Submitted by Jessica Haskell on Tue, 2020-01-28 10:41
Name: Jo Beale
Position: Transport Coordinator
What does this position entail?
My job is focused on the delivery of cycling and walking improvements across the University estate. I also manage the Universal Bus contract with Whippet Coaches.
What is your (education/qualifications) background and how did you get here?
I did a BEng in Electronic Engineering at Exeter, when I graduated I went to work for Transport for London as a traffic signals engineer. From there I moved into consultancy as a Transport Engineer where I worked on a wide range of projects from tiny housing developments to new tower blocks in central London and the logistics of moving officials around the middle of London during the 2012 Olympics. I also completed an MSc in Transport and Sustainable Development at UCL/Imperial part time while I was working.
What were you doing before joining the Environment and Energy section?
Before joining the team here I was on a career break looking after my children.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
In the run up to London 2012 I worked on a project to temporarily change the streets of central London to enable the transportation of officials and the media to move from hotels in the West End to the various event venues freely. I ended up managing the traffic modelling team to make sure all the required assessments were completed and adequately reviewed in the very tight timescale available. At the same time, I was writing my dissertation for my MSc about the implementation of the guided buses in Cambridge. It was a stressful period, but ultimately everyone got where they needed to go without being stuck in London traffic and I got a distinction for my MSc so it was all worth it!
When I worked as a graduate at TfL I made a traffic jam that stretched from Swiss Cottage to the North Circular. I found out as I was listening to the radio while getting ready for work and it was on the traffic news. I dashed to work and managed to fix it. You might think accidentally making a 5km-long traffic jam isn’t something to be proud of, but not many people have done it!
What are you most looking forward to getting your teeth into in the coming year?
I’m looking forward to seeing some improvements to the cycle parking at Downing, CBC and Sidgwick sites actually hit the ground. It’s been a long process to get the improvements planned and approved, so seeing them built will be very exciting.
What gets you out of bed (and into work) in the morning?
I have a three-year-old daughter, she gets me out of bed far too early every day! But seriously, they say that to fix the environment we need to think global but act local, and if my work helps to get some of the thousands of University staff and students out of their cars then I think it’s more than worth it.
What is your environment related pet hate?
Entrenched thinking. We all need to think more fluidly about how we live our lives in order to make a difference. If everyone was a bit more flexible in the way they approach their everyday routines, we might make an impact more quickly.
What is your favourite green gadget?
My electric cargo bike. It makes it so quick and easy to get the kids dropped off and get to work on time as the traffic has no impact on my journey time. Even when it’s raining and blowing a gale, being on the bike is always better than being stuck in a traffic jam getting stressed about how long it’s taking to get into the office.
What do you think is the biggest environmental challenge?
Convincing people that they need to accept things they find initially inconvenient.
Who is your inspirational figure (real or fictional)?
Ada Lovelace is one amongst many.
Do you have any hobbies?
I am a keen member of the Women’s Institute, I love the sense of community, opportunities it gives women to try things they may never have experienced otherwise, and the fact we have been campaigning about things that matter to our members for over 100 years.
Favourite thing about Cambridge?
I’ve lived in Cambridge over 12 years now, but one of my favourite things about it is still how friendly people are here. People will actually talk, and if you are willing to get involved, it’s a very easy place to make friends.