On September 7th we hosted TRANSPORT Smart Class, Scotland 2023 at Riddle’s Court, Edinburgh. This latest Smart Class gave a fresh take on deploying digital technology-enabled solutions, data-driven strategies and best practices to tackle transport and mobility challenges faced by the city-regions of Glasgow & Clyde Valley, Edinburgh & South East Scotland, Stirling, Tay, Aberdeen, Inverness & Highlands, and beyond, and deliver a transport system that will allow passengers and citizens to travel efficiently, safely and with minimal impact on the environment.
Our film maker captured the keynotes and innovator presentations for additional stakeholders to enjoy post-event!
If you satisfy our regular delegate qualification criteria but were unable to join us on the day for the live in person event, just complete the short application form below and we’ll give you free access to the presentation videos, recordings and slides.
Our stellar line-up of keynote speakers included: The Scottish Government’s new Minister for Transport/Ministear airson Comhdhail, Fiona Hyslop MSP/BPA; The Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Kevin Hamilton; and on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Scott Arthur (Convener of the Transport & Environment Committee and Chair of Transport for Edinburgh) and Daisy Narayanan MBE (CEC’s Head of Placemaking and Mobility). Fiona, Kevin, Scott and Daisy provided invaluable real-world insights into their transport and mobility strategies, ongoing programmes and challenges, digital visions, collaborative initiatives, adoptions of transformative technologies and data driven outcomes. Laura McCaig (MaaS Delivery Manager at Transport Scotland) was also in attendance as the official support for the Minister.
The Smart Class also featured innovator thought leadership presentations – on behalf of Siemens Mobility, Padam Mobility, Project Centre (part of Marston Holdings) and Brightly (a Siemens Infrastructure company) – from Matt Dacey, James West, Andrea Jones, Steve Harris and Cherryanne Cooper. Our innovator speakers addressed priority smart transport and mobility themes and key areas of application. With support from expert colleagues, they subsequently hosted confidential, deeper dive, roundtable discussions with all delegates in attendance. The live (in-person only) session also included thought provoking Q&As and further networking opportunities over breakfast, drinks and a cooked lunch.
Noteworthy contributions to these discussions were made by senior representatives from the likes of Atkins, ATCO (Association of Transport Coordinating Officers), The City of Edinburgh Council, CTA (Community Transport Association), Enterprise Car Club, The Highland Council, Living Streets Scotland, Lothian Buses, The Office of The Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Perth & Kinross Council, RPS, SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency), SEStran (The South East of Scotland Transport Partnership), South Ayrshire Community Transport, Stagecoach Bus, Stagecoach Group, Sustrans Scotland, Systra, The Scotsman, The Scottish Government, Transport for Edinburgh, Transport Scotland, Turner & Townsend, University of Sheffield, WSP and more!
Key topics addressed included:
- Scotland’s dynamic technology sector and the vital role of digital mobility innovations in delivering the Scottish Government’s vision for Transport – “a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system”;
- Making sustainable travel choices the preferred option for all by supporting enhanced travel data and journey planning, including Mobility as a Service apps, and through improvements in smart ticketing payments, technology and governance, fare freezes on ferry networks and uptake of the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme;
- Early successes of Scotland’s MaaS investment projects – From the Highlands and Islands to Tayside (e.g. Go NHS Tayside) and South East Scotland;
- Putting Scotland at the forefront in the development of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles – Project CAVForth (Fife-Edinburgh) and HITRANS CAV trials (Inverness college);
- Impacts of poor air quality on the most vulnerable and additional transport decarbonisation measures to help meet Scotland’s statutory emission targets – LEZs roll-out, the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS), Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB), Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit Programme (BEAR), EV charging infrastructure support etc;
- The UK’s current positioning on future mobility options – Autonomous Vehicles, Demand Responsive Transport and Mobility as a Service;
- Business models and the unique dynamic of the UK MaaS market – Can MaaS ever be financially self-sustaining?;
- How to tackle Transport accessibility outside of urban and peri-urban areas – Challenges in rural/isolated areas;
- Managing legislative barriers – Critical points for implementation of DRT and wider future mobility services;
- Pivoting from small scale pilots operating in isolation, to delivering operations at scale to realise the full potential of MaaS and DRT: Lessons from Continental Europe and applying the “Go Big or Go Home” mentality to national projects in the UK;
- Opportunities and challenges of designing a truly integrated transport system for Edinburgh;
- Beyond travel corridors – Streets as ‘ecosystems’ and their important role in adding to the city’s green and blue networks, helping to combat climate change and air quality, enhance biodiversity and improve well being;
- Putting public transport, active travel and pedestrianisation within the wider context of place and placemaking, 20 minute neighbourhoods and community engagement;
- Circulation Plan’ – Edinburgh’s emerging vision and key principles for a ‘Future Streets’ network: Reducing modal conflict, creating more space for people, businesses and nature to thrive and helping to achieve Edinburgh’s agreed local transport strategy – City Mobility Plan 2030;
- Local authority climate emergency declarations and Scotland’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2045, ahead of other UK nations;
- The maturity of data in transport;
- Digitalising the transport sector and how this data will be critical to driving forward environmental resilience – From monitoring air quality and understanding traffic and parking enforcement data to public engagement and messaging;
- Case studies identifying the where’s, what’s and how’s of transport data literacy: Lewisham School Streets, Glasgow LEZ, Bath CAZ;
- Role and powers of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner;
- The Scottish Road Works Register (SRWR) and its importance in assisting roads authorities and utilities to meet their duties in planning and coordination of works;
- Carbon impact and scale – Works impacts on road users and the road asset;
- The National Coring Programme – Monitoring reinstatement quality and recent research into the life of reinstatements;
- Future measures, initiatives and innovative trials required to further improve road works and the transition to net zero;
- Laying the foundation for smart mobility with effective asset management;
- Enabling smarter assets to deliver sustainable communities – Using examples of smart (IoT) street lighting, highways, pavements, smart drains, litter bins, EV charging, citizen engagement and green infrastructure;
- Carbon intensity/emissions per highways activity and job type – Data trends;
- Leveraging strategic asset management for carbon capture and ESG
Those qualifying to receive the presentation videos and rich media content from this event include commissioning, procurement, trialling, partnering and policy leads, senior influencers, strategic decision makers and planners from local authorities (e.g. city, borough, metropolitan, district and county councils); public transport operators; regional transport partnerships, sub-regional transport bodies, combined authorities, integrated transport authorities and passenger transport executives; highways authorities and road operators; government and supporting national transport agencies; fleet operators, parking operators, prime contractors etc.
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