High Volume Transport (HVT) Applied Research Programme funded by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, UK: Report on Research Knowledge Exchange Event on Response of Transport Systems in Poor Countries to COVID-19, 1 December 2021, IMC HQ offices, Redhill, Surrey

Abstract

On 1 December 2021 the High Volume Transport (HVT) Applied Research Programme hosted its third Research Knowledge Exchange (RKE) event to share and explore the evidence base into how transport systems in the poorest countries responded to the challenges of COVID-19. This event looked to offer lessons for the future development, use, and adaptation of transport infrastructure as an important strategic response to this pandemic and similar events that might follow. HVT is a five year, £18 million investment by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to undertake research into issues of sustainable transport development across Africa and South Asia. It aims to help inform the decisions of policy makers in low income countries to make road and rail transport greener, safer, more accessible, affordable and inclusive, and assist good investment decisions that will in particular help drive sustainable economic development and poverty reduction simultaneously being mindful of environmental concerns, especially climate change. When the pandemic emerged in 2020, the HVT research programme identified that transport systems would play a crucial role in mitigating the spread of the disease and also keep economies moving, yet there was very little evidence of what worked and what did not in these new uncertain times. The research programme awarded 20 research projects in an attempt to bridge this gap, which formed a portfolio of COVID19 Response and Recovery Transport Research initiatives. The RKE half day virtual event launched a compendium highlighting the findings from all 20 projects followed by exploration of the critical issues that the research uncovered, with the aim of supporting sustainable and resilient transport systems for the future in the poorest countries of the world. Nearly 100 participants attended with registrants from 51 countries, with a range of backgrounds including policy makers, researchers, civil society representatives and transport and development specialists. An opening plenary gave an overview of the research followed by three workshops on: Inclusion, Urban Transport and Economic Resilience, eincluding presentations from the authors of seven of the 20 research projects. This event was seen to be of potential interest to the readers of the journal because it offered an insight into the potential use of infrastructure (in this case transport infrastructure) at different scales and sectors in response to a global mega event (still ongoing) with potentially catastrophic implications for development world wide if unaddressed. A review of the event provides an opportunity to reflect on whether