Consultancy calls for scrutiny of UK’s transport forecasts

In the UK a leading consultancy, WSP, is calling for close scrutiny of Census data and traffic trends. This move forms part of the UK Government’s Transport Select Committee investigation into the country’s strategic road network (SRN). According to WSP more must be done to investigate and take account of new trends in development, demographics and travel patterns when making decisions on future infrastructure provision. It claims that there is evidence in some areas that car journeys have been stagnating o
November 8, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
In the UK a leading consultancy, 2782 WSP, is calling for close scrutiny of Census data and traffic trends. This move forms part of the UK Government’s Transport Select Committee investigation into the country’s strategic road network (SRN). According to WSP more must be done to investigate and take account of new trends in development, demographics and travel patterns when making decisions on future infrastructure provision. It claims that there is evidence in some areas that car journeys have been stagnating or declining since 2004, which is believed by many to herald a peak car scenario. Equally, there are examples of traffic levels rising in other areas. Notably, many areas of UK capital London and the South East of England have seen traffic flows fall in the last 10 years. However, the precise causes and implications of these changing trends remain the subject of on-going debate.

WSP has said that forecasting transport demand is a complex business. Based on recent evidence, it seems that in some areas there is a risk over-estimating demand, but in others it may be under-estimated. Given the importance, financial scale and long term nature of infrastructure investment it is important that forecasting is refined so as to deliver the right infrastructure in the right places.

For more information on companies in this article

WSP

Related Content

  • Road safety gain for UK in 2013
    June 26, 2014
    The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) reveals that the road fatality rate for 2013 was the lowest since records began in 1926. The data shows that 1,713 people died on the UK’s road network in 2013, around half that of the figure recorded for the year 2000. This reveals an on-going improvement in road safety levels. The DfT statistics show that in 2013, 21,657 people were seriously injured in road crashes, while the total number of casualties of all severities stood at 183,670. Car occupant fatalities in
    Read More
  • Improving safety for cyclists
    November 15, 2013
    New systems in development for protecting vulnerable road users - Mike Woof writes In many European countries the number of people using bicycles for commuting are increasing. This is being actively encouraged by city authorities as it offers an effective way to reduce traffic congestion, lower exhaust emissions and also improve public health. The Netherlands and Denmark have long had high percentages of commuters opting to use bicycles and other European countries are looking to capitalise on the experienc
    Read More
  • MPA survey shows 'some growth'
    March 15, 2012
    A Mineral Products Association (MPA) survey results for the fourth quarter of 2011 indicate that while overall industry markets were broadly positive during 2011,
    Read More
  • Connected vehicles: implications for road networks and mobility
    May 15, 2019
    Mobility services are expected to undergo spectacular changes within the next two decades with the introduction and widespread use of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology. However, the transition phase from human driving to self-driving will be gradual, requiring incremental interventions on the physical and digital road network to allow it to cope with mixed vehicular traffic. Cities such as Dubai have embraced the challenge by setting a target to reach 25% driverless trips by 2030 as part o
    Read More

Highlighted Content