Afleveringen
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This week’s Highways Voices comes from CRASH 26, an event which brought together road safety professionals, local authorities, suppliers and infrastructure specialists for a day of live demonstrations showing what really happens when vehicles collide with roadside equipment.
The event gives delegates the opportunity to see products perform in realistic scenarios while discussing how the lessons learned can improve future road design and safety.
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In this podcast, organiser Andy Pledge explains how the event has gone from showcasing passive safety products into promoting the wider Safe System approach, bringing together experts from across road safety, emergency services, traffic management and industry to encourage better-informed decision making.
You can watch the crashes here.
We hear from Magnus Backholm of Swedish manufacturer Jerol, Neil Levett representing Multipatcher, Olly Samways of Westcotec, Ash Starkey from AS Safety and Technology, Ian McDonald from Hydro and Peter Hoban from Innovative Road Safety Solutions, each demonstrating products designed to reduce the consequences of road traffic collisions or improve the safety of those working on or alongside the highway.
The conversations cover everything from passive-safe signposts and rapidly deployable crash barriers to remotely managed roadside technology, inflatable work zone protection systems, passive-safe lighting columns and innovative products that combine environmental benefits with practical roadside infrastructure.
Together the interviews provide a fascinating snapshot of how innovation is helping move the industry closer to Vision Zero, demonstrating that improving road safety isn't simply about developing better products, it's about sharing knowledge, understanding real-world performance and ensuring everyone involved in designing, maintaining and operating the road network has the information they need to make safer decisions.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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Civil engineer Elizabeth Orchard believes Britain has been looking at the potholes crisis the wrong way – and in this edition of Highways Voices she explains why – and finishes with an interesting idea to fund the solution.
Rather than focusing on political arguments over who is to blame, she explores the engineering behind deteriorating roads, from freeze-thaw cycles and aging infrastructure to the impact of changing weather patterns, utility works and decades of underinvestment.
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Drawing on her experience as a Chartered Civil Engineer and founder of consultancy Endelevu, in conversation with Paul Hutton, Mrs Orchard tackles some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding road maintenance. She explains why heavier electric vehicles are not the villain many people assume, why simply resurfacing a road often fails to solve the problem, and why maintenance strategies need to be tailored to local conditions rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions.
The discussion also examines the pressures facing local authorities, from shrinking engineering teams to the challenge of maintaining thousands of miles of highway with limited resources. Mrs Orchard argues that rebuilding technical expertise within councils could save money in the long term while creating more resilient highway networks.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking section comes towards the end of the conversation, when she suggests Britain should stop treating roads as a financial liability and start viewing them as valuable assets capable of generating income through the intelligent use of data. She points to examples from Europe where anonymised vehicle and infrastructure data are already helping to fund maintenance and improve network management.
"There are solutions, and there are ways of making money - other people in the rest of the world are already doing it [and] it's time Britain catches up," she explains, arguing that a smarter approach to highway data could transform how roads are maintained for decades to come.
This episode offers a refreshing perspective on one of the UK's most talked-about infrastructure challenges. Rather than simply discussing potholes, it explores the engineering, economics and innovation that could provide lasting answers, making it essential listening for anyone interested in the future of Britain's roads.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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This week’s Highways Voices podcast takes you from connected vehicle data that's finally moving beyond endless pilot projects to artificial intelligence that can identify road defects before they become a problem, as we bring you chat from the LCRIG Innovation and Learning Festival, where the latest ideas aren’t just being talked about – they’re being put into practice.
Host Paul Hutton catches up with some of the sector's leading thinkers and innovators, including White Willow Consulting’s Andy Graham explaining why connected vehicle technology has reached the point where authorities can simply get on and use it, Nicander’s Sam Brierley demonstrating how AI is transforming highway asset management, and Steve Walton revealing how Via East Midlands is preparing to deliver a huge maintenance programmes.
