The TRL reaches a milestone in December, marking nine decades of transformative transport research. The government funded department has pioneered research into grippier road surfaces, seat belts, airbags, better cycle and motorcycle helmets, plus many other safety features for drivers and riders which are now taken for granted.
Since its establishment in 1933, TRL has been a global leader in research themes that resonate as much today as they did at the start: to make highways more cost effective to build and operate, to make transport systems more efficient and accessible, and to constantly improve the safety of all transport users.
The nature of the built environment is having to change in response to existential challenges such as climate change. New technologies offer transformative potential for the movement of people and goods. And the needs and wants of society are also evolving. To keep pace, TRL has itself had to evolve to remain relevant, each new cohort of specialists enriching its unique domain expertise.
This week, the TRL team celebrated the milestone in a staff-only event, where they honoured the contributions made by TRL employees across the decades by inviting the employee with the most seniority (David Gershkoff, a Practice Lead in Pavement Structural Assessment who has been with TRL for 37 years) and the newest addition to the team (Aditi Kamath, a Graduate Researcher in the Safety Services Team, who has worked at TRL for 3 months) to cut a giant cake.
“TRL is an amazing place to work; what we do has such far reaching consequences. It’s a responsibility we take seriously, and to be at the helm for this anniversary is a privilege” says Paul Campion, CEO. “It’s a rare thing for an organisation to have survived so long, remaining true to its original vision and mission. As we enter our tenth decade, TRL is proudly committed to shaping the future of transport through sustainable and accessible solutions, compiling the evidence to shape policy and deliver the benefits of innovation. As a social purpose enterprise, everything we do today is about making the world a better place for future generations.” he concludes.
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