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Research projects

This page tells you about the Research projects we have provided grant funding to over recent years.

2025

  • Further funding of £28,000 was awarded to our flag-ship volunteer-led programme Future Transport Visions Group to support the completion of projects led by early career professionals in the third round of the FTVG programme.   The projects cover a wide range of topics focused on how our roads and highways can provide more sustainable ways of travelling in the future
  • £30,000 was awarded to CIRIA to contribute research and develop new guidance on management of gullies. This grant is subject to further funding being secured.
  • A grant of £21,028.48 was awarded to Transform Scotland to research changes to Regulations that could led to improvements in every day transport.

2024

  • Further funding of £28,000 was awarded to our flag-ship volunteer-led programme Future Transport Visions Group to support the completion of projects led by early career professionals in the third round of the FTVG programme. The programme recruited additional volunteers in the year, and this enabled the programme to support a total of 5 projects in this round.  The projects cover a wide range of topics focused on how our roads and highways can provide more sustainable ways of travelling in the future
  • £10,000 was awarded to a collaborative involving Greater Cambridge Partnership and sub-national transport body England’s Economic Heartland to contribute to their project aimed at improving safety on everyday journeys for women and girls.
  • A grant of £17,283 was awarded to Gemma Bridge and Bernard Fanning to further develop the practical application of their Engaging Young People in Consultation toolkit, which grew from a project in an earlier round of the Future Transport Visions Group programme. You can read a summary of their project here.

2023

  • A grant of £16,000 was made to Carlton Reid to review 1930’s cycle tracks and make recommendations as to which could effectively and efficiently be brought back into use. The findings are reported on this website;
  • Living Streets were awarded £20,000 to update the Pedestrian Pound report;
  • Independent Transport Commission were funded £25,000 to research the impact of decarbonisation on road users;
  • Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and Stormwater Shepherds were provided with a grant of £25,060 to research pollution from highways outfalls. Their report setting out their findings and proposing possible solutions is available here;
  • Oxford Brookes University received funding of £20,000 to research the impact on mobility and activity for people living within Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. You can read their report here and their published articles here.
  • Further funding of £10,400 was provided to the Future Transport Visions Group to support the completion of projects led by early career professionals during the second round of the FTVG programme.

2022

2021

  • Future Transport Visions Group: Combined grants of £19,898 were made to support the 2021 round of the Future Transport Visions Group programme, enabling young career professionals to be involved in the development and delivery of innovative projects.  You can read about the FTVG programme here.
  • CycleStreets: a grant of £6,060 was made to enable a digital mapping of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs).
  • Elaine Hardy: A grant of £6,000 was made to Elaine Hardy to research and report on the resale of vehicles which have been judged as an insurance write off. Her report includes a number of recommendations to improve safety and the experience for unwitting car purchasers. The final report, Bridging the Gap, can be accessed here.
  • Dr Geoffrey Dudley, Transport Studies Unit, University of Oxford: a grant of £24,000 to conduct a study and report on the governance of controversies in allocation of road space with reference to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.
  • TRL: a grant of £18,000 to enable TRL to look at licensing as a route to improve safety for new and inexperienced drivers.
  • Transport for New Homes: a grant of £10,000 made to Transport for New Homes to produce a current review of the provision of transport to new housing developments.
  • RJRF 150 Competition: In December 2021 the Fund completed the first stage of the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund 150 Competition celebrating 150 years since the birth of the Fund’s founder William Rees Jeffreys.  A total of seven grants of £5,000 each were awarded in December 2021 to entrants successful in the first stage of the competition.  The grants are to be used by the entrants to develop their idea further for the next stage of the Competition.  Information about the seven successful entrants can be found here.
  • The joint winners of the 150 Competition received £75,000 each.  Here is a link to Eloy Ltd’s grant report sharing their iterative journey in developing the new multi-vehicle coordination technology and you can ready Reed Mobility’s report “Self-driving but guided by people” here.

