Dr George Hazel OBE

Dr Hazel has extensive experience in all aspects of transport and communications, both urban and rural. He has specific expertise from around the world in strategic planning and policy development, the integration of transport with other related areas, future trends for mobility and smart mobility and innovative funding of transport infrastructure. He is known internationally for his expertise in how cities work, in Land Value Capture as a way to fund transport infrastructure, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

He has studied transport policy and practice in many countries, both the successful and the unsuccessful, and has gained a detailed insight into the key issues and influences. He has worked in the public, private and academic sectors at a senior level and has acted as advisor to Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, the Connected Places Catapult, the Academy of Sustainable Communities, the Commission for Integrated Transport, Transport for London, the Queensland State Government, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Region and Metrolinx, the National Bank of Canada, the City of San Diego and many Government agencies around the UK. He was an advisor to Cubic Transportation Services and is currently advising Moses/Flock He is a Director of E-Rail Ltd, specializing in Land Value Capture. He has been an advisor to a number of other private companies. He has published a book on Making Cities Work and has presented at a large number of conferences around the world. He was appointed Smart Mobility Network Integrator for Scottish Enterprise on the development of a Mobility as a Service from 2013 to 2016 and established the Scottish MaaS Alliance. He was then appointed as the Programme Manager for MaaS Scotland, a network of over 70 companies and public agencies hosted by Technology Scotland with ScotlandIS. He is currently a Board Member and Advisor to MaaS Scotland. He is a Non-Exec Board Member for Transport for Edinburgh and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. He also advised the Transport Catapult on Mobility as a Service for a Department of Transport report. He was a member of the Enabling Economic Growth Sub-Group of the Scottish National Transport Strategy Group, specifically advising on the potential of MaaS, and was Chair of a National Connectivity Commission on behalf of the Scottish Council for Development in Industry. 

 

Featured Reports & Papers

 

Curriculum Vitae

GENERAL DETAILS

Current Position: 
Director, George Hazel Consultancy

Year of Birth: 1949

Nationality: Scottish/British

Qualifications:

  • BSc Civil Engineering, Heriot-Watt University
  • MSc Transportation, Heriot-Watt University
  • PhD Traffic Impact of Large Retail Developments, Cranfield Institute of Technology
  • Transport Planning Professional (TPP Hon)

Professional Status:

  • Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (FCIHT)
  • Member (Hon) of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
  • Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics (FCILT)
  • Past President of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation
  • Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for services to transportation

BACKGROUND

Dr Hazel is a Director of the George Hazel Consultancy. The company specialises in providing transport advice, concepts and solutions at the local and strategic level to the public and private sectors. The George Hazel Consultancy, based in Edinburgh, specializes in Mobility as a Service (MaaS), Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and future mobility solutions, strategic and policy advice for cities, the future impact and delivery of smart mobility, demand management, sustainable development and regeneration projects, facilitation services, sustainable/smart communities design and innovative funding and delivery mechanisms, specifically Land Value Capture (LVC). Over the past 10 years he has specialized in three areas – implementing LVC to fund transport and development projects, advising on Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and developing Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) applications. He has pioneered these areas in Scotland, the UK and internationally. He is recognized as a world expert on MaaS and he has developed a unique method to capture added value generated from transportation services through LVC. He is implementing this method through E-Rail Ltd in projects in the UK, Sweden, Australia, USA and Canada. He has spoken at many conferences around the world and has produced 2 reports on LVC methods for Metrolinx and the National Bank of Canada. He is also recognized as a world expert in MaaS and is linked with all the major MaaS networks around the world. He was the Smart Mobility Network Integrator for Scottish Enterprise, the economic agency of the Scottish Government, building a Scottish MaaS Alliance of companies, public agencies and universities detailing MaaS capabilities and linking to other MaaS networks and public agencies and funders. In 2017/18 he was appointed Programme Manager for MaaS Scotland, a network of over 70 companies and public agencies delivering MaaS projects in Scotland. He has spoken at many conferences on MaaS and is working with all the major players in MaaS around the world. He is also working on connected car projects (CAV).

