Smart Transport Conference is back in person on 10 May

The public and private sector will come together to address the challenges of decarbonisation and creating integrated transport solutions at the next Smart Transport Conference on 10 May.

The event will be held in person at The Queens Hotel in Leeds and will bring together the transport industry at a time of rapid change following the Government’s recent Levelling Up white paper.

Being held in Leeds will also give a special North of England focus to the conference, particularly in the context of the region’s long-term target to reduce surface transport emissions to be near-zero by 2045.

Key initiatives across West Yorkshire include reducing car journeys by 27%, increasing walking by 79% and increasing cycling by 2,125% by 2038.

Confirmed plenary speakers already include Cllr Louise Gittins, vice chair, Transport for the North and leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, Professor Sarah Sharples, Department for Transport (DfT) chief scientific adviser and James Heath, National Infrastructure Commission chief executive (more confirmed below).

These keynote presentations will be followed by a range of breakout sessions that look to explore varied topics like active travel, confidence in public transport, funding, electric vehicle and alternative fuel infrastructure, transport data, rural transport solutions and much more.

Each breakout session will be followed by a Q&A panel to prompt discussion and collaboration on the key issues facing UK transport and the road map to net zero.

Professor Stephen Joseph OBE, Smart Transport chair, said: “There’s an enormous amount of work going on all across the North of England on decarbonising and improving transport, from local Government, private companies and civil society, and from partnerships between them.

"This conference is the place to hear the latest thinking on transport and find out about the practical projects bringing about positive change and the moves towards a net zero future.”

Advance rate tickets are available to book now.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Kit Allwinter, West Yorkshire Combined Authority active travel policy officer
• Silviya Barratt, Campaign for Better Transport head of policy, research and projects
• David Carnero, Padam Mobility UK country manager
• Ed Clarke, FedEx Express, vice president, ground operations UK
• Laurence Drake, managing director, Daf Trucks
• Philip Fjeld, CEO, CNG Fuels
• Nigel Hallam, Nottingham City Council Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) service manager
• Alex Hornby, Transdev Blazefield chief executive
• Martin Howell, director, transport markets UK&I, Worldline
• Oliver Johnson, UK lead electrification, ABB
• Dr Robin Lovelace, Associate Professor of Transport Data Science University of Leeds
• Clare Linton, policy and research advisor, Urban Transport Group
• Professor Greg Marsden, Professor of Transport Governance, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
• Cllr Liam Robinson, chair of Merseytravel Transport Committee, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority transport portfolio holder
• Dr Tim Senior, Managing Director, Specialised and Asset Finance, Macquarie Group
• Jason Simpson, Vice-president Energy and eMobility Ventures, Liberty Global

Eight breakout session topics:

Join expert speakers from the public and private sector for thought provoking presentations that challenge traditional thinking.

• Getting creative with transport data
• Boosting confidence in public transport
• Funding the future: where money comes from and how to secure it
• Rural mobility challenges and solutions
• The future of urban and national logistics
• Transitioning to active travel solutions
• Electric vehicle and alternative fuel infrastructure
• Place-based solutions: transport decarbonisation across the north of England