AGENDA

Introduction, overview and keynote speaker

Will Britain President at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) and Head of Highways and Traffic Management Services at Blackpool Council, Baroness Vere of Norbiton Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at Department for Transport

Live panel debate: Turning ideas into solutions on the journey to net zero

Edward Nelson Head of Local Delivery at Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), Matthew Eglinton Head of Local Highways Maintenance, Innovation, and Resilience, Local Infrastructure at Department for Transport, David Ogden Operations Director UK Contracting at Colas, Phil Lightowler Head of Public Transport at Kent County Council, Alec Peachey Content Director at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG)

The number of local authorities that have declared a climate emergency continues to rise and councils continue to battle with a range of competing demands in this area.

Councils are taking action to reduce their own carbon emissions and working with partners and local communities to tackle the impact of climate change on their local area.

This is happening in a number of ways and with the launch of the Government's recent Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) a roadmap which will turn ideas into solutions has been set out.

With the COP26 climate change summit less than a month away (at the time of Strictly Highways taking place) it is important to understand how central Government ambition will be delivered at a local level and how actions taken now can have a lasting impact both up to and beyond the global United Nations event.

The opening session of this year's Strictly Highways event will look at a number of strategic priorities against which actions can be taken to help achieve this including:

- Accelerating modal shift to public and active transport
- Decarbonising road transport
- Decarbonising how we get our goods
- Making the UK a hub for green transport technology and innovation
- Developing place based solutions to emissions reductions

The LCRIG journey

Will Britain President at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) and Head of Highways and Traffic Management Services at Blackpool Council

Will Britain, the president of LCRIG, talks through the history of the organisation, highlights landmarks and looks at what is next for the group.

The NY Highways – Connected Safety Net

Paul Richardson Managing Partner at 2innov8, Ross Bullerwell Managing Director at NY Highways, at

Councils’ journey to net zero

Dominic Browne Editor at Highways Magazine

A look at what councils' and their supply chains have done so far and what areas of research and development they are looking into.

An update on the Highways Sector Council

Ann Carruthers Director of Environment and Transport at Leicestershire County Council, Joe Incutti Group Managing Director - Highways at Kier Group

The HSC brings together industry and government to transform the highways sector by taking advantage of new technologies and ways of working to deliver economic, environmental and social benefits for all highway users, taxpayers and wider society.

Implementing sustainable asset management processes

Paul Boss Chief Executive at Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA)

Recent events have shown us climate change is an issue now, not something to be concerned about for our children, grandchildren or great grandchildren. Major flooding and wild fires have caused havoc and misery throughout many parts of the world and this is set to get worse.

The need to reduce carbon generation has never been greater and must be embraced by all now. Three quarters of local authorities have declared a climate emergency and the greatest generation of carbon comes from their highway operations.

The implementation of sustainable asset management processes makes environmental and financial sense. Find out how.

Live panel debate: Building Back Better transport and places

Andrew Hugill Director, Policy & Technical Affairs at Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), Paula Hewitt Deputy Chief Executive, Lead Director for Economic and Community Infrastructure and Director of Commissioning/President at Somerset County Council/Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT), Jason Sprague Consultant at Sprague & Co, Matthew Eglinton Head of Local Highways Maintenance, Innovation, and Resilience, Local Infrastructure at Department for Transport, Alec Peachey Content Director at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG)

The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.

Unlocking transport infrastructure will be key as the UK aims to Build Back Better from the pandemic.

But what does this mean for local councils? How can they ensure that they bid in for this funding and make the most of the opportunity?

With the UK government committed to levelling up across the whole of the United Kingdom to ensure that no community is left behind, what does this mean in reality?

How will the government decentralise power and work more directly with local partners and communities to help them grow their economies?

