PAST EVENTS

The following were events that took place late 2008/2009, all of which proved to be successful and informative for our members.

Winchester Seminar – Friday 18 June 2010

Despite our misgivings at changing the day and date for this important event in our calendar these proved to be unfounded with yet another successful event achieved. With a good attendance and good speakers we achieved high ratings on the delegate feedback with a high percentage giving it an "excellent value for money", "efficiently arranged and implemented on the day".

Unfortunately, due to building work taking place in the venue, we took the precaution of moving this year's event to a larger hall which was not entirely suitable but we are assured the improved Conference Chamber will be back in use for the next event.

We will have a more detailed report on this event soon. This was followed by the Institute's National AGM when Southern member, Steve Spender, was installed as IHE's President for the forthcoming two years.

22nd March 2010 – "Crime in Focus" – The Grange Leisure Centre, Midhurst

This event was a re-run of one that was held last year which proved so popular that it was agreed to hold it again at Midhurst to give members in the 'south' of the Branch area to attend. This decision was well vindicated with over 40 members attending. Please download a report of this event.

18th February 2010 – Site visit at Ford Materials Recycling Centre

Ever wondered what happens to the recyclable materials you deposit in the container? Our visit the West Sussex Materials Recycling Centre, Ford enabled us to see where it is sorted. The provision of this facility is not only good to reduce the levels of landfill but will also reduce the movement of many goods vehicles on the local highway network. Download a report of this visit.

28th January 2010 - County Emergency Planning, Leatherhead NMIC

In the event of a major incident occurring, members of the County/Unitary Highway Departments have a vital role to ensure access to the incident site and evacuation of the injured and other members of the community who may be affected. Ian Good, Head of Emergency Planning at Surrey CC discussed the various procedures that have to be adopted in accordance with national guidelines. Here is a full report of this presentation.

2009 Wine & Wisdom Quiz Night

The Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, locally based in Leatherhead, were the beneficiaries of this year's fund raising quiz night. The clear winners for the evening were Bunkers and Jumpers, a team from Surrey County Council’s Information Management and Technology Service. Here is a full report of yet another successful charity night organised by the IHE Southern Branch

Thursday 15th October – Trapeze.

RTPI – initials which may not mean much to some. Real Time Passenger Information may help and this is something at which Trapeze excels. We were treated to an excellent presentation by Kevin Brock - Business Development Director of Trapeze - in which he detailed all the various benefits of using such systems – obviously not least theirs. Download a full report for more information.

23 September 2009 3M – Traffic Safety Systems

3M (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing) is involved in everything from vehicle paintwork and equipment, clothing to scotch tape and post it notes. Even the clothing worn on the very first astronauts was made from 3M materials. So, you could be using it, wearing it, looking through it or relying on it to save your life. The presentation in September, however, concentrated on signs – static and variable – and the benefits they can bring to the average highway, traffic and safety engineers. Read a full report here.

Epsom Coaches visit - 16th July 2009

Delegates were hosted by Steve Whiteway, Commercial Director of Epsom Coaches Limited who provided a history of the family founded and operated company. Starting from modest beginnings in 1920, the company has developed over the years to providing a modern fleet of Luxury Coaches and has also ‘branched out’ into regular bus services operating throughout Surrey and Greater London. A fascinating insight into maintenance and monitoring of bus service operations to ensure a high level of customer care and satisfaction of public transport authorities. For a full report, click here.

Wednesday May 13th 2009 - "Annual Winchester Seminar"

Our Annual Winchester Seminar "Bottoms up to the Highway Engineer" was another successful event with over 115 delegates being steered through the road construction process from "bottom" to "top". We are grateful to the many Speakers who attended and both informed and, in some cases, entertained us. A detailed report is now available here. We can also now offer IHE Members exclusive access to downloadable copies of the various presentations made by our guest speakers. If you have yet to receive these instructions on how to download these presentations (it was emailed some weeks ago), please contact the Branch Secretary who will be pleased to help.

29th April 2009 - Technical Presentation "The Wey & Arun Canal"

We arranged for an afternoon presentation by Eric Walker of the Wey & Arun Navigation Trust who described the work of the Trust, including the challenges faced when undertaking the Loxwood project. A full report is available for our members to download.

