Zipcar, a subsidiary of Avis Budget, was the largest car sharing operator in London and the UK with an estimated 650,000 members in the UK, of which more than 550,000 of these were in London.
Zipcar ceased operations in the UK at the end of December 2025 citing contributing factors as rising operational and energy costs, incoming changes to the congestion charge to cover electric vehicles and the cost of parking (Transport Committee, Greater London Authority, December 2025). Other barriers included that Zipcar’s floating cars, which have no fixed parking space, were not allowed to park within some central areas including Camden and the City of London. Zipcar had already exited Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol during 2024 to concentrate solely on London.
What are car clubs and why do we need them?
Car clubs are short-term car rental services that allow members to access locally parked cars and pay by the minute, hour or day.
Car clubs offer an alternative to private car ownership for individuals and businesses. They reduce the need for private parking and can help people give up their cars while allowing for occasional car travel.
There are different types of car clubs, ranging from ‘back-to-base’ returnable models to flexible one-way models, with dedicated parking bays and areas.
What are the benefits of car clubs?
TfL states that Car Clubs have the following benefits:
Sustainable travel behaviours. Car clubs have the potential to reduce car ownership, inspiring a shift away from private car use to walking, cycling and public transport.
Benefits for businesses. Car clubs can help businesses and charities access the cleanest vans and cars, save money and reduce emissions.
Aiding the transition to electric vehicles. Many car clubs now operate electric or hybrid vehicles capable of operating with zero emissions.
Environmental and safety benefits. By encouraging people to transition to cleaner vehicles with the highest safety rating, car clubs can improve air quality and reduce the risk of collisions.
The central aim of the London Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) is that by 2041 80% of trips in London are made by sustainable modes including walking, cycling and public transport. The MTS sees a role for car clubs in parts of inner and outer London when paired with a reduction in car ownership and use (Taking TfL’s car club policy forward, July 2022).
Why join a car club?
The RAC Foundation’s research states that the average car or van in England is driven less than 5% of the time; most of the time, it is either parked at home (73%) or parked elsewhere (23%) (Which article, “Car Clubs Explained, April 2025).
Meanwhile, the cost of car ownership is high due to the cost of fuel, insurance, taxes, servicing and repairs, as well as annual depreciation in the car’s value.
In comparison, car club membership allows drivers to drive modern, reliable vehicles without the high price and responsibilities of ownership.
Research from CoMoUK, the national organisation for shared transport, found that, on average, using an EV through a car club can save you £5,573 a year compared to owning a new EV (CoMoUK, October 2023).
How sustainable are car clubs?
CoMoUK estimates that in 2023 each car club vehicle in the UK replaced between 14 and 32 private cars (TfL’s Stalling Car Clubs, London Assembly Transport Committee, April 2025).
On average, car club vehicles produce fewer emissions. According to CoMoUK, 35% of car club cars are fully electric, compared with less than 2% of private cars. A further 35% of car club cars are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, and all car club cars are compliant with Low Emission Zones.
Car club operators looking to expand
The exit of Zipcar opened up the London car club market, assuming the operation is commercially viable for other operators. London is seen as one of the most promising cities in Europe for car sharing because it has a large population where the majority rely on travelling by public transport rather than owning their own cars.
According to the Guardian (December 2025), several car-sharing companies are considering launching or expanding in London, including Free2move, Enterprise Car Club and Co Wheels.
Free2move, owned by the carmaker Stellantis (manufacturing Peugeot, Vauxhall and Fiat), currently operates in several European cities and Washington DC. It is monitoring the London market and considering service options.
Enterprise Car Club already has 1300 cars and vans in the UK with most being in London and operates in 30 London boroughs. Enterprise is seeking opportunities to expand its network, including hourly or daily rentals.
Co Wheels, a smaller business, operates across the UK with over six hundred vehicles and a few cars in London. Co Wheels made a statement at the time of Zipcar’s announcement that “rising costs from parking permits and on-street bay fees to electricity, insurance and congestion charges place significant pressure on operators” and that “these costs have prevented companies like Co Wheels from expanding into London, hindering any opportunity for a multi-operator approach” (Co Wheels Response to Zipcar UK Announcement, December 2025). However, the company has said it was “actively discussing” options with several London boroughs more recently.
In response to the criticism of the introduction of the congestion charge for electric vehicles, TfL has partially addressed the issue as from 2 January 2026, it introduced a new 100% discount for electric car club vehicles that are picked up and returned to the same bay within the Congestion Charge zone. This would not assist floating vehicles.
