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IHE President's Blog
Monday 6th September
A trip to London to meet with the sponsors of the Highway Magazine Excellence awards was on the cards for today so following a couple of hours in the office I was on the train just after 9:30 am.
The meeting was in the form of a lunch at which we sampled the menu for the award evening due in October and was held at the Millennium Hotel at Grosvenor square. Hosted by Alan Levett, the lunch was attended by the editor of Highways Magazine Grant Prior accompanied by Andy Davies Advertising Manager from the magazine and Sam Hawkins who helps organise the awards event on behalf of the magazine. Five of the sponsors attended the event and we all experienced a excellent meal following which I was asked to provide some feedback to the sponsors of the judging days held 11 days earlier. The sponsors were also provided with a list of the shortlisted entries which was due to be announced on the magazine's website later in the day.
Following lunch it was short trip in the rain to Waterloo for the train journey back to Winchester.
Thursday 2nd September
Another morning away from the office and once again on the train to London, this morning I was heading for the Institute of Advance Motorists in Chiswick. I had been invited to join the judging panel for the Prince Michael International Road safety Awards. Tony Sharp our immediate Past President has been involved with these awards for the last couple of years and remains on the panel also.
It was another challenging judging session on the back of the two days spent the previous week when the Highway Excellence Awards judging was held, never the less it was very interesting and worthwhile. The 19 strong Judging Panel was chaired by Adrian Walsh of Roadsafe, and following an initial assessment of the entries held previously, just over two hours were spent assessing some 31 entries of which 14 were recommended for further consideration by the Roadsafe Board.
Following a brief lunch it was back on train to the office at Winchester to catch up on the rest of the day.
Tuesday 31st August
After the Bank Holiday weekend it was a morning in the office at Winchester before heading off to London for a meeting with Senior Officers at Russell Square.
This was an opportunity to prepare for September's committee and council meetings and to review our finances and other Institute issues. The opportunity was also taken to discuss the forthcoming Essential Maintenance Conference due to be held in Nottingham on 7th October.
Friday 27th August
After a relaxed breakfast we all made our way back to the Institute's offices to carry on with our assessment of the Excellence Awards entries completing the outstanding categories left from Thursday.
A review of our decisions and final agreement of the winners and runners up was completed by lunch time allowing us all the opportunity of reviewing this year's processes, to enable any suggestions to improve the process next year.
The arrangements for the awards ceremony, due to be held at The Millennium Hotel in London on 20th October, was discussed over some lunch before my judging colleagues all headed off for their long journeys home.
As for me, after some brief discussions on Institute business at the offices it was back on the train to Bournemouth to prepare for a my birthday celebration with my wife which I had had to postpone from the day before.
Thursday 26th August
After grabbing a few moments to open some birthday cards, it was an early train to London as I was heading for the Institute's offices at Russell Square for the first of two days judging for this year's Highway Magazine Excellence awards.
As President of the Institute I have the honour of Chairing the judging panel consisting of representative from around the country of leading practitioners. 
This year I was joined by Tony Parker (Welsh Assembly Government), Bob Cairns (Northern Ireland Roads Service), Andrew Jones (Highways Agency) and Roy Brennen ( Transport Scotland). Finally making the numbers up for the first day was Samantha Hawkins representing the Highway Magazine, who was there to keep us all in order and running to time given the task that lay in front of us.
After the introductions and an initial briefing it was straight down to business looking through the nearly 70 entries across 10 categories. The day was a very interesting, although hard work, sifting through the entries to agree the winners and shortlisted entries for each category in turn. 
With the first day finishing just before 5:00 pm, we then all head off to the hotel for a well deserved rest and some refreshment.
Following a hard day of adjudication we all headed for an evening meal at The Strada Restaurant at the Riverside, which overlooks Tower Bridge and the Thames. It was a stunning backdrop for the meal at which we were joined by Grant Prior, the Editor of Highway Magazine, and later in the evening by Neil Levett the Publisher (& Director of Alad Ltd).
It was a very pleasant evening and meal which rounded off a very rewarding day. And so after a moderate amount of wine and food it was back to the hotel to prepare for the second day of judging that lay ahead.
