Delivering transport solutions in times of austerity

the review
European edition
What makes a successful public private partnership? • Reforming air passenger rights
The future of cities • Capturing the economic value of stations
Delivering transport solutions in times of austerity
Issue 42 April 2012
www.steerdaviesgleave.com
welcome march 2012
CEOs’
comment
New faces
Welcome to the latest edition of
the Steer Davies Gleave Review.
Network Rail Director returns
to Steer Davies Gleave
In this issue we examine the
changes to the way transport
is being funded, planned and
delivered, and how emerging
technologies and the ever
evolving economic and social
pressures will present both further
opportunities and new challenges.
These changes have forced transport
consultancies and engineering
practices to change. For some
this has led to their acquisition
but for Steer Davies Gleave, our
independence has allowed us to
solely focus on our clients and to
make investments and changes
that advance our business. We
continue to grow, having recently
opened a base in Paris, and are
delighted to see some of the
industry’s best talent recruited
into our senior team (see right).
Best regards
Hugh Jones and Steve Hewitt
joint ceos
The Review is read by
the review over 8000 transport
Steer Davies Gleave’s news & reviews
How do we keep our roads moving? • Curing Europe’s ‘capacity crunch’
£85 million for the Northern Hub • Making the most of what we have
Four decades of rail advice
Issue 41 September 2011
www.steerdaviesgleave.com
2
professionals around
the world. If you would
like to receive a free
subscription visit:
www.steerdaviesgleave.
com/subscribe
We are delighted
to welcome back
Mike Goggin as our
newest Director. In
his role as Director of
International Advisory,
Mike will support
clients across the
modes and across the business’s
international portfolio in the specification of
investments, assessment and development
of transactions and through providing
practical expertise from his business,
railway operating and station experience.
Mike has worked in the rail and transit
Julian Sindall
associate
Julian Sindall joins as our
new Head of Engineering
within the feasibility and
technical advisory team.
Julian will work closely with non-technical
clients, stakeholders and partners to
develop innovative and robust solutions
or to provide independent reviews. A
chartered civil engineer, Julian has worked
in the rail industry for over 20 years. He
joins Steer Davies Gleave from Atkins.
Paul Hollingsworth
associate
Paul Hollingsworth joins
us as Head of Technical
Due Diligence services in
roads, railways, airports
and developments. Bringing a multidisciplinary approach to due diligence
of major infrastructure projects, Paul will
working closely with clients, their advisors
and other stakeholders to identify risk
mitigation measures and quantify risk,
while providing a totally objective and
independent review. Previously, Paul was
Director of Rail Management at Atkins. He
has advised lenders on major projects
for more than 20 years and is a Fellow
of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
industry for 20 years and rejoins us from
Network Rail, where he was Director of
Stations and Customer Service. In this
role Mike led a portfolio of activities that
included the organisation’s strategy for
its 2538 railway stations, the reform of
the privatised station leasing model and
consolidating the business’s approach
to provision of passenger information.
Mike was accountable for a number of
national station investment programmes
whose combined value is in excess of
£500 million. Before leaving Steer Davies
Gleave in 2009 Mike led a number of high
profile assignments for clients in the UK,
North America and the Middle East.
Peter Piet
associate
Peter Piet joins Steer Davies
Gleave to lead our urban
design and landscape team.
A chartered landscape
architect and urban designer, Peter brings
30 years’ experience in landscape and urban
design for public realm and city centre
developments. He Joins from landscape
architectural firm Martha Schwartz.
Tony Sheach
associate
Tony Sheach joins as Steer
Davies Gleave’s new Head of
Strategic Development, and
will lead our expansion of
transport planning and development work
outside of London. He is a chartered civil
engineer and previously held the position
of Chairman of ICE’s Thames Valley Branch.
He has 20 years of land development
sector experience, leading on the transport
aspects of major development schemes.
He joins from Peter Brett Associates.
Visit www.steerdaviesgleave.com to
find out more about our recent joiners.
News in brief
Amtrak’s high-speed vision
Steer Davies Gleave is part of a team
preparing a business and financial plan to
support Amtrak’s programme for developing
true high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor.
By far the most significant intercity passenger
rail service in the USA today is Amtrak’s
Northeast Corridor service between Boston,
New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC.
The service consists of both high-speed Acela
and conventional regional rail operations.
Already, Amtrak has a higher market share
than all air carriers combined in the New YorkWashington and New York-Boston markets:
it is faster between city centres and offers a
better travel environment. But Amtrak’s trains
run over old and mixed-use infrastructure,
sharing tracks with commuter rail and freight
operations. On many sections, speeds are
considerably less than the trains can achieve.
The Northeast Corridor represents perhaps
the best opportunity to create a true highspeed rail operation in the US. Corridor
population is expected to grow from 50m
to 70m by 2050, with a corresponding
increase in travel demand and congestion
levels. However, opportunities for significant
improvements to the Corridor’s highway and
air facilities appear limited. A true high-speed
rail system could be a highly effective intercity
travel mode, one that may well help shape
the pattern and location of development.
Amtrak has not been idle. It has established,
following a widely cast consultation
with stakeholders, a Northeast Corridor
Infrastructure Master Plan to bring existing
facilities to a state of good repair, replacing
in the process life-expired elements such
as lifting bridges on the shore sections
through Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Last year, Amtrak published a proposal
for true high-speed service over mostly
new alignments in the Corridor.
The challenge now is to work out how to
deliver a programme which, taking the
Master Plan and true high-speed rail
together, will cost over $150bn and be
implemented in step over several decades.
To address that challenge, Amtrak has
commissioned the development of a
business and financial plan from a team
that is headed by KPMG and includes
Steer Davies Gleave in major business
planning and ridership forecasting roles.
For some, the answer may seem simple:
turn the project over to the private
sector. But while the private sector has
played a valuable role in high-speed
rail development around the world, all
systems to date have needed some form
of Government involvement and funding.
Steer Davies Gleave has been at the
forefront of high-speed rail planning
across Europe, including leveraging private
and public funding to deliver projects
successfully. We will draw on this extensive
experience as we prepare the business
and financial plan to support Amtrak’s
ambitious Northeast Corridor programme.
Maintenance and renewal of Network Rail
Great Britain’s rail industry has produced
its Initial Industry Plan for Control Period
5 from 2014 to 2019, on the basis
of which the Office of Rail Regulation
is developing its Advice to Ministers
on the efficient costs of the railway.
We are advising ORR on bottom-up
benchmarking of Network Rail’s proposed
£3.3 billion CP5 maintenance and
renewal expenditure. With Network Rail
devolving many of its activities to its ten
operating routes, we are also advising
on how data on unit costs by operating
route can be collected and used to
support benchmarking and regulation.
Etihad rail economic study
Following the development of a proposed
national railway network for the UAE,
Etihad Rail appointed SDG (supported
by Oxford Economics) to assess the
economic case for its construction
and the operation of the planned
freight and passenger services.