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There's also a first for the podcast as Paul interviews Luka the robot, while leading industry consultant Neil Levett highlights the technologies that caught his eye around the festival. Anna Blake and Christopher Long from Solar Gates explain how smarter temporary traffic management is reducing costs, cutting carbon and improving safety, and Jordan Cowley looks ahead to the huge opportunities presented by the ITS World Congress Birmingham 2027.
It's a programme packed with practical examples of how technology is making highways safer, more efficient and better connected – and why the conversations taking place at events like this are helping to shape the future of our industry.
Our guests:
Andy Graham, White Willow ConsultingSam Brierley, NicanderLuka, RobotNeil Levett, Levett Business Services chatting with Highways News's Libby McMahonSteve Walton, Via East MidlandsAnna Blake and Christopher Long, Solar GatesJordan Cowley, Transport for West MidlandsAlso don’t forget to check out the winners of the 2026 DfT Special Recognition Apprentice Awards, as mentioned by Paul in the podcast.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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How can the highways sector deliver innovation faster while navigating tight budgets, procurement hurdles and increasing demands on road networks? That's the question explored in the latest episode of the Highways Voices podcast, recorded at SWARCO's User Group meeting in Coventry last week.
Host Paul Hutton is joined by Derek McLean, Head of Product and Solutions at SWARCO, his colleague, SWARCO’s Urban Systems Manager Andrea Newman, Richard Ling, Head of Parking and Traffic Management at Cambridgeshire County Council, and Peter Eccleson, Managing Director of smartmicro UK. Together they discuss how the industry's growing focus on collaboration is helping suppliers, local authorities and technology partners tackle common challenges and deliver better outcomes for road users.
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The panel examines the ongoing difficulties surrounding revenue funding, procurement regulations and asset renewal, while also highlighting opportunities created by emerging technologies. Richard Ling explains how authorities can make the case for investment by focusing on long-term savings, while Peter Eccleson argues that the sector must become quicker at embracing innovations that can improve network management and unlock the value of data.
The discussion also explores how suppliers are responding to changing customer expectations. Derek McLean and Andrea Newman describe how SWARCO is working more closely with customers and partners to develop solutions that integrate with existing infrastructure, making it easier for authorities to adopt new technologies without major capital expenditure.
Looking ahead, the conversation turns to artificial intelligence, data-driven decision making and the need for an industry-wide approach to innovation. Despite the challenges, all four guests strike an optimistic tone, arguing that stronger collaboration, open communication and a shared focus on solving customer problems are creating plenty of reasons to be positive about the future of highways and traffic management. Listen to the full episode now on Highways Voices.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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Road safety and intelligent transport solutions specialist Rennicks is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and this Highways Voices podcast marks the milestone, featuring Rennicks Chairman Michael Flanagan and Director Robert Tait.
Mr Flanagan reflects on the company's journey from its origins in Ireland in the mid-1970s to becoming a recognised name in traffic signs, vehicle registration plate systems and intelligent transport technologies. He recounts how founders Robin and Maureen Rennicks identified an opportunity in reflective materials before expanding into traffic signage and eventually the wider road safety market.
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The podcast also explores some of the biggest challenges the company has faced, including a patent dispute that temporarily removed a key product line and threatened a significant proportion of the business. We hear how the setback forced Rennicks to diversify and innovate, helping lay the foundations for future growth.
Looking to the future, Mr Tait discusses the growing role of intelligent transport systems, connected vehicle technologies and data-driven solutions. He highlights the opportunities presented by the government's RIS3 investment programme and the move towards digitally enabled road networks, while explaining how Rennicks is developing technology-led products to meet emerging customer needs.
Throughout the discussion, Mr Flanagan returns to the themes that have underpinned Rennicks' success over the past five decades: putting customers first, investing in people and maintaining the agility to adapt to changing markets. As the company looks ahead to its next chapter, the podcast provides a fascinating insight into the growth of one of the UK's longest-established road safety businesses.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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What happens when you have the right idea at the right time… but still fail?
