Traffex returns to Coventry this May with a conference programme developed by the sector for the sector: helping give our industry the tools it needs to finish the job.

Local authority engineers, service managers, asset managers and transport directors from councils across England and Wales have helped shape the agenda this year, driving the conversation across every theatre at Traffex, Parkex and Cold Comfort 2026, taking place 20–21 May at CBS Arena, Coventry.

Produced by Hemming Group in partnership with National Highways and supported by the Department for Transport, Traffex 2026 marks a deliberate shift in how the event is built, with councils not just consulted, but firmly embedded as co-authors of the content.

The result is a programme that goes further than any trade show in the sector by grounding every session, workshop and debate in the day-to-day realities of local highway delivery.

Traffex 2026 asks a simple but powerful question: what does it all mean for the team on the ground, trying to get a project approved, funded and delivered?

Gordon Kirk, event director for Traffex, said: 'At Traffex, local authorities shape the programme. This year, highway engineers and service managers from councils across the country helped us build sessions around the problems they are working on right now. You won't find that at other events in this sector, and it is why the conversations at CBS Arena tend to be the ones people carry back to the office and act on.'

A conference that puts the work in

There will be a ministerial address from roads minister Simon Lightwood. Then Ruth Cadbury MP, chair of the Transport Select Committee, will host a road safety panel, bringing together the Road Safety Foundation, PACTS, and the West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner in a session designed to interrogate the Government's road safety ambitions and what councils can actually deliver.

There is also a keynote from Elliot Shaw, chief customer and strategy officer at National Highways, setting out the implications of Road Investment Strategy 3 for local network managers. And Rachel Gittens, deputy director for the strategic road network at the Office of Rail and Road, will join him for a fireside conversation on data capability and asset management maturity, a topic local authorities have been wrestling with for years.

Amanda Richards, assistant director of highways and asset management at Surrey County Council, joins colleagues from the Welsh Government and the UK Roads Leadership Group for a timely session on the work to update the code of practice Well-managed Highway Infrastructure.

The interplay between national policy and local delivery runs through the entire Roadmap Theatre, with key voices such as Jonathan Munslow, chair of the NHT Network, providing a presentation on improving public outcomes through better data understanding, in the wake of the Government's local maintenance ratings.

Other leading figures on the agenda include Darren Capes (Department for Transport), Max Sugarman (ITS UK), Karl Rourke (East Riding of Yorkshire Council), Laura Villanueva (Transport for London), Allan Pike (West Sussex County Council), Sean Rooney (Oxfordshire County Council), and Sam Shean (Reading Borough Council).

There will also be a series of workshops, including :

  • Incentivising Asset Management in Highways, led by Emily See, President of the Local Government Technical Advisers Group (LGTAG), this session brings together local highway authorities to examine what actually drives better asset management decisions.
  • Mental Health and Suicide Prevention on the Highway Network, hosted by Blue Monkey and partner charities, this workshop gives practitioners a space to share experience and develop a more consistent approach.
  • Barriers to Delivery of the Road Safety Strategy, run by PACTS, this session examines the specific operational, political and funding barriers councils face when trying to implement road safety improvements.
  • The RSTA Surgery: A Collaborative Session on Preventative Maintenance, an open-format discussion hosted by the Road Surface Treatment Association, giving local authority highway managers direct access to technical expertise on extending road surface life and managing maintenance budgets.

Event: Traffex, Parkex and Cold Comfort 2026

Dates: Wednesday 20 May – Thursday 21 May 2026

Hours: Wednesday 09:30–17:00 | Thursday 09:30–16:30

Venue: CBS Arena, Coventry

Admission: Free to attend

Register here.