In the lead up to Transport Planning Day on 20th November we caught up with Daniel Bent, Transport Modelling Associate in our Birmingham office, to talk about what makes him proud in his work, what he feels are his biggest work achievements and what advice he would give to those considering transport planning as a career.

Why did you first become interested in transport planning?

Honestly, I always wanted to be an Architect! However, for one reason or another, I ended up going to University to study Civil Engineering. During that time, a friend of the family (who was also an engineer) recommended going into the transportation sector after I graduated. He spoke fondly of his career and the work opportunities it offered him.

Inspired by his chats, I took his advice and have worked as a transport modeller for 12 years now!

What is your favourite thing about working in transport planning?

As a transport modeller, no two projects are the same. The range of projects I have worked on includes simple junctions, larger road networks, pedestrian-focused shared space schemes, cyclist and public transport improvements, multi-storey car park testing and distribution centre proposals. Each model has its own quirks and there are always challenges to overcome. The testing of various scenarios and options is interesting and particularly rewarding when you come up with something that looks to provide long-term benefits.

The models are always developed for varying aims and purposes, which can range from impacts on multiple modes of travel to looking at air quality and environmental outputs. This helps you meet different people, both inside and outside the company, and gain an understanding of their needs and requirements and how the modelling feeds into their work streams.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

A typical day will involve working on developing traffic models for their chosen purpose. This firstly involves building a current-day model to make sure the model is realistic, before undertaking scenario testing to suit the project needs. I work closely with my colleagues to provide modelling support, outputs and technical advice where needed.

PJA are a forward-thinking company and I’m grateful that there is also time available for research and development. We are always looking to innovate and come up with efficiency tools, processes and new concepts to improve the modelling we undertake.

In your career, how did you get to where you are now?

I studied Civil Engineering at the University of Birmingham and as part of my Masters year, spent three months on Industrial Experience at a global engineering consultancy in their transport team.

Since graduating, I have continued to work within the transport consultancy sector, evolving into a specialist modeller over the years.

What has been your biggest achievement to date?

From a work perspective, my biggest achievements to date are being involved in traffic modelling for two Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) proposals, which support economic growth, create jobs and look to maximise travel by rail and minimise travel by road. These have been granted planning consent by the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State and are currently being developed out on site. Getting approval from the Government was really pleasing and on a personal level, I was delighted that my involvement with the modelling and collaboration with all relevant parties and stakeholders had contributed to these decisions.

On a personal level, I am proud to be a Chartered Engineer through the Chartered Institute of Highways & Transportation (CIHT).

What would be your advice to someone considering a career in transport planning?

Be open minded, there’s more to it than meets the eye!

If you enjoy problem solving, want to influence more sustainable travel and help the environment, like the idea of masterplanning and street design and seeing your ideas come to life, enjoy programming and scripting and want to turn those skills into traffic models or just enjoy playing Cities Skylines (I can’t anymore – it’s too similar to my actual job!), then there are opportunities for you.

Daniel Bent is a Chartered Transport Modelling Associate with over 11 years’ experience. He is an expert in the development, application and use of the micro simulation tool PTV VISSIM and its associated software for a wide range of multimodal purposes. 

Contact: [email protected]

PJA Chairman, Phil Jones, met with Housing Minister Esther McVey MP as she unveiled a new expert advisory council dedicated to the digital transformation of the property sector.

Phil attended the meeting with long-term collaborator Annette Jezierska, co-founder of tech company The Future Fox – the creators of the fast-growing StreetBuilder digital platform that helps developers and local authorities better engage with people about transport and planning proposals in their area. Several other PropTech entrepreneurs also attended the event.

Faisal Butt, founder and CEO of Pi Labs, was announced as the first expert to sit on the minister’s council, which will advise the government on how to support and grow the sector further, making it easier and cheaper to plan, build and buy new homes.

Housing Minister Esther McVey MP said: “We’re taking every advantage that new technology has to offer across the entire house building and house buying journey. Whether that’s finding a plot of land, getting planning permission, engaging the local community, getting the property built or selling or buying a house.

“The people behind PropTech are using technology to make the process faster, simpler and cheaper. This new industry is digitally transforming the whole of the property sector, putting much more information at the public’s fingertips.”

Phil added: “Better digital technology including data sharing and data-driven decision making can hugely benefit the property industry – and especially the housing market – at the planning, buying and selling stages.

“I was really pleased to meet Esther McVey MP and hear her support for technological innovation in the industry. She was very interested in how The Future Fox can engage people in connection with development proposals.”   

The event was held at the London-based offices of Geovation – an initiative dedicated to supporting open innovation and collaboration using location and property data, delivered and funded jointly by Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry.

The Future Fox has worked in Lewisham to triple engagement rates on urban realm projects and make it easier for client to respond to community feedback.

PJA recently hosted the first of a planned series of roundtable discussions, bringing together experts from across the property industry at Corrigan’s Restaurant in Mayfair.

