Sharing Best Practice 2026

Almost 400 highway specialists registered for this year’s Sharing Best Practice webinar, including representatives from more than 135 local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales.

The event covered some significant milestones within the highway sector – including updates to the Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice and PAS 2161.

AIA Chair, David Giles, opened the event by outlining the work of the AIA over the year, including its support for the APPG for Better Roads and its Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey. He thanked local authorities for their ongoing support of the survey by providing data and participating in focus groups.

He also highlighted the AIA’s support for a new initiative, Women in Asphalt Europe, which aims to empower women at every level of the sector through mentorship, networking and providing the opportunity to share experiences and challenges.

The first half of the programme focused on climate and carbon and kicked off with a look at the ADEPT Local Highways Climate Adaptation Guide. This was followed by discussions on what the industry is doing to reduce the carbon impact of asphalt and an overview of the use of cold recycled bound material.

The second half looked at key developments in the highways sector including the Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice and what it means for local authority highway engineers, as well as the PAS 2161 demonstration project.

David Giles said: “Despite facing technical issues, the content was well received, and we’re excited about the introduction of bonus content which will be available to view on our website. All speaker presentations and the panel discussion on digitalisation, which we unfortunately couldn’t go ahead with at the live event, will also be available to view shortly. We will email all those who registered to let them know when it’s been posted.”

“We are incredibly grateful to all our speakers for their expert contribution and for doing a sterling job despite the technical challenges. And thank you to all attendees for joining us, asking questions and engaging in discussions.”

The event’s content was well received by delegates with over 90% of respondents saying it was relevant or very relevant and that they would attend a future event.