Peer-to-peer car-sharing and car-pooling
In terms of different types of car clubs, the peer-to-peer car-sharing companies Hiyacar and Turo also said they hoped to expand the number of car owners using their platforms in London, with the exit of Zipcar. Car-pooling may also become more popular.
How does peer-to-peer car-sharing work?
Peer-to-peer car-sharing organisations such as Hiyacar enable people to hire cars from people in their local area via an app. There is no membership fee or deposit, owners are paid a set time rate plus a booking fee, and the person hiring the car is required to cover fuel or charging.
Insurance is included per trip, but the excess is high unless you pay to reduce it. It can be cost-effective for short local trips but availability and quality vary by area and owner.
Hiyacar density is highest in London but it also operates in other large cities such as Manchester (Source: Hiyacar – Car Clubs).
The verification process for drivers includes identity, licence validity and minimum age (21) (Source: Hiyacar website).
Owners are required to ensure cars are roadworthy, clean with a full tank of petrol and that their car’s availability is accurate.
Car-sharing models such as Hiyacar and Turo could potentially take advantage of the minimal use of most cars mentioned above; that the average car or van in England is driven less than 5% of the time. If car sharing were used on a wider scale particularly in cities, they could reduce car ownership and free up kerbside space (and / or off-street parking space) that could be used for other purposes such as disabled parking, delivery and servicing or reallocation to pedestrians, cyclists or buses.
What is car-pooling?
In addition to peer-to-peer car sharing, there are carpooling organisations such as BlaBlaCar. BlaBlaCar allows drivers to publish their trips, passengers book seats and then share fuel and toll costs. It operates in Europe (including in London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Reading and Sheffield) and South America and is popular for trips between areas and cities that are not well-connected by direct trains.
The organisation addresses concerns that users may have about personal security including advising users to use ratings and verified ID, communicate only through BlaBlaCar, confirm the meeting point, and as a woman, look out for women only rides. It also recommends charging your phone before you travel, sharing your trip details and ensuring fellow car-poolers and the vehicle match the descriptions. It gives basic road safety advice to passengers such as using seatbelts, putting luggage in the boot, checking if child seats are required and not distracting the driver. Drivers are reminded not to use their phones, to take breaks every two hours, ensure they are well-rested before travelling at night, ensure the car is insured and has a valid MOT, check tyre pressure, oil, water, brakes, headlights, windscreen wipers and respect traffic laws (BlaBlaCar website, 2026).
Responding to the profile of current car club users
Are peer-to-peer car-sharing and car-pooling likely to be viable alternatives to car clubs for the current users?
Research for TfL that was conducted in 2024 found that only a small group of Londoners uses car clubs – mostly younger, relatively affluent men with children. They are used for a mixture of leisure and non-leisure trips including visiting friends and family, moving bulky items and errands (Source: Car Clubs Customer Research, 2CV for TfL, August 2024).
Car club users do use public transport less than all Londoners although they do still use it frequently and 8 in 10 car-free car club users say they intend to buy a vehicle in the next 2 years: significantly more than all Londoners. This may suggest that their car-free status whilst they use car clubs may be only a temporary effect.
Car-sharing suits city-based drivers for occasional, short-notice access to a specific type of car near home without subscriptions, and who are willing and able to compare owner listings for price, mileage caps and other conditions.
Car-pooling such as BlaBlaCar is generally used for longer distance trips such as London to/from Manchester, Birmingham, Reading and Bristol (Source: BlaBlaCar website).
According to the research carried out for London, car-sharing may suit existing car club users for some trips such as moving bulky items and errands. Car-pooling may also work for intercity trips or where and when connections are poor such as holiday periods.
What next?
If the provision of car clubs is still a policy objective of TfL’s and the London boroughs, in order for existing car clubs to expand in London or for new car clubs to set up, it is likely that concessions will need to be made, including reducing fees. Some boroughs are already looking at reducing or waiving permit fees while others are waiting until the new financial year. Consistency across boroughs would simplify the situation for operators.
Expansion by peer-to-peer companies such as Hiyacar and Turo would be less expensive than for traditional car club operators, as they are not reliant on a fleet of cars, only on linking existing owners to potential renters.
With the demise of Zipcar there are clear opportunities for the expansion of traditional car club models but also for car-sharing and car-pooling. It will be interesting to see how the market develops and how users respond.
“The result is a more consistent, thoughtful service and stronger, more positive relationships with our clients.”
At the heart of our organisation is our company culture which is the shared values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that define how we work together every day. It goes far beyond office design or staff perks – it’s reflected in how decisions are made, how people are treated, how success is recognised, and how challenges are approached.
