Professor Austin Smyth is a Transport Professional with diverse experience and skills gained through academic, consultancy and strategic management roles with a track record of formulating, advising and contributing to the delivery, impact and implementation of effective strategic transport plans both at National/Regional Government, and Corporate level. Brings a history of senior operational leadership and Board level experience. He has more than twenty five years experience in research and consultancy worldwide. He has experience of working for a variety of public and private sector clients in various EU States, Russia and Eastern Europe as well as North America, the Middle East and Thailand. He has advised Governments, Devolved Administrations and Local Authorities as well as public transport operators on urban rail systems and intercity rail systems in the UK, USA, The Middle East, Russia and Ireland. Austin has undertaken commissions from The European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)/European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), the Office of Deputy Prime Minister Department for Transport, the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Office, Department for Regional Development (NI), Department of Education (NI), the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Economic and Social Sciences Research Council, the Scottish and Northern Ireland Forum on Environmental Research (SNIFFER), InterTrade Ireland as well as a variety of local government and private sector transport operators in rail, air and bus sectors, including London Underground Limited, the Tyne and Wear PTE and Translink.


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Richard Hebditch has been Campaigns Director at the Campaign for Better Transport since March 2009, leading the organisation's work on local transport and links with parliamentarians and political parties as well as managing a team of six staff. From 2006 to 2008 he worked for Living Streets, which campaigns on behalf of pedestrians, where he was head of policy and communications. This included managing social marketing campaigns, supporting local campaigners, and managing regional staff based in Edinburgh, Newcastle and London.

As well as working on transport and planning issues, he also has wider experience of partnership working with central and local government. He was senior policy adviser in the Cabinet Office's Office of the Third Sector from 2008-2009 working on the Compact agreement to improve relations between local and national government and the voluntary sector, and from 2003 to 2005 he managed the Compact Working Group at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). Prior to NCVO he worked at Kids' Clubs Network (now 4 Children) to develop their campaigns and policies on childcare. He has also worked for an MP at the House of Commons and has volunteered for a number of campaign groups.


Presentation: The Government's Vision for Low Carbon Transport

The government is eager to earn the reputation of 'the greenest government ever'.
The recently published transport White Paper, which goes some way in achieving the ambition, aims to allow communities to initiate "innovative" transport schemes. The announcement of the £560m Local Sustainable Transport Fund will be significant in tackling climate change and deliver cleaner environments as well as help economic growth.



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Keith McCabe is the chair of the ITS (UK) carbon working group. He works as a consultant with Atkins, specializing in the use of technology to address transport related environmental issues. He also chairs the Manchester IET transport interest group and sits as an international member of the ITS America sustainability working group. He is also a member of the Transport Research Board committee on Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations.



Presentation: How Technology Can Reduce Emissions from Surface Transport.

• Electric vehicles – technologies to reduce range anxiety through journey management and payment management systems
• End to end journey management – systems that help fit travel around life – real time multi model planning systems that can plan journeys and assist when journeys are changed or disrupted
• Traffic management – this is the area of mature technology (managed motorways, UTMC etc) the challenge is to link the roadside devices to in vehicle systems to assist with Eco – driving


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Alan Francis is the Transport Speaker for the Green Party of England & Wales and was previously the Chair of its National Executive Committee. He has campaigned against rail privatization, road building and airport expansion and in favour of improved public transport and better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. He has given evidence on behalf of the Green Party at public inquiries into road and rail schemes. Formerly a computer graphics researcher he is now a transport consultant and has advised Greens in the House of Lords, the European Parliament and the GLA. He is chair of the Milton Keynes Transport Partnership and of the Milton Keynes Central Station Travel Plan group.

Presentation: Sustainable Transport- The Challenges Ahead?



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Elaine Seagriff is Head of London-wide Policy and Strategy for Transport for London. She has worked in the planning and provision of transport in London for around 20 years – covering major development, appraisal and monitoring of major investment projects, area-wide strategies and development of strategic policy. Elaine also worked in San Diego, California, where she worked on the expansion of their light rail system and advised on strategic planning and policy. More recently, and in her current role in particular she has led the development of the Mayor's transport strategy, which sets out long term challenges, agreed goals and sets policy priorities and the vision for the transport system for the next 20 years. She leads its implementation for TfL through strategic policy development, with a focus on policies to support the continued sustainable development of London.

