Now in its 22nd year, The Transport Practitioners' Meeting (TPM) is the must-attend annual gathering for all transport planners, modellers, placemakers, and urban transport designers. This event brings together practitioners, policymakers, and academics who will present numerous topical papers over the course of two days, fostering lively debates, networking opportunities, and the dissemination of the latest thinking across the profession. TPM serves as the annual meeting place for the wider transport and built environment community, offering two days of world-class networking, idea sharing, and spirited debate.
We are excited this year to be heading to Manchester. The city's well-connected transport infrastructure, recent bus franchising and the expansion of the Bee Network make it a natural meeting point for TPM. Manchester boasts a rich history of innovation and industrial heritage, making it an ideal backdrop for discussions on the future of transportation and promises to offer a compelling and engaging backdrop for the conference that encourages knowledge exchange, networking, and forward-thinking discussions.
Why submit an abstract?
Presenting at TPM, regardless of your career level, offers a wealth of valuable opportunities. Seasoned practitioners will find a unique platform to share their expertise with a diverse and knowledgeable community of peers, fostering meaningful debates and the dissemination of valuable insights. For emerging professionals, TPM provides a supportive and friendly environment to build confidence and enthusiasm while presenting to a receptive and knowledgeable audience of fellow practitioners.
All delegates benefit from a range of networking opportunities. Graduates will rub shoulders with CEOs who in turn will be able to chat to the decision makers at Local Authorities. Above all, TPM creates an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere where professionals can discuss the latest trends, exchange ideas, and cultivate new projects.
Each day of attendance at TPM counts towards Continuing Professional Development Hours.
What topics are people interested in?
Recognising that something you have worked on is of interest to fellow practitioners is the first step; be it delivery of a tricky project, development of new best practice, a piece of research or even a critique of the status quo, TPM is all about sharing knowledge and ideas. With an audience that works across the full spectrum of transport activities, a vast array of topics will be of interest to other delegates.
Below is a list of hot topics we’d encourage people to consider when thinking about developing papers.
Smart Cities
- Automation in transit and freight systems
- MaaS, WaaS and smart ticketing
- Travel Demand Management
- Data collection, interpretation, management
Changing Travel Behaviour
- Evidence based modal shift
- Successful travel plans for schools and businesses
- Bus Back Better and bus priority implementation
- Local traffic neighbourhoods and 15-minute cities
Net-Zero Future
- Case studies of successful implementation of future mobility
- Practical steps and examples of different industry facets working together
- Air Quality Management
- First / last mile solutions and alternative freight
- Holistic Planning
- Integrating green infrastructure into transport projects
- Evidence based people centred solutions
- Developing an inclusive transport system
- Change management best practices and lessons learned
Planning the Future
- New or innovative approaches to funding projects
- The changing world of regional transport strategies
- Delivering transport projects in an uncertain political landscape
- Taking account of carbon in transport planning
Communicating and Influencing
- Examples of successful engagement campaigns
- Consultation methods, strategies and best practices
- Getting politicians on side
The Future of Modelling
- Appraisal in an era of growing complexity
- Real-time predictive modelling
- Incident management and planning
Delivering Rural Transport
- Addressing lack of evidence of transport decarbonisation in non-urban locations
- Supporting mode shift in rural environments
- Delivering private sector investment and collaboration on rural mobility schemes
The Shape of the Industry
- Successful collaboration with relevant partner sectors
- Lessons learnt on project development and delivery
- Supporting the industry with skills development
But these are by no means exclusive, we are happy to accept papers on the latest developments in all areas of transport!
How are papers presented?
The conference, which runs over two days from 3 – 4 July 2024, is split into a series of parallel streams, and further divided into a number of sessions. Each session lasts between 90 – 120 minutes and features three or four papers.
Speakers are advised to allow 20 minutes to present their paper and 10 minutes for discussion with the audience; a chairperson ensures that speakers remain within their allotted 30 minutes. This format allows delegates the freedom to explore a wide range of topics and papers that are of direct relevance to their own work areas.
Want to present a workshop?
Workshop sessions will be arranged to allow delegates to explore particular issues in more depth, lasting one hour. We encourage presenters to view workshops as interactive sessions, not simply a longer paper presentation.
How are papers selected?
