Journeys Summer 2012

Inside Master planning for Auckland Airport growth 3D sight analysis proves its worth New technology research seeking efficiencies

Welcome

Research driving freight efficiency As with many disciplines, transportation planning and traffic engineering are changing rapidly with advancements in technology. Currently, Traffic Design Group (TDG) is involved in a number of research projects for the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) exploring the potential application of new and existing technologies with a view to enhancing efficiencies, particularly in regards to freight.

The efficient movement of freight is of vital importance for New Zealand to remain competitive in the global marketplace. When you consider that many vehicle combinations haul around $1million worth of product, any disruption to logistics can impact significantly on its viability. It’s not just the on-road impacts but the flow-on effects on consignment schedules, crews waiting to offload, ongoing distribution and so on.

TDG’s Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) national specialist Cormac McBride is involved in the Strategic Electronic Monitoring of Heavy Vehicles project, researching means of collecting heavy vehicle data currently in use locally and internationally. Technology being investigated

by Cormac includes that which can determine a range of vehicle safety

From the age of the afro, flares and platforms to the age of….hmmm, some things change little in 35 years.

(Yes, flares are back!)

defects using the heat signature under the vehicle, and technology that profiles vehicle load, all while the vehicle is moving.

Even more sophisticated is vehicle X-ray technology. “Essentially developed to combat people smuggling in Europe and on the Mexican-US border, X-ray is being used to detect vehicles’ contents,” says Cormac.

October, 1976, Traffic Design Group was a one-man-band, established by present-day chairman Peter McCombs. Thirty-five years later, we have 80 staff operating from eight offices around New Zealand. Over that time, we’ve seen New Zealand’s development and growth progress through oil companies of the 70s, the commercial property boom of the 80s, the retail centres of the 90s, and alternative power generation in the 2000s.

“There’s also highly advanced ‘sniffer’ technology, which detects the

What hasn’t changed is our commitment to excellence. Today, our expertise is still growing and expanding and our people continue to break new ground in a constantly evolving field. Now, as then, whether it’s large or small, simple or complex, your projects present the opportunity for us to create remarkable journeys. Thanks for the support and we look forward to continuing the adventure in 2012.

The use of GPS is one option that will be explored. Such data is useful

presence of hazardous goods, especially explosives.” Currently, these technologies operate only when the vehicle is stationary, and are less likely to be implemented in New Zealand.

The carriage of freight features in another of the research projects TDG is undertaking for NZTA. Julie Ballantyne is part of the four-person team investigating the development of a repeatable methodology to work out the volume of freight carried around New Zealand by ship, rail and road.

The information sought includes the trip origin and destination, the commodity being carried and tonnage, and the mode – rail, road or sea. in the building of transportation models. Primarily, though, this work will be used to assist NZTA in planning enhancements for the movement of freight around the country, to build the kind of efficiencies that will promote economic growth.

Due for completion in June 2012, the project is very much in the early stages. “Currently we’re conducting a literature review to explore different ways it’s undertaken overseas,” says Julie.

Statistical sampling presents another challenge. “With this kind of research you usually have some idea of the end picture, which allows you to factor up your sample data to give an accurate result. In this case we don’t have a feel for that end picture.”

A statistician has been included in the project team to ensure the sampling data is robust and will provide an accurate basis.

A third research project that TDG is involved with is exploring ways in which automated VMS (variable message signs) technology can improve the merge capacity of passing lanes.

Over the next 30 years, larger lengths of New Zealand’s rural Julie’s experience with an earlier freight study is proving invaluable. The earlier project involved the tracking of freight using GPS technology and the experience gained means this latest project can avoid some of the challenges previously encountered.

two-lane state highways will carry 10,000-25,000 vehicles per day.

TDG is investigating a treatment option as an intermediate step between passing lanes and four lanes – ‘2+1 lanes’ or continuous alternating passing lanes.

