Embracing whole life value across asset management and really engaging with the needs of customers is key to delivering a world class transport system for London, explains Dana Skelley.

“To me whole life value and whole life cost is not just about minimising cost by getting the right delivery arrangements or intervening at the right times with asset investment it is also about maximising the commercial opportunity of our assets – that is all part of that value,” explained Dana Skelley, TfL’s Director of Asset Management during an interview in the ACOonAir Highways Hangout at the recent Highways UK event.

“I am a firm believer that if we get the decisions right around our capital investment it will produce natural efficiencies in our operating costs.”

Skelley also higlighted the critical importance or recognising and reacting to the evolving needs of customers as the pass through not only the Capital's Tube and rail system but also the vast highway network.

“You have to start by understanding your customers and their needs, desires, aspirations and pains and line it up with policy and the art of the possible and what we have got in terms of the finite road space available," she said. "Every journey does matter. There is a whole host of ways that we engage with our customers. One of the most important things for them is to get up to date local information about what is impacting them. That hasn’t been easy but digital technology makes it possible."

"The world of highways it’s about non fare paying passengers as opposed to the world of busses and tunes . The idea of engaging with customers is something that we are focusing on but is more difficult on the highways as they haven’t come into a system and paid to be there.