Colleagues and friends at PJA pay tribute to Ben Hamilton-Baillie who died from cancer aged 63 in March this year.
Phil Jones, chairman of transport planning, engineering and placemaking specialist PJA, started working with Ben nearly 20 years ago. Their first project was transforming busy residential streets near the centre of Ipswich into a ‘home zone’ – where traffic yields to pedestrians and cyclists in non-demarcated areas.
Phil said: “Ben challenged the way of thinking in highways that everything has to be regulated, with streets cluttered with signs, barriers and markings. He would say that we don’t need a sign to say don’t fart in church, nor do we need warning signs in swimming pool lanes – because people already know what to do! It was simple but challenging.
“Ben was a great guy. Fun to be around and a terrific public speaker. He put his ideas across in a really understandable and convincing way.”
PJA associate Annabel Keegan added: “My memories of Ben are of a generous and willing teacher who would always take the time to share his knowledge and offer advice.
“I loved listening to him speak at community presentations; he had such a relaxed and articulate way of explaining his design ideas that he was able to calm nervous residents and professional staff.
“He was a big story teller and I loved listening to him talk about his travels, and growing in different places around the world. He was a sociable man, and I will miss his cheeky twinkle and funny emails.”
