www.steerdaviesgleave.com

Issue 45 May 2014

the reviewEuropean edition

Changing tides for the maritime industry • How to create behavioural change brands

Shining a light on British rail fares • Buildings, buildings everywhere!

The link between air passenger numbers and GDP growth

2

Stefan Reul associate Stefan joins our Boston office as an Associate from CDM Smith (formerly Wilbur Smith Associates) where he was

responsible for project management and technical delivery of toll road, managed lanes and travel demand modelling studies. Before moving to the United States, Stefan worked for over eight years as a consultant in Munich and Stuttgart with a focus on transit and rail planning projects.

Bernie Rowell principal consultant Bernie joins our Advisory Team as a Principal Consultant. He joins from Angel Trains (a rolling stock leasing company) where

he was a Fleet Engineer. He is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and has a Masters degree in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration. Bernie will support us in the franchise evaluation process as well as sharing his knowledge of railway vehicle engineering and management.

Hannah Brown principal consultant Hannah joins us as Principal Consultant in our Planning Team. Hannah joins us from London Underground where

she was working on Crossrail. Prior to this she worked at LOCOG on Olympic Park transport for London 2012. Hannah will be supporting the Organising Committee for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games as Accessible Transport Manager until August 2014.

Welcome to latest edition of the Steer Davies Gleave Review

The end of 2013 was a busy time for SDG which has continued on into 2014 with some of our high profile projects taking major steps forward. More on these can be found throughout this issue. To ensure continued success we are focussed on preserving the attributes of our Company that set us apart from others and underpin our position and reputation as being the leading independant transport consultancy.

In this issue of the Review we examine a number of cities and the initiatives that are currently shaping their transport offer. We also focus on UK rail fares - a hot topic following the recent fare increases. And our Sports and Major Events capability goes from strength to strength, this time with spectator forecasting for the UK leg of this year’s Tour de France. This issue clearly illustrates the diverse nature of our business and service offer. I hope you find it interesting.

Hugh Jonesceo

CEO’s comment Tim McQue

associate Tim joins us as Head of Technical Due Diligence having previously worked for Leigh Fisher, Capita Symonds and

Halcrow. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer whose lengthy career includes ten years delivering Lenders’ Technical Advisory and due diligence services. Tim has excellent global experience having worked on due diligence commissions in the UK, Germany, Slovakia, India, Turkey, Portugal and India.

Adrian Lord associate Adrian joins our Leeds office. He is a cycling infrastructure expert who is well known in the UK, having previously

led a consultancy team supporting Cycling England, during which he helped to write local Transport Note 2-08 on Cycle Infrastructure Design. He is Vice Chairman of the CILT Cycling Forum and infrastructure adviser to British Cycling consulting on road layouts, junctions and road design.

Chris Hoskins associate Chris joins us as Head of Rolling Stock. Chris began his career designing automated condition monitoring

equipment for AEA Technology Rail. Following a short stint at the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales, he moved to Sydney in 2006 where he was a rolling stock consultant for Halcrow for 5 years working across Australasia, including a spell in Malaysia.

New faces

welcome may 2014

SDG & SASI join forcesSteer Davies Gleave and Strategic Aviation Solutions International (SASI) have formed a collaboration agreement to jointly promote aviation consultancy services across specific geographies. The collaboration agreement combines Steer Davies Gleave’s air passenger, regulatory and wider business strategy expertise, with SASI’s airline fleet and cargo, cargo facility design and logistics experience.

Bringing together Steer Davies Gleave and SASI’s joint expertise in the aviation and cargo markets offers clients a unique service capability built on combined global experience. This combined team brings together international expert analysts and senior industry figures, who between them have unrivalled depth and breadth of experience both on a global and regional level.

The Review is read by over 8,000 transport professionals around the world. If you would like to receive a free subscription visit: www.steerdaviesgleave.com/subscribe

www.steerdaviesgleave.comIssue 44 September 2013

the reviewEuropean edition

Alternative uses for sports stadia • How to sell an airport

Wayfinding masterclass • The European Fourth Railway Package

How the ‘value of time’ influences travel choices

SDG plays key role in Kingston being awarded mini-Holland status

Jim Steer delivering President’s lecture at CILT

may 2014 news

On March 10th the Mayor of London announced that the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames had been successfully selected for full mini-Holland status and awarded £30 million of funding for substantial and transformative change. 

Steer Davies Gleave worked closely with the Borough to develop design proposals and technical documentation for their futuristic cycling vision, which includes a major cycle hub and new plaza outside Kingston Station, a network of high-quality strategic cycling routes across the Borough and a Thames Riverside Boardway, a landmark project which could see a new cycle boardwalk delivered on the banks of the river. Peter Piet, head of Design for Movement at Steer Davies Gleave,

The making of a connected city

If you would like to keep up to date with the latest transport news between issues of the Review, please visit our website where you will find more insight into the topics that matter to you: www.steerdaviesgleave.com

Half the world’s population lives in a city and the number is growing: by 2030 it will be five billion people. In the face of such growth it’s vital that cities meet their inhabitants needs and wants. This was the key underlying message behind the Route To Smarter Cities conference on 20th February 2014 (www.smartercities.surveyorevents.com/content).

At SDG we believe that cities should be connected: places where you can easily live, work and play, and above all, places where you want to be. We have explored many of the issues around making cities both more attractive and more efficient in our publication ‘Connected Cities’, which accompanied the conference. Topics covered include:

t What makes a city ‘connected’ t What do people want from their cities?

t How to design a city for people t Funding a connected city

If you missed the February conference, but would like a copy of the ‘Connected Cities’ publication, please email us your contact details at marketing@sdgworld.net

Connected Cities

‘Connected cities are places where people are able to move about freely. Space will be allocated for pedestrians, bicycles, private cars, taxis, freight vehicles, and public transport which is central to successful urban development...’

SPOTLIGHTpage 4

The making of a Connected City

This is relatively easy if you’re starting from scratch and have the resources available, as is the case in Masdar City in the UAE, where a city is essentially being built from scratch. However, in the UK we are constrained both by history and limited resources. So how can we make our cities better and fi t for the future? Our belief is that a fundamental element of any great city is that it is ‘connected’ and in this publication we explore what this means.

Half the people in the world live in cities, and their numbers are growing. By 2030 it will be fi ve billion people. In the face of such growth it’s vital that cities meet their inhabitants needs and wants.

the need for a vision for the city While being connected has many aspects, it starts with a clear vision which refl ects the ambitions of local people and stakeholders. To realise any vision will of course require fund-ing; however, having a clear vision provides a framework for individual projects, and in turn, this can provide a convincing backdrop within funding bids and help to overcome the frag-mented and stop-start nature of this funding.

