UK Walking Summit 2026 programme

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Joining us in Liverpool

Morning session

Afternoon (Group Green)

Afternoon (Group Pink)

Walkshops

Speaker bios

AtkinsRéalis - our headline sponsor

Joining us in Liverpool

The Summit will take place at St George’s Hall, St George's Pl, Liverpool, L1 1JJ. Map

Our venue will be held across two floors at St George’s Hall. The main Summit venue, The Concert Hall (second floor), is accessed from the north entrance of the venue via William Brown Street.

Registration opens at 10am. Upon entry your attendance will be marked and you will be able to fill in your own sustainable lanyard. You will be allocated to either Group Green or Group Pink. This is important for later!

Tea and coffee will be available in the first floor Atrium upon arrival.

Function/dressing room 1 is in use as a multi-faith prayer room and is located on the second floor at the end of the east corridor.

Lunch is provided and will be served in first floor Atrium. The lunch is vegetarian, with some vegan and gluten free options. Please email [email protected] or ask a member of staff if you have any further needs.

Please do remember to fill in our feedback form at the end of the day. It will only take a few minutes and will help us improve future events. Fill in our form now.

PHOTOGRAPHY

We will have photographers documenting the day. If you do not wish to appear in any photographs, please let a Living Streets member of staff know during registration - and we will indicate this choice by placing a small sticker on your lanyard.

Flash photography may be used.

ACCESSIBILITY

There are stairs and step free access from the entrance via a lift to the first floor Atrium, where our exhibitors and refreshments will be based. The Concert Hall itself is on the second floor and is accessed via stairs and step free access via a lift from the first floor Atrium. The stage can be accessed from a lift in the west corridor.

The Conference Hall has a hearing loop and can be accessed by switching your hearing aid setting to ‘T’.

There are several toilets located in the main foyer (via stairs), with accessible unisex toilets at the end of each corridor of the first floor.

If you have any other accessibility needs, please email [email protected]

EXHIBITORS

Exhibition stalls can be found around the edge of the first floor Atrium. We are delighted to have the following exhibitors:

AtkinsRéalis
Mott MacDonald
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Modeshift
Living Streets
Voi
Nuphalt Contracting
Citisense
Waymo (who will be demonstrating an autonomous vehicle on William Brown Street).

Morning session

All takes place in the Concert Hall unless otherwise stated.

10am: Registration opens

10:30am:  Morning session launched by our Co-Chair, Kirsty McCaskill-Baxter & Adam Tranter

Opening plenary

Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive Officer, Living Streets
Minister for Local Transport, Lilian Greenwood MP
Simon O'Brien, Active Travel Commissioner from Liverpool City Region
Alexei Lee & Jo Bacon, AtkinsRéalis
Dr Agustina Martire, Queens University Belfast

11:30am: break

11:40am: Panel: Emerging trends and technologies, chaired by Adam Tranter

E-bikes, e-scooters, electric and autonomous vehicles. We’re in a time where there are several new technologies and emerging trends in urban mobility, forging new ways for people to move around towns and cities. The opportunities of these technologies were a core theme in UK Government’s consultation for the new Integrated National Transport Strategy. We know that pedestrians make up 81% of all trips under a mile, and at the top of the Hierachy of Road Users, as per the Highway Code changes of 2022. In this panel, we’ll discuss how to ensure that people walking benefit from emerging technologies, consider how we put the needs of those walking and wheeling first and create smarter streets for all.

Panellists:

James Bolton, UK General Manager at Voi Technology
Janice Jaison, Senior Transport Planner at Mott MacDonald
Dr Amit Patel, Diversity, equity and inclusion consultant and Living Streets Trustee
Jamie Hodsdon, Policy Manager for UK & Western Europe at Waymo

11:40am: Case study: Creating streets for all in Bootle, with Katie Shannon & Christopher Martin

1pm: break for lunch

1:50pm: afternoon session starts

Afternoon (Group Green)

1:50pm: Delegates will have a choice of eight guided 'walkshops'.

For those wanting to go on a walk, please assemble punctually on outside St George's Hall on William Brown Street, where you came in in the morning. Join the walk group corresponding to the number listed below. Look out for the walk leader holding up the walk number of your choice. Details on the walks are listed further down the programme.

Those who would not like to/are unable to join a 'walkshop' are welcome to join the programme in the Concert Hall.

