Despite the popularity of public transport, the road network in most major western cities still carries the bulk of people, trade and goods. A balanced approach to enhancements of transport networks is always needed, providing continuous investment in both public transport and road infrastructure. In many cities the bulk of public transport trips occur on-road through bus travel and in the case of  Melbourne through the world's largest on-road tram network. Trades and freight will always rely on the accessibility of the road network while for many recreational trips it is hard to go past it for the convenience offered.

Network planning, corridor studies, intersection analysis, ITS and transport modelling are all skill sets that Smedley Technical & Strategic can provide to assist in planning, developing and managing the biggest asset in the transport network. These skills are combined with design oversight and a history of developing innovative solutions to traffic problems, to provide a high quality outcome for our clients.

In the current economic climate, considering investment in road network infrastructure should not be made without consideration for funding alternatives such as road pricing. Smedley Technical & Strategic brings an in-depth understanding of road pricing and how it affects travel demand and route selection, which is a vital component of the future of road networks. Our expertise extends to tolling structure, pricing strategy and pricing structure, including  knowledge of the benefits of aspects such as distance based tolling, differential ramp pricing, off peak pricing, dynamic pricing and heavy vehicle multipliers.

The fast and reliable movement of freight is crucial to the economy of almost every major city in the world. Issues that hinder the movement of freight often result in impacts along the supply chain such as cost increases or more broadly reduced economic returns. Smedley Technical & Strategic have a history of working with governments and freight providers to improve the flow of on-road freight, through either developing strategic freight linkages to economic gateways such as ports or developing major infrastructure concepts to take freight out of urban centres thereby providing a win-win for the community and freight providers.

Rail will always be the backbone of public transport due to its high people carrying capacity. Smedley Technical & Strategic has expertise to provide advice with respect to rail alignment, forecast patronage and station layout. The layout is a critical aspect to ensure a smooth flow of passengers through the station that needs to consider a range of aspects such as platform crowding, payment/ticketing gates, access/egress points to other parts of the transport network and especially the dynamic nature of pedestrian movements coupled with the peak flow effect from train arrivals. We can advise on the right balance of car parking (if not within inner urban centres), bus interchanges (layout and accessibility), concourse locations, provision of stairs, ramps and elevators and where best to locate access/ticket gates.

With PPP’s the further complexity is to maximise potential lease value for retail and other spaces through careful consideration of visibility and passing trade.

The popularity of light rail is booming once more in many cities around the world thanks to its fast, reliable and easy transport of passengers through urban centres. Smedley Technical & Strategic can assist in helping government agencies or private companies with aspects related to route alignment, service provision, patronage forecasting, stop type and location, road space allocation (where required) and a variety of priority treatments at intersections and interchanges.

No matter what the latest advancements are in transport, buses continue to be a vital component of any quality public transport system. The flexibility of being able to run buses through suburbs and modify their routes with changing demand and catchment areas assists the bus to often be the first interaction many people have with public transport. The need to continually monitor routes, services and reliability is increasing in Australia with our rapidly expanding cities and growth areas. Smedley Technical & Strategic brings experience in service planning, route selection, priority treatments at intersections/along busy corridors and policy development.

Typically the focus on transport solutions has been on the major modes and infrastructure. However, no matter which mode is taken, all the trips will start or end as pedestrians. Obstructions to pedestrian movement can impact the ease of movement through cities and facilities. This is of higher importance at interchange locations such as rail stations, bus interchanges and at airports, where the need to move passengers through a site is critical to the operation of the facility. The need to be able to understand and cater for efficient pedestrian movement is a growing concern. With experience in pedestrian planning and analysis, Smedley Technical & Strategic can assist you through developing new solutions and concepts to understand the pedestrian demand, ease movement through your site and if necessary increase through traffic past retail nodes.

Ports are a major driver of economic growth, these gateways to trade markets are however often limited by their landside access. As cities are expanding the changing land use near port precincts places further pressure and congestion on the much needed road infrastructure to access the port. Smedley Technical & Strategic brings experience in dealing with a number of Australian ports and assisting in optimising flow within the port for greater efficiency of movements. This experience also extends to providing advice on the suitable transport management treatments external to the port to assist in efficient access and marshalling of transport providers. 

Airports and air travel are entering a new phase of operation in Australia. Air travel is now common practice and for many, it has become as regular as catching a bus or a train. Often the best airports are the ones that are simple to get to but also simple to move around. One of the key challenges for airport owners moving forward is how can they best manage the increased flow of passengers through their terminals with minimal issues while still maximising revenue from leaseholders within the airport. It has become an exercise in balancing efficient flow of people through the terminal with minimal queues while also maximising foot traffic past retail opportunities. Smedley Technical & Strategic can apply our knowledge of pedestrian and passenger movement to maximise the efficient flow of passengers through airport terminals, considering all the steps along the way such as check-in, security screening, retail, waiting areas and baggage collections.