The vision should also create an under-standing of what the ‘gap’ is between where we are now and where we want to be, and therefore also how much be-haviour change is needed.

This will highlight the scale of the task re-quired to achieve the vision. One way of break-ing down the challenge of implementing

What people want from their cities

The ‘best’ cities in the world

february 2014

steer davies gleave conceptual design of a riverside cycle route, developed for the london borough of kingston as part of the mayor of london’s mini holland’s vision

find out more steer davies gleave & connected cities

www.steerdaviesgleave.com/news-and-insights/cities

continued on p.2

Designing connected cities for people

Innovation in transport

Cities that are fi t for the future

Conceptual design of a riverside cycle route

On March 25th Jim Steer, founder and director of SDG and President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) delivered the President’s lecture at CILT on Transport Planning: Back to the Future.

In his speech Jim examined how, in the world of transport, planning is not the enemy of economic ambition: it’s a pre-requisite. Yet, transport planning in Britain is at a cross-roads. Mega-projects costing billions of pounds face lengthy planning battles while more modest investments are often overlooked and there are no new major urban transport

A recording of Jim’s presentation is now available to view on our website: www.steerdaviesgleave.com/news-and-insights/jim-steer-delivers-CILT-presidents-lecture

said “the ambitious and visionary schemes developed as part of the bid will transform cycling in the Borough and encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to cycle more often”. British Cycling’s policy adviser, Chris Boardman, said: “The boroughs that have won funding today have demonstrated that they understand what a vision of a true cycling nation looks like.” 

When the boroughs were shortlisted last year The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘It’s fantastic that so many boroughs have embraced the idea of going Dutch. We’ve seen some really creative ideas – from a floating bicycle boardwalk to cycling super hubs – and they’ve all got huge potential to revolutionise how we get around on two wheels.’

initiatives outside London. Meanwhile, there is unprecedented demographic growth, and congestion is increasing on road, rail and aviation networks.

Jim outlined how intelligent planning is essential to providing good solutions that will accelerate and facilitate change, ease congestion and improve quality of life.

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Ned Boultinginterview

Ned Boulting is well known in the UK as the face of ITV’s Tour De France coverage. An active cyclist himself, here we asked him for his views on the tour and cycling in general.

Our demand forecasts anticipate around a million people a day will be watching the tour. How can they get the best from the event? The very best value is at the start. The team buses arrive an hour or so before the start and that is the best chance to see the stars. Lots of people congregate at the finish but you need a TV feed to get the best out of that. Or, pick an uphill stretch. Some of the Yorkshire areas will be best accessed by bike.

We estimate that a third of the spectators will be cycling enthusiasts, does that make sense to you? Definitely, in fact I’d expect more. Unlike other sports, the majority of Tour fans are cyclists themselves. There is such a clear link between the experience of riding a bike and the elite sport. Also, some of the areas will be easiest to cycle to.

As a regular cyclist in London what do you think other UK cities can learn from the capital when introducing designated cycle routes? The ‘Holy Grail’ in London at the moment is segregation from traffic especially where the road is busy or the traffic moving fast. And don’t make it piecemeal. It sends out mixed messages if the cycle track disappears at junctions or it changes from being a lane to off road and then a toucan etc.

This July the 101st

Tour de France will start in the United Kingdom for only the fourth time in its history. With it come some unique transport

challenges that require careful planning and management.

By Euan Mackay

For the first time the North of England and its biggest county, Yorkshire, will host the start of the race which will move on to visit five new stage cities; Leeds, Harrogate, York, Sheffield and Cambridge. After 549 kilometres of determined cycling, its UK finish will be in London, before returning to France and finishing in Paris three weeks later.

The Tour de France is commonly recognised as the most popular free-to-watch sporting event worldwide, and this year’s is expected to achieve crowds greater than ever experienced before. But just how great will they be? And how should the cities, towns and villages it will race through prepare for their impact?

The crowds must get from A to B somehow, so the event will undoubtedly result in unprecedented travel demand in Yorkshire, passing through some of the most stunning scenery that the UK has to offer. This area also includes some of the least accessible

areas in the England, which results in some unique challenges that require careful planning and management.

Road closures are required to allow the safe passage of the race. In many cases they will be necessary well in advance of the race to avoid the race route from being blocked by spectators trying to access key vantage points. This all requires careful planning to minimise inconvenience to residents and businesses along each Stage.

Anticipating the crowds in 2013 UK Sport1 commissioned Steer Davies Gleave (SDG) to derive spectator forecasts for advance planning purposes for the first three Stages of this year’s Tour de France.

When planning for an event of this size it is important to consider previous spectator attendance at similar events. In this case we took into account cycle races in the UK, particularly that in 2007 when the Tour de France last visited the UK and the more recent Olympic Road Race in 2012. We also recognised the increased popularity and continued worldwide success in UK cycling and considered the geography and transport modes that will be relevant to getting spectators to viewing spots for each Stage.

Coping with the demand What makes an event of this type unique is that tickets are not typically sold to view it and it’s difficult to predict both

Ey up, it will be a Grand Départ

1 UK Sport is the agency for responsible for promoting and supporting high performance sport across the UK and is playing a leading role in the delivery of the UK element of Tour de France 2014. It is accountable to Government through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Read the full interview at: www.steerdaviesgleave.com/news-and-insights/ned-boulting-interview

4

55

where and when the spectators will arrive to view the race. It is not as simple as saying the capacity of the venue is ‘X’ and spectators will arrive at ‘Y’.

For the last six months work has been undertaken to predict demand, initially for UK Sport and then latterly for TdFHUB2014, the company established late last year to coordinate planning for the first three stages of the Tour de France 2014. This has included;

t The preparation of spectator demand forecasts, followed by an assessment of spectator capacity, to determine areas where pressure might arise on the various transport networks.

t The principles of the Traffic Management Plan that each Local Highway Authority (LHA) must deliver, were established and reviewed.

t Further engagement with delivery stakeholders, concerning the next stages of planning and preparation for the event took place. This included consideration of spectator arrival and departure profiles.

t Crucially, spectator forecasts should be refreshed periodically as more becomes known about expected demand, each Stage and where related special events are planned. This will continue to influence where and how many people watch the race.