Wine & Wisdom 2008 - The White Lodge Centre Cheque Presentation

Following the successful Wine & Wisdom Quiz evening last November, Branch Chairman Alison Coffey recently carried out her last duty before leaving office to make the presentation of a cheque for £1,000.00 to the Fund Raising staff at The White Lodge Centre, Chertsey. Accompanied by Tony Suter and Gerald Cole, the donation was handed over to Catherine Thurston, the Centre’s Fund Raiser and Public Relations Officer, who expressed the appreciation of everyone from the Centre who receives help coping with the affects of Cerebral Palsy. More details of this ceremony and the achievements of the White Lodge Centre are available for download.

Thursday 19th March 2009

Peter Goadby-Watt, Head of the Forensic Faculty, Metropolitan Police College, Hendon gave an insight into the work of his team, in particular to the recording of forensic material arising from serious or fatal road collisions. A full report, giving more details is available for download.

Tuesday 31st March 2009

Southern Branch enjoyed a good attendance for this topical presentation covering the introduction of the revised "Chapter 8" which took effect from 1st April this year, with over 50 delegates in attendance. Co-author of Chapter 8, Graham Coe, Senior Researcher of TRL Limited, explained the background history of Chapter 8, going back to the days when it was a fully incorporated into the Traffic Signs Manual rather than appearing as a separate document. A full report of the event can now be downloaded here.

Thursday 4th December 2008 – Motorways & Trunk Roads Network Management & Control Systems

This well attended event was an interesting insight into the "high tech" work being undertaken by a partnership between the Highways Agency and SERCO to enhance driver information systems that will contribute to the Highways Agency’s "Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers". A more detailed report is available through this link.

Friday 28th November 2008

Following the success of our Career Development Seminars in Surrey in 2008, we were invited to hold a similar event in Chichester for staff members of West Sussex County Council. A brief report of this event can be read through this link.

Friday 28th November 2008 - Wine & Wisdom Quiz Night

A "full house" of participating teams enjoyed a competitive evening raising funds for The White Lodge Centre at Chertsey, Surrey. Our annual event remains popular with many teams having become locked in a knowledge battle over many years. As well as having an entertaining evening much needed funds are raised for local worthy causes. An interim report can read through this link and, once the cheque presentation is made to the recipients a more detailed report will follow.

Tuesday 28th October 2008 - "Who is that blind Person?"

Titled "Who is that Blind Person" this presentation by Bill Pitcher, Safety Audit Team Leader at Gifford Consultancy Ltd. proved to be interesting and very thought provoking. The question Engineers must ask is "what are we doing for the disabled" and ‘"are we compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act." A full report on the event can be read through this link.

19th October 2008 - "Road Drainage and the Environment"

Tuesday 9th September – International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) - Midhurst

This presentation on the work of the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) proved very popular with over 30 delegates attending. Dr. Suzanne Charman, International Programme Manager, gave an illuminating talk on the implications of iRap for all of us involved in road safety. A full report is now available for you to download.

24th July 2008 – A3 Hindhead Tunnel – Site Visit

Work has commenced on the long awaited A3 Hindhead Tunnel and Southern Branch members were recently privileged to be hosted by the Highways Agency and their Constructing Engineers, Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Limited to have an insight of the project and a tour of the site covering the entire 6.5 kms including construction of the 1.8 km, twin bore tunnels. This was an oft-postponed visit but our patience was well rewarded by and extremely interesting and informmative tour conducted by Paul Arnold, Highways Agency Project Director and Paul Hoyland, Contract Director for Balfour Beatty. A full report of the visit is available here for downloading.

19th June 2008 – Annual General Meeting

The Region's AGM took place this year at the National Trust Wey Navigation Centre, Dapdune Wharf, Guildford. We were delighted to welcome the newly appointed IHE Chairman, Tony Sharp, who braved the elements by coming to Guildford on his motorbike! As ever this venue made for an enjoyable and informative day for the 16 delegates who made the effort. A report of the event is available for you to download here.