News

Buses and Disruptive Technology – UK Bus Summit, 8th February

It is a relatively new phrase “disruptive technology”, as if we had never experienced it before. It also seems to represent a rather negative view. Definitions of disruptive include “troublesome, rowdy, disorderly, unconventional”. In reality technological developments have been changing transport ever since the wheel. Buses were themselves the big “disruptor” in the 1920s & 30s, changing from a minor mode in 1920 to the dominant mode in 1950. The losers in that era were the railways who struggled to compete against more flexible, responsive and cheaper buses. The outcome of “disruptive technology” in transport terms is clearly a worsening in the competitive position of at least one mode of transport, but generally a significant improvement in accessibility for transport users overall. The important issues to think about are really: How big a change is it in terms of better, faster, cheaper journeys? How expensive is it to introduce/grow? Are there any other externalities – environmental, equality, safety etc Looking back to the latter part of the 19th century the invention of the bicycle changed transport not because it was particularly fast, but because it was cheap and therefore accessible for many. The introduction of air services in the early 1950s had a similar impact on total distance travelled, but that impact was restricted to a small minority of people able to afford the fares, pre low-cost airlines. How will disruptive technology change existing bus markets? Come along and find out at the Transport Times Bus Summit!

The impact of Brexit on industry

Following the successful publication of Brexit Britain: the trade challenge, Prospect has commissioned a report designed to educate and inform parliamentarians and industry representatives about the impact of Brexit on industry. Bridget Rosewell has contributed a piece to the report - Brexit Britain: the future of industry

Centre for Cities City Talks podcast: Bridget discusses infrastructure projects

If we build it, will they come? Andrew Carter talks to Bridget Rosewell and Henry Overman about the merits of big infrastructure projects Go to podcast

Paul Buchanan at LLT Local Transport Summit in Manchester

In its second year, the LLT Local Transport Summit is a gathering of senior level decision-makers and professional experts in local and regional transport initiated by Local Transport Today and supported by the Department for Transport. This year the Summit took place in Manchester on the 16th and 17th November. The intention is to provide a relaxed environment where those present discuss the fundamentals of good practice in determining transport strategy, setting priorities, linking transport objectives to wider social and economic ones and to embrace changing public and political values, technological capabilities and commercial models. Volterra Partner Paul Buchanan was invited to attend and give a "provocation" talk. Paul argued that the current system of transport appraisal, based almost entirely on time savings to users, was not fit for purpose. The system is static, it assumes no changes to land use, people continue to make the same trips, just a little bit faster. There was an issue raised in advance about why don't transport planners carry more weight with government. Paul's answered 'because we are measuring/forecasting the wrong things. If we focused on the hard economic outputs of new transport infrastructure ie new houses, new jobs then the politicians and decision makers would be very interested in what we have to say. HS2 has shown that even 30 mins off the journey from London to Manchester gets a big "so what " in reply from the public. But saying the response would be more jobs, more homes, increased productivity and wealth that would be the basis for a much more powerful argument'. Paul summed up saying 'It needs work. The current system has been in place for 50 years and it will be difficult to change, but we should be trying to change not protecting the status quo.'

What’s next for ‘Pricing for Prosperity’?

Our shortlisted Wolfson Economics Prize entry, and the thinking behind it continues to be of interest to various organisations. Paul Buchanan was recently approached by Transportation Professional for comment. A copy of the latest edition of the TP magazine can be viewed here.

Goodbye Silvia, hello Jesus!

As we wave goodbye to Silvia, we welcome our new placement student Jesus Alvarez, joining us for the year from the University of Bath. We aim to immerse and inspire our placement students and interns. Silvia's parting words to us were: "Thank you for all your kindness, patience and support. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with you all for the past year and I am incredibly grateful for the things and lessons I learned at Volterra. The time I spent here made me more confident, mature and skilled, helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses." We hope Jesus will also enjoy working with us!

Ellie speaker at Policy Forum for London event

Ellie was recently invited to speak at the Policy Forum for London’s event on the priorities for developing London’s night time economy. Specialising in the economic impact of developments and proposals, Ellie spoke about London’s night time economy hotspots and historic growth, as well as the business case for the Night Tube. When thinking about the future of the night time economy she highlighted the need for continued investment in infrastructure (eg transport and public realm), a continued commitment to diversify London’s night time offer (eg night time openings of galleries and museums) and the need to ensure the planning process recognises the economic benefits of proposals, alongside balancing other environmental impacts. Other speakers included London’s Night Czar Amy Lamé and Deputy Advisor to the First Deputy Mayor, City of Paris, Frédéric Hocquard.

Volterra are challenge partners for UCL’s How to Change the World Programme

UCL Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy has run a hands-on training programme - How to Change the World - for its students since 2014. The programme aims to teach students how to direct their own learning and use their initiative to scope out problem statements and design solutions, with guidance from industry partner organisations. This year Volterra are one of the partner organisations. Paul Buchanan and Kieran Arter will be on hand to advise the students during the week long programme (5th–9th June). You can view the programme here

The Wolfson Economics Prize 2017 – our shortlisted entry led by Paul Buchanan

As a niche consultancy with expertise in the planning, economic and financial appraisal of public and private sector transport, the question for this years’ Wolfson Economics Prize “How can we pay for better, safer, more reliable roads in a way that is fair to road users and good for the economy and the environment?” was perfectly suited to us. We are delighted to have been shortlisted with our entry “Pricing for Prosperity”, and will now continue to develop our submission with our collaborators at Jacobs, over the next two months for the final round. You can view the full article here.