Over lunch, the discussion focused on the role that technology and Artificial Intelligence was having on the development industry and how we should be designing for the future. To read more about hope vs reality, the next generation, virtual and physical space and the possible impact on decision making, please click here.

In attendance were:

• Jeremy Lacey, Senior Development Manager, Chelsfield
• Nigel Lea, Design Director, Gensler
• Andy Morris, Strategic Land Director, Bewley Homes
• Max Martinez, Director, SpaceSyntax
• Mark Norris, Managing Director, Merrick Real Estate
• Nathan Koren, CEO, Podaris Ltd
• Nick Gregory, Partnerships Director, Lovell Partnerships
• Max Farrell, CEO, The London Collective
• Alastair Roberts, Director, Darling Associates
• Jerry Muscroft, Director, PJA
• Cullan Riley, Director, PJA
• Johannes Haasler, Consultant, PJA

For more information, please contact:
Jerry Muscroft
[email protected]

We’re delighted to announce three senior promotions.

Mike Edwards has been promoted to Director at our Birmingham office, responsible for co-ordinating business development and financial management across the transport, engineering and placemaking teams.

Matt McFeat has become Associate Director at Bristol, taking responsibility for the day to day running of the office and taking an active role in growing the South West team.

And Tom Millard, based at our Birmingham office, has been promoted to Senior Consultant. Tom has helped to our develop PJA’s Business Case capability and has since successfully delivered several related projects.

We look forward to working with them to further grow the company and enhance our client offering.

With business continuing to grow at an impressive rate, we have welcomed another six new members to the PJA team across our offices since July, taking our headcount to 77.

Birmingham
Callum Angell, Senior Engineer
Joshua Pope, Technician – Engineering
Matthew Wykes, Graduate Transport Planner

Bristol
Eliot King, Associate Transport Planner
Paul Mackie, Associate Director – Engineering

Reading
Carol Mears, Engineer

Due to the continued success of our Transport Planning and Civil Engineering teams across the business, we are still recruiting.  Click here for details of the posts available.

We are always on the lookout for new talent and would be interested to hear from Transport Planners, Traffic Engineers and Civil Engineers of any level that are looking for a fresh challenge at one of the leading independent consultancies in the UK. If you are interested in joining our team, then please send a CV and covering letter to [email protected] making it clear which role you are interested in applying for.

Do you know your way around the NPPF and its implications? Do you know your SuDS from your suds? How about the Section 104 agreement – could you explain it to someone who has no prior knowledge?

If the answer is yes then we may have just the job for you. We’re looking for an ambitious, committed Senior/Principal Flood Risk & SuDS Engineer at our recently refurbished Reading office in King Street, just five minutes walk from Reading station (multi-office hot desking at our London, Exeter and Birmingham branches could be an option).

This is an exciting opportunity to assist our public and private sector clients with their flooding and drainage strategy, and climate-resilient placemaking.

In return you will get the chance to develop your skill sets beyond your current capabilities under the guidance of Reading director Jerry Muscroft. He has 30 years’ experience in the sector, and wants to be challenged with fresh thinking and new ideas.

For further information on the role please contact:

Jerry Muscroft
E: [email protected]
T: 0118 956 0909

We are investing in our IT infrastructure with a move to a cloud environment for the whole business.

Hosting our IT services in Microsoft’s Azure environment allows us to easily scale up our IT infrastructure as the business grows and diversifies, but more importantly it facilitates our increasingly flexible and collaborative way of working, to the benefit of our team and our clients.

PJA are proud to be part of a multi-disciplinary team that helped secure outline consent for a hybrid application comprising 2,560 homes, a Local Centre, health and community facilities, a three form entry First School and play area on the outskirts of Redditch.

The 336 acre site, located adjacent to the suburb of Webheath, is a strategic allocation in the Bromsgrove and Redditch Local Plans.

Our involvement with the project began a number of years ago, firstly assisting in securing the site’s allocation. Once allocated PJA produced transport documentation for the planning application including detailed design of the spine road through the development, microsimulation traffic modelling of the principal site access and strategic highway network, local junction modelling, design of off-site mitigation and the development of a comprehensive public transport business case.

PJA worked closely with the client, St Philips and Rockspring Barwood, and the wider technical team and achieved a workable planning consent addressing the concerns of Worcestershire County Council, Highways England, Redditch Borough Council, Bromsgrove District Council and their independent transport consultants.

Image: Barton Willmore

PJA have helped secure planning permission for the relocation and expansion of Alfreton Park Community Special School, an existing all-through Special School catering for pupils aged 2 to 19 years with a variety of special educational needs.

In 2017, Derbyshire County Council committed over £12m to build a new school, which included demolition of the existing school premises in Alfreton Park and provision of a new school building on an adjacent site for 105 pupils, to meet the existing and future needs of Alfreton Park Community Special School.

Working with Derbyshire County Council and Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture, PJA prepared a Transport Statement which analysed the site to develop a bespoke trip generation which helped the Planning Authority understand the transport and highways impact of the development.

Image: Curl la Tourelle Head Architecture