2:50pm: Walkshops conclude

3pm: A series of speed discussions focused on the future of streets – the Pedestrian Experience - hosted in the Concert Hall. Each breakout table will be led by people with a range of lived experiences or experience working with people from all walks of life.

The outcome of the session is to inform the work of Living Streets’ Blueprint for the future of streets. This work will be a visionary document focussed on the streets that are fit for the future that put pedestrians first, and how we plan for them today.

The session will then be framed in a series of three 10–15-minute discussions, with each group pausing after each section to note down key points.

Each table has a facilitator(s), who will focus on the needs of those with specific protected characteristics, but through an intersectional lens.

4pm: Speed discussions conclude

4.10pm: Closing address, led by Kirsty McCaskill-Baxter & Adam Tranter - who will summarise key insights and takeaways from the day

4.30pm: Summit closes

Afternoon (Group Pink)

1.50pm: A series of speed discussions focused on the future of streets – the Pedestrian Experience - hosted in the Concert Hall. Each breakout table will be led by people with a range of lived experiences or experience working with people from all walks of life.

The outcome of the session is to inform the work of Living Streets’ Blueprint for the future of streets. This work will be a visionary document focussed on the streets that are fit for the future that put pedestrians first, and how we plan for them today.

The session will then be framed in a series of three 10–15-minute discussions, with each group pausing after each section to note down key points.

Each table has a facilitator(s), who will focus on the needs of those with specific protected characteristics, but through an intersectional lens.

2.50pm: Speed discussions conclude

3pm: Delegates will have a choice of eight guided 'walkshops'.

For those wanting to go on a walk, please assemble punctually on outside St George's Hall on William Brown Street, where you came in in the morning. Join the walk group corresponding to the number listed below. Look out for the walk leader holding up the walk number of your choice. Details on the walks are listed further down the programme.

Those who would not like to/are unable to join a 'walkshop' are welcome to join the programme in the Concert Hall.

4pm: Walkshops conclude

4.10pm: Closing address (Concert Hall), led by Kirsty McCaskill-Baxter & Adam Tranter - who will summarise key insights and takeaways from the day

4.30pm: Summit closes

Walkshops

Walk 1 - A living example of the importance of listening to the community, collaborative planning and building trust with the council

Overview: A walk through an inner city/edge of city neighbourhood where the urban planning of the 1960s -1990s severed the area with major roads prioritising cars over the community. Understand the negative impact of powerful stakeholders who don’t listen or respect the local community; see the positive changes made (with more in the pipeline) through collaborative work with the community, the council and trusted partners; understand the concept and importance of ‘green streets’ across the West Everton neighbourhood. And experience the best view across Liverpool and over to the Welsh mountains from the top of Everton Park!

Length: Long

Terrain: TBC

Led by Cllr Jane Corbett & Adam Bryne, West Everton Community Centre

Walk 2 - Getting Home Safely: Women’s Safety Walkshop - developing inclusive places using perceived safety assessments

Overview: AtkinsRéalis’ Getting Home Safely initiative was founded on the belief that everyone deserves to feel safe in public spaces. Building on established place-based audit tools to assess walkability and pedestrian comfort, our experts in ED&I, transport planning and urban created the “Getting Home Safely Audit” to focus specifically on gender-based safety indicators. Join us on this walk and audit to identify issues and potential changes to improve actual and perceived safety, and hear about what Liverpool City region are implementing across the city to enhance accessibility for women and girls.

Length: Medium

Terrain: TBC

Led by Nicola Glover and Jodi Savickas, AtkinsRéalis - with Lee Davies, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Walk 3 - A walk to Castle Street

Overview: A walk through Liverpool’s mercantile city which will take in Victoria Street, Castle Street and Mathew Street, showing projects delivered recently by Liverpool City Council.

Length: Long

Terrain: TBC

Led by Russell Oakes, Liverpool City Council & Claire Hering, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Walk 4 - Carspreading: When big cars make our towns and cities smaller

Overview: Cars are getting bigger, a trend known as carspreading, driven largely by the popularity and rapid growth of SUVs. As vehicles expand, our streets do not. This interactive walkshop takes participants onto the streets to observe the growth of SUV's and look at the impact this has on walkers, wheelers and cyclists. Larger vehicles mean less space, increased road danger and worse air pollution, with children under 10 three times more likely to be killed if hit by an SUV. But change is possible. We will be discussing practical solutions from raising public awareness to the latest policy recommendations for introducing size and weight-based parking charges, as seen in Paris and Cardiff, to reclaim our streets for people.