2020

  • CIRIA – Gully Pots Study: a grant of £7,500 was awarded to contribute towards a national survey of road gully emptying practices amongst regulators and industry. This study is due to start in 2021 but for various reasons was unable to progress. The grant has now been withdrawn.
  • Plantlife – DePoT Road Verge Platform: a grant of £24,980 was awarded to fund the creation of a national online platform for sustainable road verge management to maximise biodiversity. You can learn more about road verge management and how to maximise biodiversity by listening in to this webinar recording here. The Webinar is called On The Road to Success: Panel event on wildlife friendly road verges with Dr Kate Petty, Plantlife Road Verge Campaign Manager.
  • ADEPT Trees Infrastructure Study: a grant of £25,000 was awarded to fund a toolkit to provide guidance to local authorities to adopt when seeking to grow and re-establish their localities treescape considering the impact of Ash Dieback, resilience to global change (climate & disease), increased policy emphasis on biodiversity and how this can be balanced with highways infrastructure, urban and countryside environments. You can read more about the project here and access the Toolkit to support better choice of roadside trees here. A report marking the end of the project, sharing insights and lessons, is found here.

2019

  • IAM Road Smart: a grant of £22,500 was awarded to carry out research into driver distraction when using in car infotainment systems.
  • Major Roads Network Roundtable: a grant of £3,297 was awarded to fund a Roundtable event to consider the strategic challenges to the road network. You can listen to the event here.
  • CIRIA: a grant of £12,000 was awarded to contribute towards a major study aimed at developing technical and evidence-based advocacy guidance to support mainstream delivery of multi-beneficial green infrastructure along linear assets.
  • York Civic Trust: a grant of £5,000 was awarded to fund a study to analyse, report and disseminate the results of a novel approach to direct involvement of the public in the preparation of Local Transport Plans.
  • Aston University: a grant of £25,000 was awarded to fund research into older driver reaction times at intersections. This is subject to other funding being secured.

2018

  • University of the West of England: a grant of £20,000 was awarded to carry out research into road capacity based on a study of road changes in Taunton.
  • Major Roads Network’ Project: two grants totalling £18,000 were awarded for follow up studies into Governance (WSP UK Ltd) and ‘The Roads Challenge’ (Phil Carey).
  • PhD Study into Autonomous Vehicles: a grant of £7,836 was awarded to fund independent research as part of a PhD study into the effect of autonomous vehicles on car and ride sharing behaviours.
  • Road Safety Foundation: a grant of £29,532 was awarded to carry out research into the assessment of the sustainability of Road Safety Engineering in Local Government.
  • Dr G Dudley (Transport Studies Unit, Oxford): a grant of £24,000 was awarded to fund research into the development of effective regulatory systems for the disruptive innovation of dockless bicycle hire. You can find a summary of Dr Dudley’s findings on our Publications page here.
  • University of Plymouth: a grant of £25,000 was awarded to fund research into the development of cost-effective winter maintenance systems.
  • Transform Scotland: a grant of £33,216 was awarded to fund research into the feasibility of introducing Continental Style Zebra Crossings on public roads in Scotland. You can read Transform Scotland’s report here.

2017

  • Campaign for Better Transport: a grant of £25,000 was awarded to fund a research study into the Government’s Road Investment Strategy.
  • Independent Transport Commission: a grant of £34,200 was awarded to fund a research study into the decline in bus use. 
  • ‘Major Roads Network’ Project: a small grant of £2,500 was awarded to complete the handover of the study documents and website.

2016

  • Major Roads for the Future’ Project: a grant of £32,900 was awarded for the third and final stage of this major study.
  • Cycle Smart Foundation: a grant of £4,560 was awarded for research into younger children’s attitudes to safe cycling behaviour.
  • Dr G Dudley (Transport Studies Unit, Oxford): a grant of £15,000 was awarded to fund research into the “Governance of Transitions in Urban Mobility – The Case of Uber in London”.

2015

  • ‘Major Roads for the Future’ Project: a grant of £93,100 was awarded for the second stage of this major study.
  • NI Road Safety Council: creation of web portal to assist organisations to manage occupational road risk. A grant of £11,168 was awarded to NI Road Safety Council. vehcie
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