements for the three
qualifications, a glossary and
additional exemplars, the new
UK-SPEC is a more user friendly,
comprehensive document.”
The Engineering Council is
allowing a transition period
for professional institutions to
start assessing against the new
Standards. CIHT candidates
applying for professional review
in October/November 2014 may
submit an application based on the
previous UK-SPEC Standards and
the CIHT guidance dated January
2012.
The 2012 guidance will be
withdrawn at the end of September
and replaced with guidance based
on the revised UK-SPEC. From
January 2015, all CIHT candidates
will be assessed against the revised
Standards.
If you have any queries, please
email [email protected] or
telephone 0207 336 1571.
SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE LAUNCHED
BY WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH: A Facebook page has been
launched by West Midlands Branch
to keep members in the area up
to date with everything from
upcoming events to new Chairman
Johnny Ojeil’s Branch blog.
The Branch will also be using
the page to let people know how
to get involved in the committee
as well as more generally what
is going on in the transport and
highways space.
To view the page visit www.
facebook.com/CIHTWestMidlands
and click ‘like’ to receive the latest
updates on your news feed.
NEW CHAIR FOR YORKSHIRE & HUMBERSIDE BRANCH:
Steven Carmody has been
inaugurated as the Chair of the
CIHT Yorkshire & Humberside
Branch for the year 2014/2015.
It has been a great year so far for
Steve (pictured right, with previous
branch chairman Rob McCartney).
He joined SCP Transport
Consultants as a regional director in
April to expand the firm’s Transport,
Highways & Drainage design
section in the region. This was
quickly followed by his inauguration
as Branch Chair in May.
In his acceptance speech Steve
said: “I firmly believe that 2015 is
the turning point of our dark times
as an industry. We need to welcome
youth and encourage members that
may have moved on, to get back
into the industry and to engage
more with the region.”
CIHT gives transport resilience evidence
CIHT gave evidence to the
Government’s Transport Resilience
Review at Westminster in May,
represented by Special Policy
Advisor David Quarmby and Council
member Matthew Lugg.
During the session CIHT provided
oral evidence supporting its written
submissions to the Department for
Transport’s call for evidence.
The session covered the transport
network’s ability to operate under
extreme weather conditions as well
as plans for adapting to changing
climate.
Mr Lugg said the Institution’s
message was generally well received,
adding: “Our key message was that
the UK needs to ‘raise its game’
around how it manages its transport
assets to ensure the resilience of the
nation’s infrastructure.”
He said an integrated approach
is needed from Government to
produce a long term strategy linking
the country’s future transport needs
to changing climate
“We recommended a formal
review and commitment to asset
and infrastructure resilience
assessment are made statutory
requirements for all transport asset
owners to address vulnerable areas,”
he continued.
CIHT News & Events
June 2014
Venue announced for 2014 Locan Cup
The four ball competition is open
to Institution Branches represented by
teams of four pairings, with the best
three pairings’ scores to count.
The Cup was given to the
Institution by Charles Locan in 1947
following a proposal by Sir Charles
Drake, the then County Surveyor of Lancashire, that Institution
National events – CIHT and others
Road Maintenance and
Improvement Conference
24 June, Central London,
9.20am - 5pm
This conference will discuss road
maintenance strategies and how
the additional £140M Government
funding set aside to help repair
roads worst hit by weather damage
should be used. CIHT Chief
Executive Sue Percy will be speaking
at the event. For bookings visit
www.capitaconferences.co.uk
Local Resilience 2014:
Building Capacity, Planning
for Emergencies
25 June 2014, Central London,
9am - 4.30pm
This event will provide an
opportunity for delegates to
examine best practice strategies for
ensuring local resilience against a
wide range of threats. CIHT Chief
Executive Sue Percy will give the
closing keynote on developing
resilient critical local transport
infrastructure. For bookings visit