Friday 20th August
Its been a relatively quiet week in the office at Winchester after returning from a short break away in the Peak District. Along with normal work issues the week has been taken up by reading through pre-judging information on the entries for the Highway Magazine Excellence Awards. I have the honour of chairing the judging panel next week with the award ceremony due to be held in October.
The judging is due to be held at the Insitutue's offices at Russell Square on Thursday & Friday and it looks like a busy and interesting couple of days given the entries seen so far.
Wednesday 4th August
Following the sad loss of my father to lung cancer the last two weeks have been a quiet period in terms of Institute work/visits but Wednesday involved a trip to London for a meeting with the staff at Russell Square. Along with the rest of the Senior Officer team the purpose of the meeting was to discuss proposals to contain our costs given that as our industry faces its biggest down turn in years we need to prepare for what is likely to be a downturn in attendance at training events etc. The meeting was very fruitful with a number of proposals put forward in preparation for options to be be put to the next Council/Committee meeting due to be held in early September.
Wednesday 21st July
A very hectic week personally, including the Official launch of the CIPFA Asset Valuation Code in London on Monday, my daughter's Graduation Ceremony at Brunel University in Uxbridge on Tuesday and a trip to Atkins offices in Birmingham on Thursday was broken up on Wednesday by a Senior Officers meeting at Russell Square.
The meeting involving Richard Hayes, Andrew Thurston, Tony Sharp, Judith Walker and myself was to discuss the challenging times we all find ourselves in and the effect that will have on our training events etc, and to arrange items for discussion at our next Council meeting in September as well as dealing with the normal management items of the Institute necessary between our quarterly cycle of Committee and Council meetings.
Friday 16th July
After the celebrations of the evening before at the Transport Awards it was an early breakfast and a dash across to Manchester Station for the 7:55 am train to London for a Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) meeting being held at ICE head quarters in Great George Street.
The meeting was our quarterly get together to review accreditation visits made to Universities by various visiting teams and to consider and discuss the usual range of topics surrounding academic qualifications and University courses. Nearly four hours of discussion was followed by a quick lunch and the trip back to Winchester to catch up on events back at my office before heading home for the weekend.
Thursday 15th July
Following a morning in the office at Winchester, Thursday afternoon was spent on a journey north to Manchester, for the National Transport Awards 2010. I had been invited a guest of Amey and travelled up with the Assistant Director of Highways & Transport from Hampshire Colin Taylor.
The awards this year were celebrating 10 years and were being held at the Palace Hotel in the centre of Manchester. The event was very well supported with industry representatives from the length and breath of the country. There was a buzz of excitement and noise in the Grand Room as everyone took their seats for the dinner which was being hosted by TV and Radio presenter Gary Stott. The meal was preceded by a Ministerial address by the Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond MP. You could hear the sharp intake of breath throughout the room when the Minster mentioned in his speech that we were facing the challenge of continuing to keep transport flowing in the country with "no funding". The speech put into perspective the possible effects the forth coming spending cuts leaving us with some massive challenges in our industry.
Despite the rather sombre mood following the opening address by the Minister, the meal and 
presentations raised the spirit of all in the room. Although my hosts, Amey just failed to win the award for 'Contribution to Sustainable Transport' for their work on the Hampshire contract the evening and company was very pleasant and well worth the journey up. The photograph shown was taken fairly early in the evening by Libby Kearsley of Amey and shows Colin and myself just before we enjoyed an excellent meal.
The event finished just after 11:00 pm and it was off back to the hotel we were staying at. The evening was finished off with a drink and chat in the bar of our hotel before heading to bed after midnight as I was unfortunately looking forward to early start the next day as I was due on the 7:55 am train to London.
Tuesday 13th July
A early start for a Tuesday morning, leaving home at 6:00 am for a three hours drive to Bedfordshire. I was heading for the Millbrook Proving Ground to attend the "e-Safety challenge 2010". The event was organised as part of the "safety aware" campaign and although predominantly aimed at those engaged with motor manufacturers, it was an interesting and at times an exhilarating event.