Length: Medium

Terrain: TBC

Led by Caz Conneller, Clean Cities Campaign

Walk 5 - St George’s Gateway Intro – Liverpool’s biggest future desire paths

Overview: Join Dan Crane, Development Management Team Leader from Active Travel England, who will lead a walking tour from St George’s Hall through to Moorfields Train Station and back. Along with the soon-to-be improved train station, the tour will encompass the area of the St George’s Gateway Masterplan – this project is one of Liverpool’s most significant regeneration opportunities with huge development potential to be unlocked due to the removal of the Churchill Way Flyovers.

Join us on this walk and audit to identify issues and potential changes to improve actual and perceived safety. .

Length: Medium

Terrain: TBC

Led by Dan Crane, Active Travel England

Walk 6 - Liverpool ONE Heritage Trail walking tour

Overview: Take a step back in time and discover more than 300 years of Liverpool’s history with The Heritage Trail at Liverpool ONE. You will journey back to the creation of the world’s first commercial wet dock, discover the port’s role in global events, and meet the people and discover the places that have shaped this maritime powerhouse. Whether you are a visitor to the city, or born and bred in Liverpool, you will be surprised by the secrets revealed by this guided tour.

Length: Long

Terrain: All on one level, no concerns and is wheelchair accessible.

Led by Joseph O’Rourke, LIverpool ONE

Walk 7 - Liverpool Central Station Gateway – Access and Movement Appraisal

Overview: This walkshop will consider aspects conducted as part of an inclusive design approach to integrated transport schemes. The walkshop will take place around the Liverpool Central Station Gateway area to highlight and discuss challenges faced by disabled people, and people of other protected characteristic groups, and identify solutions that could be considered to enable more inclusivity in public realm and transport interchange improvements.

Length: Short

Terrain: TBC

Led by Krunal Shah, AtkinsRéalis

Walk 8 - Seeing Streets Differently: Lived-experience walk on inclusive pedestrian design

Overview: Join lived-experience leaders from Liverpool’s blind and partially sighted community to “see streets differently”. Starting and ending at St George’s Hall, this gentle loop takes in Lime Street, Queen Square Bus Station and Williamson Square. At each stop, we explore crossing design, tactile paving, wayfinding, street clutter and soundscapes. The session surfaces specific, actionable improvements for Liverpool’s pedestrian network and models inclusive facilitation for future audits and community walks.

Length: Short

Terrain: TBC

Led by Liverpool City Council & Bradbury Fields

Speakers

Co-Chair

Kirsty McCaskill-Baxter

Head of Communications and External Affairs, Active Travel England and Living Streets Non Executive Director

Kirsty is a communications and external affairs expert with more than twenty years’ experience. Kirsty has spearheaded a number of national campaigns from British Cycling’s women’s strategy to the development of Greater Manchester’s walking and cycling strategy, now known as the Bee Network. She has worked alongside National Active Travel Commissioner, Chris Boardman, since 2012.

Kirsty is Head of Communications and External Affairs at Active Travel England, a government agency dedicated to enabling people across England to walk, wheel and cycling for everyday trips. Since Active Travel England was created in 2022, the agency has established itself as the leading delivery and expert body for all things active travel. Under Kirsty’s leadership the agency has developed its own website, a growing social media following and has helped to train more than 10,000 local authority officers in high quality design.

Adam Tranter

Founder and CEO, Fusion Media and Living Streets Trustee

Adam’s career is rooted in finding practical and political ways to enable more people to choose active travel. As Cycling & Walking Commissioner for the West Midlands, he secured over £35 million in funding, ensured that 25% (£254m) of the West Midlands’ City Region Sustainable Transport Funding (CRSTS) involved active travel improvements, guided the Combined Authority to one of the highest national capability ratings, and worked across political boundaries to turn ambition into delivery.

Beyond public office, he founded and leads Fusion Media, a marketing and public affairs agency dedicated to cycling, walking, and sustainable mobility, who recently partnered with Living Streets and Bikeability on the Safer Streets For All report. Adam served on the Department for Transport’s Capital Review Panel, advising then-Secretary of State Louise Haigh MP on how national transport investment can deliver better outcomes. Adam is one of three hosts on the popular podcast, Streets Ahead.