To support these objectives, the UK government has launched three new investment programmes to support communities right across the country. All share common challenges and opportunities, which the UK government is determined to address in collaboration with local partners. These new investment programmes are:

The UK Community Renewal Fund
The Levelling Up Fund
The Community Ownership Fund

A panel debate which is being delivered as part of this year's Strictly Highways 2021 virtual event will look to address these questions with panellists discussing the following areas:

- The importance of transport infrastructure
- How councils sit at the heart of communities
- Why funding is key
- Creating processes to help communities 'level up'
- Net zero

Helping councils plan and prepare for extreme weather

Dr Hugh Deeming Principal Consultant at HD Research, John Lamb Past President of the Local Government Technical Advisers Group (LGTAG) at LGTAG

On-street EV Infrastructure Step by Step

Dan Turner Low Carbon City Officer - Planning at Plymouth City Council

The focus of this presentation will be less on the hard infrastructure and more on the other considerations that should be made to design a good project e.g accessibility, equality, safety, etc. It will also touch upon a step by step delivery process for on-street EV infrastructure.

Project Amber Framework

Lee Merces Managing Director at Highway Workforce, Scott Bloxsom Founder at Essency Consulting Limited

Building net zero roads

Marie-Claude Hemming Director of External Affairs at The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)

How we build and maintain our roads plays a key role in meeting net zero goals.

Roads form a critical backbone of the UK economy, supporting not just our personal journeys, but contributing substantially to economic growth.

CECA is undertaking research which seeks to address how procurement can play a key role in the journey to net zero. Our report will be published in the early Autumn.

As an industry we must recognise what good looks like, understand where it’s going and always challenge our thinking, in order to deliver sustainable infrastructure for the long term.

Reflections on the roadmap to net zero and the bitumen contribution

Gary Schofield Technical Manager - Bitumen Division at TotalEnergies

Climate change is affecting us right now. We face a critical race towards net zero carbon. Never has it been so vital to embrace supply chain collaboration; information transparency and sharing best practice.

Environmental assessments must focus on the holistic life of products and contribution to the circular economy, not just cradle to gate.

This presentation illustrates innovations in bitumen technology enhancing sustainability through durability, adding performance and value engineering contributing to the recyclability of asphalt. By reducing temperatures and environmental impacts at all stages of the process it will highlight how supply chain partners can work together to optimise solutions.

Live panel debate: A joined-up approach to achieving net zero

Debbie Cavanagh UK Sales Manager at Safecote, Richard Stacey Chair at National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG), Steve Birdsall CEO at Gaist, Alec Peachey Content Director at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG)

A joined-up approach to achieving net zero

With a number of councils declaring climate emergencies and setting targets to reach net zero it is important that the personnel working within authorities are armed with the tools and expertise they need to help them reach these goals.

It is clear that with a third of all emissions from transport, decarbonising the sector will help lead the net-zero agenda across the world.

Highway departments have a key role to play, but they must consider the full picture when doing so. There is no single solution when it comes to combating climate change.
Councils will be factoring in a wide variety of challenges and possible solutions as they go on their journey to net zero. They must consider things such as production techniques and materials; implementation of Clean Air Zones; transition to electric vehicles; emissions-based parking permits; emissions-charging; active travel; route optimisation; etc.

But they need help to get there. Working together with the supply chain and understanding where the challenges lie is vital. Data and technology sits at the heart of this and can help highway officers to understand what they need to focus on and when.
Whether it is EV infrastructure and planning; roadside infrastructure; or route optimisation - having a supporting environment which assists councils on their journey to net zero is vital.

This session will cover the following topic areas:

- Providing an environment to support net zero initiatives
- How data can help on the journey to net zero
- What can the data be used for?
- Challenges to overcome

Strictly Speaking

Alec Peachey Content Director at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), Dwayne Lowe Head of Highways and Transportation at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and LCRIG Board Member, Martin Duffy Chief Executive at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), Paula Claytonsmith Executive Director, Government at Gaist and LCRIG Board Member, Sean Rooney Head of Service - Highway Maintenance at Oxfordshire County Council and LCRIG National Advocate, Darren Capes Manager of the Transport Technology Forum (TTF) and ITS Policy Lead, Traffic and Technology Division, DfT at Transport Technology Forum (TTF) and Department for Transport (DfT) and LCRIG Board Member, Will Britain President at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) and Head of Highways and Traffic Management Services at Blackpool Council

Informal round-up of the day with guests.