I was accompanied at the event by Tony Sharp, who during his term as President, had taken a key interest and been involved in road safety on behalf of the Institute. This event was an opportunity to look at some of the innovations that are being made in vehicle production helping to make the cars and other vehicles on our roads much safer through the use of innovative devices now being installed in some new cars. These include electronic stability control, blind spot monitoring, lane awareness devices and numerous braking assistance devices.
The event commenced with a short conference in the morning that was opened with an address 
by the President of 'eSafety Aware' Jean Todt. Speeches were also made by a member of the European Commission, the Chairman of Euro Ncap and also a video address by the Roads Minister Mike Penning. Also in attendance was the eight times 24 hr Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen but unfortunately Lewis Hamilton who was due to speak, was unavailable on the day due to ill health, but we did hear from the Principle of the McLaren Mercedes F1 Racing Team Jonathan Neale, who came along instead of Lewis.
The morning session was followed by an interesting lunch time demonstration of the various safety devices available in 14 cars that were brought along by a number of manufacturers. It was the delegates opportunity to sit in the vehicles and test the use and effect of these. It was a fascinating opportunity to experience the effects of skidding cars under test conditions.
The final part of the day was a panel debate on how such devices and innovations can, and should be, introduced in our cars of the future as a matter of course rather than only being available to the cars at the top of the prices range. Following an interesting and rewarding event it was again time for the long journey home to Bournemouth
Friday 9th July
This week has been reasonably quiet in terms of IHE work, with no external visits. The Institute work though never really stops and this week has been a mixture of 'Thank You' letters for the sponsors of the Annual Dinner, a review of some membership issues/applications and preparation for our next Senior Officers meeting due to be held next week.
I also received a thank you letter from MacMillan Caring Locally (who are my charity for the year) following their receipt of the £365 that was collected through the raffle at the annual dinner.
Wednesday 30th June
An early departure from home at 5:40 am to Winchester, was followed by a train journey to Waterloo in time for a breakfast briefing at the House of Lords, which started at 8:30 am.
The event was for the launch of the British EuroRAP results 2010 by the Road Safety Foundation and was hosted by The Lord Dubs, Chairman of the Foundation,. It was attended by invited guests from the highway profession, including Professional Institutions, Highway Authorities, Contractors and Consultants, and in particular the road safety element of the industry. As well as hearing from John Dawson there was a presentation by Dr Joanne Hill of the Road Safety Foundation on the research undertaken, which was followed by an address from Mike Penning MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport). Also in the audience were two ex Roads Minsters Jim Fitzpatrick and Peter Bottomley.
The briefing was both informative and interesting and marked the launch of the 'Saving Lives for Less' report which reveals the safety levels currently being achieved on the network.
On conclusion it was a hop back to Winchester on the train to catch up on the day job back at Hampshire.
Friday 25th June
An early start to the morning catching the 6:00 am train to Cardiff for the quarterly UK Roads Board meeting. This particular meeting was being held at the Welsh Assembly Building in Cardiff and it was to be my first visit to this building.
The agenda for the meeting was quite heavy and included items such as amendments/updates to the 'Well Maintained Highways' code of practice, the introduction of a similar CoP for Electronic Traffic Equipment, damage to the UK's road network caused the severe winter weather, and the impact of spending cuts amongst other things. A really busy meeting was concluded just after lunch and it was then the long journey home on a busy afternoon on the rail network.
Thursday 24th June
After a day at the office in Winchester it was a short hop down the motorway for an evening visit to Southampton Solent University, for a CIAT/CIOB sponsored presentation evening. It was an opportunity to view some of the work carried out by students on a number of degree courses including Interior Design, Architectural Technology & Built Environment HNC/D courses. Although all of the presentations related to predominantly building projects for final year dissertations, it was good to have the opportunity to see the standard of work being produced by the students at the University.
Tuesday 22nd June
Following the events of the weekend, Monday had been very much a day of normality back in the office but Tuesday started with a three hour train journey to Birmingham to carry out a short presentation at the Surveyor Maintenance Conference. This year this was being held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel next to the NEC.
Although not strictly an IHE event it was another opportunity to show how involved our members are at all levels and in all aspects of our industry.
At this event I was representing the Footway & Cycle Track Management Group of which I am the chairman. My presentation on the use of the new Footway Network Survey (FNS) and the introduction of a footway condition indicator seemed to go down quite well.