Railway route
Paris office
To add to our global network of offices,
Steer Davies Gleave is delighted to
announce the opening of our Paris
office. We have been working in France
for over 10 years, providing advisory
services in road, rail and air.
Contact Edward O’Loughlin
e [email protected]
t + 33 (0)9 81 39 16 14
28 avenue de Messine
Chez DPPM
75008 Paris - France
3
The future of cities
Over 50% of the
world’s population
are now living
in cities. This
urban majority is
forecast to grow.
In this issue of The
Review we look in
more detail at how transportation
continues to contribute to
our vision of Future Cities.
By Eleni Harlan
The UN forecasts that the number of city
dwellers will rise in the coming decades.
By 2050 the world population will reach
nine billion, and two in three children born
in the next 30 years will live in cities.
Behind these global forecasts lie a vast
range of challenges and opportunities
that cities provide. The original reason for
their development of many older industrial
cities has disappeared. World markets
and demands change, and many cities
have seen decline with out-migration,
exacerbated by the more affluent, educated
and mobile moving on to better prospects.
This presents a challenge for these cities to
reinvent themselves and to attract a new
and more mobile workforce. For example
Manchester, within one generation’s lifetime,
has resurrected itself from the ashes of
being an industrial powerhouse to become
an international hub for the creative sector.
Cities, like global climate patterns, are
in a state of change and flux. Those that
survive (that are sustainable) are the ones
4
which adapt to new circumstances. As many
older cities are renewing ageing landscapes,
new mega-cities are developing apace
in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where
growing economies and opportunities are
producing rapidly expanding urbanised
areas, and provision of basic infrastructure
– water, sanitation, transport – is
struggling to keep up with demand.
Socio-demographics are also dynamic,
with a shift in priorities and mobility needs
also shaping these new urban patterns.
Life expectancy is increasing, and a
more active elderly population, including
empty-nesters, are looking for new urban
lifestyles. Conventional suburban living is
proving to be less attractive for some and
there is evidence of a move back to the
urban core. Younger generations, powered
by better social networking facilities,
gravitate towards urban lifestyles as well.
In the global marketplace, city leaders
and planners are increasingly recognising
the need to invest to provide cities that
will attract investment and generate
prosperity. The packages of city-shaping
measures that combine to produce an
attractive city are many and varied.
Innovation is paramount in shaping a city’s
future. In Japan, they have used super-porous
road tarmac to counteract the excess heat
absorbed in the concrete jungle, which was
causing higher temperatures and dramatic
changes to the local microclimate. In Rio de
Janeiro, football stadia host local produce
markets to maximise space utilisation
in the sprawling metropolis. Innovative
solutions such as these require a canny
resourcefulness from urban planners to meet
the demands of the urban population.
As well as a choice of housing stock, a
sustainable urban lifestyle ideally means
a broad range of amenities and choices
for work and recreation, and transport and
mobility. Cities that are over-reliant on the car
are increasingly seen by planners as being
at a disadvantage. Sprawling road networks
congested with traffic searching for expensive
and limited parking are not attractive, and
the heavily-marketed “freedom of the road”
is increasingly being seen as an illusion.
Greater transportation choice, providing
mobility for all urban communities, is now a
key part of the city-shaping toolkit. Walking
and cycling are becoming prominent as
city spaces and parks are increasingly key
components of urban life. A ‘green lung’ of
parks, walking and cycle routes reaching
across East London will be an Olympic legacy.
Transit systems – buses, light rail, railways
– provide easy and direct connections. The
“20-minute neighbourhood”, pioneered in
Portland, Oregon, is becoming the attractive
urban offer, in which 80% of urban needs
can be found within 20 minutes of home.
New technology is being deployed to remove
real and perceived barriers to mobility, and
smart solutions are providing convenient
and attractive mobility hubs producing
opportunities to connect modes and people.
To find out more contact
Eleni Harlan
e [email protected]
The impact of technology on transport
The way we travel,
the way we make
our daily decisions,
and how we pay
for our travel are
all set to change
dramatically over
the next 20 years.
By Dr Craig Nelson
One of the key drivers of this change will be
technology and, in particular, the proliferation
of internet-enabled, location-sensitive
mobile devices and the data they produce.
These devices will not only provide transport
information but also provide network
operators with data and a platform to manage
and improve services, monitor and manage
traffic flows and build customer relationships.
journey genie
One of our current projects, Journey
Genie, will help tourists to plan travel
itineraries around the Highlands and
Islands of Scotland via public transport.
By using Traveline Scotland public
transport data and points of interest
data, visitors will be able to leave the
car at home and enjoy the scenery
by bus, train and ferry. The app will
provide live weather updates and offer
attraction alternatives if the outlook is
grim. It will also use GPS technology to
allow visitors to find nearby attractions
and events and to plan journeys.
Ticketing is also going mobile, with a
number of train operating companies
now offering electronic ticketing and
contactless Near Field Communication
(NFC) payments that allow payment
with a wave of a smartphone. It is
expected that NFC will replace cash
payments by 2016, by which time
Paypal predicts that £2.5 billion will be
spent every year via NFC in the UK.
Building on our work with Brighton and
Hove Council to develop its “Journey On”
travel information website, Steer Davies
Gleave has recently developed a universal
smartphone journey planning app. The app
provides bus and rail departure information,
door-to-door journey planning and “find
my nearest” functionality. We are already
seeing a switch from website access to
mobile access for real time information,
something we expect to continue as
European smartphone penetration rates
reach 95% by 2015 (Euromonitor, 2011).
To find out more contact
Craig Nelson
e [email protected]
5
high-speed rail
High speed is go!
The UK Government announced its
intention to proceed with HS2, a
new high-speed line to link London,
Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.
This announcement represents another
significant investment of political capital
in the fortunes of high-speed rail as a
means of sustainable economic growth.
Politicians, it seems, are increasingly
convinced of the merits of high-speed
rail with similar support in countries
with limited or no current high-speed
capabilities such as the USA, Brazil,
Canada, South Africa and Thailand.
However, winning political support is
only the first stage in the complex story
of developing successful high speed
rail projects and services. HS2 will now
need to deal with a range of significant
and outstanding questions including:
• Strengthening and articulating
the economic case for significant
investment that high-speed represents
and which is the focus for the AntiHS2 Lobby currently in the UK
• Understanding and trading-off
environmental concerns from the
route’s alignment and construction
to meet planning requirements and
ultimately to deliver a better solution
• Integrating high-speed services into
existing stations and communities – in
HS2’s case at London Euston – while
recognising the existing stations’ roles
and managing the transport impacts
sympathetically, including the effects
on local roads, bus and metro services
• Developing and creating new stations
– in HS2’s case in central Birmingham,
at Birmingham Interchange and at Old
Oak Common in west London – not only
as interchanges but also as catalysts for
new and sustainable developments
• Making best use of the capacity
released by high-speed rail on the
existing air, rail and road networks
Boarding TheRide in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Developing a 30 year
transit master plan
Steer Davies Gleave
is working with
the Michigan’s
Ann Arbor
Transportation
Authority to develop
a 30 year transit
master plan for the
city and the surrounding region.