This work has led to the following:

t A set of transparent planning assumptions being used by the delivery stakeholders. These are to be revised periodically and updated as more becomes known about each Stage.

t The assumptions have been used to develop spectator forecasts for the delivery stakeholders to plan most effectively for the event.

t Each of the three Stages has been assessed, and areas have been identified where demand from spectators is likely to exceed capacity, so additional measures will be required to mitigate this.

t Advice has been given on where and how this can be done with interventions such as ‘live sites’, to manage better the demand that is expected. Conversely, areas have also been identified where surplus transport capacity exists and where excess demand could be accommodated. In reality, this balancing act will be necessary to ensure that all who wish to watch the event can do so and enjoy the experience.

t A forward programme of key activities and timescales has been developed. For example, it is essential that the spectator market is tested to help validate both any assumptions made and the findings from the earlier work. This will ensure the successful delivery of the event.

t The delivery stakeholders are now better informed and prepared to plan most appropriately and effectively for the successful delivery of the event this summer.

Previous Tours tell us that spectator demand will probably be greatest at points when cyclists are going uphill, or at their slowest, so very large crowds are expected on many of the iconic hill climbs Yorkshire has to offer. Similarly, large crowds are expected at all of the start and finish cities over the three days.

With less than six months to go until the Tour de France starts, the excitement continues to escalate and enthusiasts continue to speculate about just how big the crowds will be at this year’s Grand Départ.

Only time will tell, but with thorough planning and forecasting we can safely assume that the UK leg of the 101st Tour de France will be remembered for all the right reasons.

To find out more contact: Euan Mackay e euan.mackay@sdgworld.net Simon Hall e simon.hall@sdgworld.net

The Tour attracts crowds along the whole length of the race route

You can follow further progress and get involved by registering your interest at: www.letour.yorkshire.com

6

Transforming Leeds: the NGT projectlocal economy. While supporting city centre growth, NGT will also enhance targeted regeneration and redevelopment in south Leeds. Areas of deprivation with high unemployment and low car ownership will gain much improved access to employment and education opportunities across the NGT corridor.

In a recent update to the business case we valued the benefits of NGT at £650 million. This is a prudent appraisal, relying only upon benefits that can be readily monetised. When the whole package of positive impacts is fully considered, transport investment in transformative projects such as NGT should be an easy decision to make.

To find out more contact Jon Peters e jon.peters@sdgworld.net

As UK cities appear increasingly uncompetitive in the new global economy, the question is not can we afford to invest in our transport

infrastructure, but, can we afford not to? By Jon Peters

Well-designed transport interventions in urban areas can result in a whole package of positive impacts, far beyond simply making a faster connection from A to B. For well-specified interventions, such benefits far outweigh the investment costs and are felt across the social and economic spectrum.

Leeds is one of the few big cities in the UK without a major urban transit system, and the limitations of the existing transport system are preventing Leeds from reaching its full economic potential. The road network is heavily congested in peak hours and city centre car parking space is limited. Traffic congestion affects the buses too, increasing journey times and worsening punctuality. The commuter rail network is well used but is approaching its peak capacity.

Without major interventions, journeys to the city centre will take longer, be more unreliable and cost more money – all of which will constrain the growth of the local economy.

The Leeds New Generation Transport Project (NGT) is part of an integrated, city-wide enhancement package, with projected construction costs of around £250 million. It will see the introduction of a 15 kilometre trolleybus system, which will connect residential areas in north and south Leeds to the city centre and other key sites for employment and education, as well as health and leisure facilities. Park & Ride will make NGT attractive to car drivers and people living away from the route. It will open in 2020.

The increase in public transport capacity into the city centre is projected to offer journey times up to 20 minutes shorter than existing buses. Services are also expected to be more punctual. These improvements will be achieved through the provision of dedicated lanes, and junction and traffic signal priority. Over two thirds of the trolleybus route will be segregated from regular traffic.

Integrated design means that these benefits do not come at a net cost to other road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers. As part of the project, pedestrian crossing facilities are being upgraded, with additional cycle lanes and improvements to traffic signal and junction operation.

Our Urban Dynamic Model shows that the improvements to city centre accessibility from NGT will facilitate the creation of up to 4000 jobs in Leeds by 2030 and give a £200 million boost per year to the

NGT at City Square, Leeds

NGT at Brewery Wharf, Leeds

figure 1 cost of annual season ticket to central london (excluding underground)

(and cheaper mortgages) available outside London may, in some cases, be offset by higher commuting costs. This data has also exposed significant variations in the differences between peak and off-peak fares and the ratio of season ticket to single ticket prices.

These insights are some of our earliest findings and, as new data is released over time, we hope to track trends in the fares market to help us better understand its dynamics. Whether this can help cool the fares debate, however, remains to be seen.

To find out more contact: John Collins e john.collins@sdgworld.net John Swanson e john.swanson@sdgworld.net

It is now possible to access industry data for rail fares in Great Britain. But what insights can this newly available data provide?

By John Collins

The price of train tickets often makes the headlines in Britain, especially at the start of each calendar year when fare rises are implemented. With increasing political interest in the cost of living and the role privatised utility companies play in the UK, it is likely that this issue will continue to attract interest as we approach the general election in 2015. Traditionally the debate has been framed by ‘extortionate’ season ticket fares, which are selectively published by the media and contrasted unfavourably with fares in other European countries. But is it fair to use these headline numbers to shape the debate?

Thanks to the government’s transparency agenda, it is now possible to shed more light and granularity on this complex issue. In January 2013 the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) started publishing data from the national fares database and made this data available

to registered users for no charge. Whilst this data is not exactly provided in the most user-friendly format, we have been able to build applications to interrogate it. We are now able, in a matter of seconds, to run queries to identify all available fares for thousands of origin-destination combinations and present our results as heat maps.

To demonstrate the power of this data, we have used these applications to run queries on season tickets in South East England, with striking results. Our analysis suggests that while season ticket fares tend to increase with distance from London, there are significant differences in the rate of increase between different operators and routes. For example, an annual season ticket from Uckfield to London Bridge (74 kilometres and 75 minutes) costs £2,748, whilst an annual season ticket to the same destination from neighbouring Lewes (79 kilometres/70 minutes) costs over 50% more at £4,304.