Introduction, Overview and Keynote Speaker

Martin Duffy Chief Executive at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), Steve Gooding CB Director at RAC Foundation

Live panel debate: Innovation in action

Martin Duffy Chief Executive at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), Ian Large Chair - LCRIG Infrastructure Innovation Board at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), Emily See Senior Consultant, Infrastructure Asset Management at Yotta and Vice Chair of LGTAG's Highways and Infrastructure Management Board, Darren Capes Manager of the Transport Technology Forum (TTF) and ITS Policy Lead, Traffic and Technology Division, DfT at Transport Technology Forum (TTF) and Department for Transport (DfT) and LCRIG Board Member, Alec Peachey Content Director at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG)

Delivering innovation at a national level is one of the biggest challenges facing the sector. Roads and assets currently managed by local authorities hold a wealth of valuable data. The health of these ‘assets’ can be driven into to allow for more efficient predictive maintenance strategies and to help direct future investment in the network.

But this must be done in partnership with the private sector. As an example, digitalisation can be used as a tool to delve into data. The information gained can then be used to help predict future network trends.

LCRIG aims to facilitate the development and implementation of innovation and technology within the highways sector.
This focused approach helps to assist the Department for Transport in giving assurance to Ministers that the sector is doing everything it can, with the funding available, to enable the ongoing development of innovation within the highways sector.

Having recently established an Infrastructure Innovation Board to seek out new products/materials that can be trialled on the highway network and to strengthen the link between suppliers and contractors, this panel session will provide an overview of some of the good work taking place across the sector and look at why innovation is so important when it comes to driving forward change.

With COP26 just around the corner, the discussion will also look at the wider environmetal benefits that can be brought about by implementing new innovative products and services.

Panellists will discuss the following areas:

- Turning data into decisions that can drive change
- Removing barriers to innovation
- Making innovation business as usual
- Encouraging innovation within councils and businesses
- The benefits of innovation

Campaigning for change: The ongoing impact of a stop/start approach to funding local roads

Rick Green Chair at Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA)

A look at why short term fixes won't solve a long term problem.

UK Transport Vision 2050

Karla Jakeman Connected Transport Innovation Lead at Innovate UK

An in-depth look at a new document which sets out the changes, challenges and opportunities that will confront the transport sector over the next 30 years.

Health and Wellbeing in the Highways Sector

Emily See Senior Consultant, Infrastructure Asset Management at Yotta and Vice Chair of LGTAG's Highways and Infrastructure Management Board

LGTAG present the results of a health and wellbeing survey which was launched to gain an understanding of how the highways sector coped throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

An update on LCRIG-led Initiatives

Martin Duffy Chief Executive at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG)

Martin will provide an update on a number of LCRIG-led initiatives including the organisation's Infrastructure Innovation Board, the implementation of a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) and ISO 440001.

Technology Based Solutions for Highways Operatives

Neil Levett Director/Main Board Director at Levett Business Services/Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) & ITS (UK)

Live panel debate: Managing Parking Challenges

Ian Anderson Director of Legal Services and Partnerships at Hull City Council, Keith Williams Director at Parking Matters, Julian O’Kelly Head of Technology Innovation and Research at British Parking Association , Alec Peachey Content Director at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG)

According to the Local Government Association (LGA), car parking is one of the most talked about issues in town centres and frequently cited by businesses as a cause of poor performance. Improvements need to focus on the whole journey into town, however, whilst recognising parking as a pinch-point for customers.

Councils face a range of challenges in this area, including a drop in revenues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, how parking can help support active travel, adopting on-street parking, etc.

Working across council departments can help ensure that parking provision is considered in a joined-up way that relates to other responsibilities including traffic management, strategic planning and economic development. This needs to take account of how car use is changing in towns and cities, for example, and how changes to parking facilities might impact on local authorities' journey towards net zero.

The sharing of data can play a key role in helping to support councils with the above objectives.