By Fred Beltrandi
Ann Arbor, located to the east of Detroit
and the Detroit Metro Airport, is home
to the famous University of Michigan.
During the recent recession, Ann Arbor
was one of the few areas in the State
of Michigan that managed to sustain
economic growth. It is frequently listed
among the most liveable medium-sized
cities in the USA, and has a long tradition
in sustainable transport planning.
The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority
(AATA) which is branded TheRide, operates a
comprehensive city-wide, fixed-route network,
limited commuter express buses routes, park
& ride and door-to-door services within the
urban area. Like the public transport agencies
of many mid-sized US cities, it is increasingly
challenged to provide this diversity of services
within a constrained funding environment.
AATA asked Steer Davies Gleave to develop
a financially sustainable short- to long-term
transit plan that would meet the growing
demands of residents and businesses,
provide access to vital lifeline destinations,
6
support economic growth and job creation,
improve mobility of an ageing population
and, most importantly, be supported by the
local community. We worked closely with the
AATA and local stakeholders and citizens
to chart an effective, feasible way forward.
Following the recommendations of the
Steer Davies Gleave plan, AATA will shortly
be introducing an Airport Express service,
in partnership with a private operator,
extending the commuter express network,
and taking over the management and
operation of ‘van pool’ services, which
until last year were managed by the State.
Looking ahead, AATA is working with
the University and local businesses to
develop two high-capacity transit corridors,
including adjacent property development.
Expansion of the world-renowned medical
facility at the University will also provide an
opportunity to develop a new multimodal
hub on the rail corridor to Detroit.
Given the uncertainty of Federal funding,
and limited availability of even scarcer State
funds, the public transit market in the USA
faces real challenges. Many agencies are
looking at innovative ways of growing local
funding sources. Among the innovations
now being actively considered are new
income generating methods and the use of
public private partnerships in operations.
To find out more contact
Fred Beltrandi
e [email protected]
special infrastructure funding & delivery
special
infrastructure
funding &
delivery
The UK Government’s goal
to stimulate the economy
by redirecting £5 billion
to Chancellor George
Osborne’s National
Infrastructure Plan,
includes funding for 20
transport projects.
As this edition of
the Review went to
press, the Prime
Minister made an
important speech
on the need to
push forward
in renewing our
road infrastructure.
Having worked with
promoters on several of the
schemes being funded, we
share some of our opinions
and experiences within the
next few pages. We consider
both new and existing
funding mechanisms, tools
to understanding the real
benefits to the local
economy, and the challenge
of getting more for less.
By Charles Russell
To find out which schemes we
have worked on, visit:
www.steerdaviesgleave.com/newsand-insights/SDG-helps-secure1billion-of-transport-investment
Building on an initiative first launched last
autumn to attract £20 billion investment
from the pension funds in the country’s
infrastructure, he has now addressed
the issue of how to create genuine
investment opportunities in the sector.
The question is how to identify investment
opportunities that lead to reliable revenue
streams that can be ring-fenced to provide
a healthy return to the investment.
The headline, of course, is the introduction
of tolls. The Government has been
quick to make it clear that there is no
possibility of charging tolls on existing
infrastructure, although, through the snow
storm of comment and official response,
it is not clear quite what this allows or
inhibits. Can we really anticipate that we
will be tolled to use a new interchange
on an existing motorway, as some of
the present language suggests?
There are surely few opportunities for
new greenfield projects - for new projects
like M6 Toll. Instead, the focus must be
on shovel-ready projects where much of
the planning has been completed, and
probably on hybrid projects, like the
managed lane schemes under development
in the US. These schemes create new
capacity within the right of way of an
existing road, with the new capacity tolled
to maintain a high level of service.
It is likely that the upcoming A14 scheme,
already being studied for alternative
financing, will be the poster boy. Can
we expect to see the provision of new
tolled capacity for the commuters who
dominate the traffic on the road - or
perhaps charging for new truck lanes for
the crucial strategic port movements?
However, it is still hard to envisage many
public projects where new revenues raised
directly from the user will be adequate
(even if available) to attract private funds
on a non-recourse basis. Without this, this
initiative rests on diversion of existing taxes
to the investor, or on the reestablishment
of the availability payment regimes,
which have already provided more than
£1.7 billion investment on more than
850km of DBFO (design, build, finance &
operate) highways across the country.
One of the reasons that that programme
was halted was, possibly that new
accounting procedures determined that this
investment was on the national balance
sheet. Can this new initiative be different?
The real challenge for the Treasury is to
develop an approach that can create a
genuine investment opportunity for the
private sector - in a political environment
where it is impossible to grasp the
nettle of tolls and road charging.
To find out more contact
Charles Russell
e [email protected]
nottingham tram
In December 2012 the Tramlink
Nottingham consortium signed
the contract for the £570 million
Nottingham Express Transit Phase
Two concession. Steer Davies Gleave
has acted as traffic and revenue
advisors to the consortium. Under
the contract the concessionaire will
construct two new routes (to Chilwell
and Clifton) and operate the entire
network, including the existing NET
operation between Nottingham and
Hucknall, for a 23 year period.
7
special infrastructure funding & delivery
Infrastructure investment creates jobs
We look at one
of the projects
identified in
the National
Infrastructure
Plan to see what
impact it could
have on jobs
and the economic development
of the local area.
to promote growth, and has announced
that £5 billion would be redirected to the
delivery of the National Infrastructure Plan
with the aim of creating better transport
systems, broadband networks and
sustainable energy supplies and, above
all, more jobs. In better times, construction
jobs would not be considered an economic
benefit. But now, with 170,000 architects,
engineers and tradesmen on benefits and
desperately seeking work, the opportunity
cost of these projects is at an all-time low.
By Duncan Kernohan
The UK economy appears to have stabilised
since the autumn, but promoting growth
is still top of the agenda. Inflation is up,
wage growth is down and unemployment
is at a 17-year high (see graph) with 1.7
million people claiming Job Seekers
Allowance in February 2012.
This not only creates hardship for the millions
of individuals unable to find work, but also
is hugely expensive for the Treasury. On
average, each claimant costs the taxpayer
£10,000 in benefit payments and lost
income tax per year, imposing a total cost of
around £17 billion on the economy. Official
forecasts show that this cost is expected to
rise into 2013, but it is not yet a foregone
conclusion. The Government is taking steps
We used our SpECTra model to analyse
the economic benefits of Network Rail’s
Northern Urban Centres project, which
will redevelop Salford Crescent station to
provide train stabling, platform lengthening
and capacity enhancements on Route 20
between Manchester and Liverpool. The
project will cost £96 million over three years
and (assuming a conventional benefit-cost
ratio of 1.5), once completed, will provide
net welfare benefits of around £50 million
for rail passengers over a 60 year period.