We know that a positive company culture has a direct impact on employee happiness, wellbeing, engagement and performance. When people feel valued at work, this naturally shows in the way they work with our clients. They bring more care, ownership and energy to what they do, and they are more confident in communicating and solving problems. The result is a more consistent, thoughtful service and stronger, more positive relationships with our clients.
That’s why it’s not just important to us – it’s essential to who we are as a business. And having a positive company culture doesn’t happen by accident. It is shaped by our everyday actions, leadership behaviours and a genuine commitment to our people. We know that it requires intentional effort and is something that we to work hard at every day. Here are six key ingredients that have helped us create a positive culture:
1. Leadership
Culture starts at the top. Our leaders play a crucial role in modelling the behaviours and values they expect from others. They are positive and act with integrity, which sets the tone for the entire business.
2. Communication
We believe that transparent communication helps us build trust with our team. We aim to communicate regularly and give people the opportunity to have their voices heard. We do this at our ‘Business Strategy Day’ and ‘Culture Day’ where we take the team ‘off site’ to collaborate and share ideas with each other. We have also recently introduced town halls which gives our staff the opportunity to ask anonymous questions and give feedback to the board about any topic that is important to them. This feedback gives us valuable insight and has helped us make positive changes in the business such as enhancing our maternity and paternity pay.
3. Supporting employee health and well-being
At Momentum, the health and well-being of our staff is a key priority; we want to create a space where people feel safe, healthy and fully supported. To help us do this, we provide everyone with private healthcare cover with access to a GP, health and wellbeing resources, free counselling, therapy and mental health support from the first day they start with us. We care about our staff and want them to be, and feel, their best.
4. Recognising and rewarding positive behaviours
Acknowledging effort and celebrating achievements reinforces the behaviours that support a strong culture. Our employee recognition initiative allows staff to nominate their colleagues for an award based on their positive contribution to our culture or their technical success. A winner is announced each quarter and awarded a £500 voucher to enjoy, and we also share all the positive feedback about other nominees too.
5. Being inclusive
At Momentum, we know that the strength of our team comes from the unique experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives each of us brings to work. That’s why equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) aren’t just buzzwords for us – they’re part of our values and how we work and succeed together.
We are building a culture where everyone feels seen, heard, and supported. That means creating space for open conversations, challenging bias when we see it, and making sure opportunities are truly equal. We have an EDI strategy and EDI internal working group which help us create a workplace where differences are celebrated and everyone feels like they belong.
6. Investing in development
We are committed to investing in the growth and development of our people. We provide ongoing opportunities for learning through tailored training, mentoring, and hands-on experience, ensuring our staff have the skills and confidence to succeed in their roles. By encouraging continuous learning, supporting career progression, and providing regular feedback, we empower our team to reach their full potential while growing alongside the business.
Measuring culture.
While culture can feel intangible, it can – and should – be measured. We do this by working with Great Places to Work to deliver our annual staff engagement survey. This provides insight into how our staff experience Momentum on a day-to-day basis.
The survey focuses on key dimensions such as trust in leadership, pride in work, fairness, respect and camaraderie. By asking staff to share their honest perceptions, we gain valuable data on what is working well and where improvements are needed. We use this information to help shape our business strategy and make meaningful change to our business. Last year, because of the feedback from our staff, we introduced our ‘Impact Award’ initiative as well as our trial of ‘summer hours’ which meant our staff were able to leave work early on Fridays in summer to enjoy the sunshine and support a better work life balance.
We’re proud to be accredited by Great Places To Work and based on staff feedback have won awards including ‘best places to work for women’ in 2023 and 2024. But we know that there is always work to do and are committed to continuing our efforts to ensure Momentum continues to be a great place to work!
“Towns are not collections of houses. They are collections of neighbourhoods. Creating that social and physical fabric is the hardest part, and recent history offers several lessons that we can learn from.”
The UK government’s renewed interest in new towns has been positioned by ministers as central to addressing the housing crisis. Yet, as Building magazine’s Joey Gardiner recently highlighted, progress at Tempsford has been disappointingly slow despite its strategic location and designation as one of the most “promising” potential new towns in the country.
Tempsford, a village of around 600 people, was identified by the New Towns Taskforce as a site capable of delivering 40,000 homes and serving as a model for the next generation of planned settlements. Its potential for connectivity appears at odds with the government’s lack of formal commitment to the scheme.
This dynamic raises a stark question: if a site as well-located as Tempsford cannot be mobilised quickly, what hope is there that the wider New Towns programme can deliver at the scale and pace the housing crisis demands?
Why new towns are hard to deliver.
One of the risks in the current debate is underestimating just how difficult new towns are to create, if we want them to be more than simply housing estates clustered around a new station.