The picture becomes still more interesting when this data is combined with mortgage costs, which we have estimated using house price data and assumptions for interest rates and deposits. Analysis of combined fare and mortgage payments suggests that the benefits of more affordable house prices

Shining a light on UK rail fares

77

key

£0 per annum

£3,000 per annum

£6,000 per annum

key

£500 per month

£1,500 per month

£2,500 per month

Source: ATOC, TfL, openheatmap.com

figure 2 combined commuting and housing costs

Source: ATOC, TfL, commutefrom.com, zoopla.com, openheatmap.com

Comparing the cost of commuting to the cost of living

8

Participants in Bristol, Peterborough, Redditch and Swindon have all told us that they love the camaraderie of taking part, so we could help people stay in touch, so that they can build their own social networks to support those keen to continue travelling by a sustainable mode. A year-round reward system for those travelling sustainably could also work to recreate the tangible rewards from the challenge – a similar scheme is used by supermarkets who ‘buy’ the loyalty of their customers for relatively little cost in the form of points cards. If we can identify how to protect the system from abuse (not everyone cycles 100 kilometres a day, surely?), we’d be giving participants very clear, real incentives to resist the allure of the car on rainy, windy or dark days.

There are many reasons why it is difficult to maintain a change and develop a positive habit; we just need to respond with measures that make it that little bit easier.

To find out more about how we are challenging conventional thinking to deliver a new approach to sustainable travel challenges please get in touch.

To find out more contact: Fiona Jenkins e fiona.jenkins@sdgworld.net

Long lasting impacts of change schemesA behaviour change challenge is a competition which runs within a town, city or region that encourages participants to choose a more

sustainable mode, such as cycling, for their journey to work. By Fiona Jenkins

More and more behaviour change challenges are taking place all around the UK. The task in hand now is ensuring that they have a lasting impact.

Encouraging change Local Authorities are showing an increasing interest in multimodal change challenges, where cycling, walking, taking the bus or train and car sharing are promoted. Their focus has tended to be on workplaces where participants join their colleagues to form teams, log their journeys through the challenge website, and rack up points (and hopefully prizes!) based on the extent of their sustainable efforts. We have found that the competitive element of schemes like this is very successful when pitched at workplace environments – perhaps because an element of competitiveness tends already to exist between colleagues.

These challenges can be a great catalyst for changing travel behaviour. Challenges tip those who knew that they could choose to travel in a more sustainable way into actually trying it out – there are the obvious health and financial benefits of getting out of the car, but there is also the feelgood factor of ‘doing it for the team’, as well as the more tangible rewards (points) and the promise of prizes.

Short term challenge – long term impact? But, what happens to participants’ enthusiasm after the intervention, when all the competitive momentum of the challenge period has dissipated? Of course we want everyone who has made a positive change to their travel behaviour to stick with it, and for the new behaviour to become a routine habit. However, forming a new, positive habit takes time and effort. When it rains, when it’s dark when leaving work, or when you move to an unfamiliar area, the ‘easy option’ looks appealing all over again and good work can be undone.

The solution lies in a package of measures. We need to think about how to recreate the best parts of the challenge on a day-to-day basis, without the associated expense of promoting and managing an intensive challenge.

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Actively shaping places isn’t restricted to the new world. With the introduction of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in the UK, existing locales are being redefined and a new geography of ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ planning is underway. The challenge will be establishing clear and continuous links between the two.

Drawing on its European experiences Steer Davies Gleave has been working with the City of Mississauga in the Greater Toronto Area to produce a Downtown Movement Plan that will add a further level of analytical rigour to their visionary master plan, and transform the downtown into a 21st Century urban centre.

To find out more contact: Rebecca Powell e rebecca.powell@sdgworld.net

With rapid growth over the last half of the 20th century, many North American cities are faced with challenges of increasingly

congested transport systems and declining city centres. In response they are now trying to reshape themselves into more compact, liveable, sustainable cities of the future.

By Rebecca Powell

City planners are increasingly looking for ‘old’ examples found in many European centres as models to aspire to. Replicating a tried and tested model provides direction and confidence in achieving an urban core that meets city objectives, and allows planners to benefit from lessons learned in other places around the globe. In doing so, ‘new’ examples are slowly becoming the precedent for the old.

Over the past decade, Steer Davies Gleave has been helping a number of cities use our European Light Rail Transit (LRT) design experience to address their need to develop integrated transit solutions, improve

Where old becomes the new, newtransit service and transport choice, and support wider city shaping objectives. This includes planning and designing beyond just the public transport infrastructure, considering a ‘complete street’ philosophy in the design process. Although the term ‘complete streets’ was conceived in North America, its principles are taken from European experience and translated into a North American environment.

Taking old examples isn’t necessarily straightforward when applied in new contexts. While many European cities evolved over centuries, many North American cities are under pressure to shape their downtowns in decades alone. Despite the advantage of precedents, the emerging challenge is how to turn visionary long-range targets into real, deliverable projects.

Faced with this challenge, many cities are recognising the need for both top-down visionary planning and a bottom-up approach to planning and infrastructure investment. While strategic policies with clearly stated visions and objectives are critical, to be successful they must be linked with individual strategies that provide sufficient detail to ‘prove the concept’. Only when both are aligned will cities have sufficient tools to deliver ‘old’ best practices within a ‘new’ context.

Berlin city centre

10

The Mayor of Bogotá in Colombia once described road space as ‘gold dust’! As cities globally grow and populations increase, authorities

fare some real challenges to ensuring future levels of mobility, in particular how to improve the efficiency and use of road space. Here we examine how some cities are using innovative methods to ensure that their inhabitants remain ‘connected’. By Fred Beltrandi

Car Sector Around the globe the car sector is changing for the better. Most of the leading car manufacturers are currently investing in showcasing technology which will see web-enabled cars with the ability to speak to each other. This technology will allow them to warn each other about congestion hot spots that they have encountered, as they cross each other. These vehicles are also aware of vehicles around them which is beneficial from a safety point of view.

Roads themselves are the subject of some interesting developments. The Dutch are installing smart road design that features glow-in-the-dark tarmac and illuminated weather indicators. Roosegaarde studio has developed a photo-luminising powder that will replace road markings – it charges up in sunlight, giving it up to ten hours of glow-in-the-dark time come nightfall.

Roosegaarde has also developed special paint which can be used to paint markers like snowflakes across the road’s surface. When the temperatures drop to a certain point, these images will become visible, indicating that the surface will probably be slippery. The Roosegaarde design looks very promising for the UK, as some authorities are considering turning off or dimming lights on roads, residential streets, cycleways and footpaths from late in the evening to save money and to meet green targets.

Innovation in transport

CyclingInnovation is not only happening with motorised transport modes. Many cities have set ambitious targets to increase journeys to work by non-motorised transport modes, such as cycling. However, one of the big issues for cities is where to store bicycles.