Presentation: Boosting the Economy, Reducing Carbon

How sustainable transport networks can support economic growth whilst contributing to the 'green' agenda.
There can be no underestimation of the importance of reliable, sustainable transport systems to aid economic recovery. London needs a transport network that can be a driver for growth contributing to business efficiency, investment and innovation, domestic and international trade, employment and competition.

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Mike has had a successful and varied career working both in the UK and abroad. He has focussed on delivery of major projects in the transport industry in UK, Europe and the USA. Prior to working on the London 2012 Olympics he was a Board member of the Dutch High Speed line programme, the Phoenix project (rebuilding The World Trade Centre) and was instrumental in setting up systems for the LUL PPP. He has also led a global improvement programme across a wide spectrum of organisations that included oil and gas/chemical and infrastructure.

Mike holds a first degree in Environmental engineering, an MBA and a PhD. He has also maintained a passionate interest in bridging the gap between academia and industry through lecturing as a visiting Professor


Presentation: Delivering 'The Green Games'

Delivering sustainable transport for the Olympics and leaving a legacy of low carbon culture.
Carbon emissions are a big concern and every possible effort is being made to make this the first truly green Olympics including efficient public transport and extensive use of bicycles along with a new fast Javelin rail link. Green transport is a part of the theme with no less than 7 million tickets being offered that incorporate free transportation though the city during the games. The aim is for all spectators to reach the Games by sustainable forms or transport.


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Dr Erel Avineri is a Reader in Travel Behaviour at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) and a member of Centre for Transport & Society (CTS) since 2004. He received his degrees in Industrial Engineering and Management (B.Sc.) and Transportation Sciences (M.Sc., Ph.D.) from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.
Dr Avineri has been a project manager and a consultant to more than 50 top leading companies and government agencies in the areas of transport modelling, logistics and operations management.
Applying behavioural economics and cognitive psychology, his research explores what influences our travel behaviour, how to predict it, and how to design measures to change travel behaviour. His is to co-author of more than 100 journal papers, book chapters and reports. In his recent studies he explores issues such as:
travellers' bounded rationality;
behavioural responses to ITS;
the effect of feedback mechanism on travellers' decision-making;
How to incorporate 'behavioural' and 'social' features in the design of Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS); and
the use of 'nudges' to help individuals to highlight the better choices for them - without restricting their freedom of choice.




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Colin Curtis is a highly-respected transport consultant who worked for London Transport for over 40 years, starting in 1947 and mainly at that organisation's Chiswick Bus Works, latterly as Vehicle Engineering Manager.He is best known to bus enthusiasts as a key member of the team which developed the Routemaster but, in his time with LT, he was responsible for much more than that, including work on all of LT's post-war "own-design" vehicles such as the RT and RF families and dealing with the problems of the later "off-the-peg" classes.Colin has also written a number of books about London buses, Chiswick Works and his time with LT.He owns a preserved bus - former private-hire and Green Line coach RF19.


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Shamit Gaiger, Head of National Programmes – Industry Strategy, at RSSB, has what some might think an unusual background for the railway industry, having worked on the floor of the London Stock Exchange as an analyst, and even including a spell of military service. Her first degree was in psychology and criminology, before taking a masters degree in organisational behaviour at the London School of Economics. She has also worked for a major consultancy, advising them internally on strategic matters and sitting on the boards of two foreign companies. The result is that she brings a fresh approach to her role, which has challenged the industry's conventional approach to strategic management.
Shamit heads the industry strategy programmes of Sustainable Development (SD) and Safety Management Systems (SMS). These industry programmes cross-industry groups that are focused on response to the opportunities and challenges presented by the emerging legislation and drivers.
The SD programme is facilitating the GB rail industry response to the opportunities and challenges presented by Sustainable Development and to contribute to the delivery of key government policy objectives such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable mobility, increased social inclusion and a thriving economy.
Previously within RSSB, Shamit has managed was responsible for the delivery of the Safety Decision Programme aimed at providing with industry an agreed process that ensures that the railway industry takes decisions with the balance of safety, performance and cost and that are consistent, legal, and ethical.
Shamit can be contacted at [email protected].



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