Successful towns require far more: a sense of place, walkable neighbourhoods, local high streets, schools, healthcare, markets and everyday spaces where people naturally encounter one another. In short, towns are not collections of houses. They are collections of neighbourhoods. Creating that social and physical fabric is the hardest part, and recent history offers several lessons that we can learn from.
Ebbsfleet in Kent, often cited as a modern example, demonstrates the challenge. Despite being located on HS1, only a fraction of its planned housing has been delivered decades after it was launched (although the Development Corporation set up in 2015 is speeding up development). High commuting costs, a station located far from the town centre, and the fact that many residents moved in before a functioning local centre existed have all undermined its success. The result has been a car-dependent lifestyle that many residents actively sought to avoid.
Learning from past models.
Looking back, the UK’s experience with new towns is mixed. Pre-war garden cities such as Letchworth are often regarded as successes, rooted in walkability, human scale and access to green space. Post-war new towns, by contrast, frequently reflected the priorities of the car era.
Places like Milton Keynes and Harlow became highly car-oriented, while Cumbernauld, outside Glasgow, embraced extreme segregation of pedestrians and vehicles through underpasses and elevated walkways – many of which are now being removed. These examples underline how design philosophies can age poorly if they are too rigid or too focused on a single mode of movement.
New towns versus densification.
Densification has a compelling logic: building more homes within existing cities where services, jobs and social infrastructure already exist. However, in practice, densification often occurs at the urban margins, where transport connectivity can be weaker.
By contrast, a location like Tempsford offers a rare opportunity. Its level of regional connectivity is unusually strong, potentially making it a genuine alternative to London-centric living. If the UK is to build new towns at all, this is arguably the kind of place where the model makes sense.
That said, national planning policy is increasingly focused on densification around well-connected train stations, suggesting that new towns should not be seen as a standalone solution but as part of a broader housing strategy.
What would make a new town work?
If new towns are to succeed, delivery will hinge on detail rather than aspiration. Transport is central, but not just in the form of headline intercity connections. Local movement – walking, cycling and affordable public transport – must be prioritised so that people can reach stations, schools, shops and cafés easily and without defaulting to the car.
Timing is equally critical. Transport infrastructure needs to be in place early so that residents form sustainable travel habits from the outset. Equally, jobs and businesses must arrive at the right moment: too late and the town becomes a dormitory; too early and local centres struggle to survive.
Current proposals for Tempsford raise legitimate concerns. A linear layout, a station located outside the town centre and significant car parking risk repeating past mistakes. While the site benefits from high-quality blue and green infrastructure at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Ivel, poor integration could create severance for pedestrians and cyclists rather than a cohesive place.
Designing for real communities.
Perhaps the most important lesson from previous new towns is the need to design for people at all life stages. Places such as Stevenage were initially planned around young families and a small number of major employers. When economic conditions changed and populations aged, the limitations of that model became clear.
A successful new town must work for children, older people, different household types and people with varying needs and abilities. Only then can it function as a genuinely inclusive and resilient community.
New towns can deliver high-quality homes in the right locations, and at scale. But they are not a silver bullet. To meet housing need – particularly in and around London, where estimates suggest around 90,000 new homes are required each year – the UK would need to deliver the equivalent of two garden towns the size of Tempsford every year.
That reality makes clear that new towns must sit alongside other approaches, including densification around well-connected stations and urban extensions. Done well, new towns could be transformational. Done badly, they risk becoming slow-moving, car-dependent places that fall short of their promise.
As Gardiner’s Building article points out, the challenge for government is not just whether to build new towns, but whether it can coordinate investment, infrastructure and delivery at the pace required. Tempsford may yet succeed – but its progress, or lack of it, will be a telling test of the UK’s ambitions.
“If we focus on what we want nudges to do when encouraging more people to use active travel they should work at the moment of decision to disrupt existing automatic patterns.”
We need to think beyond infrastructure to drive an uptake in active travel.
Active travel modes are my preferred way of getting around. I myself am a city-hopping cyclist and I rely on my bike to get me from A to B to C to D and all the way to Z. I can give myself a pat on the back for ‘doing my part’ when it comes to my carbon reductions, and I can comfortably finish a big bag of crisps at the end of the day because all my zooming around means ‘I deserved it,’ but I have become oblivious to factors that may be preventing people from getting on bikes and doing as I do.