The TPM Committee considers all submitted abstracts and discuss which ones should be presented at the conference. The intention is to select interesting papers that will inspire lively and fruitful debates. As papers are selected on the basis of the abstracts received, it’s important that abstracts contain sufficient information to demonstrate the value of the paper to transport practitioners. If selected, the abstract title and summary will be used in delegate packs – think about the audience you would like to attract to your presentation when you write this!
Please make sure that you provide enough information about the proposed content of your paper, and any expected conclusions and results, when you prepare your abstract.
What are the timescales?
Thursday 25 January 2024 – Deadline for submission of abstracts is twelve noon
Friday 1 March 2024 – Authors will be notified whether their abstract has been selected
Friday 5 June 2024 – Deadline for submission of papers and presentations
Young Practitioners
We love to see papers from those under the age of 28, particularly those working in the public sector. Each year PTRC offers a bursary award to a young professional working in Local Government. This provides free attendance to the conference and applies to sole authors only. There is also a prize up for grabs by young practitioners...
Submit your application for the bursary to brogan.mcpherson@ptrc-training.co.uk
What needs to go into an abstract?
In order to allow fair evaluation by the TPM Committee, abstracts should be submitted through the website or by following the below format.
- Header: Full names of all authors
- Abstract Title: [Title]
- Submitted as a: [Paper/Workshop proposal]
- Author name/s
- Position/s and Affiliation/s
- Postal Address
- Telephone number
- Email Address
- Please indicate which authors will be presenting the paper at the conference.
- Young Practitioner? Please add a tick mark next to the relevant author’s name(s).
- Abstract (Max. 300 words, outlining):
- Project Idea
- Purpose and Objectives
- Findings and Originality
- Conclusion and Policy Implications
- Keywords: [word one, word two, word three – please refer to TPM themes]
- Summary (Max. 100 words):
The abstract summary will be included in the information made available to delegates in order for them to choose which sessions they would like to attend at the conference.
All text should be in Arial 12pt font, aligned left.
Please note that as with all conferences of this nature, speakers are required to pay to attend. Discounted speaker rates apply.
Submit your abstract
Who do I send my abstract to?
Please send abstracts to the website or to info@ptrc-training.co.uk by noon on Thursday 25 January 2024. If you have any questions about submitting an abstract or any other aspects of the conference, please drop us a line at the same address – we’re here to help.
Want to get your company’s name in the lights?
There are plenty of opportunities to promote your business at TPM. Sponsorship opportunities include: exhibition spaces, headline sponsorship, drinks reception sponsor and many more. If you would like to apply a more innovative approach to promoting your business in the run up to TPM, and at the conference itself, we would love to hear from you!
Contact Brogan McPherson at brogan.mcpherson@ptrc-training.co.uk or 0207 348 1979 for more information.
Awards
There are six awards presented at the conference dinner:
The PTRC Lifetime Achievement Award
Sponsored by PTRC, this award is presented to an individual or organisation for their long-term commitment and contribution to the profession and/or the development of the transport agenda in the UK. In 2023, the PTRC Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Phil Jones for his contribution to the world of transport.
Best Paper Demonstrating Sustainable Transport Solutions
The 2023 PTRC award for Best Paper at TPM Demonstrating Sustainable Transport Solutions was given to Angela Coull, Shane Hymers, Daniel Gillen and Helene Bataille for their paper The Correlation Between Journey Time and Uptake in an Urban Planning Environment
Transport Planner of the Year
Sponsored by the Transport Planning Society, this prize will be awarded to a member of the profession for their involvement in delivering a policy or initiative which has required courage and vision to win hearts and minds. The 2023 Transport Planner of the Year Award was presented to Will Pedley of Oxfordshire County Council.
Young Transport Planner of the Year
Also sponsored by the Transport Planning Society, the inaugural Young Transport Planner of the Year was presented to Grace Bailey.
Best Paper at the Conference by a Young Professional
This prize, sponsored by City Science, is awarded to the best paper at the conference by a young professional aged 28 years and under. In 2023, the award for Best Paper at the Conference by a Young Practitioner was given to Jamie Smith for his paper Changing the parameters of Community Transport to deliver greater economic and social value to rural areas across the UK.
Urban Transport Design Award
In 2023, the Urban Movement sponsored Urban Transport Design Award was presented to Chelmsford City Council for their pedestrian crossing in Half Moon Square.
Submit your abstract on the TPM Website www.transportconference.co.uk