In this thought-provoking episode of Highways Voices, Paul Hutton sits down with Andrew Caleya Chetty, founder of Starling Technologies, for a candid conversation about innovation, ambition, and the harsh realities of bringing new technology into the transport sector.
Less than two years ago, Starling Technologies was generating excitement with its vision for smarter, more responsive traffic management. The company appeared perfectly positioned to help local authorities harness the power of AI and machine learning to improve network performance. Yet despite strong interest in the technology and a clear market need, the business ultimately closed its doors.
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So, what went wrong?
Andrew shares the deeply personal story behind Starling’s rise and fall, revealing why success in the intelligent transport sector requires far more than great technology. He discusses the challenges of lengthy procurement cycles, delayed project delivery, uncertain funding streams, and the difficulties of sustaining a start-up while waiting for opportunities to convert into contracts.
But this is about much more than one company’s story.
The conversation explores the wider barriers facing innovation across transport and asks some difficult questions. If the industry wants to benefit from rapid advances in AI, data analytics and digital services, are current procurement and funding models fit for purpose? How can local authorities and suppliers work together to create an environment where innovators can thrive rather than struggle to survive?
Despite the disappointment, Andrew remains remarkably optimistic about the future and passionate about creating better, more efficient cities through technology.
Whether you're a local authority leader, technology supplier, consultant or anyone interested in the future of transport innovation, this episode offers valuable lessons, honest reflections and important insights into how the sector can avoid losing the next generation of game-changing ideas.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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ADEPT’s Live Labs 2 programme has spent the last three years tackling one of highways’ biggest challenges: how do you decarbonise roads, street lighting and maintenance without increasing risk, blowing budgets or frightening local authorities away from innovation?
That’s the subject of this week’s Highways Voices podcast, where ADEPT’s Giles Perkins gives an unusually candid insight into how the sector is trying to move from climate ambition to practical delivery.
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The conversation goes well beyond the standard “net zero” conversation. Mr Perkins explains that while the industry has focused heavily on reducing tailpipe emissions, Live Labs 2 is looking at “everything else” - the carbon generated by the infrastructure itself, from pothole repairs and asphalt production to verge maintenance, lighting and procurement processes.
One of the most insightful parts of the discussion centres on risk. Mr Perkins describes how many local authorities are reluctant to be first movers because of fears around liability, standards and unintended consequences. Host Paul Hutton recalls conversations around East Riding of Yorkshire’s street lighting trials where officers worried that removing lighting, even with alternative safety measures in place, could expose them to criticism or even coroners’ investigations after collisions.
The podcast explores how Live Labs 2 is trying to “de-risk” innovation by generating evidence authorities can trust. Projects discussed include low-carbon asphalt trials, carbon-negative road upgrades in Devon, Liverpool’s work on procurement reform, and experiments turning highways grass cuttings into biofuels.
We also learn why the programme’s newly funded fourth year is perhaps the most important phase yet. Rather than building more demonstrators, the focus is now on dissemination: helping councils, contractors and suppliers understand what has worked and how it can be scaled nationwide. For example, applying some of the East Riding street lighting principles nationally could save around 100,000 tonnes of carbon and cut £1 billion from public spending.
For anyone working in highways, local government, infrastructure innovation or transport policy, this episode provides a rare opportunity to hear how the sector is attempting to turn sustainability from isolated pilots into “business as usual”. It is also a revealing look at the cultural, procurement and behavioural barriers that still stand in the way of faster change.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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This week on Highways Voices, we tackle one of the most important issues facing transport professionals today: road safety.
To discuss whether the industry is truly serious about Vision Zero, we’re joined by Jamie Hassall, Executive Director of PACTS, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, who delivers a frank and thought-provoking challenge to many of the assumptions drivers, policymakers and even transport professionals hold about safety on the road network.
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In the conversation, he argues that Britain’s national speed limit system is outdated, particularly on rural roads, and explains why “safe speed” is often very different from the number shown on a sign. The conversation explores the backlash against 20mph limits, why compliance with speed limits remains so poor, and whether technologies like Intelligent Speed Assistance, telematics and autonomous vehicles could fundamentally change driver behaviour.