The Japanese company Giken recently launched the first automated, underground cycle parking system in Tokyo. The system is constructed of cylindrical structures, seven metres wide and ten metres deep, which are sunk below the surface, providing storage space for up to 200 bicycles.

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is now seeing the development of its futuristic cycling vision which includes a ‘Superskyway’ cycle route over the Thames and a pontoon-style cycle path along the river. Steer Davies Gleave developed the conceptual design of both ambitious schemes which aim to encourage more cycling throughout the borough. (See page 3 for more info)

Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)Cities everywhere are finding that the space available for roads is extremely limited. For the committed car user PRT could provide a public transport alternative which potentially supplies the same level of comfort and privacy as a car.

Examples of PRT schemes can be found in United Arab Emirates Masdar City and London’s Heathrow airport.

Journey Planning With visitor numbers on the rise, the historic City of York in the UK is using journey planning to shape, monitor and encourage behaviour change by residents and visitors alike.

Over the past year, City of York Council has been developing the iTravel York brand and website which includes a new and innovative multimodal journey planner to provide useful alternative mode information for journeys in the city centre.

As you can see, all sorts of technology suppliers, digital media integrators and businesses from other sectors are looking at innovative solutions to urban mobility! It’s a great sector to be involved in!

To find out more contact: Fred Beltrandi e fred.beltrandi@sdgworld.net

A personal rapid transit pod, currently being trialled in Masdar City

An ‘ULTra pod’ at Heathrow Airport, London

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figure 2 relationship between gdp and passenger growth changes over time

figure 1 growth in gdp and passenger numbers

20042005

20062007

20082009

20102011

2012

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% annual growth in real gdp

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5%0% 10% 15%

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% annual growth in total

passengers

As one of the main drivers in forecasting models, the relationship between GDP growth and air passengers

naturally attracts much attention. By Paul Cresswell

It is generally accepted that air passenger traffic grows at approximately twice the rate of national GDP, but how valid is this assumption? We analysed some publicly available datasets to investigate further.

Data for the UK provided by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal 1990 – 2012 compound average growth rates of 1.6 per cent for GDP and 3.6 per cent for air passenger traffic. Although in this case traffic does indeed seem to grow at a rate twice that of national GDP, the same may not be true of all years or all locations.

Innovation in transport

Air passenger growth ratesEurostat data for a sample of 24 countries over the period 2004-2012, shows that the relationship between GDP and passenger growth rates might be described more accurately using a non-linear function. This indicates that, at high levels of GDP growth, the ratio of passenger growth to GDP growth exceeds 2:1, while at low levels of GDP growth the ratio is much lower.

Since the dataset covers a period of economic recession, analysing the Eurostat data by year can tell us about the relationship at different points along the curve shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 presents the coefficient obtained by regressing the growth rate in passengers against the growth rate in GDP for the same sample of countries. Before the recession, passenger growth rates were around five times greater than GDP growth rates. However, between 2008 and 2010 passenger growth rates were less than one-third of the GDP growth rates. Although the average ratio for the period is indeed close to 2:1, this masks considerable variations. If the relationship can be this variable over a nine-year period, the consequences of using an average relationship for a 30 year forecast could be significant.

The analysis below aggregates data from 24 European countries, masking national variations. Over the period 2003-2012, passenger traffic in the UK grew at an average annual rate 1.4 times faster than GDP, while the corresponding ratio for Finland was 3.6. This could reflect the state of the aviation market in each country: while capacity and taxation policy restrict the UK’s passenger growth (particularly the domestic market), Finland has been developing an international hub at Helsinki and growth might be driven more by rapid GDP growth in Asia than national economic conditions. Subdividing the total passenger growth into different markets we can see that, in most of the sample countries, domestic passenger growth is much more closely aligned to GDP growth than international passenger growth. Therefore, the segmentation of the market being considered will affect its relationship with GDP growth. Furthermore, it is important to note that GDP is only one of a number of factors influencing traffic growth; full analysis would also include factors such as fares and competition from other modes.

It is clear from this that there is no one-size-fits-all multiplier to explain the relationship between GDP and air passengers. Rather than relying on generalisations, old research or accepted wisdom, it is necessary to analyse historical data to understand the specific relationship for the local market being forecast. As such an important driver of forecasting models, skipping this vital step in the process could prove to be a false economy.

To find out more contact: Paul Cresswell e paul.cresswell@sdgworld.net

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Changing behaviours relies heavily on the creation of an environment where a new behaviour is considered acceptable

or even desirable and the provision of tools to enable people to make the change.

By James Brown

In travel behaviour, that typically means raising people’s awareness of their personal travel options, supply of easy to use information and the creation of incentives to encourage people to try alternatives to the private car.

All of this can be achieved through cleverly executed branding. Here we share our top ten tips for creating behavioural change brands.

To find out more contact: James Brown e james.brown@sdgworld.net

Creating behavioural change brands

1 get leadership commitment Commitment shows dedication to a particular belief, and a willingness to get involved. Branding is about a long-term vision, not a short-term goal. Without a vast amount to spend on marketing campaigns, leadership commitment is key to a successful brand.

2 consult widely Consultation can often be seen as a box-ticking exercise but it should never be underestimated. Stakeholders can provide valuable insight, helping to create a solid foundation from which to develop and grow the brand.

3 build trust In order for a brand to build trust, it should reflect and meet the needs and desires of your target audience, adding value to their lives.

4 positioning Make your brand relevant to your target audience. Relevant, in the context of brand positioning, means that you are serving a need and solving a problem your audience wasn’t aware it had.

5 more than a logo Branding is much more than a nicely designed logo. Ultimately, a brand is about caring about your offer at every level and detail and in every interaction anyone is ever going to have with you.

6 connect with your audience Creating a brand is about connecting with and inspiring people, presenting them with information that is easily accessible and digestible.

7 deliver stimulating storytelling Brands must leverage storytelling to create stimulating, sensorial experiences that become etched into people’s minds.

8 ensure consistency Brands must reflect a consistent image and experience, being recognisable in the online and offline worlds.

9 create a team of brand advocates Internet users are becoming increasingly comfortable sharing their experiences on products and services through social media. Brand advocates are those that are key to promoting your brand and its benefits to others.

Last but by no means least….

10 innovate Don’t be afraid to try new ways of engaging with people. Look towards the commercial sector for inspiration. It’s easy to follow what’s gone before but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for you or your target audience.

Top 10 tips

than forcing it, and a driving route is given to the Park-and-Ride site alongside an integrated public transport stage. Using the in-built GPS functionality, integrated mapping and responsive smartphone design, travellers can easily locate themselves on arrival in the city and follow a bespoke walking route to their destination.