But what about the impacts on the economy
in an area with one of the highest levels of
unemployment in the country? In the short
term, the scheme is likely to generate around
660 ‘direct’ full-time equivalent jobs. Supply
United Kingdom Unemployment Rate
percentage of the labour force
9
9
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
Jan/02
Jan/04
Jan/06
Jan/08
Jan/10
source: www.tradingeconomics.com | uk office for national statistics
8
4
chain impacts and wages will also generate
a further 795 ‘indirect’ and ‘induced’ jobs,
which could reduce the benefit bill by up
£15 million over the course of construction.
In the long term, the project will provide wider
benefits by improving the perceptions of
the local area, increasing land values, and
generating productivity benefits of around
£29 million per year. Taking account of these
wider impacts, the benefit-cost ratio of the
project grows from 1.5 to 2.2. The project
could create around 15 permanent jobs in the
local economy, increasing GVA (gross value
added) by £1.3 million per year, providing a
compelling economic case for investment.
To find out more contact
Duncan Kernohan
e [email protected]
what is spectra
How we appraise transport projects
is changing. With increased power
to local decision-makers and more
importance given to local impacts, we
need to assess how transport projects
meet local needs. Steer Davies Gleave
developed SpECTra (Spatial Economic
Consequences of Transport), a
modelling framework that predicts how
transport improvements translate into
economic impacts at a sub-regional
level. It helps scheme promoters
understand what the impacts of a
transport improvement are likely
to be, answering questions about
job creation, increased economic
development and its contribution
to meeting economic objectives.
special infrastructure funding & delivery
‘More for less’ - the efficiency challenge
Getting more for
less has become
core to the
strategy of most
governments and
organisations,
but efficiency
benchmarking
could provide essential insight
into significant cost savings.
By Felicity Hulme
The UK Spending Review set in stone the
coalition Government’s plans for an Age
of Austerity that would see Government
expenditure cut by almost a fifth. Calls
for an about-turn have come from unions
and public sector workers, and from more
than 100 leading economists in a letter to
the Observer newspaper in October 2011.
But, with the exception of the National
Infrastructure Plan, Chancellor Osborne’s
Statement showed little sign of deviating
from ‘plan A’. At the same time Government,
and the population at large, are keen to
see service levels maintained and even
enhanced. While many governments aspire
to secure the same, or even better, services
from fewer resources, few have succeeded
in the past. Economists have a name for
this holy grail being pursued by successive
governments – quite simply efficiency.
efficient firms have been able to secure
credit for further investment and growth. This
applies as much to regulated companies,
such as infrastructure managers and
airport operators, as to non-regulated
firms. Regulatory arrangements usually
give financial rewards for efficiency,
and penalise inefficiency, which in
turn promotes creditworthiness.
then benchmarked against Speedybus.
An estimate is formed of each firm’s
efficiency, together with its efficiency
gap – the percentage cost reduction that
could be expected by adopting the best
performer’s practices and technologies. For
example Slocoach – the worst efficiency
performer – has an efficiency score of
53%, so that its efficiency gap is 47%.
Assessing efficiency
With economic efficiency right at the top of
governments’ and firms’ agendas, a natural
issue is how one can tell whether a particular
bus company, government department,
local authority, airport or infrastructure
manager is efficient, and decide just how
much savings could be achieved without
compromising on the services provided.
Efficiency benchmarking
At Steer Davies Gleave, we have been
involved in a large number of programmes
across the transport sector aimed at
assessing efficiency and the scope for cost
reduction. In rail for example, we have
had a continuing role in the Office of Rail
Regulation’s work assessing Network Rail’s
efficiency, and have recently undertaken
the first systematic study into the cost
efficiency of High Speed 1. Similarly, we
have been involved in benchmarking
of air traffic control providers, and have
assessed toll roads, toll bridges and local
transport companies across Europe.
Economists have mainly used statistical
tools for this efficiency benchmarking, taking
into account structural differences between
organisations such as size and location,
and constructing an index reflecting unit
costs and other aspects and efficiency. The
figure below illustrates this analysis for
a number of bus companies. Speedybus
is the efficient firm – it has the lowest
costs of all companies. Other firms are
To find out more contact
Felicty Hulme
e [email protected]
Inefficiency Gap
100
Of course, getting more for less is not
exclusively a public sector ambition.
Indeed firms, often exposed to merciless
competition from their peers, face profound
incentives to become more efficient even
in the most prosperous economic times.
The continuing economic conditions have
meant that only the most demonstrably
80
60
40
20
0
Speedybus
A28
Prime Travel
Omega coaches
Interegional
Slocoach
9
special infrastructure funding & delivery
Improving transport infrastructure
during times of austerity
The transport sector
is changing rapidly,
and the pressure is
on decision-makers
to make best use
of the limited
funds available
both to plan for
and to deliver successful projects
to secure a better future.
By Steve Hewitt
With issues such as increased congestion, increased urbanisation, deteriorating
city centres, capacity shortages and infrastructure being at the forefront
of debate, coupled with a shortage of public funds, the pressure is on for
policymakers, sponsors, investors and stakeholders to come up with fresh
thinking. In support of this, transport practitioners need to respond to these
challenges without breaking the bank. The question arises of how best to define
the problem and shape cost-effective solutions. We have listed a number of
strategic themes that can help our clients to think through the opportunities.
Sometimes, the small initial investment will unlock the door to making the
larger strategic scheme happen. The trick is to ensure that the small investment
is consistent with potential future larger investments, and this will require big
picture planning sitting alongside smaller scale attention to strategic detail.
liberalisation
city shaping
build small, think big
Faced with large public sector deficits,
governments are increasingly going
to consider liberalising their transport
networks and systems, opening them up to
competition. Governments, agencies and
regulators will seek structures and methods
to introduce some competition (and new
money) to generate new approaches and
to drive efficiencies. Changing the role, risk
profile and types of players may provide
opportunities for operators to propose
innovative products and service solutions.
Authorities want solutions that will shape
and develop smarter cities to improve
quality of life, attract investment and
reduce congestion. Transit master planning,
city-wide transport planning and transit
project development are growing areas of
investment as they provide an important
solution to the challenges facing many
rapidly-growing cities across the world.
Not all transit solutions are infrastructure
heavy. For example, bus rapid transit can
deliver very cost effective improvements
to local economic development.
Incremental change and small scale
infrastructure projects may not, at first,
appear to bring the step change required,
the assumed economies of scale, and the
cachet of the sexy, grand projects remain
very attractive. However, well-planned,
well-targeted changes can have a massive
impact locally and really make a difference.
Classic examples of this are interchange
projects, where relatively inexpensive
improvements have significant impacts
on the overall quality of the journey and
achieve important savings in journey times
as well as potentially acting as a catalyst for
wider local improvements in urban realm.
Retail centre
Integrated bus/ tram stop
european commission
We are currently working for the
European Commission on an
economic impact study to inform the
next package of EU rail legislation.
This will include an assessment of
the impact of further liberalisation
of rail passenger markets across
Europe, in particular opening up of
domestic markets to competition and
competitive tendering of concessions.
ann arbor, usa
We are developing a 30 year
transit master plan for the Ann
Arbor Transportation Authority
in Michigan, USA. See article on
page 6 for further details.