Overseas, 2+1 layouts are typically retrofitted to existing

“One issue was that when trucks were stopped, for example at

12-14-metre-wide carriageways. However, at 10 metres nominal

a red light at an intersection, the GPS would stop polling, which

width for rural state highways carrying more than 4000 vehicles

sometimes led to the incorrect assumption that they had reached

per day, New Zealand’s carriageways would require widening

their destination.”

and therefore would have to prove their viability as stand-alone

And, as Julie notes, while GPS is good for monitoring vehicle movement, it doesn’t assist with ‘what’ is being carried, which

projects. Increasing merge capacity through automated VMS technology could help to increase their overall viability.

is where the research team is reviewing how other countries

If successful, this research would enable slower moving vehicles

collect similar data and considering application to the

– such as freight – to travel on these roads with less impact on

New Zealand freight industry.

the journey times of faster moving vehicles.

Land development steps ahead A project TDG was involved in, to deliver a review of the NZ Land Development and Subdivision Infrastructure Standard NZS4404:2010, struck gold late last year.

The New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) presented the project with a gold level Award of Excellence, noting that the resulting work will assist in the delivery of high quality land development results for years to come. TDG’s Mark Apeldoorn helped produce a complete rewrite of the road, and landscape and reserve sections along with updates of the stormwater management, impact of climate change and sea level rise and utilities sections. The judging panel conferred the gold award after considering the professional and technical challenges, complexity, innovation, environmental considerations and client satisfaction factors of the project.

Development savings in 3D design Determining potential risks and eliminating, or at least mitigating, them is a focus of the planning process of any development. For transport infrastructure developments, ‘12d’- a powerful terrain modelling, surveying and engineering design software package - is proving its value in demonstrating safety, practicality and compliance.

According to TDG’s Hawke’s Bay manager Andrew Prosser, the package offers the ability to position vehicles on a design to confirm sightline distances for drivers. “With 12d we can do this important check for both horizontal and vertical alignments as well as at intersections and private access ways.”

Recently, TDG used the industry-recognised software to satisfy a local authority that a 20-lot rural lifestyle farm park proposal in the Hawke’s Bay met its requirements. “The software confirmed and minimised the extent of seal widening and earthworks needed for a safe and cost effective access way to the proposed development. This produced tangible savings for the applicant, avoided land purchase and potentially affected neighbours and provided for a smooth pathway to consent” This involved performing a 3D sightline analysis, which showed the required changes to the road and the effects on the existing road and adjacent property boundaries.

“We undertook this as part of the original transport assessment and concept design review, which is really where a tool like 12d delivers the best advantages. Such reviews at these early project stages help head off potential issues and prove economic viability.” Andrew adds that a further benefit of the package is that it mostly uses readily available contour information, making it highly cost effective.

ITS increasingly key to clients’ bottom line 2011 saw TDG further expand the size of its Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) team, through the appointment of Principal ITS Engineer, Peter Kirby.

Peter joins us from the UK where he spent nine years designing, implementing, operating and evaluating ITS traffic control systems.

Peter is a Chartered Engineer and a registered Prince2 Practitioner who brings a wealth of ITS experience to TDG through his time managing ITS projects across multiple office locations and leading a team of engineers.

Peter’s valuable experience complements TDG’s existing capability through his significant involvement in the UK Managed Motorways, ramp metering, integrated traffic management, traffic signals, bus priority, car park guidance systems and variable message signing systems, standards and policy. Since joining us in May, Peter has been involved in an optimisation study of State Highway 2 in Wellington, defining the scope of transport energy audits, preparing successful proposals for NZTA Research topics (including the ones featured here) and working closely with Cormac McBride to provide strategic ITS advice to the New Zealand government.

Auckland Airport benefits from transportation innovation Spread over 1500 hectares and incorporating New Zealand’s major gateway as well as retail, commercial and industrial developments, Auckland Airport more resembles a small city than a transport hub.

“At Auckland International Airport Limited, we are committed to making journeys better. TDG share that commitment and we have been working together to ensure that the transport needs of all airport users including passengers, businesses, staff and visitors are provided for. The TDG team have helped us to improve the clarity of our direction with essential inputs to our design-led vision” Peter Alexander General Manager Property, Auckland International Airport Limited

Handling nearly 14 million passengers a year, and more than 20 international airlines, Auckland Airport is Australasia’s second busiest international airport, after Sydney. Obviously, keeping people moving is a significant focus for the airport, a task that TDG has been assisting the airport with for a number of years.