Following a beta release in September, the journey planner was launched to the public at a series of events across the city. By using Personal Travel Planning (PTP) travel advisors armed with tablet computers, the Council was able to show residents how the planner works and collect useful feedback. Facebook and GoogleAds were also used to promote the iTravel York website and have been very successful – the journey planner, which is carefully integrated with the iTravel York responsive website, receives over 8,000 journey plan requests a month. The Council will be carefully monitoring use of the journey planner, using the statistics package included with the application, to understand what types of journeys people are planning and how travel patterns are changing in the City.

To find out more contact: Craig Nelson e craig.nelson@sdgworld.net

With visitor numbers on the rise, the UK’s historic city of York is using journey planning to shape, monitor and encourage

behaviour change in residents and visitors alike.

By Craig Nelson

York is an easy city to explore with the centre largely pedestrianised, miles of scenic cycle routes and a well-used Park-and-Ride system. Ensuring that residents and visitors are aware of this is the challenge.

Over the past year, City of York Council has been developing the iTravel York brand and website which includes a new and innovative multimodal journey planner. City of York was looking for a single solution to provide residents and visitors with door-to-door journey planning information while building on existing and trusted information sources, such as the Traveline Yorkshire and CycleStreets websites. In particular, the Council wanted the planner to provide useful alternative mode information for journeys that ended within the city centre.

We were able to support the Council’s marketing efforts and goals through the deployment of our tried and tested journey planning platform, as well as bespoke features that were created specifically for the area. A focus was the provision of useful door-to-door Park-and-Ride journey planning, a first for the UK. Park-and-Ride works particularly well in York so it made sense to make it even easier to use. Working closely with the City of York team, we created a system which automatically provides a traveller with a suitable Park-and-Ride ‘option’ when planning a driving route. The planner will suggest the alternative (reinforced with savings in journey time and cost), rather

Shaping and monitoring behaviour change in the City of York

iTravel York multi-modal journey planner

News in brief

helping the saints go marching in southampton, uk We are currently working with Southampton Football Club, Southampton City Council and local transport operators to develop a series of activities to encourage fans visiting the Club’s St Marys Stadium to do so by means other than the car. Our work also includes developing an integrated marketing communications plan encouraging others intending to travel on matchdays, but not going to the Game, to do so in such a way that avoids the busiest times, routes and modes of transport. Thereby ensuring that the whole City is a winner!

rail advice in ethiopia

The Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) has an ambitious plan to construct a 5,000 kilometre national rail network and an LRT system for the capital, Addis Ababa.Climate Focus, a firm of climate finance specialists based in Amsterdam, is leading an initiative to support ERC in its efforts to secure climate co-financing for the project.

Steer Davies Gleave is providing expert transport advice to Climate Focus, and is engaged in forecasting when and how much climate co-financing might be required to help realise the new railway schemes.

Fans outside Southampton Football Club

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A wide and diverse market Across the Atlantic, the last few years have seen varied projects completed in the maritime sector, from assessing the potential and value of new passenger services across the East River in New York to due diligence studies for investments in new ports and terminals – including recent work we have carried out at the Tuxpan and Manzanilla ports in Mexico.

There are other opportunities globally, however, and in the two articles following we discuss work that SDG is carrying out looking at canal and river transport – in the first, helping launch a PPP project for transport facilities on the Rio Magdalena in Colombia, and in the second providing Technical Due Diligence for major lock facilities.

These assignments indicate just a small part of the work that Steer Davies Gleave – working alone or with partners who might bring specialisms the project demands – is doing in the maritime sector.

To find out more contact: Charles Russell e charles.russell@sdgworld.net

A recent article by Lloyds Loading List1 asked ‘Was 2013 a turning point for container shipping?’ Against a background of ongoing

overcapacity and plummeting box rates on many routes2, some surprising developments took place.

By Charles Russell

First, Maersk introduced the first of its 18,000+ twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) ships into service – and China Shipping placed orders for five more.

At the same time, and perhaps in response, three container liners are asking the regulators to approve the P3 alliance – the largest vessel-sharing agreement of all time working together to establish a jointly-managed fleet. The proposed alliance would give the three carriers a 24 per cent share of the trans-Pacific market, a 42 per cent share of the Asia-Europe route and a similar share of the transatlantic market.

Across the Atlantic, the Panama Canal widening project moves on. Despite contractual issues, it is still expected

to open for operation in 2015. This new capacity – allowing 12,000 TEU vessels to transit from the Atlantic to the Pacific – must have an important impact on the patterns of shipping movement (and port calls) up and down the coasts of North and Central America. A game changer, perhaps, for competing ports in the region?

In the UK, the new port at London Gateway is now in operation. When completed, it will provide six deep-water berths with depth alongside of 17 metres. That is enough even for the new megaliths with an annual capacity of 3.5 million TEU, proximity to the heart of the UK economy and great access to the road and rail networks of the country. Surely this will change the UK port geography!

Why are these developments important? From Steer Davies Gleave’s perspective we need to understand the implications of these changes on the traffic that uses the surface routes we study – the proposed Iliana toll road at the heart of the US transcontinental freight routes, the continental toll network connecting Marseilles, Le Havre and Rotterdam, and the overloaded rail network in Great Britain. We are also increasingly involved – with investors and operators – looking at the shipping and ports assets themselves and the potential for investment in these opportunities.

Changing tides for the maritime industry

1 lloydsloadinglist.com 15/1/142 falling near to $500 to move a 20ft box between China and North Europe

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the rio magdalena, colombia

Over the last decades the largest Colombian

river, the Magdalena River, has not played

a big role in freight movements across the

country. However CORMAGDALENA, a public

entity promoting the economic recovery of

the Magdalena River, is currently setting up

the framework for a Public Private Partnership

(PPP) contract to undertake a major upgrade

of the navigability of the river. Two thirds of the

total investment of around US$600 million will

be allocated to infrastructure improvements

while the remainder will be used to maintain

a depth of at least two metres. The project

aims at reducing logistic costs for freight

movements between the ports at the Caribbean

Coast and the main centres of production and

consumption in the Colombian inland, and at

establishing the Magdalena River as part of

an integrated multimodal transport system.

In 2013, Steer Davies Gleave was commissioned

by CORMAGDALENA to estimate the potential

future demand for freight movements on the

Magdalena River, and to prepare a cost benefit

analysis for the planned substantial investment.

