Research Report 514 The contribution of public transport to economic productivity
Published: Jan 2013The objective of this research was to quantify the contribution of public transport to economic productivity. Based on our review of the literature we decided to extend and apply Venables’ microeconomic model of the productivity benefits of transport improvements, which considers the interplay between commuting costs and agglomeration economies. We extended Venables’ model in two...
Research report 506 Identify, evaluate and recommend bus priority interventions
Published: Nov 2012The purpose of the research topic was to develop a practical decision-assisting tool for identifying appropriate bus priority interventions for any given situation based upon route and intersection characteristics.
In developing our proposed methodology the research team was keen to ensure the final product would be an active ‘live’ decision assisting tool available at...
Research report 474 Company cars and fringe benefit tax - understanding the impacts on strategic transport targets
Published: Feb 2012This report investigates the degree to which current tax polices influence travel behaviour (perhaps unintentionally) in ways that contradict strategic policy objectives. It also evaluates potential tax policy reforms that could help increase efficiency and equity.
Current New Zealand fringe benefit tax (FBT) policies encourage employers to offer company cars (including associated...
Research report 473 Calibration of trip distribution by generalised linear models
Published: Feb 2012Generalised linear models (GLMs) provide a flexible and sound basis for calibrating gravity models for trip distribution, for a wide range of deterrence functions (from steps to splines), with K factors and geographic segmentation. The Tanner function fitted Wellington Transport Strategy Model data as well as more complex functions and was insensitive to the formulation of intrazonal and external...
Research report 464 Incorporating travel time reliability in the estimation of assignment models
Published: Dec 2011Route choice is determined by some function of mean travel time and distance on the routes available in most traffic assignment models. Increasing traffic volumes on a route increases delay, making a particular route less desirable.
The NZTA (2010) Economic evaluation manual allows the benefits of improved network reliability to be monetised. However, our network models are unable to...
Research report 467 National travel profiles part B: trips, trends and travel prediction
Published: Dec 2011Using data held within the New Zealand Household Travel Survey (NZHTS), this research examined changes in travel behaviour between 2003 and 2010 and sought to determine whether travel behaviours such as journey times, mode choice, trip complexity and trip generation rates differed by area type and region. A key aim of the research was to unlock further value from the data for the benefit of...
Research Report 449 Assessment of the type of cycling infrastructure required to attract new cyclists
Published: Oct 2011This research, which was conducted from July 2008 to January 2010, investigated what type of cycling infrastructure would encourage 'new cyclists' (ie people who either do not currently cycle at all, or people who do not currently cycle for utilitarian trips) to use cycling as their mode of transport for daily activities in New Zealand.
The research involved undertaking an...
Research report 436 Benefits of new and improved pedestrian facilities - before and after studies
Published: May 2011Walking is an essential mode of transport. New and improved pedestrian facilities promote walking and provide greater access and mobility within our communities.
The NZ Transport Agency has recently updated the procedures for the evaluation of pedestrian improvement projects. The benefit factor applying to new pedestrian trips was increased from $0.50 to $2.70/km, ...
Research report 426 'I'll just take the car' Improving bicycle transportation to encourage its use on short trips
Published: Feb 2011Cycling for transport in New Zealand is a minority activity, yet the recreational cycling market is growing. The car is the most popular choice of travel mode by far. There is a clear desire to encourage more practical cycling in New Zealand, but limited understanding of who will be the next practical cyclists and how to encourage them. This research, from July 2008 to June 2010, applied the...
Research report 434 Appraisal of factors influencing public transport patronage
Published: Jan 2011This project examined the demand for local bus and rail services during the period 1996 2008 in the three major cities in New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. In order to determine the drivers behind changes in public transport ridership over time, econometric analysis techniques were applied to analyse the time series data of patronage of major public transport mode(s) in the...
Research report 417 Auditing public transport accessibility in New Zealand
Published: Oct 2010This research project, conducted in 2007 2009, reviewed international best practice for auditing public transport (PT) accessibility, and developed and piloted a New Zealand-specific PT accessibility audit methodology.
The accessibility audit and report card takes a 'whole-of-journey' approach to accessibility, thus including: service coverage, accessing information about...
Research report 414 Bike Now: Encouraging cycle commuting in New Zealand
Published: Sep 2010The aim of the Bike Now research project was to explore specific 'actions' that could be undertaken in the workplace to encourage people to take up (and continue) cycling to work. The actions included: bike mentoring/buddying; establishing 'bike buses'; providing cycle skills training; creating secure parking at the workplace; and providing a cycle fleet at the workplace for...
Research report 413 Feasibility study of a national trip-end model for New Zealand
Published: Sep 2010This report presents the findings of a research project to investigate the feasibility of developing a national trip-end model (NTEM) for New Zealand. The rationale for this is to allow policy issues to be addressed nationally in a consistent manner with trip generation, distribution and mode split considered at the national level.
The research examined large area models from...
Research report 418 Forecasting the benefits from providing an interface between cycling and public transport
Published: Sep 2010The integration of cycling and public transport (cycle-PT) can provide additional transport modal choice and flexibility in the use of existing public transport and also increase cycling trips and transit patronage. A model was developed for forecasting demand for bike racks on board public transport and secure storage at stations and terminals in different contexts and for different public...
Research report 394 Development and application of a New Zealand car ownership and traffic forecasting model
Published: Dec 2009This research investigated improved methods for forecasting car ownership and use in New Zealand. It compiled and reviewed current data and information on car ownership and use. From this data an aggregate car ownership model for New Zealand was developed. This model predicts that economic conditions and car prices will have a significant impact on future car ownership. A future framework for...
Research Report 387 Optimisation of heavy vehicle performance
Published: Sep 2009Operational requirements, vehicle dimensions and mass limits, other regulations and road user charges all influence on the type of vehicle used for passenger and freight transport in New Zealand. The aim of this research was to improve the performance of New Zealand’s heavy vehicle fleet in protecting the road and bridge infrastructure, improving safety, reducing environmental impact and...
Research Report 380 'I want to ride my bike' - overcoming barriers to cycling to intermediate schools
Published: Aug 2009Transport modes such as walking and cycling, including cycling to school, could play a key role in combating obesity, climate change and traffic congestion as well as restoring ‘social capital’ within communities. The objective of this research was to identify the specific barriers to school students cycling to school for six intermediate schools and recommend interventions that would...
Research Report 369 Trends in older people's travel patterns
Published: 2009We updated our earlier study of older people’s travel patterns using the 1997/98 New Zealand Household Travel Survey (NZHTS) with a comparative analysis using the recently compiled 2004–07 Ongoing NZHTS database (ONZHTS).
We found that older people (60+) travelled distinctively less than the general adult population (aged 25–59), whether one looked at the total or...
Trip generation, parking demand, modal split and travel activity related to different land uses are fundamental information for transportation planning and land use planning, now and in the future. While trip generation related to residential, business, tourism, recreation, industry and rural activities has been investigated, these areas have not always been surveyed or analysed consistently...
This report describes the 2008/09 reformulation of the 2004–07 Ongoing New Zealand Household Travel Survey trips database into trip chains and tours. The reformulation required us to re-create programming sequences for key elements of the new datasets (segments, trip chains, tours, main mode and main purpose, and three different tour classification schemes) based on previous...