During the lunch break I was fortunate enough to catch up with Andy Bailey from the DfT to discuss a number of issues including the need to support all colleagues in the industry with suitable training and development particularly given the challenging times and shortage of funds that we are now facing.
Although I had to leave the conference shortly afterwards to return home for personal reasons the feedback I received has been quite positive.
Sunday 20th June
Following a leisurely breakfast it was time to say our farewells before for what was for Anne and I, the relatively short drive home compared to some colleagues.
Saturday 19th June
Following the festivities of the night before it was early start today with breakfast at 8:00 am in preparation for what was likely to be a very long and busy day. Our June Council & Committee meeting always follow the Annual Dinner and as a consequence are held on a Saturday.
After leaving Anne to join some of the other wives for a day in Winchester it was down stairs for the first of the day's meetings - Management Committee. The day was always going to mean running to a tight schedule and the meetings followed on after the other throughout the day, culminating in a full Council meeting starting at 3:30 pm. It was a pleasure to welcome four new members to Council and then it was straight down to business discussing numerous issues and receiving reports from each of the Committees held earlier in the day. After a good meeting business was finally concluded at 5:00pm and it was time for those heading home to depart. Given the time of day some council members decided to stay a further night in preparation for the long journey home on Sunday. Despite only living 40 miles away Anne and I decided to stay the extra night and join the group of council members staying and their wives for a meal in town giving us all chance to catch up away from Institute business (or in the case of some of us continue with some of our discussions following a busy day).
Having previously decided where to eat in town we made our way to Braserrie Blanc in town for a very enjoyable meal before finally turning in for the night.
Friday 18th June
My day started with the normal journey from Bournemouth to Winchester arriving at the office at 7:15. I had a number of emails and other things to sort out before heading down to the Guildhall for the start of the Southern Branch seminar. I had arranged for Hampshire's Exec Member for the Environment to carry the key note speech, a consequence of which meant drafting it! As I managed to arrive by 8:30 it gave me the chance to catch up with some the Branch committee including the Branch Chairman Chris Stark. I was fortunate enough to grab the opportunity to meet up with some old colleagues that I had worked with, all of whom were very kind in their comments and messages of support for afternoons AGM and my impending term of office as the Institute's President.
Well the speech went well and although it received some embellishment by Cllr Kendal I did recognise it and pervade the message that I hoped it would that more investment and better planning (Asset Management) is needed to keep our highway networks in operation.
With running back and forth between the Guildhall, my Office and the Winchester Hotel (location for the Annual dinner) it was soon 2:00 pm and time for a Conference group meeting with Council Officers, our Secretary (Judith Walker) and our Events Manger (Sandy Lopes) to discuss the programme for the rest of the year and to consider next year. An interesting discussion given the tight financial climate we are all working in now.
At 4.45 pm Tony Sharp, Andrew Thurston, Judith and I were seated on the stage in the King Charles suite for the start of the National AGM. Following discussions on the normal things for an AGM, such as the annual report, subscriptions etc Tony Sharp prepared to perform to final task as President by passing the chain office to me. Tony has been tireless in his commitment to Institute during his term in Office. My only task at this stage was to thank Tony and promptly close the meeting. There then followed an excellent presentation by Paul Arnold of the HA on the A3 Hindhead Tunnel scheme.
After a quick dash to the hotel there was just time for me to prepare for the Annual Dinner due to commence at 7:30 pm.
Right on time my wife Anne and I were waiting by the door to welcome each guest as they arrived for the dinner. The guests included The Mayor & Mayoress of Winchester, The Chairman of Hampshire County Council, The President of CIHT Chris Jackson and Colin Taylor Assistant Director of Environment at HCC, as well as members of the Institute and other guests from our industry. Following an excellent meal I had the opportunity to speak and 
outline the challenges that we as an Institute and an industry face over the coming few months and years. I was honoured to present Tony Sharp with an engraved crystal tankard (as well as a bottle of Belgium beer to drink from it) to mark his Presidency. I was also pleased to present Awards of Merit to members who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the Institute - Chris Saunders and John Dymott.
The evening finished with dancing to a band and the festivities concluded at just after midnight marking the end of a very long and proud day for me.
