Wow! There are so many change makers out there who are part of the decarbonisation journey...

There is a sense that through collective endeavour we can put all the pieces of the transport decarbonisation puzzle together – and the emerging picture is uplifting, says Glenn Lyons

Glenn Lyons is Chair of the Decarbonising Transport Awards Judging panel, past president of the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) and Mott MacDonald Professor of Future Mobility, University of the West of England

Glenn Lyons is Chair of the Decarbonising Transport Awards Judging panel, past president of the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) and Mott MacDonald Professor of Future Mobility, University of the West of England

It’s the first ever Decarbonising Transport Awards and what a privilege to be one of the judges! Given the state of global affairs, it was good for the soul at the start of 2026 to take a deep dive into the large number of entries received for the Awards: view the finalists here

Join us at the Awards Gala lunch ceremony to see Robert Llewellyn, actor, comedian and writer, hand out awards to the winners! Good luck to all...

I don’t intend to leak any clues here as to the specifics of submissions or what I’ve made of specific entries, but I would like to try and give a sense of the experience of my deep dive.

My overall feeling can be summed up as follows. Wow! There are so many change makers out there who are part of the decarbonisation journey. When you add them all up there is a sense that through collective endeavour we can put all the pieces of the transport decarbonisation puzzle together – and the emerging picture is uplifting.

With a broad range of award categories, immersion in all the entries was a reminder of the multifaceted nature of the decarbonisation journey

Now I’m not naïve enough to think that the remarkable number entries alone will change the world, but these are probably only the tip of the iceberg of what is going on nationally and internationally.

Change can be infectious

And across the entries are stories of change that are collectively affecting hundreds of thousands if not millions of people. A few hundred here, a few thousand there; it all adds up! And change can be infectious.

With a broad range of award categories, immersion in all the entries was a reminder of the multifaceted nature of the decarbonisation journey.

Fellow professionals out there are: reducing embodied carbon in infrastructure; creatively reusing materials; removing tailpipe emissions from different vehicle types; reshaping street furniture for a greener future; helping progress the ability to recharge zero emission vehicles; devising carbon-focused planning tools, processes and guidance; reducing the barriers to active travel; creating attractive places that boost wellbeing and encourage behaviour change; reimagining goods distribution; helping make decarbonisation more inclusive; and informing and optimising decisions, processes, operations and services.

This list goes on and on.

This is system change at work – some entries are directly addressing carbon emissions, others are (also) changing conditions that will encourage other changes that decarbonise. And as the system changes and the behaviours of politicians, professionals and the public change, this is not just a story about decarbonisation. There are co-benefits emerging that underline how making change can be change for the better socially and economically as well as environmentally.

And the awards also remind us how many rising stars we have within the transport sector – the future’s bright.

I can’t wait for the awards ceremony in London on 27 March 2026.