The journey to one Scotland

August 13, 2015

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2 min read

In May 2015 Steven Revill, founding member of UrbanTide was elected as Chairperson of the All Scotland branch of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. Steven writes about this ‘honour and privilege’.

black and white photo of cyclist on suspension bridge over water

I found it a huge honour and privilege to be chosen as Chairperson of the branch not least because I follow in the footsteps of some very prestigious professionals but also as I am the first Chairperson of the All Scotland branch following the merger of the Central & Southern Scotland and North of Scotland branches.

_{New Scotland Chair Steven Revill (Centre), flanked by past Chairs, David Taylor (left) and Ryan Hutchison (right).}

For those of you not aware, the CIHT provides support for people involved in the transportation profession across the globe. Throughout the year it provides a series of events for continuing professional development, offers training in key areas and prepares people for and administers professional accreditation.

Combining two groups into one is going to be a massive organisational challenge for the first All Scotland Branch committee. The new larger geography alone presents a challenge and it will be necessary to fully embrace technology as travelling to events across Scotland will not be possible for the majority of the membership.

Technology is something that I always wish to embrace and have done since starting my career in Intelligent Transport Systems 10 years ago. From road monitoring projects requiring state of the art detection and communications to the need for innovative cost effective systems to manage the data I am continuously impressed and motivated by new uses of technology.

I have continued this passion into my current role as Co-Founder of Urban ide, Smart City experts and believe that cities need to embrace technologies as well as the assets of its citizens to deliver the best possible services. In a similar manner, the branch will need to listen to its membership more than ever engaging through social media and communicating events and training through online seminars so that the experience can be as beneficial for members in Golspie as it is in Glasgow.

I am looking forward to a challenging and exciting year as Chairperson of CIHT Scotland. I hope I can bring something unique to the role and develop my own skills along the way. Coming from a transportation background I know the importance of a positive journey experience and I will endeavour to support the Committee and the membership for the currently unknown journey into one Scotland branch.