Redefining Travel Modes: Enhancing Safety, Accessibility, and Integration in Modern Mobility

BACK TO THE PROGRAM

Explore how strategic investment in transport systems, understanding behavioral responses, and tackling capacity challenges can transform urban mobility. This session delves into balanced planning, funding decisions, and innovative pricing strategies to maximize community and economic benefits.

Session Summary

• Why should we fund Public Transport? | Peter Davidson, TransPosition
• The currency of change: why understanding how people react to your transport project can be key to its success | Mark Ames, Strategic Cities
• NO CAPACITY, THANKS! THE ROAD NETWORK IS FULL (..ISH) | John-Paul Maina, IMPACT Traffic Engineering
• A Balanced Approach To Planning & Delivery | Sam McCormick, BDO
  Can you name the 3 types of Camel? What about naming the 3 types of road price? | Harry Barber, Urban Transit Solutions

Presenters

Why should we fund Public Transport?

Peter Davidson

TransPosition

Peter is planner and modeller with over 30 years experience, mostly in the consultancy TransPosition, which he founded in 1993.

He has a passion for modelling, and in developing software used for models, including the TPACS model, which has been used to prepare advice for over $20b of investment decisions.

Abstract Synopsis

Public transport offers numerous benefits, including improved equity for transport-disadvantaged individuals, cost efficiency, reduced congestion and roadway costs, enhanced health and safety, and lower energy consumption and emissions.

While some benefits directly impact users, many are positive externalities often undervalued by travelers, resulting in suboptimal choices without subsidies. Additionally, public transport exhibits economies of scale, where increased demand lowers average costs and waiting times through higher utilisation rates and more frequent services.

This presentation uses TransPosition's TPACS model to evaluate five scenarios: business-as-usual (non-discounted fares), free fares, discounted fares, the elimination of public transport, and increased service provisions with non-discounted fares. Comparative analyses across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne assess user benefits through accessibility analysis, accounting for time, cost, and mobility diversity.

The abstract also examines horizontal and vertical equity using detailed market segmentation and spatial analysis, highlighting that transport subsidies only partially benefit disadvantaged populations. Findings conclude that substantial public transport subsidies are justified, fare reductions effectively boost demand, and improvements in network coverage and quality are essential to maintaining competitiveness.

The currency of change: why understanding how people react to your transport project can be key to its success

Mark Ames

Strategic Cities

Mark Ames offers strategic communication and engagement advice to organisations who are delivering contentious change. He has worked with clients in the Netherlands, Spain, UK, New Zealand and his home Australia. Mark believes the risk from poor engagement is everyone's responsibility.

Abstract Synopsis

Mark Ames from Strategic Cities and Ben Wood, Director of Hadron Group and AITPM Board member, will explore the critical role of effective engagement in the success of transport projects. Using real-world case studies, Ben will highlight how poor stakeholder responses have led to project delays, budget overruns, or cancellations.

Mark will delve into the dynamics between cities and their citizens, showing how public perceptions are shaped and why understanding this process is essential for all project team members—not just Media and Engagement teams. He will reveal how local social media groups and adverse headlines can derail projects and share strategies to turn negative media coverage into an advantage.

The presentation will offer insights into how community sentiment spreads, the media production process, and practical methods for managing project conversations effectively. Mark and Ben will emphasise that managing dialogue about change is a shared responsibility across project teams and will conclude with actionable tips for improving engagement and communication in transport project delivery.

Co-Author

Ben Wood

Hadron Group

Ben Wood is a founding partner at Hadron Group in Sydney, and a board member of AITPM.  

Ben specialises in leading complex programs and implementing policies that require collaboration among a diverse range of stakeholders. He works with state government agencies, local councils, academic institutions, and private sector clients, expertly navigating competing objectives to foster a shared understanding and drive the best outcomes for clients and their communities.
 
With a proactive communication style, empathetic stakeholder engagement, and a commitment to transparency, Ben ensures that Hadron Group consistently delivers exceptional results.

NO CAPACITY, THANKS! THE ROAD NETWORK IS FULL (..ISH)

John-Paul Maina
IMPACT Traffic Engineering

JP is a founding Director at IMPACT, a new generation of traffic and transport consultancy. He is a recognised expert in transport planning for land use applications and regularly appears as an expert witness in Tribunal and Planning Panels.

Abstract Synopsis

Traditional road network performance assessments often rely on simplified capacity metrics, such as declaring signalised intersections "full" at 90%-95% capacity or unsignalised ones at 80%-85%. While these metrics provide utility, their overuse as standalone indicators risks premature or delayed decisions about network capacity. Such misjudgments can either inflate infrastructure costs or lead to performance failures that harm community wellbeing, underscoring the need for more balanced and informed approaches.

The B.U.R.P assessment protocol introduces a more nuanced framework, focusing on four key elements: Base Conditions, Utilisation Rates, Road Network Resilience, and Policy Aspirations. By building on contemporary methods and delving deeper into these factors, this presentation will outline the approach enhances decision-making in land use planning, helping stakeholders achieve greater confidence and better outcomes for both applicants and communities.

A Balanced Approach to Planning & Delivery

Sam McCormick
BDO

Sam is a Manager and Senior Transport Planner at BDO within the NSW Project and Infrastructure Advisory Team. With a decade of experience spanning both government and private sectors, Sam is a seasoned transport professional with a passion for delivering positive outcomes for communities.

Abstract Synopsis

Bringing a balanced approach to project planning and delivery is critical to achieving successful outcomes that benefit our communities. Acknowledging the most technically accurate, most cost effective or quickest delivery option may not necessarily be the most viable or realistic solution is an important part of being a transport planning professional. Creating and clearly articulating a shared vision of delivering for end users of all types is essential for successful project delivery and supported by collaboration across disciplines and stakeholders.

Time and time again we are presented with obstacles in project development whether physical constraints, financial limitations or even political drivers, resulting in the need for innovative and well thought out solution development. Clearly communicating such constraints is an important part of informed decision making where acknowledging our limitations together with understanding the reality and environment within which we work, enables us to continue designing and delivering solutions that are for the benefit of the community.

This presentation will share some of the positive success stories as well as some sub-par outcomes from project journeys, acknowledging how varying constraints, perspectives and needs have guided project delivery.

Can you name the 3 types of Camel? What about naming the 3 types of road price?

Harry Barber
Urban Transport Solutions

Harry Barber is a transport consultant based in Melbourne working for clients in local and State Government often on issues related to parking and parking pricing.  He is publishing the Inside Guide to Congestion Pricing for roads & parking in episodes on Substack. 

Abstract Synopsis

When people (including policymakers and transport professionals) talk about 'congestion charging' they usually cite the examples of Stockholm, London, and Singapore. The implication (and often the underlying assumption) is that these three systems are three examples of one type of charge. It is also assumed that each of these charges is what its name implies - a charge to prevent congestion. These lumping assumptions overlook the differences between the three prices which are not local variants but completely different types of price with difference aims and outcomes.

Unfortunately, the lumping assumptions can be observed in recent publications by think tanks and the NSW Toll Review.

This presentation aims to split the lump into three so that the several prices can be discussed in informed public debate and policymakers and transport professionals can apply them intentionally, appropriately, and effectively.