Over that time TDG has been building a solid understanding of the airport’s unique environment and business. TDG’s Auckland manager Don McKenzie says Auckland Airport’s mission is focused on enhancing the journey experience, “which is also the basis of TDG’s mission. This synergy provides a strong platform for our working partnership and working towards what the airport wants to achieve.”

And working on the business is a multidisciplinary team of traffic engineers, transport modellers, geometric designers and transport planners that TDG has drawn from its national capability. ”We work with Auckland Airport at various levels of their business and in two main ways. Firstly, there’s the day-to-day level, where TDG is supporting operational activities through projects such as pedestrian crossing safety enhancement, car park access redesign, and a review of park and ride shuttle service. We’re also working on the long-term, strategic picture.”

Currently, Auckland Airport’s future focus is on growth. “A key consideration in the strategic planning for the airport’s growth is the alignment between its operational needs and its vision of being recognised as a world leader in creating value from modern airports.”

Achieving that alignment is receiving concentrated attention in the master planning process, with which TDG is assisting.

According to Don, planning is occurring at a level generally not seen in any other New Zealand airport. “What we’re seeing with

Auckland Airport’s master planning is innovation after innovation in the pursuit of an integrated airport corridor that recognises and values the Auckland Airport Business District and all the wider related activities.”

A key tool in the master planning process is an Airport Traffic Model (ATM) (micro-simulation model) developed by TDG. The ATM is assisting with ongoing terminal development through aspects such as assessment of traffic effects for land use activities, road intersection operation and performance, as well as design of new road networks and intersections.

Auckland Airport adopted the ATM early in the master planning process and has found it valuable in better understanding the relationships between the activities in the Airport Corridor and the traffic demand generated on the transport networks.

For TDG, the opportunity to develop its working relationship with the airport to such a level means it has the knowledge and understanding needed to add real value. “We’re totally committed to delivering the support and the tools to help Auckland Airport do better business.”

Simple… it’s what you want Tony Wicker, Principal Transport Engineer in our Auckland office, recently won first prize in an international post-processing scripting contest held by CITILABS. CITILABS is a software developer specialising in products for transportation planning, and is the company behind the CUBE software suite.

Tony surpassed a crowded field of modellers worldwide in developing the script. The benefit of Tony’s innovation is that it does away with the need for specialised software to view and navigate the outputs of traffic modelling. Further, the modelling outputs are presented in a highly user friendly way – in 3D and on an easily accessible platform – Google Earth.

In other words, you don’t need an engineering degree to use it!

The application allows users to: »»

view traffic flow

»»

measure levels of service – for example delays at intersections

»»

view volume capacity ratios – the level of congestion at each link on the network.

In the words of the competition judges, Tony’s work “was really well scripted and presents a flexible interface for any other users who want to apply it to their own models.”

Tony’s script is available for download on the CITILABS website.

Contact us Auckland

Wellington

Level 1, 103 Carlton Gore Road / Newmarket PO Box 2592 / Auckland 1140 Tel: +64 9 531 5006

6 Raroa Road / PO Box 30-721 / Lower Hutt 5040 Tel: +64 4 569 8497

Hamilton Level 6, 11 Garden Place PO Box 1261 / Hamilton 3240 Tel: +64 7 839 5500

Tauranga Level 1, 117 Willow Street PO Box 13268 / Tauranga 3141 Tel: +64 7 577 0555

Hawke’s Bay Level 1, 100 Dickens Street PO Box 786 / Napier 4140 Tel: +64 6 834 4210

Nelson 81 Selwyn Place / Nelson 7010 Tel: +64 3 548 4041

Christchurch 17 Rata Street, Riccarton PO Box 8615 / Christchurch 8440 Tel: +64 3 348 3215

Queenstown Level 2, 36 Shotover Street / Queenstown 9300 Tel: +64 3 442 5240

www.tdg.co.nz