Now that the dust has settled, PTRC would like to give a huge thank you to all the contributors, participants and sponsors at last week’s TPM 2025 held at Manchester Metropolitan University. With special thanks to our headline sponsor AtkinsRéalis.
Manchester was a fitting venue for the event. We got to hear Vernon Everitt, the transport commissioner for Greater Manchester, tell us about the Bee Network and see it in action for ourselves. This was followed by a panel discussion, where Vernon was joined by Beate Kubitz, Andy gibbons and Lee White. The panellists agreed that bus services were vital for the local economy, inclusivity, sustainability and reducing congestion. However, for local transport authorities to take control of bus services, there was a need for upskilling staff.
Lectures ran simultaneously in six rooms and were all very well attended (in some cases with standing room only). A wide range of topics was covered, and all speakers were clearly very passionate about their subject. But TPM is much more than the presentations. The networking opportunity is unparalleled with a total of 253 transport practitioners attending over the two days!
Special thanks to Claire Stocks who took 30 delegates on a walking tour through the city centre on a busy Wednesday afternoon. We saw wonderful examples of public realm schemes to encourage active travel.
Day One ended with the Transport Planning Society drinks reception, awards and dinner. It was incredibly difficult for the judges to select the award-winning papers when they were all such high quality. Congratulations to the winners:-
- PTRC Lifetime Achievement Award: Vernon Everitt
- AtkinsRéalis Best Paper at the conference by a Young Practitioner: Gregory Neil
- Transport Planning Society Best Paper at the Conference: Josef Whitfield
- Urban Movement Urban Transport Design Award: Bristol City Council
- Citisense Best Paper demonstrating Sustainable Transport Solutions: Firuz Sulaimi
There were so many noteworthy sessions over the two days, including a fun PechaKucha session to kick off day two, that we couldn’t possibly give due credit here.
If you were a speaker and would like your materials published, please confirm with shania.mccalla@ptrc-training.co.uk
We’ll be doing it again next year so look out for call for papers in the Autumn, and if you are interested in joining the Selection Committee for 2026TPM, contact Shania at shania.mccalla@ptrc-training.co.uk
#2025TPM #transportpractitionersmeeting