In 2019 Dr Hazel was appointed as a Board Member for Transport for Edinburgh, the agency that co-ordinates Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams and the bike hire scheme and in 2021 was appointed as a Board Member for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Dr Hazel was Chair of the Connectivity Commission for SCDI. He was a member of the Government’s Lorry Road User Charging advisory group, chair of the Urban Design Alliance (UDAL) and an advisor to the Commission for Integrated Transport. He was a member of the UK Secretary of State for Transport’s Steering Group for National Road User Charging, chair of the World Roads Congress C10 Committee, researching urban areas and transport, chair of the Scottish Public Policy Unit’s Transport Commission and Chair of Transport 2000’s Forum on Revitalising Communities on Main Roads. In January 2005 he was awarded the OBE for services to transport. He is an expert on towns and city regions and has written a book on Making Cities Work, published by Wiley.

From 2001 to 2012 he worked as a Director with three consultancies – McLean Hazel, MRC McLean Hazel (owned by the MRC Corporation of Canada) and the MMM Group of Canada. As a Director with MRC and the MMM Group he worked on studies across Canada and the USA and in Europe and Saudi Arabia.

From 1999 to 2001 he was Professor of Transport Policy at the Centre for Transport Policy where he looked after the consultancy business. From 1996 to 1999 he was Director of City Development for the City of Edinburgh Council responsible for planning, economic development, transportation and property. The Department had a staff of 1200. From 1993 to 1996 he was Director of Transportation for Lothian Regional Council, again with a staff of 1200, including a roads maintenance DLO. During these two periods Dr Hazel worked with Professor David Begg who was Chair of Transport for the Council. Together they introduced many interesting new sustainable initiatives including Greenways bus priority, the first car-free development in the UK, the first community car club in the UK and the reallocation of space back to people in areas like the Royal Mile in Edinburgh Old Town.

From 1989 to 1993 he was a main board Director with Transportation Planning Associates where he was responsible for Scotland. Under his direction the business grew from an almost zero base to one of the largest in Scotland with a fee income of around £1 million per annum. From 1979 to 1989, he was with Napier University as a transport specialist. Under his guidance the Department of Civil Engineering became the largest centre of transport research expertise in Scotland and one of the most important in the UK. In 1986 he was made Head of Department and in 1987 became the first Professor of Transportation in Scotland. His initial training, following graduation, was in Local Government where he worked from 1971 to 1979.

Dr Hazel is a Director of the George Hazel Consultancy. The company specialises in providing transport advice, concepts and solutions at the local and strategic level to the public and private sectors. The George Hazel Consultancy, based in Edinburgh, specializes in Mobility as a Service (MaaS), Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and future mobility solutions, strategic and policy advice for cities, the future impact and delivery of smart mobility, demand management, sustainable development and regeneration projects, facilitation services, sustainable/smart communities design and innovative funding and delivery mechanisms, specifically Land Value Capture (LVC). Over the past 10 years he has specialized in three areas – implementing LVC to fund transport and development projects, advising on Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and developing Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) applications. He has pioneered these areas in Scotland, the UK and internationally. He is recognized as a world expert on MaaS and he has developed a unique method to capture added value generated from transportation services through LVC. He is implementing this method through E-Rail Ltd in projects in the UK, Sweden, Australia, USA and Canada. He has spoken at many conferences around the world and has produced 2 reports on LVC methods for Metrolinx and the National Bank of Canada. He is also recognized as a world expert in MaaS and is linked with all the major MaaS networks around the world. He was the Smart Mobility Network Integrator for Scottish Enterprise, the economic agency of the Scottish Government, building a Scottish MaaS Alliance of companies, public agencies and universities detailing MaaS capabilities and linking to other MaaS networks and public agencies and funders. In 2017/18 he was appointed Programme Manager for MaaS Scotland, a network of over 70 companies and public agencies delivering MaaS projects in Scotland. He has spoken at many conferences on MaaS and is working with all the major players in MaaS around the world. He is also working on connected car projects (CAV).
In 2019 Dr Hazel was appointed as a Board Member for Transport for Edinburgh, the agency that co-ordinates Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams and the bike hire scheme and in 2021 was appointed as a Board Member for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Dr Hazel was Chair of the Connectivity Commission for SCDI. He was a member of the Government’s Lorry Road User Charging advisory group, chair of the Urban Design Alliance (UDAL) and an advisor to the Commission for Integrated Transport. He was a member of the UK Secretary of State for Transport’s Steering Group for National Road User Charging, chair of the World Roads Congress C10 Committee, researching urban areas and transport, chair of the Scottish Public Policy Unit’s Transport Commission and Chair of Transport 2000’s Forum on Revitalising Communities on Main Roads. In January 2005 he was awarded the OBE for services to transport. He is an expert on towns and city regions and has written a book on Making Cities Work, published by Wiley.
From 2001 to 2012 he worked as a Director with three consultancies – McLean Hazel, MRC McLean Hazel (owned by the MRC Corporation of Canada) and the MMM Group of Canada. As a Director with MRC and the MMM Group he worked on studies across Canada and the USA and in Europe and Saudi Arabia.
From 1999 to 2001 he was Professor of Transport Policy at the Centre for Transport Policy where he looked after the consultancy business. From 1996 to 1999 he was Director of City Development for the City of Edinburgh Council responsible for planning, economic development, transportation and property. The Department had a staff of 1200. From 1993 to 1996 he was Director of Transportation for Lothian Regional Council, again with a staff of 1200, including a roads maintenance DLO. During these two periods Dr Hazel worked with Professor David Begg who was Chair of Transport for the Council. Together they introduced many interesting new sustainable initiatives including Greenways bus priority, the first car-free development in the UK, the first community car club in the UK and the reallocation of space back to people in areas like the Royal Mile in Edinburgh Old Town.
From 1989 to 1993 he was a main board Director with Transportation Planning Associates where he was responsible for Scotland. Under his direction the business grew from an almost zero base to one of the largest in Scotland with a fee income of around £1 million per annum. From 1979 to 1989, he was with Napier University as a transport specialist. Under his guidance the Department of Civil Engineering became the largest centre of transport research expertise in Scotland and one of the most important in the UK. In 1986 he was made Head of Department and in 1987 became the first Professor of Transportation in Scotland. His initial training, following graduation, was in Local Government where he worked from 1971 to 1979.

