Overview

Ken Skates MS, Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, will give a keynote address/ministerial statement on current transport issues in Wales.

The Welsh Government has led the way internationally in respect of progressive climate and social policy, enshrining in law the need to protect future generations through the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and Senedd Cymru were the first parliament in the world to declare a climate emergency in April 2019.

The Welsh Government continues to display forward-thinking ambition, particularly within the transport sector. The publication of many notable commitments and strategies in Wales includes the Llywodraeth Cymru (Welsh Government) Roads Review. Driven by the need to decarbonise our transport network, the Roads Review places carbon at the heart of decision making.

Now three years on from the Roads Review and in light of the updated version of WelTAG, there is increasing experience applying this in practice. This includes a number of cases where local authorities have returned to the drawing board to identify new options at locations where previous road solutions were cancelled. 

While there are now examples of this leading to decisions more compatible with climate commitments, there are also plenty of challenges remaining to applying this at scale. This includes gaps in the evidence and methodologies needed to tackle the hard questions that climate commitments and Welsh policies now require transport planners and designers to consider. 

In this presentation Olivia, Tom and Alex - transport decarbonisation experts at WSP in the UK, will discuss what our progressive climate policies in Wales mean for transport strategy and PAS2080 aligned scheme development.

They will cover how strategy and scheme development interface in practice, at different tiers of national, regional and local governance and how an evidence-led approach to carbon can be embedded in influential stages of transport planning such as regional transport plans.

Across this presentation they will draw on experience of developing innovative new methods, tools and evidence across the UK and internationally, and share insights of how this can be applied to support transport authorities in Wales to align their decision-making with carbon budgets and the transition to net zero.

Co-organised by

Why you can't miss this event

• Excellent CPD opportunity
• Learn about the latest in transport decarbonisation
• Interactive Q&A with experts

Who is this event for?

Anyone working in or with Highways & Transportation.

Speakers

	Ken Skates - Cabinet Secretary for Transport & North Wales, Welsh Government Ken Skates was born in 1976 in Wrexham, educated at Mold Alun School and went on to study Social and Political Science at Cambridge University. Professional background is as follows: Ken was previously a journalist at the Wrexham Leader newspaper, and a PA to Mark Tami MP. In 2008, he was elected a community councillor. Ken’s policy interests include manufacturing, mental health, sport and leisure, eliminating poverty and political economy. Ken was appointed to the Welsh Government as Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology in 2011. He was then appointed Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism in 2014 and promoted to Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure in May 2016. Ken was appointed Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport on 21 March 2024, and re-appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales on 11 September 2024.
	Tom Gold - Chartered Environmentalist & Associate Director, WSP Tom is a chartered environmentalist and associate director within the Transport Net Zero team at WSP in the UK. Tom plays a leading role in the development of our Transport team’s response to the climate emergency and has authored technical guidance for clients including the Department for Transport and National Highways, leading many of our most complex projects and research and development programmes.    
	Alex Thomas - Technical Lead, WSP Alex joined WSP in 2022 from previous roles in local government  where he led work across development management, transport strategy, modelling and carbon analysis. Alex is a key technical lead in the Transport Net Zero team who has led numerous studies advising of the carbon implications for transport strategy and developed innovative new carbon tools and methodologies. 
	Olivia Cairns - Decarbonisation Consultant, WSP Olivia began her career at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and now carries five years of experience working as a sustainability consultant in the transport sector. In 2023, she made an internal switch within WSP in the UK from the Intelligent Infrastructure team across to the Transport Net Zero team. Based in Cardiff, Olivia has led the carbon inputs to multiple projects across Wales at a time when decarbonisation and acting now for future generations is at the at the forefront of national transport planning and policy. 

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Help & Support

For more information, please contact wales@ciht.org.uk.