Vytautas Dumbliauskas, who graduated from the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) at the Faculty of Environmental and Transport Engineering and obtained his doctorate degree, today works at the Transport for London company, where he takes care of how to form an efficient London transportation system. The interviewer is convinced that transport is a promising field, and he suggests to his colleagues in Lithuania not to reject innovative ideas of sustainable transport and not to expect that the construction of new streets will solve everything. For those who dream of an international career, V. Dumbliauskas advises them to pursue broader knowledge in addition to their major - to study management, psychology, economics. Also develop tolerance for cultural and national diversity, which will be required when working in teams with colleagues from all over the world.
Vytautas, you live and work in London at Transport for London. Tell us how you got there and what are the main areas of your company?
The story is quite standard - I did an internship in the modeling and visualization team of this organization during my doctoral studies. Another VGTU graduate, Domas Žemaitis, who worked there at the time, made a strong contribution to its success. After studying, it was not difficult to return and join the team, because the confidence gained during the internship and the skills demonstrated helped to successfully overcome the selection process.
Transport for London is a government organization responsible for implementing London's transport policy and delivering transport services, including the development of transport infrastructure, public transport (metro, tram, bus, etc.) network formation and passenger transportation.
What are your job tasks? What is your working day like?
In a general sense, I am a consultant, my specialization is strategic transport network modeling and planning. In the modeling and visualization team, we are responsible for the development, modeling and evaluation of London's strategic street network development solutions, development of modeling methodology, implementation of innovations, etc.
The projects I am involved in are quite varied. I am currently working on updating the modeling methodology, finding a solution for street network state prediction and modeling individual street network solutions. We follow a matrix structure in the team, so in different projects there are various roles: a leading specialist, a consultant performing modeling and analysis, or an expert responsible for quality assessment.
My typical day would be hard to describe. It's probably a standard day for many, where we'll find a couple of meetings, an organizational planning window and a few hours of analytical work. On the other hand, there are days when we spend almost seven hours debating with our colleagues which solution is better, or trying to calibrate the rather complicated London model. The latter work usually falls as a punishment for wrongdoers.
What are London's main transport challenges? What could we, and perhaps they, learn from us?
London is a relatively dense city, which means high transport needs. Despite a relatively well-developed public transport network, car transportation still remains the main choice for a significant part of the population. As a result, air quality deteriorates, travel times increase, and the image of the city suffers. However, the city has a fairly clear and strong transport policy, aiming to promote the dominance of sustainable modes of transport (80% of such trips by 2041) and the introduction of technology.
Grandiose public transport development projects (Crossrail) are being implemented, ambitious cycling infrastructure (Cycle Superhighways) is being built, and economic measures are being implemented to encourage the abandonment of unsustainable modes of transportation (Congestion Charging Zone, Ultra Low Emission Zone).
However, such projects are only the visible tip of the iceberg. It is important to emphasize that decision-making here is often based not only on the long-term experience of experts, but also on analytical methods and objective data - I often missed that while working in Lithuania.
You finished your studies in Lithuania, VGTU. What does the quality of our studies look like in an international context?
Many may disagree, but I would venture to say that my degree program was quite practical. Looking at my studies from the current perspective, I understand that more time should have been devoted to fundamental interdisciplinary knowledge: management, psychology, economics, mathematics, algorithms, etc. However, I think that our university looks quite good in the international environment.
You also had to work in Lithuania. Could you compare the work culture in Lithuania and Great Britain?
I would single out two main things that I missed in the Lithuanian work culture - tolerance for otherness and structured career planning. National and identity diversity dominates countries like the United Kingdom, and the only way to ensure effective and harmonious coexistence is through tolerance and an active attempt to understand the needs of the other person.
Structured career planning has probably recently appeared in Lithuania as well, especially when well-known international companies began to be established here.
What advice would you give to students considering a successful career in transportation?
The field of transport is quite wide, so I would advise you to choose a direction that suits your personality. True, if it's not road design, construction or transport policy making, I'm afraid I might have to look for a successful career abroad. Our transport industry is quite archaic, most of the resources are still spent on building streets and roads, thinking that this will solve the transport problems. The truth is that the problems themselves are not well analyzed and understood - that is where I would suggest to start.
What are your future plans? Do they include Lithuania, Alma Mater?
The future is quite unpredictable, I don't plan far, there are many degrees of freedom. But when the conversation turns to VGTU, I never look away. When I return to Lithuania, I always visit the Road Cathedral to see my colleagues. So everything can be on the horizon, including VGTU.