Croydon Centrale bus/ tram interchange
transport for london, uk
Sense of Place
Transport for London’s Interchange
Best Practice Guidelines, 2009 were
written
and produced by Steer Davies
Design provides the opportunity to create places, streets and
spaces that The
meet the
needs of people,now
are visually
attractive,
Gleave.
Guidelines
form
the
safe, accessible, functional, inclusive, have their own distinctive
identity and
and improve localproject
character. Place-making
basis
of maintain
all interchange
briefs
architecture should be encouraged when upgrading or designing
and
central
thetoconsistent
a neware
interchange
facilityto
or zone
make the best use of the
opportunity for a better public building, helping to support a
evaluation
and
improvement
of
sense of local pride
and civic
architecture.
Quality and affordability
of facilities accross
will affect the London.
character of
transport
interchange
the interchange zone and contribute to its quality and sense of
place.
Have you considered and addressed?
• Does the surrounding area have its own function and
identity?
10
• Is the interchange zone well connected with external
facilities?
• Does the quality of design create tangible added value
to the local area?
• Are commercial facilities on offer appropriate to the
special infrastructure funding & delivery
10
efficient project development
Top 10 tips
mobility management
Public authorities are increasingly
interested in solutions linked to changing
behaviour, demand management (including
freight), and encouraging use of sustainable
modes such as walking, cycling or transit.
The growing availability of technology,
new communication channels and access
to information is driving demand for
innovative solutions to manage mobility,
achieving modal shift at lower cost.
With experience of
major development
projects for
Docklands Light
Railway, Kuwait
Metro, Etihad Rail
and others, our new
Head of Engineering
offers recommendations for the
delivery of successful projects.
By Julian Sindall
1
Be prepared
Planning processes can take years. Use
the time now to develop schemes so
that when the money is unlocked again,
the project is ready for delivery.
2
dundee city council, uk
Steer Davies Gleave worked closely
with Dundee City Council in Scotland
to develop the Travel Active project.
We designed the website from initial
concept through to the development
of the software application. The
innovative Travel Active site has
increased programme membership
by 500 people in the area.
Adopt the motto of Silicon Valley, find out
which schemes don’t work early on. Be
ruthless in abandoning schemes that don’t
deliver enough and learn the lessons.
Break with tradition
Reverse the feasibility process – start
with the budget and see what you can
design for the money. If you can’t do
it, then you haven’t got a scheme.
6
Don’t compensate for lack of experience
with big teams. A few wise heads will
get you closer to the answer much
quicker than design by committee.
Know what you want
Take time to develop your requirements
in detail. You will have to do so at
some point, so better to save money by
refining them at the beginning of the
project than half way through, or later.
7
Test and challenge
Get a second independent opinion. It
won’t cost much but it will bring you
either comfort or added value.
8
Pay once
Develop whole life cost thinking from the
start so that you don’t pay for it again in
untimely maintenance and renewals.
Invest innovatively
Pursue new funding avenues such
as sponsorship, revenue sharing
or private finance with buy-back
break points in the contract.
10
Experience pays
Rely on relationships
What you save on competitive pricing
you may lose in the learning curve.
Cut-throat pricing indicates a team in
trouble, and they may not be around
for long enough to deliver the job.
9
3
4
To find out more contact
Steve Hewitt
e [email protected]
Fail quickly
5
Think holistically
No project exists in isolation, and
most major risks and opportunities
come from those interfaces. Work
with a team that knows how the
project relates to its environment.
11
special infrastructure funding & delivery
Arlanda Express, image courtesy of Niklas Alm Photography
Successful public private partnerships
PPP in Europe has
enabled many large
capital projects to
be realised, and
some common
factors contribute
significantly to a
successful outcome.
By Paul Hollingsworth
The Lenders’ Technical Advisor (LTA) has a
privileged insight into major projects, being
involved in the consortium’s tender and
funding, design, construction, operations
and maintenance. A successful project
has to be viewed from the perspective of
the public, the client, the special purpose
company promoting the project, the
contracting consortium with its supply chain,
and the investors. It has been observed that
there are factors that strongly influence a
successful outcome for the stakeholders.
PPP projects for railways, trams and roads
in Europe are well established. We have
seen the Arlandabanan (the high speed
link between Stockholm Central and the
Arlanda airport) regarded as a success by
the travelling public, the owner, investors,
competitors and the operating company. The
€600 million Coentunnel is now installed
successfully under the Noordzeekanaal in
Amsterdam despite the challenge of building
the elements at Barendrecht near Rotterdam
and transporting them over the North Sea.
The consortium’s bidding process requires
significant investment to develop the design,
construct a viable programme of works,
12
identify opportunities, risks, risk mitigations,
and arrive at a winning price. The investment
provides for rigorous reviews by potential
lenders, traffic advisors and technical
advisors. Getting it right at the bid stage is
crucial. Here are some recommendations
for achieving the optimum outcome:
The consortium and its supply chain
The consortium: the individual companies
must have full agreement on commonality of
purpose, be prepared to provide senior and
support staff for the bid and for the works, and
be ready to appoint the best person for the job.
Supply chain: key suppliers need to be
brought into the discussions at an early date,
for example the electrical and mechanical
contractor for a tunnel installation, or
steelwork suppliers for major bridges.
Advisory team
The traffic advisor: engage the traffic
advisor at the earliest opportunity to get an
assessment of the viability of the project from
the consortium’s and lenders’ perspectives.
The technical advisor: engage the technical
advisor early in the bid to provide potential
lenders with a realistic appraisal of the
potential for success or failure of design and
build to meet milestones. The LTA should
discuss risks and their mitigation with the
bid team at the earliest opportunity.
Combined capability
Hiring a single team able to provide both
traffic and technical advice, such as Steer
Davies Gleave, enables a more integrated
approach to risks and analysis.
Pricing the bid
Whole-life costs: most contractors in a
bid consortium focus upon the capital
cost, whereas PPP needs as much, if not
more, attention to optimising the wholelife costs. The technical advisor should
also have a view where optimisation of
the whole-life costs may be achieved.
Risk and risk mitigation: classical risk
workshops are obsessed with high
impact, low probability events but
generally fail to articulate the human side
of a successful project: a competent,
experienced team where the contracting
consortium works in harmony.
Project systems
Each consortium member will have its
own quality system, document control and
knowledge management system – “the way
we do things round here”. Each company’s
system will be different. A quick examination
will reveal much commonality and the outline
project system should be developed upon
the best practice for each. Many clients want
to see the outline management systems in
the tender … so attend to them early and
get agreement within the consortium.
In all these matters, we know that
experience is key to trust, trust is key to
relationships, and relationships are key to
successful projects. Get the right people
on board, and the rest is relatively easy.
To find out more contact
Paul Hollingsworth
e [email protected]
roads
april
2012funding
air news
News in brief
Reforming air
passenger rights
Controversial air
passenger rights
legislation from
the European
Commission is
under review, and
we are advising
the Commission
on possible revisions.