That is why the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS) has been formed by the British Parking Association (BPA), the International Parking & Mobility Institute and the European Parking Association to develop, promote, manage and maintain a uniform global standard to allow organisations to share parking data across platforms worldwide.

Representatives from the British Parking Association and others will update Strictly Highways delegates on the progress of the standard, highlight a practical use case and provide an overview of the operational advice that’s available to councils. The panel will cover off the following topic areas:

- Operational challenges and how to overcome them
- Why data standards matter
- How to use data and adopt a common language
- Embedding data standards in procurement processes
- Integration between different parking entities

An update on the National Winter Service Research Group

Richard Stacey Chair at National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG)

The NWSRG is a members group dedicated to advancing understanding of best practice for winter service delivery, taking the best from currently available knowledge and supplementing any gaps with new knowledge and research.

The current programme of NWSRG research is aimed at producing a comprehensive Guide to provide practitioners with practical guidance in all aspects of setting up and delivering their winter service, including:

- Salt storage and moisture content
- Spreader calibration and performance monitoring
- Precautionary spread rates
- Treatments for Snow and Ice
- Treatments for Extreme Cold

A new toolkit for highways asset management

Dr Alex Wright Chief Technologist at Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)

Traffic Signals Funding Update

Darren Capes Manager of the Transport Technology Forum (TTF) and ITS Policy Lead, Traffic and Technology Division, DfT at Transport Technology Forum (TTF) and Department for Transport (DfT) and LCRIG Board Member

Earlier this year 39 councils in England were awarded a share of £15 million additional funding to upgrade and repair traffic signals. This presentation will provide an update on where the money will be spent and how it is being allocated.

The LASR Approach – Your road to data driven decisions

Kully Boden Streetpride Service Manager at Derby City Council, Dr Helen Viner Director at ENODAMUS Ltd

Planning for a net zero future

Paul Aldridge Group Sustainability Director at WJ

Paul will speak about WJs journey to net zero, what they have done, the impact they have had so far, and how the company plan to develop this for a net zero future.

WJ realised that Carbon Management, reduction, and removal was critical to the company, its communities, its business, and its future success.

The firm set out to understand its emissions, measure them accurately, reduce them drastically and continue to do so until they are gone, then plan to make a positive contribution to lowering historic carbon in the atmosphere.

Implementing many initiatives including:

- New vehicle designs
- Driver training
- Telematics systems
- Driver reward schemes
- Product Carbon Calculator
- Reformulated products
- WJ Forest to offset

Working with a number of local authorities WJ have been able to demonstrate an 82% carbon saving in their materials and through intelligent working a significant overall saving, for example 70% in Birmingham.

The DfT Special Recognition Awards

Alec Peachey Content Director at Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG), Matthew Eglinton Head of Local Highways Maintenance, Innovation, and Resilience, Local Infrastructure at Department for Transport, Darren Capes Manager of the Transport Technology Forum (TTF) and ITS Policy Lead, Traffic and Technology Division, DfT at Transport Technology Forum (TTF) and Department for Transport (DfT) and LCRIG Board Member, Paul Boss Chief Executive at Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA), Adam Leighton Marketing Assistant at Hitex International, Mark Entwistle Managing Director at KaarbonTech, Robert Tait Sales Director at Rennicks UK, Andrew Gillbanks Business Development Manager North at Colas, Annette Pass Head of Innovation at National Highways

Delivered as part of Strictly Highways, the awards recognise companies and individuals who have gone the extra mile to deliver change in the sector.

The awards were established by Steve Berry OBE – the Department for Transport’s former head of highways maintenance, innovation and resilience – who sadly passed away earlier this year. Steve was a great supporter of the Local Council Roads Innovation Group and Strictly Highways and regularly attended and spoke at the annual event.

The four categories for this year’s awards are as follows:

- Technology innovator of the year (sponsored by KaarbonTech)
- Local transport technology hero (sponsored by Rennicks UK Ltd)
- Net zero innovation project of the year (sponsored by Hitex)
- Road user experience (sponsored by Colas Ltd)