SELECTED NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Board Member for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT): SPT is the agency overseeing transport and mobility for Strathclyde Region – a large area with a population of 2.2m. SPT looks after the subway system in Glasgow and oversees all modes of transport in the region. Dr Hazel is appointed in a non-executive capacity for 4 years until March 2025.
  • Board Member Transport for Transport for Edinburgh (TfE): TfE is the agency overseeing transport and mobility in the Edinburgh and Lothian area. It has two companies under it – Lothian Buses and the Edinburgh Tram as well as other mobility solutions like the bike hire scheme. Dr Hazel is appointed in an non-executive capacity for 3 years from 30 September 2019.
  • Board Member of MaaS Scotland – Maas Scotland is a network of over 70 public and private companies and agencies interested in delivering MaaS in Scotland.
  • Advisor to Moses/Flock – Flock is a shared private car service using electric vehicles.
  • Advisor to Cubic Transportation Systems – Dr Hazel was retained by Cubic Transportation Systems to advise them on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) and MaaS development. He specifically advised on CAV and MaaS development in Scotland for Transport Scotland and the Regional Transport Partnerships. 
  • Visits to Canada to advise on MaaS and LVC – Dr Hazel is regularly invited to speak at events in Canada. He has spoken at several events in Montreal on MaaS and LVC in October and gave the Keynote address at the launch of Autonomous Transportation Canada in Toronto in December. He also spoke at a conference on MaaS organized by the Canadian Urban Transit Association in Vancouver in June 2018. This is the fifth time he has spoken at CUTA events on MaaS. He then led workshops and meetings in Toronto on MaaS and LVC.
  • Advisor to Government Agencies in Australia and New Zealand – Dr Hazel was invited to lead workshops on MaaS and give presentations to local and central government agencies and the private sector in Brisbane, Melbourne, Auckland and Bay of Plenty in March 2018.
  • Advisor to Hiyacar Ltd – Dr Hazel was appointed a strategic advisor to Hiyacar Ltd a peer to peer car sharing company currently operating in London. Hiyacar want to grow their market in Scotland and other UK cities and Dr Hazel will help develop their business in these areas.
  • Member of the Enabling Economic Growth sub-group of the National Transport Strategy team – Dr Hazel was appointed as a member of this group advising Government on the impact of future mobility on the economy.
  • Programme Manager, MaaS Scotland – Dr Hazel was appointed as the Programme Manager for the MaaS Scotland (MS). His remit was to develop Mobility as a Service through MS and deliver MaaS projects in Scotland. MS is being hosted by Technology Scotland and ScotlandIS and is being supported by Scottish Enterprise. MS currently has 70 Members, including all the Transportation Regional Partnerships and three Universities, and exceeded targets set by Scottish Enterprise. He is currently a Board Member of MaaS Scotland.
  • Land Value Capture Report for Metrolinx, Toronto (2013) – Dr Hazel was appointed by Metrolinx, the transport agency for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, to produce a report explaining the potential of Land Uplift Capture (LVC) methods to fund transit. He also discussed the potential of smart mobility and mobility management with them. His visit involved a 90 minute meeting with the Minister of Transport for Ontario, Mr Glen Murray, who explained that he has been avidly following the thoughts of Dr Hazel over the past few years and was keen to meet him. The majority of the time was spent explaining smart mobility, what was happening globally and in Scotland and how it could be applied to Ontario.
  • Land Value Capture Report for National Bank of Canada (2014) – Dr Hazel was appointed by the National Bank of Canada to produce a similar report to the LVC Metrolinx report specifically related to the Quebec Province and Montreal and their transportation projects. The results of this study were presented at a major conference in Montreal attended by all the leading players in the Province, including senior Provincial and City officials.