We also discuss why road safety investment still struggles to secure funding despite crashes – including many which are preventable - costing the UK economy billions each year, and whether organisations that repeatedly claim “safety is our number one priority” are genuinely backing those words with meaningful action.
Perhaps most importantly, Jamie Hassall makes the case for a major focus on work-related road safety, arguing that fleet operators and employers could play a transformative role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads.
This is a conversation guaranteed to spark debate across the highways and transport technology sector.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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As the Government prepares to introduce a new pay-per-mile charging scheme for electric vehicles from 2028, the debate is heating up and you’ll hear the latest thinking on today’s Highways Voices.
In this recorded inside the Houses of Parliament, industry leaders, campaign groups, technology experts and motoring representatives come together to tackle one of the biggest questions facing the future of transport funding: how do we replace fuel duty in an electric future, and can it be done fairly and effectively?
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With warnings of a £27 billion hole in Treasury finances as drivers move away from petrol and diesel, supporters argue EV road charging is inevitable. But concerns remain around privacy, public trust, fairness for drivers without home charging, and whether the technology, and politics, are ready.
This episode explores:
Why EV road charging is now firmly on the political agendaWhy simple odometer charging is not necessarily enough, or if smarter location-based systems are neededThe lessons the UK can learn from countries already operating road user chargingFears around a lower EV uptakeConcerns around driver privacy, public acceptance and implementation timescalesWhy the real challenge isn’t technology, but political courageYou’ll hear passionate arguments from across the sector, including advocates for smarter road pricing, warnings from EV drivers themselves, and hard-earned lessons from those who’ve delivered complex charging systems before.
Whether you work in highways, transport policy, mobility technology or simply want to understand how the UK pays for roads in a post-fuel-duty future, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
Listen now and join the debate on the future of road charging in the UK.
You’ll hear from:
Ben Plowden – CEO, Campaign for Better TransportSilviya Barrett - Director of Strategy and Research, Campaign for Better TransportTim Wray – UK & Ireland Sales Director. KapschMax Sugarman – Chief Executive, Intelligent Transport Systems UK (ITS-UK)Richard Sallnow – Associate, PA ConsultingVicky Edmonds – CEO, EVA EnglandSteve Gooding, RAC Foundation, DirectorHighways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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Helen Clifford’s story is remarkable enough on its own: in 1984, she became London Transport’s first female mechanic, walking into a world of workshop pin-up calendars, no women’s changing facilities and a culture that simply wasn’t designed for women, and she’s now been recognised for it.
In this edition of Highways Voices, recorded at the London Transport Museum during celebrations marking the unveiling of a blue plaque in her honour, she reflects with warmth and humour on what it was really like to break barriers in one of Britain’s most male-dominated industries.
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But this episode is about far more than one pioneering career. Transport for London’s Director of Buses, Lorna Murphy, explains why inclusivity matters to the future of transport, why the industry still has a long way to go, and how getting more women into buses and highways ultimately creates better services for everyone.
The conversation also broadens into a discussion about the future of public transport itself. Murphy shares TfL’s thinking on how cities can encourage more people onto buses through affordable fares, seamless interchange and giving public transport priority on increasingly crowded roads. She also offers practical advice for local authorities taking greater control of their bus networks, arguing that successful regulation must focus relentlessly on what passengers actually need, from frequency and reliability to waiting environments and easy connections.
Alongside reflections on joining the industry from Highways News’s new recruit, Libby McMahon, this uplifting episode celebrates progress, challenges assumptions and explores how buses remain central to cleaner, better-connected cities.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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In this week’s Highways Voices we discover how connected vehicle data is transforming the way we understand and manage our roads
Industry veteran Steve Isaacs is Paul Hutton’s guest to explore an innovative solution from Swedish firm Nira Dynamics, using data from hundreds of thousands of Volkswagen Group vehicles to deliver real-time insights into road conditions.