This shift to active travel is fundamental when thinking about the ambitious carbon reduction targets and cycling mode share targets that are outlined in the London Plan (2021). Infrastructure improvements have proven to be a successful tool to support the culture shift from using non-active modes of travel to relying on active travel as the main form of getting around. An early example of this is the initial implementation of Cycle Superhighways in London in 2010, which led to the implementation of Cycle Superhighways in the City in 2016. This initiative has helped contribute to a notable 70% increase in cycling trips from 2017 to 2024 in the City.
A more recent example is the reopening of Hammersmith Bridge to cyclists and pedestrians in April 2025. Lime, the dockless e-bike company, has published data that demonstrates the reopening of the bridge solely to pedestrians and cyclists has resulted in a dramatic increase in e-bike usage across Hammersmith and Fulham, with Lime saying that trips have more than doubled. As a result, Lime has expanded its infrastructure in the borough by tripling the number of designated parking bays and increased the number of on-street staff to mitigate anti-social parking. These two examples of infrastructure implementation demonstrate the pivotal role that infrastructure improvements play in encouraging an active travel uptake. However, the question remains of how we get everyone to join us.
Think and blink…
Behaviour change tools, particularly nudges, are a powerful means of introducing small design tweaks that can shift behaviour in communities, without restricting choice or requiring major incentives. There are two types of decisions that we can make: ‘think’ and ‘blink’.
Nudges focus on designing into our ‘blink’ decisions. These are fast, intuitive and automatic decisions we make without thinking – a snap decision. They are driven by habit, emotion, mental shortcuts and environmental cues. For instance, this may be when you brush your teeth, what you eat for breakfast, or how you get to work.
If we focus on what we want nudges to do when encouraging more people to use active travel they should work at the moment of decision to disrupt existing automatic patterns.
We want cycling or walking to be the easy, logical choice. Not because we say it is, but because small design interventions make it the default. Examples of nudges can be specific to households, wider communities or workplaces. Categories of these could include default options, social proof and accessibility.
When thinking about design by default, maps are a good place to start. Considering I spend most of my time with my phone by my side, I would have thought it would know me by now – but alas it seems I am still misunderstood! Despite my selecting the cycling option every time I open Google Maps or City Mapper, I am still required to reselect cycling every time I want to get directions. While this is a grievance of mine it means that people who are on the fence about whether they should cycle or not are led away from the option and may not even give it a second thought. Implementing the option to have cycling or walking as your default mode on map apps would nudge people towards making more trips by active modes, instead of relying on private vehicles or public transport.
Nudging towards active travel.
Social proof nudges have already proven to be successful with the implementation of display boards showing real-time cycling numbers on bike counters. This was demonstrated to me personally when I started cycling for my commutes in Wellington, New Zealand, where I’m originally from. My commute would take me along Oriental Parade and past a display board that showed me the number of daily trips and the total number of trips per month made by bike since its implementation in 2019. This board became a part of my routine. I quickly became hooked on watching the numbers increase and seeing numbers change from day to day. It also demonstrated to me with other people cycling to commute that this was a collective effort to move towards active travel that had tangible benefits as more of these counters were implemented across the city.
While we can get caught up in how we get people on the bike in the first place and ensure that their journey is smooth, we often forget about the final step in the journey: where do you park your bike?
In recent years London has been leading the way with the introduction of accessible, state-of-the-art cycle parking facilities in commercial developments. Momentum’s involvement in the successful planning application for 99 Bishopsgate saw the design of a bespoke, high-capacity, cycle parking hub with spaces located both at ground and basement level. In addition to the proposed 1,600 long-stay and 144 short-stay cycle parking spaces that will be provided, the end-of-trip facilities, including lockers, showers and changing facilities, are in line with the cycle parking provision required and anticipated demand. Providing a dedicated, secure and accessible facility for cyclists removes the ‘think’ decision of where to park and replaces it with a ‘blink’ decision that becomes engrained in the routines of employees using the facility.
The significant rise in the number of active travel trips made when compared to non-actives modes is impressive and is thanks, for the most part, to the infrastructure schemes that have been implemented around London that facilitate clear cycle routes to the places we need to go.
The next step for London is to take our good level of active travel trips to a great level. The use of default, social proof and accessibility focused nudges will encourage ‘think’ decisions to become ‘blink’ decisions.
Sources:
Originally published on the CPA’s website to explore the findings of the CPA’s Cycling in the City report and recent data showing continued growth in cycle trips.
“It is estimated by TfL that 12% of cycling trips are made using hire bikes. These trips, especially concentrated in central London, do not generate demand for long-stay workplace cycle parking.”
Recent TfL data shows strong growth in cycling. According to the latest Travel in London report, both daily cycle trips (defined as end-to-end journeys made entirely by bike) and cycle stages (where cycling forms part of a longer journey) have increased by almost 45% since 2019. TfL estimates that in 2025 there were around 1.5 million daily cycle stages and 1.4 million daily cycle trips within London.
