Dr. Kum Wah Choy
Kum Wah is a leader in the field of clean, connected and automated mobility (CCAM). He heads the team that uses emerging technologies to help solve our clients’ transportation challenges. He’s a chartered engineer, with more than a decade of experience in the infrastructure sector. He’s also a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a speaker at high-profile industry events.
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Chief engineer
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Clean, connected and automated mobility
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Highways technology, intelligent transport systems, clean, connected and automated mobility, communications architecture
About Kum Wah
Kum Wah has a PhD in Distributed Artificial Intelligence and applied his in-depth understanding of emerging technologies to his early work as a software engineer. He says he enjoyed solving problems with technology but also realised there’s a delicate balance between a perfect engineering solution and what’s commercially viable. “To solve a client’s challenge, we have to ensure what we put forward is commercially and technically practical and sustainable,” he says. For that reason, he decided to return to study. He completed a Master in Business Administration (MBA) and now focuses his attention on helping clients turn their ambitious visions into firm plans for the future.
Kum Wah on the challenge of bringing connected and automated mobility to fruition
A lot of different people and sectors have to work together to enable cleaner, safer and more convenient travel. That includes infrastructure, vehicle manufacturing, technology and insurance firms, as well as government and industry bodies. And as Kum Wah explains, it’s not always easy to achieve collaboration on that scale. “Right now, we’re moving in the right direction but there’s a lot more to do,” he says. “To get to the next level, we have to proactively engage with different industries and encourage closer working. I’ve found that by speaking to people and understanding their point of view, we’ve been able to find a common denominator. That may be, for example, our shared attempts to improve safety on our roads. We can unite around those goals.”
How technology is already making a difference
Kum Wah was the project lead for the award-winning A2/M2 Connected Corridor project. The pilot scheme was delivered for Highways England, the Department for Transport, Transport for London and Kent County Council. It involved the creation of the UK’s first European interoperable connected vehicle corridor on a live road between London and Dover, which enabled the team to test and evaluate emerging CCAM technologies and services.
He’s now working with Highways England on its Connected Digital Roads project, which is trialling technology that transmits variable speed limit information directly on to a vehicle’s dashboard. This supports the mandatory requirement for vehicle manufacturers to ensure all new cars produced from 2022 have an intelligent speed assist feature. According to the European Transport Safety Council, this could reduce accidents by 30% and the number of people who die on our roads by 20%.
Kum Wah says being able to bring about projects like this is why he does this job. “In the next five years, I’d like to help the UK become a world leader in clean, connected and automated mobility, and see the technology deliver the benefits it promises, that is safer and more efficient roads, and smoother journeys. The possibility of seeing all of that come to life is what really motivates me,” he says.
Connect with Kum Wah on LinkedIn
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