www.insidegovernment.co.uk/
CIHT members working in the
public and voluntary sector will
receive a 15% discount.
Asset Information and Data
Management for Smart Rail
26 June, ICO Conference Centre,
London, 8.15am for 9am - 7.30pm
Delegates will hear how rail
operators and infrastructure owners
are developing new IT based
strategies to gain a competitive
advantage. For information call
James Nesbitt on 0207 096 1754
or email [email protected]
To book visit http://
railassetinformation.com
members should play golf for a
prestigious prize Cup.
Last year the competition was won
on home turf by the South West
Branch at St Mellion.
For any CIHT members wishing to
participate this year please contact
Derek Dudley on 02476 473 868 or
email [email protected]
For further event listings, visit www.ciht.org.uk
Date for your diary – 3 July
FIA Formula E Championship –
official pre-season testing
From 3 July, Donington Park
Racing Circuit, Derby
Teams taking part in Formula E,
the world’s first fully electric racing
series will have five test days in
which to set up their cars. These
are open and free to members of
the public on 3, 4, 9 and 10 July
CIHT Branch events
North Eastern Branch
CIHT Golf Competition
4 July, Prudhoe Golf Club,
Eastwoods Road, Prudhoe
A summer social event with a
competitive twist. Normal golf club
dress code applies, but occasional
golfers are welcome. For details and
to book email Allan Short [email protected]
West Midlands Branch
2014 Golf Day for The Branch
Silver Trophy
29 July, Brocton Hall Golf Club,
Stafford, 12pm
Teams of two will compete for
the Branch’s Silver Trophy. Guests
can take part but must be paired
with a branch member. Email
The Enville Golf Club will be hosting
this year’s Locan Cup
Formula E Operations
Enville Golf Club in the West
Midlands will play host to the
Institution’s premier golf competition
the Locan Cup on Monday 8
September this year.
This will follow a practice day on
Sunday 7 September, with the teams’
social and dinner event in the evening
hosted by the West Midlands Branch.
and 19 August – three weeks
before the season’s opening round
in Beijing on September 13. The
series will give car manufacturers
and constructors the opportunity
to showcase their electrical
energy innovations in a racing
environment. To pre-register your
attendance visit: www.doningtonpark.co.uk/event-form/
International event
[email protected] with your
booking form, available at
www.ciht.org.uk
East Midland Branch
Cambridge 2014 – Growth from
Recession Conference
11 September, The Cambridge
Union Society, Bridge Street,
Cambridge, 9:30am - 5pm
The theme of this year’s conference
will be the resurgence in capital
expenditure on infrastructure and
how the highways sector is positioned
to meet demand. The CIHT President
will discuss the Institution’s new
Manifesto in advance of the
General Election. Sponsored by:
Ringway, Skanska, McCann and
EM Highways. For sponsoring and
exhibiting contact David Stevens on
[email protected]
For bookings call 0207 336 1570 or
email [email protected]
North Wales Branch
1st Awards Ceremony
28 November, Kinmel Manor Hotel,
St. George Road, Abergele
Visit www.ciht.org.uk from 1 July to
download entry forms and submission
guidelines for the North Wales
Branch’s first ever awards ceremony.
Featured categories will be Transport
Project of the Year and Environmental
Sustainability Award. Projects should
be located in the North Wales Branch
region. Deadline for submissions is 1 September. For bookings contact
Mike Jones [email protected]
42nd European Transport
Conference
29 September - 1 October,
Campus Westend, Goethe
University, Frankfurt, Germany
9am - 6.30pm
This Association for European
Transport conference will be held
over three days.
The wide range of topics and
the multi seminar approach
makes the event unique among
transport conferences held in
Europe. All presentations will be
made in English. In the evenings,
optional social events and
networking opportunities will be
offered.
For details and booking visit:
etcproceedings.org/
33
34
CIHT Election List
June 2014
The following people have been elected to the CIHT from 3 March - 30 April 2014:
Fellow
•Colin Brookes
•Thomas Gerard Duffy
•Giuseppe Incutti
Transfer Member to Fellow
•Paul Allan Coathup
•David John Davies
•Martin Reading
•Matthew Philip Thomas
Member
