Traffic and Transportation

Traffic and Transportation affects all of us as we are either travellers ourselves or depend on the transport system for our daily needs.

The work of a Traffic and Transportation Consultant is a specialist form of civil engineering whose purpose, through a variety of means, detailed studies and modelling techniques is to provide the efficient movement of people and goods in the safest and most sustainable manner possible.

Traffic Engineering examines not only the operation of current and planned road infrastructure but its best management – in either capacity or safety terms – through the design of improvements, new roads or the use of Traffic Regulation Orders.

Although historically traffic engineering has examined the movement of vehicles and its associated impact with the raised importance of sustainability, all forms of transportation are now examined under the 'traffic and transportation' umbrella. Access by sustainable transport also relates to two key types, 'public passenger transport' (bus, tram and rail) and 'active travel' (walking and cycling). Other forms of sustainable travel include car sharing, and the use of car clubs.

Traffic and Transportation is a key aspect of the planning process in relation to Local Plan Policy delivered through the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and retained core strategy policies within the Unitary Development Plan UDP) and Local Development Framework (LDF) which is a set of documents that guides planning and development in a local authority area. Traffic and Transportation is often one of the main drivers in major development proposals where the improvement of access by sustainable modes of travel to ensure social inclusion is fundamental.

Transportation covers the wider aspects of all modes of transport and will involve input into the Local Transport Plan for the council’s administrative area and these can be used to assess budgetary bids to National Government for funding. From information gathered by the council the Local Transport Plan will provide empirical data as to the current situation within the area which forms a rolling base line. This can relate to issues such as the volume of traffic on key routes, the modal split from surveys for work based travel, the availability of public transport and delay times on key routes or through specific areas such as town centres.

An important factor in the base line assessment of routes is now the quality of the air and traffic noise along the route, which will be significantly affected by pollution from heavy traffic flows or standing traffic during congested peak periods. Air quality and noise are specialist fields in their own right, but in this context the work of the air quality and noise consultant is informed by traffic data which indicates the base line position and future predicted changes in either traffic volumes or flow patterns.