Highways of the Future University Networking (HOTFUN)

Transport Systems Catapult introduces a new and exciting line up of University engagement workshops aimed at solving some of the issues facing the UK's Highways.

These will be known as "Highways of the Future University Networking" (HOTFUN) events.

Transport Systems Catapult will work with Universities to unlock and expose academic insights to solve challenges facing Highways England (previously Highways agency).

As owners and operators of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), Highways England faces significant challenges such as increasing safety, avoiding investment in frozen assets (redundant infrastructure), accurate journey time prediction as a way to increase user satisfaction and innovative thinking to cope with future automotive technologies and increased congestion.

This first workshop has three specific challenges that have been selected to exploit the diverse approaches of the leading academic institutions. Challenges 1 and 2 will be the primary focus of the day as they are problems that Highways England needs to solve in the short to medium term. Challenge 3 is an opportunity for those interested enough to showcase their vision.

These challenges are listed below and to increase the impact of the days outputs, Transport Systems Catapult have partnered with ProMeme™ to facilitate the workshop, bringing a refreshing, new approach to the days structure. More on ProMeme and their approach here.


The Challenges

1. Making better use of data. Given the importance of managing and setting users expectations on network performance, how might Highways England current data set be used to provide an accurate forecast of likely journey times? (Dataset information to be provided)

2. Managing Transition. How can Highways England manage the tipping point from roadside infrastructure to in-vehicle devices?

3. Start with the end in mind. Starting from scratch, what would be the critical components of the strategic road network, including the services that customers want and how Highways England would provide them?

This workshop will be attended by Highways England's Innovation and ITS management as well as Transport Systems Catapult, however, our intention is to maximise the time spent on collaborative solutions and minimise the introduction or administration of the various hurdles and restrictions facing Highways England so there will be no long speeches or laborious scene setting. Please come prepared to discuss and propose solutions, including collaborative work, to potentially solve the challenges above.

The first HOTFUN event will be 1st March 2016 at the Transport Systems Catapult in Milton Keynes. Places are limited so early registration is highly recommended.

"Keen to get started early? We will be posting these challenge questions to our Intelligent Mobility expert community www.imexchange.co.uk so that you can discuss your initial thoughts in the lead up to the workshop - it only takes a minute to sign up.

When you log in you will be asked to tag your expertise using various tag words, please include "Events and Workshops" in order to join the conversation."