•Makili Alexander-Frederick
•Asvin Ang Chit Sik
•Anthony Paul Atherton
•Kate Attwood
•Clive Bayley
•Dhiresh Kumar Dhren Bhatt
•Katie Louise Bishop
•Hannah Elizabeth Bishop
•Claire Samantha Bond
•Grant John Bosence
•Kerry Sharon Boughton
•Ruairi Cathal Boylan
•Neil Anthony Bradley
•Andrew Thomas Braun
•Nicholas John Broomhall
•Michael John Buckler
•Martin Chisholm
•Stephen Anthony Clifton
•Hannah Marie Collett
•Ross John Corbyn
•Igor Corelj
•Steven Robert Crellin
•Paul Christopher Davey
•Christopher Wayne Davies
•Michael Donovan
•Kevin Lamond Dunn
•Daniel Paul Eden
•Kerry Adele Evans
•Daniel Simon Fenton
•Ali Reza Fereidoonian
•Pamela Christina Gidney
•Peter Joseph Graham
•Geoffrey Richard Harris
•Paul John Harrison
•Raymond Hickey
•Philip James Howard
•Christopher Lawson Benjamin
Hubbard
•Murray William Innes
•Arshad Khan
•Ian King
•Tatiana Kousoulidou
•Min Wai Kui
•Law Chun Kong
•Kun Li
•Mark Lindsay
•Kathy Hau Yan Lo
•David Laurence Lynch
•Angus Malcolm Mackay
•Jane Elizabeth Maclennan
•Angus Ian Macrae
•Rui Miguel Carvalho Marcelino
•Peter McDermott
•Nicola Joanne McIntyre
•Kirsty Elizabeth McMullen
•James Christopher McNicholas
•David Paul Mitchell
•Daemon Morris
•Ka Fai Mui
•Seamus O’Dwyer
•Michael Anthony O’Sullivan
•Jennifer Sarah Parker
•Scott Luke Parsons
•Ian Donald Phillips
•John Adrian Pollard
•Joseph Gerard Quirke
•Muhammed Shafiq-Ur Rahman
•Paul Reid
•Dharyll Keith Lloyd Ryce
•Akram Saad
•Michele Samson
•Gerhard Schoeman
•Stuart Alexander Scott
•Kashyap Shukla
•Kevin James Skillings
•Adrian Spencer
•Gregory Arnold Taylor
•Owain Rys Thomas
•Neil Andrew Tomlinson
•Robert Paul Trevaskis
•Lee Jeffrey Turner
•Venugopalan Vadakkethil
•Dragana Valjarevic
•Murray Van Der Poll
•Matthew James Veale
•Chandra Mouli Vemury
•Stuart Jeffrey Whitby
•Raymond Yat Chi Wong
•Alexander James John Wozniczko
•David Richard Gregory Wynton
•Veronica Kit Kei Yu
•Chi Kit Chris Yung
Transfer Associate Member
to Member
•Aprajeeta Jadeja
•Ashley King
•Shan Li
•Joseph Wooldridge
Associate Member
• Ashley James Paul Bannister
• Edward Alexander Owen Bown
• Samuel Brierley
• Anna Rosamund Holmesmith
Butler
• Carl Richard Charlton
• Enar Chouse-Devesa
• Lawrence Clemence
• Christopher Trevor Hill
• Di Liu
• Vincent Michael Muller
• Yuqing Shi
• Edward Stubbing
• Matthew Wilson
Students
• Marwan Aburas
• Mohamed Admani
• Mohammed Al-Sharif
• Ezenwa Amanamba
• Ryan Astill
• Jacob Chan
• Yuk Hei Chan
• Siu Shing Chan
• Tobias Cheung
• Jones Chi Chung Cheung
• Wai Ho Chong
• Shaun Clark
• Anmar Dulaimi
• Flemming Farcinsen
• David Froggatt
• Mario George
• Robert Kilvington
• Ka Ho Lai
• Bryan Lau
• Hay Lee
• Chun Kit Li
• Charles Li
• Gregory Eric Little
• Ka Yui Luk
• Petina Mthunzi
• Brendan Murray
• Peter Nwobodo
• Constance Pang
• Giulietta Pirolli
• Muhammad Ziyad Rasheed
• Letisha Rianne Richardson
• Danny Rimmer
• Bushra Saeed
• Luqman Samiruddin
• Shiva Sedai
• Ka Lok Tam
• Leo Tang
• Sabina Tayub
• Brian Tsang
• Winnie Wong
• Shing Faat Wong
• Tsz Shan Wong
• Man Huen Yam
• Louis Yau
• Jaff Yun Yip
• Kelvin Yuen
CIHT JOBS
As the official recruitment
service for the members of
The Chartered Institution of
Highways & Transportation (CIHT),
our service is small but targeted
– designed to offer highly trained,
experienced transportation
professionals a place to source
job information in an easy, fast and
effective way.
www.cihtjobs.co.uk offers recruiters:
•
AroutetoeachandeveryCIHTmemberviatheinstitutionsmember'shipdata.
•
Atargetedapproachtoprofessionalsworkingonlyinthetransportationsector.
•
Yourjobwillbesentdirectto10,000+intheindustryviathepopularCIHTweekly
editorialnewsletter–withaninstantlinktoyourvacancy.
•
YouwillalsobenefitfrompromotionwithinCIHT’smonthlymagazine–
TransportationProfessional.
•
PlusadirectlinktoCIHTjobsfromCIHT’smembers’websitewww.ciht.org.uk
For further information on how to advertise your vacancy,
call Kirsty Barrett on 01892 524455
www.cihtjobs.co.uk
Directory / Recruitment
June 2014
Bitumen Boilers
Proteus
Hot Boxes
safer roads for everyone
Web:
proteusequipment.com
TMS provides practical expertise to improve road safety and traffic
management by offering audit, consultancy and training services. To assist with
our increasing workload TMS is looking to offer the following positions:
Tel:
+44 (0)1284 753954
Email:
[email protected]
Road Safety Engineer / Road Safety Auditor
