Research and publications

We carry out transport research, think-pieces and policy guidance for national agencies, local councils, and other clients, and regularly publish and present to the industry (including many award-winning papers). Below are links to our latest published work:

NZ AA logoGlen Koorey gave a presentation discussing some aspects of speed management and cycle planning/design practices in NZ to a Canterbury/Westland District Council meeting of the Automobile Association in March 2021.

public transport catchmentThe Pedestrian Network Guidance (PNG) is going online soon, as an update of the ground-breaking Pedestrian Planning and Design Guide (PPDG) published by Land Transport New Zealand in 2007.

The first introductory section of the new PNG is titled "Walking in New Zealand" and sets the scene for the rest of the guidance. It contains much more information than the PPDG did, in part because the new online-online format permits "rolling up" of detailed content and "hyperlinking" between sections to reduce duplication.

Red and green colour surfacingAt the 2021 2WALKandCYCLE Conference in Dunedin, Glen Koorey gave a presentation reviewing options for using different colours for surfaces of walking and cycling  facilities. The aim is to develop some standard industry guidance on what colours are appropriate for different situations and facilities.

blocked footpathIn early 2020, Waka Kotahi (the NZ Transport Agency) consulted on a proposal to allow cycling on footpaths for everyone. Yet district plans allow for driveways to be built without any visibility of a pathway or its users. So how can drivers give way to footpath users when they can't see them? This presentation and a supporting paper explore why we do this, and what we should do instead.

200 and 300 mm aspectsA formal trial for directional cycle signals was completed in 2019 based on sites in Auckland and Christchurch. This presentation at the 2021 SNUG workshop gave an update that the required rule changes have not been undertaken yet. It also highlights some issues that designers and operators need to be aware of.

tram trainsTe Pūtahi, the Christchurch centre for architecture and city-making, organised an event to introduce the new requirements and tools enacted by the new National Policy Statement on Urban Development. Axel Downard-Wilke was nominated by the Transportation Group to throw light on the transportation implications and how to make a denser city accessible for all.

Pass Safely signAs part of the Biketober Christchurch transport seminar series during Oct 2020, Glen Koorey gave a public presentation and chat introducing some of the basics of transport law as it relates to biking in NZ.

Mayor Garry Moore cutting a ribbonFor Biketober 2020, Axel prepared a potted 21st century history of cycling in Christchurch titled "From moratorium to major cycle routes". The talk discussed which individuals had a major impact on what did happen in Christchurch, and what was prevented from happening.

walk2This article presents a comprehensive conceptual framework for modelling safe walking and cycling routes to school for adolescents. The framework has been developed based on several existing relevant frameworks. The framework identifies built environment features and traffic safety factors to consider when modelling safe walking/cycling routes to secondary schools.

brailleThe 2019 Walk21 conference was held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. New Zealand was represented by John Lieswyn of ViaStrada and Gerry Dance of the NZ Transport Agency. John presented on encouraging walking to school. At the 2020 Transportation Conference in Christchurch, John revealed highlights from the Walk21 conference deemed most applicable to the New Zealand context.