Transforming Public Transport: Innovative approaches to planning and optimisation
Uncover innovative public transport solutions, from rapidly assessing residential growth within rail capacity limits to tackling urban challenges with cordon charges, validating transport models with peak demand insights, and designing bus stops that prioritise customer experience.
Session Summary
- Rapidly assessing residential allocation using rail capacity constraints | Clements Chan, The Department of Transport and Planning
- Could Manhattan solve four problems with one cordon charge? | Harry Barber, Urban Transit Solutions
- Evaluating Peak Train Demand for Validating the Victorian Integrated Transport Model | Ajay Khatri Chettri, The Department of Transport and Planning
- A Customer-focused Bus Stop Assessment Tool | John Devney, Tonkin
Presenters
Rapidly assessing residential allocation using rail capacity constraints
Clements Chan
The Department of Transport and Planning (Vic)
Clements Chan is a Senior Transport Modeller at the Department of Transport and Planning. He has extensive experience using strategic transport models to investigate transport and land use interventions.
Abstract Synopsis
This abstract presents a methodology for quickly evaluating the feasibility of residential growth in Melbourne, focusing on rail capacity constraints. By utilizing the Victorian Integrated Transport Model (VITM), the approach assesses whether the existing rail network can support proposed population growth, particularly in established urban areas.
The methodology simplifies the evaluation process by concentrating on rail cordon locations, such as stations near the central business district (CBD), where passenger demand is highest during peak periods. This enables urban planners to assess population growth scenarios and the impact on rail corridors by calculating trip generation rates and identifying potential congestion points. A case study on Malvern and Caulfield stations shows that both areas can accommodate 50,000 additional households without exceeding rail capacity, although impacts vary slightly across corridors.
While the methodology provides a fast preliminary assessment, it has limitations, such as assuming constant trip generation rates and not considering changes in employment or other transport modes.
The presentation will outline recommendations for refining the methodology by incorporating demographic data and linking it to land use and transport interaction models for more detailed urban planning analysis.
Could Manhattan solve four problems with one cordon charge?
Harry Barber
Urban Transit 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
The Manhattan congestion charge was many years in development and was supported by comprehensive and detailed documentation. This documentation reveals the aims and assumptions of the proponents. Analysis of the purpose statements and system settings reveals the designers conflated several different and rivalrous road price types. For example, a fee that functions as a discouragement, may (if strongly discouraging) reduce revenue. Equally, a fee that raises maximum revenue may not send a potent discouragement signal. A load-based fee that aims to eliminate congestion must, to some extent, be discouraging and lead to fewer vehicles using the road in a time band.
However, the reduction necessary to restore free flow may be too little to make a meaningful reduction in air pollution. The presentation explores these contradictions by considering each of the claimed benefits to illustrate that there are several different road prices and that each tool generates a different outcome.
Publications by think tanks and the NSW Toll Review have demonstrated that the understanding of road price types and how they function is weak. It is important that these price tools are more widely understood so that their use can be discussed in informed public debate and policymakers and transport professionals can apply them intentionally, appropriately, and effectively.
Evaluating Peak Train Demand for validating the Victorian Integrated Transport Model
Ajay Khatri Chettri
The Department of Transport and Planning (Vic)
Ajay is a transportation professional with over 13 years of experience in multi-modal transport modelling, transport master planning, traffic engineering, and traffic impact assessments.
His expertise in travel demand model has enabled him to successfully apply these models to assess road and public transport infrastructure projects at various stages of the project cycle.
Abstract Synopsis
This abstract explores alternative methods for estimating peak train demand, addressing the limitations of the common approach that sums station boardings within a fixed time window (e.g., 7:00 to 9:00 AM).
This method may not fully capture peak demand due to staggered service schedules, where trains start in off-peak hours but reach the Central Business District (CBD) during peak times, or begin during peak hours and finish in off-peak times.
Using the updated TrainSUM data, which now includes service-level details such as start and end times, the study investigates three alternative aggregation methods: (1) aggregating boardings of services starting within the peak window, (2) aggregating boardings of services ending within the peak window, and (3) aggregating boardings of services with a mid-journey within the peak window.
This presentation will compares these methods to the traditional station-level boarding approach to assess whether fixed time window aggregations adequately capture peak demand or if a more refined service-level analysis provides better insights into metropolitan and regional train ridership.
A Customer-focused Bus Stop Assessment Tool
John Devney
Tonkin
John has over 40 years' experience in planning transport systems in Australia, Canada and the United Arab Emirates with a specialisation in public transport network planning and feasibility studies for all types of public transport modes. He has worked in government agencies, at public transport companies and transport consultancies.
Abstract Synopsis
This abstract proposes incorporating the passenger's perspective into bus stop assessments, focusing on three key categories: amenity and security, access and convenience, and awareness and information.
A review of various bus stop assessment tools, including Australian public transport guidelines and international infrastructure standards, leads to the development of a comprehensive framework.
The framework rates bus stops based on criteria such as shelter, security, footpath quality, stop placement, signage, and real-time information availability.
A traffic light scoring tool is introduced for bus customers to assess their bus stops, with the results aiding public transport agencies and local councils in identifying priorities and planning improvements for the bus network.
