Tools for Future-Proof Transport Planning: Open Source, Open Access, Reproducible and Collaborative

Author

Robin Lovelace

Published

October 10, 2024

Abstract
Transport planning has always been a complex and multi-disciplinary enterprise requiring wide-ranging skills and methods. Proliferating data sources, tools and policy demands – including fast and fair decarbonisation and the need to make active travel the natural choice for everyday trips in cities worldwide – has increased the demands on transport planners and researchers in the field. With burgeoning pressures and options, how to decide what to do? This talk will make the case that reproducible research and open tools are essential ingredients for effective transport planning in the 21st century. It will map out the landscape of open tools for transport planning, distinguish between open source and open access models, and demonstrate how reproducibility is the key not just for research but also for future-proof, socially sustainable and high impact transport planning practice. I will draw on my experience developing, deploying and collaborating on tools such as the Propensity to Cycle Tool for England and Wales (publicly available at www.pct.bike), the Network Planning Tool for Scotland (publicly available at www.npt.scot) and the Biclar tool for Portugal (publicly available at biclar.tmlmobilidade.pt. Each is used to inform strategic transport planning decisions, raising questions around the use of new technologies and collaborations with practitioner and advocacy communities to maximise the long term positive impacts of transport research. The talk will not answer all of these questions but it will surely generate debate and hopefully provide insight into how the field could develop as the data revolution accelerates.

Blurb

Robin Lovelace is Professor of Transport Data Science at the Leeds Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) and Head of Data Science at the UK government agency Active Travel England. Robin specializes in data science and geocomputation, with a focus on developing geographic methods applied to modeling transport systems, active travel, and decarbonisation. Robin has experience not only researching but deploying transport models in inform sustainable policies and more effective use of transport investment, including as Lead Developer of the Propensity to Cycle Tool (see www.pct.bike), the basis of strategic cycle network plans nationwide. Robin has led numerous data science projects for organizations ranging from the Department for Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to the World Bank.

Pre-event write up

I’m on my way up North, looking forward to it!

See below for info on the talk and how to attend/get involved.

Photo from the way up North:

See eventbrite for more details.