Transport planning for the future and getting there?

Abstract

Transport infrastructure and systems need years to decades to design and implement, it therefore does not make sense to implement projects for current conditions. Transport Planning is the process of developing the future situation for which designs would be appropriate. It must consider, amongst other elements, including externalities that can influence the outcome, changes in user needs, economics and technology within the mix to produce effective solutions. The transport planning results in Master Plans, the blueprint of the future integrated system that maximises the effectiveness and efficiency of all elements and modes. There are different philosophies in determining the “future transport system”. Traditional planners use Predict and Provide, while current thinking is the Decide and Provide approach. This latter approach develops a “decided” effective and efficient end state for the Master Plan. Either way it requires the forecasting of transport demands to transform the transport demands into implementable projects that will ultimately create the transport system that will best serve civil society. This session demonstrates how Critical Thinking at the start of the transport planning process can assist to ensure that the strategic planning process is not lost, that appropriate tools and data are considered in transport plan development.