Transport infrastructure is called critical national infrastructure for a reason. Without it, much of life as we know ceases to function properly. Food does not get delivered, we cannot go about our daily activities (or at least it becomes harder), nor can businesses run effectively. That is why transport is such a ripe target for both peaceful and non-peaceful action.

We have seen that a lot since March with the war in Ukraine. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of it and the morality of war, transport infrastructure is seen by many as a legitimate target for action. For relative limited action, a lot of disruption can be caused to both military and non-military targets, particularly at choke points in supply lines such as bridges.

To a lesser degree, we are seeing this in the UK. From strike action to the protests of Just Stop Oil. When the closure of a single bridge can have huge economic repurcussions, then you know how important transport infrastructure is.

Transport infrastructure is fundamentally vulnerable. I mean, how can you completely protect several thousands of miles of roads and railways? You can protect the most vulnerable parts, but blanket measures to keep everything going like new bills to go before Parliament on strike action are not bound in reality. You simply cannot protect everything. You have to both protect and adapt to disruption, and as transport planners we need to be mindful of that as we plan and operate transport infrastructure.

Regardless of your views on the legitimacy of strikes and protest actions (for complete transparency, I believe that everyone should have the right to strike and protest even if it causes to disruption and new laws are completely unethical), our responsibility as transport professionals is to help people and businesses adapt when disruption does happen. One of my favourite research projects over the last 20 years, the Disruption Project, explored the role of disruption in changing travel behaviours, and it contains loads of great pointers for maximising the opportunities of disruption and our using our ability to help.

We plan for certainty, and we are pretty good at that. Maybe we should spend some time planning for disruption. Because chances are, we are going to experience a lot more of it in the future.