BPA technology, innovation and research On the front foot With EV charging, diversity and inclusion, and active travel high on government and members agendas, Jonathan Allan, BPA head of technology, innovation and research, explains more about how the BPA is helping members prepare ike a good Scout, one of our remits in the technology, innovation and research team is to be prepared. We are constantly looking ahead to identify what may be coming up, holding discussions with stakeholders and providing guidance to members. I enjoy this horizon-scanning element so much: and its an exciting time to be in parking. Theres much more coming our way with regard to joinedup transport and parking management, particularly in how data helps inform travel decisions and how this ties in with the governments active travel push. Our own Park Active initiative plays a key part in this, and we need to continue evolving and enhancing the offering, particularly as micro mobility e-scooters, e-cargo bikes and the like become more popular. Data insight and evaluation will be important for the success of these schemes. As part of the government- funded Transport Technology Forum, we have established a Smarter Parking group, chaired by Sarah Randall, assistant director traffic and parking at Newham Council, and run by Graham Hanson, head of smarter traffic management at the Department for Transport, to help us join up some of the dots to make sure members have all the information they need. Initiatives such as the governments National Parking Platform, the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS) and a transition to digital traffic regulation orders will also be key (see pages 14-16) as our needs and behaviours around travel change. Consistency, capacity and cost are important considerations, and by planning ahead, we can make sure we are on the front foot to meet these needs. L EV discovery project One of our major focuses is on the provision of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, because it affects so many of our members. EV infrastructure rollout poses some real challenges, such as how the provision of dedicated EV-accessible charging bays could potentially 42 PN Oct 2022 pp42-43 TIR.indd 42 23/09/2022 11:51