The Ministry of Transport and the University of Auckland are partnering to create better planning for the transportation sector by investigating the option of a national model says the Ministry’s Deputy Chief Executive Andrew Jackson.
The University of Auckland’s Transportation Research Centre is researching options for the scope and design of a possible New Zealand Transport Model.
“Transport modelling means that national and regional policy makers and planners can test possible outcomes from a range of different scenarios,” says Jackson.
“The Ministry currently undertakes transport demand modelling across the separate transport modes: road, air, rail, sea, and active modes. Many local bodies and transport-related companies also conduct modelling to help with forecasting and planning,” he says.
“A national transport model would take into account the interactions between all the different transportation modes, and help provide a more comprehensive overview of the system,” says Jackson.
For example, it’s important to understand the impact that changes in demand for goods arriving by sea have on our road and rail networks,” he says.
Looking at options for, and the value of, developing a national transport model is part of the Ministry’s extensive research programme.
In 2015, the Ministry released forecast models for air passenger departures and revenue forecasting for the National Land Transport Fund. The Ministry also released a snapshot of findings from 25 years of data on household travel.
The release of an updated transport research strategy and a domain plan that summarises what information the government holds about the transportation system will happen this year.
Another key product will be the development of a New Zealand Transport Outlook summarising the state of the current transport network and projecting future demand under different scenarios.
“The University of Auckland’s work is a significant step in providing a more informed view of the future transport sector and will support decisions in many areas, for example where and how to invest in transportation infrastructure,” says Jackson.
