Seminar series at Coventry University looks to the future of transport

A free seminar series at Coventry University is set to explore how the transport systems of the future can be designed to boost economic growth, reduce carbon emissions and improve the wellbeing of the population.

Throughout May, June and July, a roster of academics and transport industry professionals will be delivering talks on topics such as intelligent transportation, the benefits of rail freight, and the use of ‘traffic psychology’ to reduce young drivers’ risk of crashing.

The schedule of seminars is as follows:

Rail freight: the solution to UK road congestion?
DAVID TURNER
Terminal Operations Manager, Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal (BIFT)
Tuesday 22nd May 2012

Young drivers: how can ‘traffic psychology’ reduce their crash risk?
DR LISA DORN
Director, Intelligent Transport Systems, Capita Symonds
Tuesday 12th June 2012

Future road vehicles and their role in Intelligent Transport Systems
TIM EDWARDS
Lead Engineer, ITS research group, MIRA Ltd
Tuesday 26th June 2012

Personal Rapid Transit – Lessons from and for Logistics
NATHAN KOREN
Associate, Transport Technology and Planning, Capita Symonds
Tuesday 10th July 2012

Ten years of Automated Driving Research
DR NATASHA MERAT
Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
Tuesday 24th July 2012

The seminars – each of which take place on a Tuesday at Coventry University’s Technology Park from 4.30pm to 5.30pm – are being delivered through the University’s Grand Challenge Initiative in Integrated Transport and Logistics, an applied research programme focused on helping to equip the UK with safer and more efficient integrated public transport and logistics services.

As part of this Grand Challenge Initiative, Coventry University recently took a leading role in a £1.2 million collaborative project – funded by the Technology Strategy Board – aiming to decarbonise the process of transporting freight. With road freight accounting for a fifth of all CO2 emissions from transport in the UK – and rail producing 70% fewer emissions than road transit – the project’s goal is to make it easier to move containerised goods from road to rail using an intelligent ‘brokerage’ centre to calculate the ‘greenest’ and most efficient route.

The first talk in the series, delivered by David Turner of BIFT on Tuesday 22nd May, is set to take a look at how a move from road haulage to rail freight could free up congestion on the UK’s road network and at container terminals.