Ten Years at NRP:

Joel Cockhill recently marked ten years at NRP. As Traffic and Transportation team and Design Service Lead, Joel’s role involves the management of traffic, transportation and public realm projects, together with a technical lead on scheme design.

To mark the anniversary, we asked Joel to reflect on how the department, his own work and the wider sector have changed since he joined, on the project he is most proud of, and on what ten years at NRP means to him.

Since you joined NRP a decade ago, how has the department and your work in this area changed? And what is the biggest shift you’ve seen in the sector since then?

The department has increased significantly in size. Whereas we might have had one large flagship scheme at a time, now we have multiple significant schemes at various stages of development. The larger team also has a wider range of expertise, so that we can deliver projects end-to-end, which is a valuable offer to clients.

My own work has evolved from thinking predominantly about movement and efficiency to a more holistic approach, taking account of user experience with help from other fields such as behavioural psychology. The design objectives and questions we ask of ourselves are: what would make this a more simple, stress-free and enjoyable walking experience for different groups of people? And what would encourage people to pause to socialise, rest or appreciate a view? Linked to this, most of my projects are now centred around creating new and improved public spaces. While we try to improve the movement networks and operation in the area at the same time, that is often not the primary objective.

For the sector, the formation of Active Travel England has been important in championing active travel and helping integrate it into the design process. In the next ten years, I’m expecting some shifts in how we assess options and calculate impacts, using AI-based tools.

Is there a particular project or piece of work from your ten years here that you’re most proud of during your time at NRP?

Many of the larger projects are still in development, such as the development schemes around Oxford Street and Regent Street, which demonstrates just how big and complex these projects can be.

Completed schemes are always the most satisfying for us – Westfield Avenue is a project that has been transformational. The scheme reshaped the main walking and cycling route from Stratford station into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, reducing road space for traffic to create more room for people walking and cycling, with NRP leading the traffic engineering, modelling and cost management behind the change. I was involved from inception to delivery for Westfield Avenue, so it has been great to see it’s completion.

Any other comments about being at NRP for ten whole years?

The rare thing about NRP is that the vast majority of people who were here when I joined are still here. Ten years on, I’m still working alongside many of the same faces, and that says a lot about what makes this a great team to be part of. I’m sure that will continue into the future.

Congratulations to Joel on ten years with NRP!