Tribute to Malcolm Bulpitt – A true pioneer in road safety engineering
It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of our former Associate Malcolm Bulpitt who joined TMS after a career working in Road Safety for the GLC and Kent County Council.
Malcolm was one of the truly great pioneers in road safety engineering not just in the UK but internationally too. He was one of the first local authority engineers to introduce a road safety audit process at Kent, where he headed up the Accident investigation Unit and was responsible for implementing scores of life-saving road safety schemes throughout the county.
Malcolm came to TMS in 1997 and worked with us for 12 years until his retirement in 2009. At TMS his enthusiasm for road safety was a shining example to younger members of staff who learned so much from his good-humoured approach and his enthusiasm for his work.
He continued to undertake safety studies and road safety audits at TMS, but his main contribution was as a trainer, travelling the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland selling safety audit in his own inimitable style. His TMS work took him beyond the UK and Ireland to Canada, Australia and Iceland where he delivered talks at conferences and ran training courses with the same level of enthusiasm and attention to detail that he brought to his work at home.
Outside of his work, Malcolm was the editor of the Swiss Railway Society’s magazine Swiss Express. This is a quarterly English-language magazine, which deals with railway and public transport operations in Switzerland. Malcolm edited the magazine for twelve years from 2006 before retiring. Malcolm joined the Society in 1982 and was awarded life membership for his services to the Society in 2022. This was something he was immensely proud of being involved in and always had some great stories to tell.
(Picture: Front cover of Swiss Express (June 2024), ©SwissRailwaysSociety)
Following his retirement from TMS, Malcolm became a volunteer at the National Trust, working as an archivist and helping with car park management.
Malcolm will be very fondly remembered and greatly missed. He was a huge part of our TMS family, and it was a privilege for all those who worked with him.