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By measuring friction where the tyre meets the road, this technology can identify hazards like standing water, ice, and snow as they happen, offering a powerful new tool for highway authorities.
From smarter winter maintenance and reduced salt usage to proactive drainage and asset management, Steve Isaacs explains how the potential benefits are significant. With continuous, network-wide monitoring replacing traditional one-off surveys, this could mark a step-change in efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
Listen now to get a fascinating look at how everyday vehicle data can unlock unprecedented visibility of the road network.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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Here’s our third episode of Highways Voices the ITS European Congress in Istanbul, and today there’s a clear eye on the future, as anticipation builds for the ITS World Congress in Birmingham 2027.
Host Paul Hutton brings together a mix of expert insight, industry conversation and on-the-ground perspective from one of the sector’s key global gatherings. At the heart of the episode is a thoughtful overview from Chief Rapporteur Professor Eric Sampson, who distils the major themes emerging from the Congress. From data-driven safety management and inclusive mobility design, to the challenges of integrating transport modes and scaling up autonomous vehicle deployment, his reflections highlight both how far the industry has come, and how much work still lies ahead.
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There’s a strong sense that intelligent transport systems are evolving rapidly, but not always smoothly. Discussions around user behaviour, equity, and affordability underline the importance of designing solutions that work for real people, while innovations in logistics, like remotely assisted electric delivery vehicles, show how technology is tackling urban challenges in new ways. At the same time, big questions remain, particularly around the business case and real-world impact of autonomous vehicles.
Away from the conference sessions, the podcast captures the buzz of the exhibition floor and the value of international collaboration. A chance encounter with industry expert Neil Levett reveals how traditional civil engineering and cutting-edge technology are increasingly converging, with innovations like fibre-optic traffic monitoring systems pointing to a safer, more efficient future.
The episode also explores the wider economic and social value of the ITS sector. ITS UK CEO Max Sugarman shares his research showing the industry is worth far more than previously thought, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and delivering significant economic impact, while also highlighting efforts to inspire the next generation.
Running throughout the podcast is a growing excitement about what comes next, with strong international interest already building for Birmingham 2027, and you’ll hear lots about this, plus get a flavour of a special reception for UK companies with the local British Chamber of Commerce.
Overall, this episode is a compelling snapshot of a sector full of innovation, collaboration and ambition, and a great way to get a feel for the conversations shaping the future of transport.
For additional information about Birmingham 2027 or to make enquiries and bookings, interested parties are invited to contact [email protected] or go to: https://2027.itsworldcongress.com/
Jordan Cowley – [email protected].uk
Jasvinder Sidhu – [email protected]
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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Connected vehicle technology is no longer a future concept, it’s already embedded in the cars people drive and the networks we operate. So why does deployment still feel slow and fragmented?
Recorded at the ITS European Congress in Istanbul, this panel discussion focuses on the real challenge facing the sector: how to move from capability to widespread implementation. Bringing together leaders from government, industry and local authorities, the discussion explores what’s holding progress back, and what’s starting to unlock it.
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Hear from:
Joost Vantomme, CEO of ERTICO – ITS EuropeDarren Capes, Head of Road Infrastructure Technology at the Department for TransportKerry Winstanley, Managing Director of LCRIGMax Sugarman, CEO of ITS UKTheir message is clear: the technology largely exists, deployment is the challenge.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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We’re in Istanbul for the 2026 ITS European Congress this week, and we kick off our series of podcasts with our “pitwalk”, where we chat to the exhibitors on the UK Pavilion.
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Paul Hutton talks to ten guests in 25 minutes to underline to you how, from AI-powered cameras to radar-based incident detection, there’s a huge amount of innovation here and now across the sector and that, more and more, data and AI are at the heart of modern mobility.