Keynotes

Simon O'Brien

Active Travel Commissioner, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Simon is known for his roles in Brookside as well as a number of other series including Rough Guide and Find It, Fix It, Flog It.

He is an active pedestrian and cyclist user and has operated a cycling café in Liverpool City Centre for a number of years.

As Active Travel Commissioner, Simon works to deliver the Metro Mayor's vision for an Active Travel revolution across all six districts of the City Region – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral.

Agustina Martire

Reader in Architecture, Queen’s University Belfast

Agustina studies everyday streets, their structure, uses and changing life. She leads the StreetSpace project, which brings together architecture, urban studies and community engagement to imagine more inclusive and equitable mixed-use streets.

In her keynote she will explore how processes of participation can lead to more accessible and inclusive streets that support walking, liveability and social cohesion in today’s cities.

A image of Living Streets CEO standing by a microphone clapping her hands

Catherine Woodhead

Chief Executive Officer, Living Streets

Catherine has worked in the charity sector since 2000, with her strategic and operational roles spanning large to small charities, from Save the Children for the Lord Mayor's Appeal to Muscular Dystrophy UK.

Catherine joined Living Streets in August 2024, excited about the prospects ahead for the charity. As a former team member of The Prince's Foundation for Building Communities spanning seven years and projects from London to New Orleans, coupled with her lifelong passion for walking, she is keen to put pedestrians firmly at the heart of the UK's plans for healthier, cleaner, safer and happier communities.

Lilian Greenwood MP

Minister for Local Transport

Lilian Greenwood was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Transport and Junior Lord of the Treasury (Government Whip) in September 2025.

She was previously Minister for the Future of Roads at the Department for Transport between July 2024 and September 2025.

Lilian was re-elected as the MP for Nottingham South in July 2024, and has represented the constituency since May 2010.

Lilian was Shadow Secretary of State for Transport between 2015 and 2016, also operating as Shadow Rail Minister from 2011 to 2015. Lilian was appointed Opposition Deputy Chief Whip by Sir Keir Starmer in May 2021, occupying the role until 2023 when she was made Shadow Minister for Arts, Heritage, and Civil Society.

Lilian also chaired the Transport Select Committee from July 2017 to January 2020.

She loves walking!

Jim Hubbard

Head of Public Policy for the UK & Ireland, Voi

Jim Hubbard is Head of Public Policy for the UK and Ireland at Voi, a leading shared e-bike and e-scooter operator active in over 110 cities. In the UK, Voi is the market-leading operator, partnering with local authorities in more than 20 towns and cities to deliver millions of zero-emission journeys that support sustainable urban transport.

Jim leads Voi’s engagement with national and local government, regulators and stakeholders, helping shape the UK’s approach to micromobility and its integration into local transport networks. He has over 15 years’ experience in UK public policy, holds an MSc in Sustainable Urbanism from UCL, and previously led the Regional Policy team at the CBI.

Christopher Martin

Co-Founder, Urban Movement Limited & Living Streets Vice Chair of Trustees

Christopher is an influential urban designer and strategic urban planner working to maximise the value of urban public space. He supports communities, governments, cities, and leaders to develop ambitious urban strategy to meet their missions, and make great places possible.

He is Managing Director of Urban Movement, and Head of Urban Design with over 19 years’ experience leading complex urban projects at all scales that address human connection, social equity, and climate repair. He applies his expertise to public realm, streets and mobility - where he consistently adds value through ensuring the integration of urban and landscape design, with engineering and transport.

Katie Shannon

Development Manager, The Freshfield Foundation

Katie is an Architect and Inclusive Designer by trade, and Development Manager of Walkable Neighbourhoods 2040. She is supporting the delivery of Walkability pilot projects in North Liverpool.

Katie is passionate about making the built environment safe, accessible, joyful and sustainable for everyone. Katie Shannon is an Architect and Inclusive Designer by trade, and Development Manager of Walkable Neighbourhoods 2040. She is supporting the delivery of Walkability pilot projects in North Liverpool. Katie is passionate about making the built environment safe, accessible, joyful and sustainable for everyone.

Janice Jaison

Senior Transport Planner, Mott MacDonald

Janice is a Senior Transport Planner in the Futures and Foresight team at Mott MacDonald. Through her role supporting the Department for Transport’s Futures Framework, she is deeply involved in technology focused work that informs strategic decision-making. Her experience spans areas such as digital twins, big data and AI, as well as connected and autonomous mobility. She is currently supporting DfT in the development of a decision-making framework to assess the environmental impacts of AI.

