“If they all work, then we haven’t been bold enough.” National Highways Chief Executive Nick Joyce sets the tone for this Highways Voices from Highways UK, with a challenge to the industry backed by up to £1 million in innovation funding. His priority? Making a step change in roadworker safety. In a revealing conversation with Adrian Tatum, he explains why National Highways must share the risks of trying new ideas, and discusses the challenge of renewing an ageing network while keeping customers moving.
Join Paul Hutton, Adrian Tatum and Libby McMahon at Birmingham’s NEC for an episode packed with ideas for anyone facing the pressure to deliver safer roads, better journeys and more value from stretched budgets. Transport for West Midlands Executive Director Sandeep Shingadia explains why the region is changing how it plans transport, moving from “predict and provide” to “decide and provide”. Hear why highways teams will be critical to successful bus franchising, and how smarter use of existing roads can support growth, connect communities and improve access to opportunity.
There’s also an important update on the future of roadside technology standards. TOPAS Director Dr Mark Pleydell explains discussions involving the Department for Transport and BSI, what could happen to TOPAS Limited, and why the future of independent product registration remains a question. For anyone specifying, buying or supplying traffic equipment, this is a conversation with direct implications for how the industry works.
On the exhibition floor, Westcotec’s Olly Samways and Abbie Johnson take us inside the detailed work behind an environmental product declaration, explaining how examining everything from tiny screws to electricity consumption can support better procurement decisions. Nicander’s Sam Brierley introduces a new roadside device designed to help modern control systems communicate with existing equipment, and describes how customer problems become working products through rapid development and close collaboration.
How do you keep a city moving when the world comes to visit? Arcadis’s Ramin Massoumi draws on major event transport planning, including work around the FIFA World Cup, to explain the importance of coordinating stakeholders, providing reliable real-time information and protecting everyday journeys for the communities around an event. His message: the benefits should last long after the crowds have gone home.
And if you want practical lessons from highways decarbonisation, Giles Perkins introduces the newly launched Little Book of Live Labs. In his first interview about the publication, he explains how Live Labs 2’s findings can help save money, time and carbon, and why starting with the outcome you need is essential. Uberbinder’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Jett Yang then tackles the difficult journey from laboratory breakthrough to road network adoption, asking a provocative question: what have you achieved if you cut a material’s carbon footprint but the road doesn’t last as long?
From funding and standards to materials, technology and delivery, this episode explores what it takes to turn ambition into results. Listen now for the conversations that could shape your next project.
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