At first glance, this growth would suggest that cycle commuting is also increasing. However, a closer look at who is cycling, and for what purpose, reveals a more nuanced picture.
Despite the overall rise in cycle journeys, TfL’s analysis shows commuting trips as a proportion of cycling activity have declined. Since 2019, commuting has fallen from 36% of cycling journey purposes to 31%, with leisure trips now the predominant reason people cycle.
Furthermore, if cycling is considered as a mode share rather than in absolute numbers, the apparent growth in cycle trips becomes less clear. Traffic counts and ticket analysis from TfL suggest that cycling accounted for around 4.7% of all trips in London in 2024, up from 3.6% in 2019. However, for understanding commuting behaviour, it’s best to reflect on a second set of mode‑share data published by TfL, drawn from the London Travel Demand Survey.
This dataset provides the most robust picture of travel behaviour among London residents and shows that the cycling mode share has remained stagnant at around 3% since 2019. This indicates that while cycling trips have increased, cycling has not become a larger share of residents’ travel. Applied to an individual office building, this implies no strong reason to expect increased cycling demand.
It is also worth noting the growing role of cycle hire in the number of cycle trips. It is estimated by TfL that 12% of cycling trips are made using hire bikes. These trips, especially concentrated in central London, do not generate demand for long-stay workplace cycle parking.
These trends underpin the findings of CPA’s Cycling and the City report, which examines what constitutes an attainable cycling mode share for an office development in the Square Mile. A key constraint identified is commuting distance, with 64% of the City’s workforce living more than 10km from their workplace, regarded as the upper limit for cycle commutes. While the current London Plan is looking to provide cycle parking for a 19% cycle commuting mode share, the CPA report forecasts that this is unlikely to rise beyond 11%.
Whilst cycle numbers in London show growth, it is evident that this should not automatically be assumed to apply across all trip purposes or all Londoners. It’s essential that we plan for growth in cycling, but it also needs to be aligned with what the data is telling us, what is possible and what sustainable growth looks like for the City of London.
[CPA recently met with Transport for London (TfL) to discuss cycle parking provision ahead of the publication of the new London Plan. These discussions follow the release of CPA’s Cycling in the City report, which finds that there is significant over-provision of long-stay cycle parking for offices in the City of London.]
“It brought together collaboration, technical understanding, and creative problem-solving in equal measure. More importantly, it showed the power of visualisation as a communication tool. It helps planners share their ideas clearly, supports discussions with stakeholders, and allows communities to picture a positive change.”
At Momentum we talk a lot about creating spaces for people, and as the company’s design manager, working within a team of planners and engineers, my role can sometimes feel slightly behind the scenes.
But a recent confidential project was a clear reminder of how visualisation plays a key part in turning planning ideas into something people can immediately understand and engage with.
The brief was to produce ten visualisations for ten public realm locations across London. Each site was different, but the ambition was the same: to improve everyday spaces and make them work better for the people who use them. With a background in technical architecture, I sit comfortably between design intent and technical reality, which is exactly where this type of work lives.
The process started where it should, on site. Together with one of my colleagues, I visited each location to understand the space. Walking the streets, observing how people move through them, and talking through proposed changes in real time always brings clarity that drawings alone can’t offer. It’s also one of my favourite parts of the job.
We photographed each location extensively, taking around twenty images per site from different angles. These became the foundation of the visual work. Once the site visits were complete, the planning team prepared detailed briefing documents, setting out what needed to be included or removed, the overall vision for each space, and the key principles behind the proposals.
This is where the real challenge began. We don’t use AI to generate our visualisations. Every image is built manually, using a mix of design software, photography, illustrations, and real material references. It’s a slower process, but it allows for accuracy and control, and ensures that what you see on screen genuinely reflects what could be delivered on the ground.
Each visualisation involves carefully removing vehicles and unnecessary clutter, introducing new paving, planting, and street elements, and then bringing people back into the scene in a natural way. Seeing the before-and-after images side by side is always rewarding, particularly when the transformation feels achievable rather than over-polished.
Timing didn’t make things easier. All site visits took place in December and January, which meant grey skies, wet pavements, bare trees, Christmas decorations, and the occasional downpour. Turning that into inviting, green public realm visuals required a lot of patience and a lot of editing. Colour had to be reintroduced carefully, planting built up layer by layer, and textures blended so the final image felt believable. There was plenty of cutting, copying, pasting, and tweaking involved.
