The UK and much of the world are experiencing profound social, economic and technological changes - addressed at last year's Annual Conference on 'Sustainable Travel in a Changing World'. On 25 January 2018, with the theme of 'Forward Thinking, Future Planning', we will take this to the  next level, exploring the long-term planning that is required in response to these changes.

A future focus need not be 'futuristic' in the science fiction sense; it can equally be about developing positive community-led visions to help shape the future or 'building in' resilience to change. Voices from Central Government, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and other key influencers will serve to ground the theme within the current planning context.

Click below to read more, where you will find the draft programme, registration link and opportunities for sponsors and exhibitors.

The next Midlands regional meeting will be held on Tuesday 9 January at Transport for West Midlands in Birmingham. It's a meeting to relaunch the regional group, with a focus on ‘Health and Active Travel’, including the recently launched West Midlands On the Move Strategy, WMCA’s physical activity strategy.

The next North East regional meeting will take place on Wednesday 13 December 2017 at 2 pm in the Bewick Room of Newcastle Civic Centre, hosted by North East Combined Authority. Presentations on the NECA Cycling and Walking Strategy, Bike Life and Sustrans North East, and TravelWise Week.

A one-day seminar covering the why, when and how of delivering travel plans in the development planning process in London and England, considering the experience of both the local planning or highway authority and the developer/occupier. Led by Richard Adams, Associate Director, AECOM on Monday 11 December 2017 hosted by AECOM in London.

This workshop regarding the provision of on-street EV charge points was developed due to demand from our local authority members in West Sussex and Surrey. As other authorities are grappling with the same issues, we have brought together two trainers: Ross Jones from the Infrastructure Team at OLEV and Hayley Chivers, Strategic Transport Planner at Portsmouth City Council. The workshop will be held on Tuesday 5 December 2017 from 1:30 - 3:30 pm in Portsmouth, followed by the South East regional meeting (3:45 pm) and pub social (5:30 pm). Registration is now open.

The next South East regional meeting will be held on Tuesday 5 December 2017 in Portsmouth. The regional meeting will take place from 3:45 to 5:15 pm, immediately after the 1:30 to 3:30 pm On-Street EV Charging Workshop taking place in the same venue with trainers from OLEV and Portsmouth City Council. Separate Eventbrite registrations are required for the two back-to-back events. A pub social will follow at 5:30 pm.

The Act TravelWise Business Forum is holding a soft launch event hosted by Heathrow on Friday 1 December at 9:30 for 10:00 until 1:00 pm, followed by an optional EV bus tour. The programme includes several speakers with experience relevant to business travel planning. The event is free and open to all. Registration is now open.

Road Safety Week aims to inspire thousands of schools, organisations and communities to take action on road safety and promote life-saving messages during the Week and beyond. It also provides a focal point for professionals working in road safety to boost awareness and engagement in their work.

Smarter Travel LIVE! - the UK’s largest gathering of sustainable transport experts and practitioners - will be held from 19-20 October 2017 at ArenaMK in Milton Keynes. The conference aims to address the principal planning and policy issues facing practitioners with regards to the future of mobility services. As a conference partner, Act TravelWise is able to offer a 25% discount on delegate places to its members. More information including a programme and registration details will be available soon.

The next North East regional meeting will be held on Friday 13 October 2017 at 9:30 am at Sunderland Civic Centre. Speakers include Jill Tinsley of Pindar Creative on the North East Combined Authority GoSmarter portal and Don Kent on TravelWise Week/European Mobility Week.