Limerick’s Active Travel team appoints new Behavioural Scientist

LIMERICK City and County Council’s Active Travel team is continuing to add to its expertise, with the appointment of a new Behavioural Scientist in the department.

Toby Goodwin has begun work with the team this month following his move from the UK, where he worked with Transport for London (TfL) for 24 years. Toby’s partner is from West Limerick and they have made the decision to relocate to the area.

Among the posts Toby held in TfL was Human Factors Engineer, where he began work to run live trials in influencing customer behaviour and assessing the impact of people’s perceptions on the success of project delivery.

Toby will now be tasked with conducting assessments with various stakeholders in Limerick and helping to deliver effective measures to promote the usage of both the new and existing Active Travel network across both the city and county.

The new role means Limerick’s Active Travel team becomes the first in the country to have a dedicated Behavioural Scientist within its multidisciplinary department.

Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Gerald Mitchell commented: “Having a multitude of expertise across the Active Travel team is very important as the department continues to deliver high-quality upgrades of pedestrian and cycle infrastructure in Limerick.

“Ensuring robust stakeholder engagement and buy-in to this work will be a key factor into how successful these upgrades are. Continuing to work with any and all voices will see our ever expanding Active Travel network supported by extensive local knowledge and input. I want to congratulate Toby on his new role and wish him every success.”

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Toby Goodwin said: “It is great to be joining the Active Travel team here in Limerick at such an exciting time. There has already been some great work done in developing new and existing infrastructure across the city and county. We have a great baseline to work from when it comes to providing future success.

“I am excited to be in the position of bringing my passion for active travel and my experience in systems thinking and behavioural change to the team.”

Senior Engineer with the Active Travel team in Limerick City & County Council, Sean McGlynn, added: “We are delighted to welcome Toby into our expanding multi-disciplinary team.

“The Active Travel story in Limerick continues to evolve and Toby’s appointment is another step on our journey. The team is acutely aware of balancing the diverse needs of various stakeholders throughout the city and county with delivering a high-quality, enhanced pedestrian and cycle network. I’m looking forward to working closely with Toby as he begins his new role.”