(Senior and Junior Level)
Innovative products
for demanding environments
Ref: CIHT/RSA/01
Applicants will have a minimum of two yearsí experience including a
substantial element in road safety engineering including collision investigation.
Senior positions will require appropriate professional qualifications and
extensive experience.
Key skills and experience to include Collision
Investigations, Road Safety Audits and Road Safety Engineering schemes on UK
roads, report writing and AutoCAD (desirable)
Trainer
Road Safety and Traffic Management
Ref: CIHT/TRA/02
Applicants will have extensive experience in road safety & traffic management
together with the ability and confidence to run training courses that
encourage active participation for all delegates. Key skills and experience to
include Collision Investigations, Road Safety Audits, Road Safety/Traffic
Management schemes. For the right candidate this role could be full time or
part time. There is also the opportunity to undertake Road Safety Engineering
and Road Safety Audit work
Bitumen Sprayers
Choose from the best
Bitumen emulsion or Concrete cure sprayer
Trolley or Pump Unit; With or without drum lifting
Hand operated or motorised; Honda or Briggs & Stratton
The choice is yours
Contact: BX Plant Limited on 01243 781970
All of these roles involve significant amounts of travel both in the UK and overseas.
Salaries to be negotiated.
For further information (inc job descriptions) and for how to apply please visit the
careers section of our website: www.tmsconsultancy.co.uk/about-us/careers-tms
If you have any questions please call Lorna Charles on +44 (0)24 7669 0900
Closing Date: Friday 27th June 2014
Committed to equal opportunities
www.tmsconsultancy. co.uk
Vehicle Activated Signs
Find your next role with
the UK’s no.1 engineering
recruitment agency
Associate Urban / Transport Planner
London, ref. 320573
To apply contact [email protected]
or call 01489 898124
Calling all contractors
and consultants...
Transportation Professional’s
July/August issue will include
a special feature about port
infrastructure development.
London Gateway
If you would like your project
to be considered, contact
Mike Walter on 01892 553148
or email
[email protected]
Development Control Transport Planner
Hampshire, ref. 321312
or call 01489 898113
Lead Transport Development Control Officer
Home Counties, ref. 321288
or call 01489 898122
Senior Traffic Engineer
London, ref. 306095
or call 01489 898234
www.matchtech.com
35
The CIHT’s Learning & Development Guide
Publishing on 12 September 2014, the guide will be sent out to all 12,000+ members of CIHT.
CIHT encourages its members to undertake at
least 25 hours of CPD activity in any one year
to fulfill their professional responsibilities.
Training is an important part of achieving this
requirement and a fundamental part of being
a member of CIHT.
To help the Institution’s current and aspiring
members Transportation Professional
will be producing the annual ‘Learning &
Development Guide’ to assist everyone in
fulfilling their training requirements.
Our guide will give details of all training and
development providers, relevant seminars
and exhibitions as well as offer advice and
support.
We will be speaking to both CIHT members and
training and CPD providers to find out about new
areas of interest and growth, as well as to
establish what is important to members when
looking for training and CPD opportunities.
Questionnaires will be sent out in June 2014.
If you would like your company details listed in
this guide, please contact Kirsty Barrett on
01892 524468 or [email protected]
Questionnaire respondents will benefit from a
free editorial listing. To guarantee inclusion,
please make sure you return your questionnaire
by Thursday 31 July 2014.
If you would like further information about
‘Training Editorial Profiles’ or advertising
opportunities within this guide, please contact
Fawad Minhas: Tel 01892 553149, or email
[email protected]

Transportation Professional June 2014

Transcription

Similar documents

Kids Trail - Train World

Overheight Detection System copy copy

info! - American Senior Communities

Steel Cattle Guard

Designing for Increased Traffic Loading

CACC CACC - Automobilismo

Strasburg Railroad

JUL-SEP 2013 Newsletter

Salginatobel Bridge

Complex systems require more than gut feeling.