Ahead of this year’s Strictly Highways event, the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) will be highlighting some of our speakers. This week we catch up with Sunil Budhdeo – Transport Innovation Manager at Coventry City Council.
Q. Why is innovation so important?
A. “To meet our net zero targets in transportation we cannot rely on old technology, we have to look at new ways of achieving our net zero targets, which can only be done by innovation.”
Q. What are the biggest challenges facing the highways sector?
A. “Keeping up with and adopting new developments in transportation and maintenance.”
Q. How much importance is put on innovation within your council and in what ways can it enable change?
A. “It is very important to be at the forefront on innovation as it gives all councils an opportunity to deliver day-to-day operations in efficient ways and achieve our green targets and agenda.”
Q. What actions need to be taken to ensure the industry attracts a younger and more diverse workforce?
A. “When we introduce new modes of transport such as drone operations in an urban environment, the younger generation would be more receptive of this as it fits in with their interest such as Playstation operations. This gives them an opportunity to deploy their skills in real life work situations.”
Q. Why is it important to make the case for local roads?
A. “We not only have to think about roads, as a local authority (LA) we now have to think about Urban Air Mobility and highways in the sky too. Roads will still need improvements to help us understand new innovative ways of improving and reducing our net zero targets and safer roads for CAVs to operate safely.”
Q. What should people expect from your presentation at Strictly Highways?
A. “I will be presenting on a new mode of transport operating in an Urban Environment, drones and the infrastructure required for this to operate safely and what is required by LAs in planning for this.”
Sunil will deliver a presentation entitled ‘Skills for new innovation (Coventry Drone Port & Highways in the Sky)’ on 5th October 2022. You can see the full draft programme for the event here.