Despite the challenges, this project was a real pleasure to work on. It brought together collaboration, technical understanding, and creative problem-solving in equal measure. More importantly, it showed the power of visualisation as a communication tool. It helps planners share their ideas clearly, supports discussions with stakeholders, and allows communities to picture a positive change.
Transforming streets and public spaces still feels a bit like a dream to me, in the best possible way. Being able to help make that dream visible, one image at a time, is something I genuinely enjoy and value as part of my role at Momentum.
“Transport affects all people and the sector should continue to adapt to ensure this range of experiences are being openly welcomed in shaping the workforce.”
There is frequent discussion around how much the industry and workplace patterns generally have changed following the pandemic, but less so about how there is a broader demographic challenge with the presence of multiple generations in the workforce compared to previous years.
A whitepaper published by Women in Transport together with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) highlights an insightful statistic that over 40% of workers in the UK transport and logistics workforce are nearing retirement in the next 10 – 15 years1. The research addresses the resulting structural challenges around an ageing workforce whilst also calling on the critical need to close the gaps in knowledge transfer and making the workplace appealing to a new generation of workers with different needs.
There is a range of factors that influence how effectively different generations work together, such as receptiveness to new technologies (yes, AI), progressive employment policies and manager skills training. Whilst I have only been working professionally in the industry for over five years, I can already see the impact that these are having on multigenerational teams. With mid-career switches becoming increasingly common and growing opportunities for apprentices and work placements, we seem to be at a point where there is greater diversification from a generational point of view.
However, we need to ensure these different perspectives are being valued by reducing hierarchical biases and creating spaces or forums within workplaces that promote intergenerational culture. The aforementioned whitepaper clearly sets out ‘eleven actions for a future-ready intergenerational workforce’ that provides very tangible steps that can be taken to both make advantage of but also celebrate the variety of minds we have in the workplace.
As the paper notes, “generational experience does not exist in isolation”, and I hope that opening up the discussion on generational differences can also complement how the industry addresses other demographic inequalities. Transport affects all people and the sector should continue to adapt to ensure these range of experiences are being openly welcomed in shaping the workforce.
The first time I came across transport planning was when I spotted the advert for this apprenticeship. Honestly – I had no real idea what the job involved! What grabbed me, though, was the chance to work on projects that make a real, tangible impact on people’s everyday lives. That felt exciting and meaningful.
Fast-forward almost three months, and I’m now well into my role as Momentum’s first transport planning apprentice. In that short time I’ve already been involved in a range of projects and thrown into all sorts of tasks. The moment things really started to ‘click’ for me was while working on Lion House – a refurbishment project in Camden transforming an office into a hotel. I was given responsibility for completing a transport spec, running a trip generation and writing up a transport statement. Considering I had no clue what any of those things were three months earlier, it was definitely a proud moment! It wasn’t perfect (and yes, I asked a lot of questions), but it was the first time I felt myself properly understanding the work.
I’m currently working on projects like Tower Bridge and Riyadh Stadium, and I’m especially excited about Puddle Dock – a masterplan regeneration on a site I pass practically every day on my commute. One of the big things I’ve learned so far is that no two projects are ever the same, and that’s something I love. The built environment is constantly shifting, and there’s a growing push for sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity. Being part of that change – even in a small way – feels important.
Why Momentum?
One of the main things that drew me to Momentum was the people-first approach and the variety of projects I’d get to work on. The company genuinely prides itself on those values, and now that I’m here, I can honestly say it shows, not just in the work we deliver but in how we do so.
Before my interview, I reached out to Alex Henderson and Wayne Taylor (at Momentum) to ask about their experience at the company and any advice they had for me. What really stood out was how open, friendly and willing they were to help. As someone who had just finished A-levels and was taking their first steps into the industry, having that kind of support mattered a lot.
And that support hasn’t stopped. Everyone here is happy to answer my questions and, as I’ve learned, asking questions is basically a core part of being an apprentice. I work with people across the company, and the culture is genuinely collaborative and encouraging. I’ve got my supervisor, my buddy, my POD group, and regular socials to get involved in. There are also commitments outside project work, like our monthly food bank deliveries, which really show the company’s values in action.
Learning on the job (and at uni!).
One of the biggest appeals of the degree apprenticeship route was having experienced professionals around me who I can learn best practices from in real time. I’ve found the balance of learning and applying what I’ve learned to be quite organic. It keeps me motivated and helps things stick.
I’m also getting more comfortable with not understanding everything straight away. It takes time, I’m still learning, and that’s okay.
Another thing I’ve noticed is how professional development at Momentum is something that’s really supported and encouraged . There are frequent knowledge shares, the AI Working Group, PEM workshops, the Sustainability Working Group… there is always something happening and there’s a real push to improve, personally and collectively.