By Simon Smith
Since the 1990s, the European transport
market has been gradually liberalised.
Old restrictions on where airlines could
operate, frequencies, and fares have been
abolished: for example, easyJet (a UKregistered airline) operates domestic flights
in France and Italy. Similar liberalising
measures are being introduced, albeit
more slowly, in the rail and bus markets.
In the aviation sector, liberalisation has been
very successful in increasing competition and
reducing fares, but many stakeholders are
concerned that it has also led to a reduction
in service quality. Several measures have
therefore been taken to protect passengers
– including rules guaranteeing assistance
for passengers with reduced mobility,
improved price transparency, and protection
for passengers whose flights are delayed
or cancelled. Since 2005, Steer Davies
Gleave has worked with the European
Commission on the development and
evaluation of consumer protection policy.
The most significant and high profile
measure has been Regulation 261/2004,
which requires airlines to provide assistance
(such as meals, hotel accommodation
and alternative flights), and in some
cases also compensation, to passengers
whose flights are delayed or cancelled.
However, there have been significant
issues with this Regulation. Some of its
requirements are unclear and open to
multiple interpretations. Some States have
not enforced it properly. Many consumer
representatives believe that airlines do
not comply with it. Airlines argue that the
Regulation imposes an unreasonable
burden on them, partly because it requires
them to assist passengers even for events
not within their control; they say that it
cost them hundreds of millions of euros
during the volcanic ash crisis in 2010.
We are now advising the Commission on how
the Regulation can be revised. Proposals
should be published later this year.
To find out more contact
Simon Smith
e [email protected]
Montreal airport link
Steer Davies Gleave was appointed by
Aéroports de Montréal in June 2010 to
develop investment grade forecasts for
a proposed rail link connecting Pierre
Trudeau airport to downtown Montreal.
Work involved an extensive survey of
passengers, including a stated preference
exercise to estimate their willingness
to pay for the shuttle service, and a
model estimating demand in various
market segments. Following submission
of the forecasts, we have undertaken
additional work including fare and
frequency yield management analysis.
Brazil airport commission
Steer Davies Gleave is working for one
of the bidders for the current tranche of
Brazil airport concessions being let by
the government for airports in São Paulo
and Brasília. These airports include the
main São Paulo airport Guarulhos which
handles over 20 million passengers
per year. Potential bidders include
a mixture of domestic, regional and
international investors, construction
companies and airport operators.
Toronto airport
The Toronto Airport Rail Link in Canada
has reached an important milestone,
with financial close reached on the
construction of the new spur, worth
$124 million. Steer Davies Gleave has
provided advice on the passenger market
and revenue for Metrolinx. The line is
planned to open in 2015 in time for
the Pan/Parapan American Games.
Leeds station masterplan
Steer Davies Gleave was pleased to host
and lead a workshop to discuss the
preparation of a masterplan for Leeds
City Station. Senior representatives
of Leeds City Council, Network Rail
and Metro attended the event, which
considered the role and nature of
station masterplans, before discussing
the opportunities and issues that the
masterplan would need to address. The
workshop participants concluded that
there was significant potential for the
station’s role in both the city and the
city region. SDG made recommendations
as to the next steps for developing
and then delivering the masterplan.
13
All change please!
No matter what
the transport
mode, providing
welcoming,
effective and
efficient spaces
for people is
essential to
meeting social, economic and
commercial objectives.
By Mike Goggin
Mike joined Steer Davies Gleave in
November 2011 and was previously
Network Rail’s Director of Stations
and Customer Service, which included
responsibility for its 2538 railway stations.
Passengers will tell you, and most
operators, appreciate that the experience
of passengers as they wait for their train,
bus or plane is a pivotal part of their overall
journey experience. Passengers may be
confused or bewildered by information,
uncomfortable due to lack of facilities
and/or frustrated by an inability to move
quickly to their destination, so transport
interchanges can be a considerable
driver of their dissatisfaction.
14
However, research continues to show that
transport interchanges can also be an agent
for satisfaction, as a contributor to overall
journey experience and also for stakeholders
in the surrounding community, providing
a sense of identity, a civic amenity and a
focus for change and redevelopment. As
our research shows (see the Economic
Value of Stations article on page 16) this
can have a direct impact on the value of
inward investment, tax income from property,
and the profile of a city and region.
It is not bad news for the interchange
owner – in Great Britian, Network Rail
continues to report retail sales at its
stations outstripping the high street more
than threefold. In today’s consumer-led
world the travelling public often wish
to purchase ‘grab and go’ refreshments
or newspapers and their significant
footfall represents valuable advertising
real estate. All this has implications for
interchange design, and is something
Steer Davies Gleave has explored for both
Transport for London and Network Rail.
As the global economies recover it is
likely to be transport interchanges that
see further commercial development,
following the likes of the Shard in London
or the proposed Transit Tower in San
Francisco, to reap the benefits of their
city centre locations and accessibility.
To find out more contact
Mike Goggin
e. [email protected]
2012 conferences
Mike is lined up to speak at a series
of European conferences throughout
2012, following the UK Rail Stations
2012 conference in London (February),
where he spoke on re-appraising
the economic value and community
importance of stations. Mike will also
speak at Railway Terminal World in
Vienna, Austria (April), and he will
chair the Future of Sustainable/Station
Design conference in London (May).
april 2012 global news
Improving confidence
in forecasts: stations
and rail projects
The UK’s
Department
for Transport
has recently
published
two pieces of
work by Steer
Davies Gleave
that will help to support more
robust investments in rail
the Government in November 2011. To
develop robust and successful business
cases for stations Steer Davies Gleave
uses conventional demand forecasting
techniques alongside our own bespoke
station catchment modelling methodology.
To find out more contact
Steve Hunter
e. [email protected]
News in brief
Establishing a rail network for Qatar
We are working with a PwC-led team to
act as strategic business consultants to
Qatar Rail (QR). This unique commission is
to help QR to develop a rail industry from
scratch, including the institutional and
regulatory arrangements needed to govern
the industry, advising on the scope and
phasing of the network, and helping to
establish policies on integration, fare policy
and ticketing. The network will include a
city-wide metro system, a long-distance
passenger and freight network, and light
rail projects. The work has gained added
urgency due to the successful bid by Qatar
to host soccer’s 2022 FIFA World Cup.
By Steve Hunter
In November the Department for
Transport (DfT) issued a guidance note for
undertaking and commissioning demand
forecasting studies. The guidance, aimed
at local promoters of potential rail projects
such as new stations and infrastructure,
is intended to help develop a rigorous
investment proposition which can form
the basis of an application to DfT for
financial and/or other support. (To read
the guidance note, see the web link)
The guidance note was informed by the
“New Stations Study” undertaken by
Steer Davies Gleave, on behalf of the
Department for Transport, and published
in September 2011. This study reviewed
the passenger demand forecasts for 27
of 40 stations opened since privatisation
of Great Britain’s railway started in
1995. The research compared forecasts
with actual demand, investigated the
reasons for the differences and the
implications for demand forecasting,
and highlighted the importance of
assumptions which underpin forecasts.
