Planning for recovery

Throughout 2020, the impact of the pandemic has posed significant challenges to the planning and operation of our transport systems. This change is monumental and bold steps are needed to make the most of the challenges and opportunities that are presented as we move towards recovery.

Steer has been actively working with our clients across the globe to plan and adapt to the dynamic situation created by the spread of COVID-19 and are looking forward with them to consider their response to the new normal. Immediate responses have included closing streets to traffic to enable social distancing and help kickstart city centre economies.

We have been supporting clients from strategic thinking down to the detail of deliverable infrastructure design, traffic management and diversionary signage. Equality impact assessments of schemes have become increasingly important as well as their monitoring and evaluation through the use of innovative telematic data sources. We are continuing to explore the short-term impact of the pandemic with the use of web-based interactive dynamic dashboards for all travel modes and using them to inform our work on future usage of transport infrastructure.

The case for digital stakeholder engagement is greater than ever and Steer has placed this at the forefront of our engagement procedures. For the past decade, Steer has been delivering tailor-made digital engagement tools to assist regional authorities, developers and communities to collaborate, gather feedback and submit solutions. We have developed our digital platform further this year with the introduction of virtual rooms to facilitate stakeholder workshops and acknowledge the opportunities offered through digital consultation which has facilitated greater attendance and participation.

Our scenario planning advice to public authorities has evolved to consider the drivers of transport demand post-COVID-19 when, at least in the short-term, demand and capacity for transport will be radically different. Based on our several years of scenario development, investigating the impact of increased teleworking, transport infrastructure investment and move to more sustainable modes, Steer is ideally placed to advise clients on the short and longer-term impacts of the pandemic on behaviour change, transport infrastructure design, the future demand for all transport modes and the impact of evolving transport policies.