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:

MoH injury dataGlen Koorey presented a poster at the 2021 Transport Knowledge Conference summarising recent work looking at pedestrian deaths and serious injuries in Auckland. Using data from the Ministry of Health hospitalisations, over 700 serious pedestrian injuries a year were identified, most of which are from trips and falls that do not involve a motor vehicle. This is much greater than the injuries reported by the Crash Analysis System, which focuses on motor vehicle incidents. It highlights the important role that investment plays in good path and crossing standards and maintenance to reduce this burden.

banner age friendlyGemma participated in the Age friendly Ōtautahi workshop organised by the Transportation Group and others. She presented 8 slides in 8 minutes on age-friendly transport.

graphicThe transportation profession incorporates people with diverse backgrounds and education, and this enriches our community, yet many don’t have a clear way forward for professional development and recognition of who they are or what they do. The industry should be able to certify, encourage, build capability and mana for people right across the spectrum of expertise yet the current pathways for professional recognition are not supportive and inclusive of non-traditional engineers and planners.

Carlton GoreThis poster presentation gives an overview of amendments to the Cycling network guidance (CNG) that have been published since January 2020.

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.

Barnes Dance combined signalsThe NZ Transport Agency commissioned ViaStrada to formally trial two "Barnes Dance" shared pedestrian/cycle crossings along SH1 in Dunedin, including preparation of trial application documents and design as well as analysis of the observational and perception surveys.