Uni work fits around everything pretty well too. I get one dedicated day a week to work on assignments, and during my weekly catch-ups with my supervisor, we’ll talk about anything interesting I’ve learned at uni and how it links back to the work I’m doing. It’s a genuine, open and ongoing conversation that also gives me to the opportunity to reflect.
Looking ahead.
It’s still early days for me, but I already feel like I’ve learned so much — not just about transport planning, but about how I like to work, ask questions and grow. I’m excited about what’s ahead, the projects I’ll get to contribute to and the team I get to learn from.
If this is what the first three months look like, I can’t wait to see where the next few years take me.
This Momentum viewpoint was originally published in Turley’s 2025 research report Co-Location in London: What’s the State of Play?
As more Co-Location developments are explored and designed, there is increasing awareness that the industrial parts of these sites need to operate with lower noise levels and vehicular movements compared to traditional big box industrial sites. This is considered particularly important in urban locations and for vertical Co-Location development to harmonise with residential land uses. The uses of industrial land are diverse, even within the category of ‘light industry’, and are influenced by what the surrounding landscape allows in terms of spatial and operational constraints. With the increasing demand for consolidation hubs and last mile strategies from commercial developments in central London, if carefully designed and managed, might last-mile logistics be a suitable complimentary land use to be co-located with residential land uses?
The ‘last-mile’ is defined as the last step in the supply chain however the actual distance of the ‘mile’ varies depending on where the site and the end-user are located. A last-mile logistics centre is typically designed to consolidate incoming goods onto smaller vehicles such as electric vans and cargo bikes. As such, the overall number of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) movements would be reduced or limited compared to traditional warehouses, which would complement the residential uses.
Last-mile logistics sites benefit from being located close to urban centres as the greater the physical distance to the final destination of the goods being delivered is reduced, the increased potential for those trips to be carried out on cargo bikes or electric vans. Similarly, urban centres are more likely to advantage from better public transport connectivity which would improve connectivity for both employees of the industrial component as well as the residential occupiers, and reduce the overall need for car parking spaces. As with any other industrial provision on Co-Location schemes, careful design considerations will be necessary. For example, to ensure that the vehicular access for the last-mile logistics hub is separated from the residential access points. Whilst the concept is still relatively new, we think there is an opportunity to develop the feasibility of these uses as part of a wider exploration of how sub-defining industrial uses (e.g. logistics hubs versus manufacturing) can help identify the most suitable Co-Location opportunities.
The announcement of a £2 billion infrastructure boost for Birmingham and the West Midlands is a landmark moment, not just for the city’s economy but for how we think about the relationship between major venues, urban regeneration and people movement.
With a new tram line and enhanced transport hubs at the heart of the proposals, one of the key considerations will be the seamless integration of these networks with the operational demands of sporting events. It’s not just about getting people to and from a match or a concert, it’s about how the movement of thousands of people shapes the surrounding public realm, impacts local businesses and informs the urban experience for everyday users when the turnstiles aren’t spinning.
Our recent work on the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre illustrates the scale of this challenge. There, we are balancing legacy infrastructure with evolving crowd safety standards, security requirements and the accessibility of all users. The lesson is clear: it’s essential to consider pedestrian flows, transport resilience and venue operations from the very earliest stages of masterplanning.
The Birmingham Sports Quarter will need to do the same; ensuring that public transport upgrades aren’t just reactive add-ons but are fully integrated with event day operations and long-term city growth strategies.
One of the most exciting elements of the Birmingham plans is the proposed new tram line, connecting the east of the city through the Sports Quarter and to HS2 at Curzon Street. While this opens up major opportunities for reducing car dependency and boosting sustainable travel, it will also introduce new crowd management challenges. Based on our experience modelling crowd flows at Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Aston Villa’s Villa Park, we know that multi-modal arrival and departure patterns can create highly-dynamic peak loads at different transport hubs. Understanding where these pinch points will occur, how they interact with security screening zones, and how they affect neighbouring streets and transport interchanges will be vital.
This project is a rare chance for Birmingham to futureproof its event-day operations while creating a thriving year-round district. We’ve seen at venues like the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park how mixed-use masterplans can successfully blend large-capacity venues with residential, commercial and leisure uses, but only when underpinned by robust pedestrian and transport strategies. The Sports Quarter will need to accommodate both the intensity of major fixtures and the day-to-day needs of local residents and workers, with flexible, legible public spaces that support both and address the challenges of late evening event finishes.
This is a transformational moment for the city, and it calls for a bold, people-centred approach to transport planning.