(To read the study, see the web link)
In completing the study we were
able to benefit from our track record
in preparing demand forecasts and
developing business cases for new
stations. We have supported the delivery
of nine new stations, now in operation,
and a further five stations with recent
successful funding applications,
including two in the UK’s National
Infrastructure Plan announced by
Visit these links to read the
Guidance Note and New Stations Study:
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/ publications/
passenger-demand-forecasting/
guidance-note.pdf
http://www.steerdaviesgleave.com/
casestudies/value-station-investmentresearch-network-rail
West Bay, Doha, Qatar
new entrance for
birmingham gateway
The redevelopment of Birmingham
New Street station continues with
construction starting on the brand
new north-west entrance which
will provide better links between
the city’s business district and
the redeveloped station. It will
open at the end of 2012, when
the first half of the new station
concourse will open to passengers.
Steer Davies Gleave developed
the innovative business case for
the five funding partners that
demonstrated the economic
benefits of the redevelopment of
the station entrances, concourses
and platform accessibility.
UK Rail Stations Conference
Mike Goggin, current Director at Steer
Davies Gleave and former Director of
Stations & Customer Service at Network
Rail, spoke at the 10th Annual UK and
European Rail Stations Conference, held
in London in February. The conference
brought together key decision-makers
involved in planning, designing, operating
and managing the UK’s railway stations and
interchanges. Mike focused his insights on
transformation of the station, discussing
both the economic value in investing in
stations, and the community importance
that stations and interchanges have as
public spaces. To request a copy of Mike’s
presentation, please email marketing@
sdgworld.net.
15
Capturing the economic value of stations
What can station
investment
deliver in terms
of supporting
economic
development and
regeneration?
By Tom Higbee
The role of the rail network in supporting
sustainable economic growth in British cities
is well established. Likewise, the benefits
to passengers of station investment are
also understood, and there is a recognised
approach to valuing these benefits through
conventional transport appraisal techniques.
But what else can station investment
deliver in terms of supporting economic
development and regeneration? This was
the central question posed by Network Rail,
who commissioned Steer Davies Gleave
to undertake research into the broader
economic impact of such investment.
What did the research show?
Our research showed that stations can play
a key role in delivering economic growth
through a variety of means, including
providing better connectivity to town
centres, overcoming capacity constraints,
providing development opportunities
and improving the overall image of a
city through high quality design.
However, we also found that station
development had not kept pace with the
demands of passengers or the needs of
modern towns and cities, and that this
16
had constrained growth. At Birmingham
New Street, for example, the old station
was a barrier between the city centre and
the south, while the poor quality station
environment and design served to blight
much of the surrounding area, creating a
legacy of under-investment and depressed
land values. Many stakeholders noted the
impact that the station appearance had on
people’s overall perception of the city and the
impact that this had on inward investment.
Against this backdrop, well-directed station
investment can have a transformational
local effect, especially when coordinated
with wider public realm improvements and
regeneration. At Manchester Piccadilly,
station investment was accompanied by
an improved public realm and enhanced
pedestrian connectivity. The effect was to
enhance the overall perception of the area
so that developers had the confidence to
invest. The result is that an area previously
characterised by a poor built environment
and low-grade activity now boasts over
650,000 square feet of new or refurbished
prime office space and a number of highquality hotels, supporting further expansion
and economic growth across the city.
Valuing the benefits
In order to quantify these effects, we
undertook statistical analysis, based on
Valuation Office Agency (VOA) data, to
determine the impact on property values
following station investment at Sheffield
Station between 2003 and 2008. The
analysis showed that there was a 67%
increase in rateable value within 400
metres of the station - three times the
average increase across Sheffield over
the period. The area also saw major
investment, particularly in new commercial
properties, and a rise in land values per
square foot compared to the city average.
Station Investment & Regeneration
Station investment
Direct land redevelopment
(Part of the station scheme)
Public realm enhancements
Improved image and
confidence in area
Increased land value
Developer interest
New higher value
developments
Additional gross value added, jobs and rateble value
special stations and interchanges
april 2012 global news
News in brief
Birmingham New Street station entrance
We also estimated the economic benefits
associated with these wider property
effects using our SpECTRa economic
model (See article on page 8), estimating
productivity (GVA) impacts associated
with station investment in both Sheffield
and Manchester of the order of five
to seven times those estimated by
conventional transport appraisal.
What are the implications?
The study has implications for scheme
design and development and demonstrates
the need for stakeholders to establish
shared objectives for station investment
at the outset. In the current funding
climate, it will also become increasingly
important to articulate the case in terms
of both conventional appraisal and
wider regeneration benefits, and use this
understanding to help leverage funding
from a range of potential sources.
To find out more contact
Tom Higbee
e [email protected]
Value of
stations
seminar
Steer Davies Gleave hosts
Value of Station Investments
Seminar for Network Rail
Steer Davies Gleave recently
held a seminar for Network Rail’s
property team and enhancement
sponsors at its London offices. The
seminar provided further detail
on the research commissioned by
Network Rail into the economic
impact of station investments.
With presentations by a number of
Steer Davies Gleave experts, the
seminar considered, through an
interactive session, the implications
of the research for making the
case for station investments, and
how best to scope and deliver
station-associated investments to
maximise local economic impacts.
City of Edmonton
Steer Davies Gleave was recently
selected by the City of Edmonton to
complete the Concept Design for the
Northwest LRT line. The project crosses
the former Edmonton City Centre Airport
lands which are being planned for a
mixed use, sustainable community
following new urbanism concepts. We
will be responsible for defining the final
LRT alignment, stop configurations,
cycle/pedestrian connections, traffic
analysis, and public consultation.
Metro Yellow Bus
We have been commissioned by Metro
in the UK to write up and publicise their
work on “My Bus” yellow bus scheme
as part of their CARE-North EU funding.
This work has now been extended to
cover other dissemination of smarter
choices work. The information includes
how to set up a school yellow bus
scheme guide and downloadable
documents, case studies and
technical help such as driver training
requirements, and a spreadsheet tool
to calculate the costs and benefits.
Toronto’s new wayfinding strategy
Steer Davies Gleave is delighted to have
been appointed to deliver a Wayfinding
System Strategy (Phase One) for the
City of Toronto. Working with the city,
stakeholders and our local urban realm
and planning partners, DIALOG, the
strategy will provide the framework
and implementation strategy for a
multimodal wayfinding system including
pilot areas in advance of the 2015 Pan
American Games.
Read The Value of Station Investment report :
http://www.steerdaviesgleave.com/
sites/default/files/newsandinsights/
Station_Investment_Report.pdf
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
17
Stepping out of the station
Agency
responsibilities,
and thereby project
boundaries, often
focus efforts on
station interchange
design, keeping
unwanted
interruptions in modal transfer to
a minimum to ensure a seamless,
safe and comfortable journey.
