Ahead of this year’s CiTTi Awards, one judge has called upon entrants to seek new opportunities in innovation within the ever-changing world of urban mobility.
Keith Mortimer is the director of Wyeval Consulting and City Transport & Traffic Innovation Magazine‘s (CiTTi’s) resident columnist. He has also chaired and reported on Akabo Media’s Road User Charging Conference in Brussels, Belgium.
Mortimer spoke to CiTTi Magazine to outline his thoughts behind his judging process and how ambitious entries are poised to win at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which takes place at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in central London on 26 November 2024.
Why did you choose to be a judge at the CiTTi Awards?
In taking up this invitation I’m really not looking to sit in judgement on any of my peers, but rather seeking reasons to celebrate best practice and innovation. Decades of chairing ITS workshops and conferences have equipped me to ask occasionally meaningful questions, while techy-commercial roles in varyingly successful projects around the world have taught me not to underestimate the diverse efforts needed to create workable and viable offerings.
What is the biggest challenge facing those with responsibility for developing urban transport and traffic schemes in 2024?
Context matters. Unintended consequences are caused by gaps in understanding, or by failure to tackle inconvenient questions upfront, often fuelled by the need for expediency. Worse still, changes driven by external forces can render whole chunks of cherished projects obsolete.
Therefore innovators’ ambitions should align well with critical or changeable policy goals, and show resilience to the slings and arrows of technical, economic and environmental disruption. Major and growing challenges, arising from chronic shortages in resources or funds, require ever-greater ingenuity to prioritise promised improvements and resolve existing problems.
READ MORE: See the CiTTi Awards 2024 shortlist!
What are you looking for in a winning entry?
In return for asking questions I’ll be hoping to gain insights that illuminate key challenges, describe practical solutions and signpost a sustainable future. Sometimes the need for change can unlock wider opportunities that should not be wasted. When the checklist for every entry will demonstrate the highest quality of thought and workmanship (or why would they apply?) then a display of originality and inspiration can tip the balance.
A little imagination or investment might lead towards an era of truly intelligent transport. Does the offered solution meet or exceed the original goals? Does it enhance the sustainable, safe and timely movement of people and goods? Does it harmonise with its neighbours? Do we see a positive scenario of cooperation by transport authorities with suppliers to reinforce consistent governance?
The third annual CiTTi Awards will be held on 26 November 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector – and to book your table!
