As this news update is being written, the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP29, is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan. There, world leaders are attempting to secure a new goal on climate finance, as work continues around the globe to drive down greenhouse gas emissions, build communities’ resilience, and boost the strength of climate action. 

With all this in mind, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) has made a timely intervention with the release of its report entitled Delivering a resilient transport network. 

This publication sets out how, in the learned society’s view, the highways sector must evolve and begin to implement specific changes to help mitigate the effects of climate change. 

It is of more critical importance than ever to ensure the resilience of transport networks 

CIHT’s report provides an overview of how road infrastructure is impacted by extreme weather. It also sets out case studies showing how the implementation of ad-hoc adaptation pathways and physical interventions can bring “genuine success”. 

Furthermore, the document draws attention to the importance of the highways and transport sector being seriously prioritised during this time of climate emergency. 

Efforts continue to achieve a goal of net-zero emissions by the midpoint of this century. In the meantime, a major focus of the discussions among COP29 attendees has been the subject of how communities can be helped to adapt to the impacts of climate change. 

The Delivering a resilient transport network report makes a meaningful contribution to this ongoing debate, and will therefore be of interest to many transport consultants and their clients. 

The publication outlines how taking steps to prepare road infrastructure now will be vital in order to achieve long-term resilience, at the same time as minimising costs and protecting communities and the economy. 

What are the major takeaways from the CIHT publication? 

The membership body’s report set out the following points that will be of relevance to many readers: 

  • There is an urgent need to act now and be prepared. The organisation has said that, across all governmental transport strategies, adaptation and resilience should be made an immediate investment and policy priority. Otherwise, there could be “a risk of significant and expensive infrastructure failures”. 
  • Funding for maintenance is vital. CIHT has underscored the importance of investing in the maintenance of existing highways and infrastructure, to help ensure the continued and efficient use of the transport network. 
  • Mandatory assessments of infrastructure’s current and future resilience should be undertaken. The charity has said that the UK’s legislative road authorities should make it a statutory requirement for all transport asset owners to carry out transport resilience assessments. This, the organisation has reasoned, will help identify vulnerabilities in the network, prioritise remedial action, and pinpoint who should be responsible. 
  • It is crucial to build a nationwide leadership. CIHT has also urged the legislative road authorities of the UK to provide the sector with coherent and consistent guidance on how to undertake risk assessments on resilience. The membership body stated that there was “a need to avoid different operators and asset owners developing their own internal assessments based on different assumptions, leading to non-transferable or non-sharable data.” 

For further information on the CIHT’s recommendations and to read the report in full, transport consultants and their clients are advised to visit the learned society’s website. 

Our own experts in transport planning consultancy at Transport Planning Associates (TPA) stand ready to guide you in relation to your projects in this sector. Please enquire today to your closest TPA office to receive the best possible transport planning and infrastructure advice.