Transport visions: a young professional's perspective

UK transport policy and practice is in transition. Traditionally a nation of road builders, we are now entering a transport future in which managing demand for transport networks and finding viable alternatives to the car as a means of travel are being developed and promoted. Integration is at the heart of the new transport agenda and involves integration both within and between modes and between transport and other areas. In recognising the importance of integration it is necessary to acknowledge the associated complex series of interactions and relationships that dictate the eventual success or otherwise of new policies and practices. The information and technology revolution, improved standards of living, new household structures and freedom of choice are just some of the contributors to a rapidly changing society. To accommodate such change there is a need to ensure that the transport debate that has taken place in the UK in recent years continues. Imagination, innovation and vision must be harnessed to explore the numerous possibilities for the future of transport and to attempt to identify the most suitable way forward. Contributions to the transport debate and to transport vision documents come predominantly from the ranks of senior professionals. Yet the young professionals of today will be the decision makers responsible for the shaping of transport at the beginning of the next millenium. This paper outlines the contribution that young professionals can make to the transport debate. In particular it describes the outcome of an initiative of the World Road Association (PIARC) to solicit transport visions from young professionals across the world. It then introduces a new initiative being led by the Transportation Research Group (TRG) at the University of Southampton and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), namely the establishment of a Young Professionals’ Network which seeks to produce a series of thematic transport vision documents.