  • Advisor to the Transport Systems Catapult – Dr Hazel was commissioned by the Transport Systems Catapult to help produce a report on Mobility as a Service for the Department of Transport. He specifically advised on setting up trial MaaS projects.
  • National Connectivity Commission for SCDI – Dr Hazel was appointed Chair of this National Commission to examine the future needs of road and rail infrastructure in Scotland for the Scottish Council for Development in Industry. The Commission reported in June 2018.
  • Smart Mobility Network Integrator for Scottish Enterprise – Dr Hazel was appointed by Scottish Enterprise to act as their Smart Mobility Network Integrator. The key actions of this commission are to help build a Smart Mobility industrial cluster in Scotland to attract foreign direct investment and boost exports for Scottish-based companies, secondly to showcase our expertise through a series of demonstration projects and thirdly to promote our expertise throughout the world. He built a smart mobility cluster of over 200 companies and successfully launched a Challenge to Industry. The challenge attracted over 60 bids from industry, many in collaboration with the public sector and academia. The bids offered £56m of private sector investment and involved 180 organisations. Dr Hazel developed the bids with SE to create a “Living Lab” in Scotland, showcasing smart mobility products and services. 
  • Smart Mobility Network Integrator for Scottish Enterprise – Phase 2 – Dr Hazel was re-appointed as the Smart Mobility Network Integrator for Scottish Enterprise for phase 2 of the programme. This was a 2 year commission focusing on the developing of the smart mobility industry cluster in Scotland, developing a MaaS database of over 240 companies and public agencies, growing the Scottish MaaS Alliance to over 50 companies and building it into an interactive networking group. He also worked with the companies developing over 6 MaaS demonstration projects.
  • International Smart Mobility Advisor to Emaar, Dubai – Dr Hazel was one of 16 global experts commissioned by Emaar, the main developer in Dubai, to advise on the development of Dubai Creek Harbour. This is a major development of residences, retail and commercial uses which will attract around 750,000 people working, living and visiting the site. Emaar brought these experts together from around the world for an initial workshop in May 2104 to plan the design of the development.
  • Smart Mobility, Translink, Brisbane – Dr Hazel was part of a team advising Translink on the implementation of mobility management in Queensland. This is based on developing mobility products that are user focused and valued by the customer and help build a seamless mobility system in the future.
  • Smart Mobility, Translink, Vancouver – Dr Hazel was part of a team advising Translink on the implementation of mobility management in Vancouver. This is based on developing mobility products that are user focused and valued by the customer and help build a seamless mobility system in the future.
  • Intelligent Mobility for Smart Cities. Dr Hazel was part of the team researching this area for Scottish Enterprise. This was in partnership with IBI, the Centre for Urban Growth and the Edinburgh Centre on Climate Change. A report was produced in April 2012.
  • The Crystal, an Urban Sustainability Centre, London. This is a new exhibition centre in Docklands London built by Siemens to illustrate sustainable urban living in the future. The building is very imaginative and wholly sustainable and opened for the Olympics in 2012. Dr Hazel was an advisor for the mobility element of the centre.
  • Mobility Index Study for Canadian Cities. Dr Hazel was Project Director for this study funded by Siemens Canada. The study analyses the position of the six major Canadian cities with respect to other world cities and places them on the global Mobility Index. It then studies the GTHA current plans to see what impact these will have on the Index in the future and on the GTHA’s economic competitiveness and supplements the existing plans with interventions that will move the GTHA towards Complete Mobility in the future.

CONFERENCE & RESEARCH PAPERS

Over the years Dr Hazel has published and presented papers at a large number of conferences and seminars around the world.