Planning
Meet our people
Meet our people
The best way to find out what it's really like to work at an organisation is to meet to the people who already do. The profiles in this section will let you do just that – as well as telling you a bit more about how we work, they'll give you an idea of the kind of people you'll be working alongside and what makes them tick. So to find out more use the links below and read on ...
Andrew Ardley - Senior Transport Planner
Gina Small - Travel Plan Officer
Sarah Paver - Transport Planner
Zsolt Schuller - Cycle Exeter Project Manager
George Marshall - Transportation Planning Officer
Lewis Ward - Transport Planning Officer
Senior Transport Planner
Having gained a Diploma in Planning (with a specialisation in transport) from Oxford Brookes University, I joined the Council’s Transport Coordination Centre (TCC) as a graduate trainee. That was back in 1995. Today, I’m a Senior Transport Planner and an example of Devon’s career progression scheme in action!
I can honestly say that working in transport planning has never been so interesting. The variety in both scale and location is greater than ever before. As is the responsibility – I manage multiple Local Transport Plan programme budgets of over £1m each year and write bids for major transport schemes. Managing new developments is a fascinating part of my job. But if I had to pick one thing, I love being able to use creative and imaginative thinking to address current and future challenges: you’re able to make a real difference in influencing and commissioning current schemes and design work.
Travel Plan Officer
My degree is in geography and my real interest is human geography. My role here is about understanding and motivating people to change their behaviour so that it has a positive outcome for the environment, economy, congestion and, of course, health and wellbeing.
Changing behaviour is the ‘holy grail’ for transport planners. I’ve been working with organisations in Devon to target journeys to work. Together we’re developing solutions to promote sustainable travel choices - and we’re seeing real results. I’ve also been involved in the Cycle Exeter (Cycling Demonstration town) bid and have been supported to complete an MSc in Sustainable Development at University of Exeter. While it wasn’t easy juggling a full time job and part time study it was definitely worth it. So, how would I describe working at Devon? Rewarding, diverse and constantly evolving.
Transport Planner
I joined Devon County Council in 2006 as a Graduate Planner after completing my degree in Geography (Human) and Planning. The beauty of joining as a graduate is that you can continue your study: the Council is supporting me to complete a Master’s degree in Town and Country Planning. And once I’ve finished my Master’s I want to become a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute – something you’re actively encouraged to do here.
As a Transport Planner, I’m involved in projects across North Devon. The projects vary in size and scope, from planning applications for new developments to planning for transport over the next 20 years. And that’s a challenge – Devon is set for unprecedented growth and that calls for innovative yet realistic solutions. As a Transport Planner, I feel that I’m continually developing new skills and gaining invaluable experience from working on exciting projects.
Cycle Exeter Project Manager
After completing my MSC in 2004, I joined Devon as a Transport Planner. My first task was to help deliver the 2006-2011 Local Transport Plan. A year later the opportunity came up to project manage one of Six National Cycling Demonstration Towns – as cycling’s my first passion, I jumped at it!
Devon has a history of investment in sustainable transport and after lots of hard work we were successful in our bid. It’s been the most exciting rollercoaster of a project. One day you’re teaching someone with health problems to ride a bike; the next you’re writing a bid for millions of pounds. No two days are ever the same and the project has allowed me to meet some very interesting people and visit towns and cities across the UK. There’s still some way to go but the next step is to roll out the successes of Exeter to make Devon England’s first Cycling County!
Working with Devon has given me the opportunity to progress professionally and, on a personal level, promote my true love - cycling. There’s job satisfaction!
Transportation Planning Officer
Having started my career with Devon as a graduate trainee in the planning group, I joined the transport team in 2007. Since then I’ve worked on a variety of projects, mainly in the south of the county. I’ve been involved in assessing the transport impacts of specific developments and – the question of the moment - considering the future transport system for specific areas. This work is particularly exciting as it requires you to consider where major future development will go and work out how this growth can be supported in transport terms.
And it’s not just roads - I’m also working on a major cycle route scheme. It’s a huge challenge because of the need to cross a railway and rivers, but shows a real commitment to delivering attractive sustainable transport options. All in all, transport planning at Devon is varied and rewarding. After all, how many other jobs let you look into the future?
Transport Planning Officer
I’ve always been interested in what makes transport ‘tick’ and decided quite early on that it was where I wanted to build my career. Here in Devon my work’s incredibly varied and there’s no routine approach to how we do things. My work ranges from tackling the problems of rural isolation in North Devon to the air quality impacts of traffic in Exeter. We’re also working on major projects which include some innovative approaches to creating a high quality public transport service, managing traffic and new ways of providing travel information to residents.
People often ask me what transport planning’s all about, and it’s nice to be able to describe a process which most people take for granted. Improving transport and making it easier for people to go about their lives makes working in transport immensely rewarding.