Our guests are:
Inada Penman, AECOMNora Ali, Clearview IntelligenceMurat Hayri Serafettinoglu, Fides (Clearview’s Turkish partner)Giorgio Potenza, AGD SystemsHelen Garrett, MAV SystemsThomas Greene, Q-FreeLuis Miranda Hevia, Q-FreeGraham Jennings, Navtech RadarRichard Owen, AgilysisJordan Cowley, Transport for West MidlandsYou’ll hear how collaboration is driving progress globally, with our UK companies working closely with international partners, sharing expertise and scaling solutions across borders.This highlights how connected the ITS ecosystem has become, and this isn’t stuff of the future, it’s here and now and making our lives better.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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Today on Highways Voices we find out how improving performance in an industry can come down to an overlooked skill – communication.
For decision makers in highways and transport operations, maintaining reliable, customer-focused services while hitting performance targets is a constant challenge.
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So this episode explores how a shift in recruitment strategy, focusing on communication and customer service skills rather than traditional operational backgrounds, and how it’s helping one operation reduce complaints and improve relationships between different staff members.
We’re talking to Annette Pratten-Lane, Control Centre Manager at Arriva’s Purley Way bus hub in London, whose rethink of recruitment strategy has led to a fourfold increase in female controllers – rising from 5% to 20% – by targeting candidates with strong communication skills rather than traditional bus industry experience.
Reflecting wider industry efforts supported by the organisation Women in Bus and Coach, she’s explained to Paul Hutton how diversifying your workforce can directly improve operational performance and reduce customer complaints
In today’s episode you’ll learn why communication skills, and not a technical background, are becoming the most critical asset in control room environments and see how fresh perspectives from outside the industry can challenge outdated practices and drive better outcomes
Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.
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This week’s Highways Voices features one of the most important people in the highways and transport technology industries - Michael Schuch, the CEO of SWARCO.
He sat down with Paul Hutton for an in-depth chat about the industry during Intertraffic Amsterdam and they discussed sustainability, the challenges around, and the state of the industry globally, plus, of course, AI and cyber security.
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By listening to this podcast you’ll hear an industry leader explain why, while sustainability might not be grabbing the headlines as often these days, for SWARCO, it’s a non-negotiable.You’ll also hear why many of the biggest challenges in our industry aren’t about the technology at all, they’re about the systems around it and why mobility in the 2020s is definitely about making better use of what we’ve already got.
This isn’t the sort of podcast you get elsewhere where someone tells you how great his company is, it’s about a real piece of thought leadership about our industry and where it’s heading.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.
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Today on Highways Voices we visit the site of one of the UK's largest infrastructure projects, and one with a very interesting back story. The A417 Missing Link project in Gloucestershire has been covered quite often on Highways News, so now with construction work at a critical phase, Kevin Borras visited the project office in Birdlip to talk to National Highways, Kier Transportation and Prolectric about some of the unique and fascinating elements of the £460m road that, when it's finished, will link Brockworth and Cowley via a new, three-mile long dual carriageway.
Aiming to reduce congestion and improve connectivity between the Midlands and the South, the project also includes the construction of a new junction and green bridges, with completion scheduled for spring 2027 - all with making as little environmental impact as possible a key priority. But why was it missing in the first place?
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We hear from National Highways' A417 Missing Link Senior Project Manager Celine Acard, Kier Transportation's Senior Project Manager Nick Williams and from Kathryn Adams, Director of Product for Prolectric, the company responsible for the project hitting its environmental targets, thanks to its use of renewable energy.
You'll find out why the link was never built, how public engagement was used so smartly, how the unprecedented low carbon targets are being met, why the sustainability angle was deemed so important and how the needs and requirements of cows and bats were also part of the enormous equation.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.
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In this final bonus episode of Highways Voices from Intertraffic Amsterdam 2026, we bring you more conversations highlighting how innovation is already transforming transport systems, from airports to urban streets.