Having recently co-authored a paper 'Visioning for Transport Practitioners', she also works across a broad range of futures and foresight projects, helping clients develop robust transport policies under uncertainty.'

Dr Amit Patel

Diversity, equity and inclusion consultant & Living Streets Trustee

Amit is a best-selling author, diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, motivational speaker, disability rights campaigner and charity Trustee. He is registered severely sight impaired (blind) having lost his sight overnight in 2013.

Amit is an active campaigner for accessibility, diversity and inclusion, speaking out against the issues that disabled people face daily.

Jamie Hodsdon

Policy Manager, UK and Western Europe, Waymo

Jamie works closely with politicians, policymakers, and regulators to bring Waymo's exciting technology to European roads.

Previously, he led the UK Government's self-driving vehicle regulatory programme, including the Law Commissions' AV review and what became the Automated Vehicles Act 2024. Before Waymo, he headed up Oxa's regulatory and public affairs programme.

Alexei Lee

Senior Behavioural Research Consultant, AtkinsRéalis

Alexei is a Behavioural Scientist with a background in user research and communications. He holds over 15 years of experience in developing human insights and people-centred strategies for both public and private sector organisations.

As a Senior Consultant at AtkinsRéalis, Alexei continues to work with the Department for Transport, National Highways and local authorities to help them understand and address transport challenges from a people-centred perspective.

Jo Bacon

Technical Director in Social and Behavioural Science, AtkinsRéalis

Jo Bacon has over 20 years’ experience in behavioural research and policy advisory roles. Jo has led national research programmes on transport decarbonisation, equality and accessibility, and future mobility.

Her work integrates behavioural insight with transport policy, delivery and strategy, to support more people-centred transport systems and networks.

We thank the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for hosting the 2026 Walking Summit

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is led by Mayor Steve Rotheram and brings together region’s six local councils – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral – to tackle the big issues that matter to the region, together.

The authority has taken powers and funding from the national government to through a ‘devolution’ deal. This means they can take decisions and make investments locally, where we know what the region needs, instead of them being taken by politicians and officials in London.

Liverpool City region work together to make investments in areas that have a real impact on their communities, like transport, employment and skills, culture, digital and housing.

We thank our Headline Partner AtkinsRéalis for making the 2026 Walking Summit possible.

AtkinsRéalis is dedicated to “Engineering a better future for our planet and its people,” with a national team of active travel experts driving innovation across the UK. Their work spans the full project lifecycle. From policy and behavioural change to planning, design, and construction, we deliver inclusive, safe, high-quality infrastructure that encourages people to walk and cycle.

They invest in developing approaches and toolkits to demonstrate our commitment to inclusive design, community engagement and creating safer, more accessible public spaces for all.

We thank event supporter Mott MacDonald.

At Mott MacDonald, we promote walking as the foundation of healthy, inclusive and liveable communities. We help create places where walking is safe, attractive and convenient, enabling people of all ages and abilities to choose to walk for everyday journeys.
Our specialist transport planning and engineering expertise is combined with a strong behavioural change approach, ensuring the needs of people are at the heart of every scheme. Trusted by clients across the UK and internationally, we deliver walking-focused solutions that provide lasting social, health and place-based benefits.

We support walking, wheeling and cycling projects from early strategy and business case development through to design, delivery and monitoring. Our breadth and depth of in-house talent allows us to offer an end‑to‑end service, helping clients deliver streets and neighbourhoods that are designed for people first.

We thank event supporter Voi.

Voi are focussed on transforming urban transport. Since 2018, they've been on a mission to challenge the car-centric culture and bring in mobility solutions that make city life smoother, greener and more enjoyable. They believe shared electric micromobility is the future. Why? It eases traffic congestion, cuts emissions, minimises noise pollution and provides an affordable, flexible solution for last-mile connectivity and urban trips in general – helping to create more vibrant, liveable cities.

We thank event supporter Waymo.

Waymo — formerly the Google self-driving car project — focusses on making it safe and easy for people & things to get around with autonomous vehicles. They believe the status quo is not acceptable and their mission is to innovate beyond the impossible in order to save lives that are tragically lost to traffic crashes. They are driven to provide inclusive mobility that offers freedom of movement for all, working with our partners and communities to create an ecosystem that is sustainable, efficient, and audacious.