[With Video] Putting communities at the heart of transport corridor planning and design
April 23, 2024
Envisioning a future where sustainable transport corridors put communities at the heart of the planning and design process
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“More traffic congestion”. I can almost guarantee that’s not the answer you’d get if you ask any community in Australia what it wants when it comes to the design of its roads and streets.
No one enjoys being trapped for hours on major roads choked with congestion. And don’t forget about the associated pollution. However, most people recognise that ever widening our roads to fit more and more vehicles is only part of the solution. People want a fix that affords them and their families more choices.
People want to be able to choose more sustainable modes of transport. They want to safely walk to work or to the nearest bus stop. They want their kids to cycle to school without fear. They want piazzas where people can gather and pause under a tree. They want clean air and shade and protection for our native flora and fauna. They want transport corridors that prioritise liveability.
To achieve all that, we need change. We need a simple—but very different—approach when it comes to the planning and design of Australia’s transport corridors.
Our Australian Transport Corridor team explains why we need to flip the script when it comes to transport corridor planning–placing sustainability at the heart of road corridors.
The old way: Decades of vehicle prioritisation
The default to the design of Australia’s roads and streets—especially in urban areas—is “room for more cars”. This is despite widespread acceptance that the existing approach doesn’t serve us well. Today, we see most transport corridors designed to accommodate as many vehicles as possible. There is little to no consideration for sustainable modes of transport. Based on the outdated predict-and-provide model we’ve been using since the 1950s, we find ourselves stuck in a never-ending cycle of expansion and gridlock. And when we build new lanes, it’s just a temporary fix—until we need more new lanes.
So, you see the problem. First, this approach is out of step with what communities are telling us they want. Second, it’s unsustainable in the face of population growth and increasing environmental concerns. Motorised transport is responsible for as much as a third of total greenhouse gas emissions. According to the International Transport Forum, carbon emissions from transport are set to grow by almost 20 percent by 2050. We want to decarbonise road transport. And it’s clear we can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. Healthier, cleaner alternatives exist for a large proportion of trips. Most car trips in Australia’s urban regions are for distances that could easily be walked or cycled if that were a viable option. For example, in Victoria, half of all trips under two kilometres are by car, according to UNSW Sydney, and two-thirds of car journeys could be biked in 15 minutes or less.
Across Australia, important traffic corridors cater primarily to cars, leading to a never-ending cycle of expansion and congestion.
Decades of traffic prioritisation has created a deeply ingrained bias in the planning and design process of our transport corridors. Too often, we are centred on the vehicle, which has knock-on effects for user safety. Sustainable modes of transport—walking, cycling, and public transport—remain an afterthought. They are often relegated to what little space is left over. This results in unsafe outcomes. Road traffic crashes result in the deaths of approximately 1.19 million people around the world each year, according to WHO. Up to 50 million people suffer nonfatal injuries. Half of all road traffic deaths occur among vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.
A simple shift: Prioritising safe and sustainable modes of transport
There is much talk about making transport more sustainable. That’s good news. But to make the biggest impact, a shift needs to take place at the start of the planning and design process, prioritising the most sustainable and space-efficient transport modes. What would this result in? A situation where we prioritise liveability and safety over vehicles.
What’s the end result? Bike lanes kids can use. Pedestrian-friendly spaces. And efficient public transport networks that prioritise speed, convenience, and protect our most vulnerable road users. It would also result in better outcomes for drivers, by decreasing traffic and improving roads.
“Transport is not an end in itself but rather a means allowing people to access what they need,” noted the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport. “Jobs, markets and goods, social interaction, education, and a full range of other services contributing to healthy and fulfilled lives.”
Instead of designing for as many vehicles as possible that could use a transport corridor, we need to think in terms of how many people will use it. This puts the focus on sustainable transport from the outset of the project. This process isn’t far from how we currently plan and design corridors at Stantec, starting with community engagement. Sitting down and talking to people about their needs and responding to what they say, rather than coming to them with the same old solutions.
Instead of designing for as many vehicles as possible that could use a transport corridor, we need to think in terms of how many people will use it.
Improved traffic outcomes: Why sustainable transport corridors reduce traffic congestion
In changing the paradigm, we’ll also move on from the long-held notion that putting people rather than vehicles first will result in worse traffic. Time and time again, this has proven to be incorrect, with traffic improving as people choose other options available to them.
People change their driving habits to reflect the capacity of the roads they use, which is why new road expansions often fill up quicker than forecast, a concept known as induced demand. The opposite is also true—when a road is removed, congestion will decrease.
An example is San Francisco’s Embarcadero Freeway in California, which carried over 100,000 vehicles a day in the 1980s. When the freeway was first removed, there was a short-term increase in congestion. Over time, this subsided. People switched modes, destinations, or time of travel. Now a surface-level boulevard has replaced the freeway, carrying half the traffic with no ongoing negative impacts, while opening up large swathes of public space and improving pedestrian access to the waterfront. Closer to home, Sydney’s Cahill Expressway offers a similar opportunity to transform a highway into a regenerative community space.
Sustainable corridors create places where cycling and walking, public transport, micro-mobility, traffic, and people thrive.
Transport sustainability: Planning and designing transport corridors for a better future
We need to think about who we are designing for and how we can serve their needs. We can do this by asking them what they want and then embedding their feedback throughout the planning and design process. Transport corridor planning shouldn’t happen in isolation; our planning and design teams must work together to focus on the needs of the community. We need to make sure their needs are at the centre and we’re focusing on the solutions people are calling out for. Otherwise, we will keep coming up with the same solutions—and ending up with the same problems.
This transformation won’t happen overnight. Changing infrastructure and modernising decision-making ecosystems takes time, resources, and commitment. But these challenges should excite the industry, rather than deterring it.
I’m excited to see how our team is committed to sustainability, envisioning a future where transport is about more than designing for vehicles. Our integrated planning and design team works with clients to put sustainability at the heart of transport corridors. Together, we’re working to overcome the inertia of the past and build a future where our cities are vibrant, liveable, and accessible for everyone. One where transport projects deliver what the community says it wants—safe and sustainable transport options.