We hear how automated vehicles are moving staff around Schiphol Airport and pointing towards scalable platooned transport systems, while in cities, attention turns to logistics, where better freight access depends on political will, collaboration and smarter use of data to manage limited curb space and support more liveable environments. You’ll hear how parking is heading towards frictionless, invisible payments, while innovations like solar road studs show how infrastructure can be both safer and more sustainable.
Podcasts from Intertraffic are sponsored by SWARCO, Westcotec, AGD Systems and TRL.
Across the sector, data is the common thread. From market intelligence shaping strategy to real-time and predictive analytics improving traffic management, better insights are driving better decisions. Meanwhile, new sensing technologies, from fibre-optic monitoring to thermal detection, are enhancing safety, efficiency and resilience across the network.
From automation and analytics to safety and sustainability, this episode underlines how the transport sector is moving beyond ideas into real-world deployment, and delivering smarter, safer and more efficient networks today.
Our guests are:
Joost Ortjens - Director of EMEA and Corporate Development, OhmioDaniel Herrera Meek – Project and Parking Working Group Manager, POLISTom Hedman – Vice President, Sales, BillogramRalph Bates – Head of Business Development (England & Wales), Clearview IntelligenceSabine Röttgen – Market Intelligence, JenoptikRalf-Peter Schäfer – VP Product Management, Traffic & Travel Information, TomTomMatt Smith – National Technology Manager, Kier InfrastructureStefaan Pinck – VP Business Development (Traffic Solutions), FLIRCheck out Highways News’s new TikTok channel here.
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Our latest episode of the Highways Voices podcast, recorded live at Intertraffic Amsterdam 2026, brings together six leading voices from across the global mobility sector, highlighting how artificial intelligence, connected systems and data-driven innovation are rapidly reshaping transport, road safety and urban mobility.
Podcasts from Intertraffic are sponsored by SWARCO, Westcotec, AGD Systems and TRL.
Featuring senior figures from Jenoptik, Kapsch, the European Parking Association, Ekin Smart City Technologies, Monotch and MOVYON, the programme provides a comprehensive snapshot of where the industry is heading—and why collaboration across sectors is becoming more critical than ever.
You’ll hear from:
Adrian Cadd – Managing Director, Jenoptik UKCarolin Treichl – EVP EMEA, KapschTom Antonissen – Executive Director, European Parking AssociationAkif Ekin – Founder and CEO, Ekin Smart City TechnologyMenno Malta – CEO, MonotchLorenzo Maraia - Urban Mobility Director, MOVYONAcross all six interviews, a clear theme emerges: the future of mobility lies in intelligent, connected systems that use data to make transport safer, fairer and more efficient.
Whether through enforcement, charging, parking, traffic management or infrastructure monitoring, AI is no longer a future concept, it is already embedded across the network, often operating invisibly in the background.
This latest Highways Voices episode captures that transformation in action, offering you a front-row seat to the ideas and innovations shaping the roads of tomorrow.
Check out Highways News’s new TikTok channel here.
Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Pocket Casts and never miss an episode!
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Today on Highways Voices, we dig into the detail of this year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance, ALARM survey, which was published on Tuesday 17 March, and showed a record £18.6 billion local road repair backlog.
The report warned road users should not expect a quick fix to the condition of local roads, despite a reported increase in funding, and that carriageway repairs would take 12 years to clear.
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We talk to Asphalt Industry Alliance Chair David Giles who highlights a challenge that directly affects policy decisions, asset management strategies, and funding priorities. He explores why the backlog continues to grow, how funding strategies could make a bigger impact, and what smarter maintenance approaches could mean for the future resilience of the UK’s road network.
You’ll get a clear understanding of why the UK’s road maintenance backlog continues to grow despite increased funding. Mr Giles gives practical insights into how funding models, such as front-loading investment, could deliver better long-term value and faster network recovery and also discusses preventative maintenance, whole-life road management, and the role of data and standards in improving road condition monitoring.
Read about the survey here.
Next week we return to Intertraffic Amsterdam for more content from that huge show thanks to our sponsors of those podcasts SWARCO, Westcotec, AGD Systems and TRL.
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