Mr Pierre Laconte - Foundation for the Urban Environment and UITP

Mr Laconte was a founding partner of the Groupe Urbanisme-Architecture, which produced the Master plan of Louvain-la-Neuve, the new university town and co-ordinated its implementation. It received the Abercrombie Award 1982 of the International Union of Architects UIA. This new town, where some 30,000 people are living and working, is centred around an underground railways station (25 min. from Brussels). From 1984 until 1998, Mr Laconte was the Secretary General of the International Union of Public Transport (UITP). This organisation is a think tank on urban mobility and intermobility (around 2,000 members in 80 countries and 50 staff), and he is presently Honorary Secretary General.

Mr Laconte is also President of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) and the European Environmental Agency's Scientific Committee Member in charge of urban matters.

Mr Stephen Lockley - Independent Consultant

Stephen Lockley was Director General of Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive from 1986 to 1997 and was Chairman of the UK PTE Group from 1993 - 1996. Prior to then he was successively in charge of highway forward planning, transport policy development and administration with Strathclyde Regional Council. His early career was in highway planning and design following a degree in Civil Engineering at Manchester University.

Mr Alex Macaulay - SESTRAN

Alex has extensive specialist experience in transport engineering, financial management and project management and direction, gained from a career in both local authority and private environments, and is currently the first Partnership Director of SESTRAN, the new regional transport authority for east central Scotland. Alex is a founder director of Bus Rapid Transit UK and was previously Projects Director of Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE). Prior to this, he held a number of senior management positions, predominantly in the transport sector in Scotland including Assistant Director of Transportation at Central Regional Council, Associate Director of Oscar Faber TPA transport consultants, Depute Director of Transportation at Lothian Regional Council and Head of Service at the City of Edinburgh Council. He was past Scottish Chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers and also the Institution of Highways and Transportation and has been co-author of a number of transport publications which have been used as industry standards.

John Martin - Independent Consultant

John Martin was Head of the Transport Group at the Scottish Executive 1998-2004. He has previous Senior Civil Service experience as Head of Divisions dealing with Highlands and Islands Development (1980-1984), Local Authority Housing (1984-1989), Transport and Local Roads (1989-1992) and as Head of Group responsible for school education (1992-1998). John is now an independent consultant and an appointed non-Councillor Member of the South-East Scotland Transport Partnership (SESTRAN).

Dr Kit Mitchell - Independent Consultant

Dr Mitchell has special expertise in transport for people with mobility handicaps, in the social and environmental effects of road transport and in freight transport. Dr Mitchell was at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) from 1973 to 1993, as Head of Access and Mobility Division and then Environment Division. He retired from TRL in 1994. Dr Mitchell was at the Transport Development Centre of Transport Canada 1996-1997 as a Visiting Expert on the implications of ITS for disabled travellers. Since then, he as author of the IHT Guidelines on public transport and on freight distribution, and has worked on projects focusing on transport planning, freight transport, accessible transport, transport and elderly people and intelligent vehicles. He is currently co-chair of the TRB Committee on Accessible Transportation and Mobility.