It is the proven method for developing and testing new and innovative ideas. The results of successful research, combined with demonstration projects, enable practitioners to adopt and apply new and innovative approaches with confidence. We have proven experience of successfully producing research outputs and getting them into practice.

We have been involved with transport research and its adaptation and implementation for over twenty five years.

Research is seen by many as a luxury but without it, few of the advances in strategies, policy, scientific and engineering knowledge would have been possible.

Visual evidence of the contribution of research to technological development can be found in almost every facet of our lives with researchers constantly undertaking research and demonstration projects to develop new techniques, improve the use of local resources and raise awareness by practitioners of alternative approaches in the provision of Sustainable transport systems.

As an adaption of research we have developed sustainable policies in rural, urban and regional transport. In addition, policies have been developed for the collection and management of transport data, road safety policies aligned to international conventions and recommendations, and asset management systems.

We have operational experience of the formulation and implementation of road safety policies that are harmonized with the UN conventions and recommendations.

This approach is coupled with the harmonized data collection and management system in-line with UN WHO Data systems that is agreed, disseminated and implemented.

Implementation includes the safe system approach operating through a road-safety management activity (presence of a lead agency, and development of road safety targets and strategy):

• Safe infrastructure;

• Safe speeds (application of speed limits and their enforcement, as well as infrastructure to support compliance with these speeds);

• Safe vehicles (vehicle registration, standards, and regulations and regular testing);

• Safe road users (laws relating to seat belt use, helmet wearing, and drink driving); and

• Post-crash care (access to care and health coverage).

We also have experience in developing practical asset management applications.

Our sustainable transport work involves making trips cleaner, more efficient and safer.

In the urban context, the use of the concept of circular economy in transport would be influenced by urban density and land-use patterns that determine transport habits. Compact cities are transit-oriented and dense with mixed-use neighbourhoods.

These attributes create favourable conditions for both shared mobility options (e.g. metro, buses, trams, ride-shares) and active mobility options (e.g. walking, bicycling), which subsequently have a broad range of benefits.

Urban freight strategies involve effective reverse logistics and resource flows in a circular economy

Rural roads play an essential role in achieving more than half of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

They also fulfil the promise of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development to ‘leave no one behind’. Efficient rural roads, in fact, stimulate agricultural production, the development of modern supply chains for crop delivery and the prevention of food loss. Rural transport is also indispensable for social development in low-income countries as it allows, for instance, better access to education and health.

Data and its management is crucial towards making informed policy decisions.

It is also crucial for planning transport systems for implementing safe clean and affordable transport systems. Harmonised collection of transport data, assessment, and benchmarking in accordance with international standards populates empirical evidence databases that can assist in a wide range of decision making from WHO road safety indicators to analysing urban areas sustainable transport progress, and regional corridor performances.

Our work has been involved with strengthening and improving the quality of data collection management systems by standardization and efficient resource management.

Our work has used an ESRI GIS database of maps and information on land, sea and air networks, including existing and planned infrastructure

The GIS and its mapping capability and data integration from a database of useful data can map inadequate and missing infrastructure identified within the transport network. Information on the transport infrastructure and services is a requirement for many policy and decision making processes.

Data can include location of systems and services, standards and specifications, security and safety, rules and laws, incidents and completed and scheduled maintenance, population densities, land uses, travel behaviour and much more.

Our work has involved comprehensive global literature reviews and associated meta-analyses

Some of the benefits identified include, most prominently, the improvement of trade efficiency, including inter-industry trade resulting from reduced travel time and lower costs and societal impact. These and other outcomes, attributed to the transport investments, are derived from analysis of data collected and examples of regional benefits of transport projects. These outcomes also include those foreseen and unforeseen both positive and negative.

Urbanization is the single most important transformation that our civilisations will undergo this century, with accelerating pace.

Fast-growing and ever-increasing rates of motorization need to be managed to guarantee a sustainable future for cities. Furthermore, the fastest growing cities are also major port cities or hinterland hubs of regional importance for freight transportation. Hence, the movement of increased trade volumes will further aggravate the congestion in those cities if nothing is done to address the issue.

We support the development of ‘liveable’ cities with efficient, clean, equitable and safe urban transport systems, responding to the need for reducing traffic congestion and associated air pollution.

This will include greater awareness of environmental and human health issues associated with private vehicle ownership and necessitating a gradual conversion to door-to-door systems that prioritize public transport, walking, and cycling in cities. Accordingly, improved land use planning within urban environments, with a multi-sectoral approach for transport provision, will enable social and economic requirements to be met. The use of ‘big data’ will be promoted together with the dissemination of good policies and case studies that take into account the changing modes that rely on cleaner energy.