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51°22′54″N0°46′56″W / 51.3818°N 0.7823°W /51.3818; -0.7823
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| TRL | |
| Company type | Private company limited by guarantee[2] |
| Industry | Automotivetransport,roads,engineering,insurance,urban environment,rail travel,motorsport[2] |
| Predecessors | Road Research Laboratory (RRL), then Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)[3] |
| Founded | 1933; 92 years ago (1933), inHarmondsworth,West Drayton,Greater London,United Kingdom as the Road Research Laboratory[2][3] |
| Headquarters | Crowthorne House, Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 3GA |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Paul Campion(Chief Executive Officer)[4] |
| Products | Varioustransport related items, including software, legform impactors, safety certification rigs |
| Services | Engineering, research,consultancy,certification,training,software development |
| Owner | Transport Research Foundation[2][5] |
Number of employees | approx. 320[6] |
| Subsidiaries | TRL Academy TRL Software |
| Website | trl |
TRL Limited,trading asTRL (formerlyTransport Research Laboratory) is an independentprivate company offering atransportconsultancy and research service to thepublic andprivate sector.[2] Originally established in 1933 by theUK Government as theRoad Research Laboratory (RRL), it wasprivatised in 1996.[2] Its motto or tagline is 'The Future of Transport'.[2]
TRL was originally established in 1933 by the UK Government as theRoad Research Laboratory (RRL) under theDepartment of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), and later became theTransport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)[2] in 1972.[3]
During the Second World War, the Laboratory contributed to the war effort.[3] Among its contributions, underWilliam Glanville, were research that aided the development ofplastic armour, thebouncing bomb[3] and theDisney bomb.
During governmental reorganisation in the 1970s, the TRRL moved from theDepartment of Trade and Industry (DTI) to theDepartment of the Environment (DoE).[7]
At the TRRL,Frank Blackmore developed themini-roundabout and its associated 'priority rule',[3] which was adopted in 1975.
With the encouragement of the UK Department of Transport, TRRL was instrumental in promoting cooperation with other European laboratories.[8] In 1989, TRRL's initiative to create aForum of European National Highway Research Laboratories led to its hosting of the inaugural meeting.
It became anexecutive agency of the UKDepartment for Transport (DfT) in 1992, and changed its name to the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).[3]
It was privatised in 1996,[2][3] though earlier plans in 1994 for a proposed privatisation were criticised at the time,[9] notably by former Transport MinisterBarbara Castle.[10][11]
TRL is based inCrowthorne, Berkshire, with additional offices in Edinburgh and Birmingham.[2][12]
TRL's key areas of work includeroad, network andvehicle safety;traffic management; planning and control; investigations and risk management;transport infrastructure; and environmental assessment, including work onclimate change,noise andair pollution.[2]
TRL has produced industry-standard software includingJunctions,TRANSYT,SCOOT 7 andUTC, Powered by SCOOT 7.
The extensive Crowthorne site has been substantially scaled back, with many of the original buildings disused, creating an opportunity for redevelopment. In 2012,Bracknell Council identified the original site as a strategic area, suitable for a new mini-town of 1,000 homes.[13]
To maintain its commercialindependence andimpartiality, TRL is owned by the Transport Research Foundation (TRF),[5] anon-profit distributing foundation,[2] overseen by 80 sector members from the transport industry. The TRF is classed as anon-profit distributing organisation (NPDO), a form of business structure where all profits are reinvested in services or business growth, rather than being distributed toshareholders.[2][5] TRL's profits are invested in its ownresearch programmes, selected by the TRF to enhance knowledge in critical areas such assafety,environmental impact andsustainable development.[2][5]
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United Kingdom portal{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Plans to privatise the Transport Research Laboratory have been criticised by the Commons Transport Select Committee. The MPs said they could not recommend privatisation of the TRL until there was 'much more convincing evidence that the laboratory's independence and expertise will not thereby be sacrificed'.[permanent dead link]
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