By Peter Piet
While stations are nodes within the
transport network they are also places
within the city. They often form part of
an historic town or city centre, becoming
a focus for social and commercial
interaction, with the potential to
attract people in large numbers.
Stations also have the ability to improve
the permeability of the adjacent urban
fabric, by reconnecting communities
severed by railway infrastructure and
providing an essential link within the
urban context. The modern interchange
is a powerful economic driver that
extends beyond the station, condensing
development within walking distance
and creating an attractive environment.
cafes, shelter and access information.
Space needs to be provided for the
people they attract, young and old,
rich and poor, local and visitor.
Consistent material and street palettes
will be used to enhance the legibility
of the interchange and to facilitate
wayfinding (see banner image above).
Ealing Broadway, London
Steer Davies Gleave has been working
with London Borough of Ealing, Crossrail
and Transport for London to redesign the
entrance to the station and to improve
the urban realm in the wider interchange
area around Haven Green. Key changes
we are proposing include removal of
pedestrian guard rail and a wall on the
station forecourt which block movement
to and from the station, Haven Green
and the town centre. Road and footpath
alignments have also been reconsidered
and, where possible, pavement widths
have been increased and carriageways
narrowed. This will ease movement at
pinch points in the footpath network,
where overcrowding is a problem.
It also reduces crossing distances,
enhancing the connectivity across the
interchange area and the town centre.
All too often major roads form
pedestrian barriers around stations
with passengers taken into subways,
penned in by pedestrian guard railing,
or left stranded on inappropriately
located and sized traffic islands. These
need to be redesigned, and the station
linked, physically and visually, to
urban areas using a network of streets
and views to notable landmarks.
While the space immediately outside the
station needs be designed to take account
of peak periodic passenger movements,
the social importance of this gathering
space must not be underestimated.
Stations are fast becoming a new form of
community hub, or urban magnet, with
places to buy groceries, use internet
Archway gyratory - before
18
Archway, London
Steer Davies Gleave has been appointed
to review the existing highway layout and
urban realm at the Archway gyratory. A
long-held ambition of London Borough
of Islington is to reconnect the island
in the centre of the gyratory with
Archway Station. Our proposals include
a complete redesign of the gyratory
layout, including narrowing the main
april 2012 online
Online insights
Using travel plans to manage
parking demand at rail stations
By Simon Hollowood
Re-design of Ealing Broadway station entrance
road between the station and island
to a single bus lane to facilitate easier
movement for pedestrians and create the
sense of a shared space between buses,
cyclists and pedestrians (images below).
Directional guidance in a location
such as this is essential in helping
people find the destinations beyond
the immediate vicinity of the station,
as well as interchange between travel
modes. This supports movement between
stations and surrounding destinations,
including streets, footpaths, cycle
routes and public spaces, ensuring
continuity of movement, which in turn
optimises journey times and manages
potential conflicts in pedestrian flows.
Translink, Vancouver
Steer Davies Gleave was also appointed
by Translink, Vancouver to develop
integrated design guidelines, to ensure
that a consistent approach to the design
of transit projects and their surrounding
communities is adopted across all modes.
Station design is not just about moving
passengers from A to B and the provision
of localised high quality facilities. It is
also about creating a strong relationship
between the station and its surrounding
context to deliver a richer and more
fulfilling environment, enhance local
character and provide a sense of place
for its users. To achieve this, station
design cannot stop at the exit door.
To find out more contact
Peter Piet
e [email protected]
It has been almost four years since the
first station travel plans were rolled
out in Great Britain. Intended as a soft
approach to managing travel demand,
travel plans have been implemented
in schools and workplaces for many
years, with mixed results in enabling
access by walking, cycling and public
transport. Is the travel planning approach
the best way to change how people
access stations? Indeed, does it matter
how people travel to the station?
Read full article at: http://www.
steerdaviesgleave.com/newsand-insights/bringing-the-cyclingrevolution-to-the-railways
Bringing the cycling revolution
to the railways
By Tony Duckenfield
Encouraging more rail travellers to
cycle to and from stations is a win-win
scenario. It’s good for the wellbeing
of the cyclist, for the release of car
parking spaces, and for the environment.
There is a lot to gain with just 1% of
rail journeys involving a “cycle and
park” access trip. Arguably, what’s
needed is a cycling revolution on the
railways with a fundamental shift
in perceptions within the industry
and among the general public.
Read full article at: http://www.
steerdaviesgleave.com/news-andinsights/travel-plans-managingparking-demand-at-rail-stations
Archway gyratory - after redesign
19
Ten reasons to work with us
1
global
Our clients say they value our distinctive global experience. With offices in
three continents, we are able to learn from our global best practice.
2
local
Local teams in all our markets bring our global expertise to your neighbourhood.
3
innovative
Pioneer in the application of stated preference in transport research. Pioneer of
techniques to measure economic impacts of transport investment. Pioneer in the
use of mobile phone data in transport modelling. We always look to the future.
4
trusted
We value our long-running relationships with clients. Our clients keep
coming back to us; it tells us that we are doing the right thing.
5
strategic
Big businesses, public sector, new technologies and changing markets.
We believe in long-term solutions. We help our clients plan for the future.
6
quality
With the industry’s most experienced transport consultants, strategic advice,
expert opinion and technical excellence are the foundations of our company.
7
the bigger picture
Our services go beyond transport to meet the wider needs of our economy,
our environment and society.
8
building partnerships
We believe in relationships. Building a culture of shared knowledge benefits us all.
9
independent
Being an employee-owned business means we offer our clients unbiased
and objective advice. We have no corporate affiliations and no obligations
to downstream construction resources.
10
personal
We love being in the transport business. Talk to us.
We believe that transport can change
the world. That’s why we’ve spent
over a quarter of a century investing in
pioneering transport planning techniques.
We are a transport business that is
sustained by a shared inspiration.
It is this that fuels our ambition to
provide unrivalled advice that helps
deliver better transport solutions
to everyone, everywhere.
www.steerdaviesgleave.com
Our offices
BOGOTA
t +57 1 322 1470
e [email protected]
BOLOGNA
t +39 051 656 9381
e [email protected]
BOSTON
t +1 (617) 391 2300
e [email protected]
DENVER
t +1 (303) 226 5863
e [email protected]
GLASGOW
t +44 (0)141 224 0990
e [email protected]
LEEDS
t +44 (0)113 389 6400
e [email protected]
LONDON
t +44 (0)20 7910 5000
e [email protected]
MADRID
t +34 91 541 8696
e [email protected]
MEXICO CITY
t +52 (55) 5615 0041
e [email protected]
PARIS
t +33 (0)9 81 39 16 14
e [email protected]
ROME
t +39 06 4201 6169
e [email protected]
SAN JUAN
t +1 (787) 721 2002
e [email protected]
SANTIAGO
t +56 2 757 2600
e [email protected]
SAO PAULO
t +55 (11) 3151 3630
e [email protected]
TORONTO
t +1 (647) 260 4861
e [email protected]
VANCOUVER
t +1 (604) 629 2610
e [email protected]