In addition, SDG reviewed the institutional

arrangements and usage charging schemes in

different countries such as France and Germany,

to provide CORMAGDALENA with effective

advice for their future administrative scheme.

ppp lock construction, holland and belgium

Waterways and locks are perhaps the most

easily visualised examples of transport arteries:

locks act as valves to facilitate the regulated

flow of ships and barges. Vessels are getting

bigger and bigger: at 500m long and 68m

wide, the Berendrecht Lock at the Belgian Port

of Antwerp is currently the world’s largest; the

Deurganck Lock currently under construction

at Antwerp is deeper and will take the top

spot when it opens in 2016. (No fewer than six

locks based on the Antwerp lock designs are

currently being constructed as part of the US$

5.2 billion upgrade of the Panama Canal.)

Locks have not traditionally been constructed

under PPP arrangements and there is now

much interest in the Sea Lock PPP Projects

programme in the Netherlands. All eyes are on

the Limmel Lock PPP, first in the procurement

queue. The present lock does not meet the

demands of modern large barges using the

Juliana canal between Limmel and Maasbracht.

Five consortia (out of nine) prequalified in

January 2014 for the next phase of this EUR

60m, 33-year DBFM project – with three

shortlisted consortia expected to be chosen

in mid-March for Competitive Dialogue.

The Sealock IJmond, the gateway for sea-going

vessels between the North Sea canal and the

Amsterdam harbour, is due to be tendered in the

first quarter of 2014 together with the smaller

Eefde lock PPP. Also planned for 2014 is the

Lock Eefde on the Twentecanal, an important

thoroughfare for navigational traffic from and

to Twente. The third Beatrix lock, Canal Zone

Gent-Terneuzen, and Volkerak locks - Expansion

of Capacity Phase 1, are also in planning as PPPs.

So water transport PPPs look here to stay, and

not just in the Netherlands. Belgium, in addition

to cooperating with the Netherlands on projects

relevant to both countries, is forging ahead

with its own programme. The recent decision

in France to cancel the Canal Seine Nord as a

PPP came as a big disappointment to many in

the industry, but the Netherlands and Belgium

have come to the rescue with impressive and

seemingly very attractive programmes.

The industrial harbour area/The Scheldt River, Antwerp

16

t Navigation within ‘superblocks’ is difficult due to unclear and undifferentiated internal routes. Clear and consistent wayfinding information would aid pedestrians greatly, as would distinctive design elements (feature planting, special street furniture and surfacing) to strengthen ‘sense of place’.

t Pedestrian movement is hindered by footway provisions which are too narrow, obstructed, poorly surfaced, or simply not there. Our work identified measures to enhance continuity and consistency of routes.

t Station entrances lack visibility; consistent and distinctive public realm improvements would not only enhance visibility but also contribute to a stronger local civic identity.

To combat some of these challenges, individual design solutions have been created for each route, with accompanying design guidance for wider application.

Delivery of these improvements is set to take place this year, in line with the Government’s ambitious investment programme. We’re looking forward to seeing the results!

To find out more contact: Richard Crappsley e richard.crappsley@sdgworld.net

In 2012 the Moscow Government announced plans to double the city territory in size, yet it is still prioritising pedestrians

by pursuing a major strategy to improve walkable routes throughout the city.

By Richard Crappsley

Moscow is a city on the brink of significant change with £44 billion of transport network improvements expected by 2020. These include over 100 kilometres of new Metro lines. However, in keeping with its existing walking strategy, the Government has prioritised creating a high quality walking and cycling environment, exemplified by recent city centre projects (see European Review 43) including the pedestrianisation of Nikolskaya Street (designed by Steer Davies Gleave) and other nearby streets, a river cycle route and a cycle hire scheme.

The Government also wants to improve walking and cycling further afield in residential areas and districts up to 10 kilometres from the city centre.

To help achieve this Steer Davies Gleave recently supported an international team working for the Moscow City Government, responsible for integrated transport projects.

A pedestrian route improvement strategy will see 1.2 kilometres, or 15 minute, walking catchments around 35 of Moscow’s 190 metro stations. Routes will be more pleasant, safe, and comfortable – thereby encouraging more people to walk. With improvements on this scale come design challenges which must be addressed if pedestrians are to benefit fully. In Moscow’s case, the following challenges have been identified:

t Cars park everywhere in Moscow! Moscow was not originally designed for high car ownership; people park on roads, verges, and footways, with impunity. Full height kerbs and strategic positioning of street furniture and trees to mark pedestrian spaces were part of our solution. Ultimately, however, stronger enforcement is also needed.

t Level changes present major barriers for all people. We found steep ramps and a lack of dropped kerbs on many routes; issues that could be overcome with properly designed standard details.

Step by step in Moscow Architect’s impression of the proposed improvements

1717

To find out more contact: David Bowers e david.bowers@sdgworld.net

Buildings, buildings everywhere!Taking a stroll from Blackfriars Bridge to the Millennium Bridge is an excellent way to see how London is being redeveloped, changing both the skyline and the streets.

Looking east from the Millennium Bridge

you can see the towers of Canary Wharf. SDG has been involved in the development of the estate since back in 1985 and continues to plan for further expansion.

canary wharf

A retail and office development which

opened in 2010. SDG continues to provide travel planning support.

one new change

A good place to finish is in front of The Globe

and look north towards the City. The distinctive shape of the “Walkie-Talkie” building designed by Rafael Vinoly can be seen and SDG provided detailed design support for all parking, servicing and waste management elements of the building.

20 fenchurch street (“walkie talkie”)

We are looking at a number of schemes

to make wholesale improvements to the public realm across the City.

city wide

millennium bridge

start end

blackfriars bridge

southwark bridge

london bridge

tower bridge

waterloo bridge

hungerford bridge

rotherhithe tunnel

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3

6

4

5

8

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Looking west from Blackfriars Bridge you

can see the iconic 33-storey Centre Point building which is to be converted from office to residential use. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2014.

centre point

A development of nine new multi-storey

buildings including a 50 storey residential tower incorporating significant improvements to the public realm alongside the Thames. Construction expected to begin in 2014.

ludgate house and sampson house

start steer davies gleave officeWe have been based here since 1996 and from this location we have helped provided transport advice for many developments in the nearby area.

From the northern end of Blackfriars Bridge it is

possible to look down onto Upper Thames Street, the main route between the cities of London and Westminster. SDG has worked with private sector clients and TfL to balance the flow of traffic, cyclists and pedestrians along this corridor.

east-west corridor

A new retail and office development.

Construction is currently under way, opening in 2015.

new ludgate

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8

key

Walking route

Viewing point

New developments that SDG is working on

Existing developments that SDG is working on

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It is important to remember that London had a number of advantages which might not be available in other cities. Crucially, the zone which was later covered by the charge already had a very extensive and highly used public transport system. At the same time, the developers of the scheme in London were pragmatic. Knowing that the scheme had to be popular and easy to use, they introduced a single flat charge levied across the working day – to be paid without discount by the great majority of users. While they knew that varying the charge by time of day and day of the week to reflect real congestion conditions might be more effective at reducing the number of road users, they rejected it for the advantages of simplicity.

Implementing a congestion charging scheme was relatively easy, but other cities might face a more challenging environment which could lead to higher costs.

The London example certainly does set a precedent but, since its introduction, travel behaviour and technology have evolved, bringing new opportunities and challenges for transport planners and policy makers. While some of the principles are still valid, fresh thinking is required to take the London experience forward for implementation in Latin American cities.

To find out more contact: Alejandro Obregon e alejandro.obregon@sdgworld.net

The experiences of European cities like London, Milan and Stockholm show that implementing a congestion charging scheme has a positive effect on

road user behaviour leading to a better quality of life for residents. However, it also poses challenges for decision makers, technicians, the private sector and users. By Alejandro Obregon In Latin America, where congestion levels are high and continuing to rise in its major cities, there is an opportunity to learn from European methods to help reduce and manage the problem.

Members of SDG’s Latin American division recently took part in a fact-finding mission in London to see what lessons could be learned.

While London was not the first city in the world to introduce road pricing in urban areas, it was certainly one of the first to apply it across a large area. Deliberately conceived as a simple scheme, it now delivers a 20 per cent reduction in traffic levels inside the charging zone.

Some key lessons can be drawn from the London scheme:

t The London Congestion Charge (CC) is part of a package of measures – not a stand-alone policy. Other measures need to be considered and implemented in parallel.

t The CC was not primarily developed as a new source of revenue. The aim of the scheme was to reduce congestion, and all the potential revenue needs to be reinvested to support this goal. Communicating and handling this well is crucial to gaining support for the project.

t The CC, at least in its first phase, had broad public support. Public acceptance is very important. The introduction of CC will always be controversial and will have some strong opposition.

Easing congestion in Latin Americaopening up aviation

services in africa Steer Davies Gleave has been engaged by the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) to undertake a study that contributes to addressing the barriers to the expansion of effective aviation services across Africa, through analysis and targeted interventions. Specifically, the study assesses the Yamoussoukro Decision implementation, and West Africa Air Transport and Central Africa Air Transport Hubs. This interesting study builds on foundation work, also conducted by Steer Davies Gleave, highlighting the potential for private sector participation in Africa.

bogotá taxi plan, colombia Steer Davies Gleave is working with the District Department of Transportation in Bogotá, Colombia, to identify and implement measures that will improve the quality of the provision of public transport in the city. In an effort to enhance the existing transport network we will be focussing on taxi provision in the city. SDG will analyse the supply and demand of the existing taxi system, develop a strategy to improve the quality and delivery of the service and present a study for the implementation of technological tools to control supply.

News in brief

Sao Paulo traffic

Jomo-Kenyatta airport, Nairobi

Congestion in Bogotà

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bus cable tramway

figure 1 indicative comparative costs based on operating costs of bus, tram and ropeway with hourly patronage in grenoble, france

t it can be constructed and up and running quickly. London’s Emirates Airline which crosses the River Thames was open for business 10 months after construction began.

t CPT achieves high service quality with minimal resources. Maintenance costs are much smaller than for the individually motorized vehicles of BRT or LRT and they potentially need fewer staff with personnel only really required at each of the stations rather than in each vehicle.

t it is much more flexible when it comes to mountainous or water-laden terrain.

The argument for integrating CPT within cities is becoming more conceivable as ‘flying high’ potentially offers a plausible alternative to the more mainstream transit options open to city planners. Steer Davies Gleave has been supporting public authorities, developers and operators globally to develop and integrate cable car schemes into the urban context.

To find out more contact: Lucia Manzi e lucia.manzi@sdgworld.net

Cable Propelled Transit (CPT) or cable cars as they are more commonly known, initially existed as a means of transport in ski-

resorts. Recently though, CPT experiments have been popping up in cities globally. Could we see CPT become a credible form of urban mass transit around the world in the future? By Lucia Manzi

So far only a few cities in the world have truly integrated CPT into their whole transit system: Caracas, Venezuela; Constantine, Algeria; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Medellin, Colombia, which was the first city to install them for mass transit purposes.

The vast majority of CPT systems around the world are used to get people across a physical obstacle. City traffic could be considered the ultimate urban topographical obstacle. Could we therefore begin to see even more CPT systems appearing in busy cities around the world?

Later this year the world’s largest network of urban transit cable cars is set to open in La Paz in Bolivia. Three cable car lines are currently under construction, with a combined capacity of 3000 passengers per hour per direction. Once opened, the 10 kilometre La Paz ‘teleféricos’ will become the world’s largest network of urban transit cable cars.

Should cities seriously consider adding CPT to their transportation systems? Or is this a bizarre idea that could only work in niche areas?

Projects the size of the CPT network in Le Paz are rare, with cities preferring to take a more cautious approach in the form of short, single, experimental or tourist-based lines like Teléferico de Gaia in Portugal, the urban gondola in Ordu in Turkey and the Grenoble cable car in France.

More and more of these experiments are appearing in cities all over the map (Bochum in Germany, Algiers in Algeria and Istanbul in Turkey are only some of the latest examples). While these experiments are encouraging it is worth considering the challenges of developing a CPT system.

t Perception certainly plays a negative role, with some viewing CPT as more of an amusement park ride than a viable way to get to a destination. However, the examples above prove that CPT has the potential to enhance the existing transport provision in cities.

t It can be difficult to integrate CPT with existing transit systems because lines don’t branch off or turn. But where there’s a will there’s a way, as shown in Medellin, where the system is fully integrated with the public transit network, providing passengers with the ability to transfer seamlessly to local metro lines.

t Passenger loads simply can’t compete with light rail or bus rapid transit (BRT), but CPT can go where light rail or BRT can’t – up in the air – making use of space that is free from delays caused by congestion and which would otherwise be vacant and of no benefit to commuters.

On the other hand, some of the pros of integrating a cable car system into the existing transport infrastructure include:

t it is relatively inexpensive compared with BRT costs. (See figure 1)

We can certainly fly high

Ten reasons to work with us

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