Through its Research Programme, the NZ Transport Agency invests in innovative and relevant research which plays a critical role in contributing to the government's goals for transport.
The results of Transport Agency research must be readily applicable to interventions that can be cost effectively applied in New Zealand in the short-to-medium term for longer term impacts. This page lists all active Transport Agency Research Programme research projects and being updated on an ongoing basis as research is completed.
For further information, you can either:
- search for reports of completed projects
- view an index of all the online reports on one page
- download a detailed spreadsheet of the published reports .
Key research areas
The projects listed below are currently active. They are arranged according to seven key research areas, namely:
- Economic development
- Activity management
- Integrated land use and transport systems
- Transport demand management
- Safety, security and public health
- Environmental impacts of land transport
- Sustainable land transport
- Performance monitoring
Proposed research topics
This document lists the research topics proposed for 2015/16 Research Programme (please note that the topics may change).
Contact
For information on any of these projects, please contact the research organisation directly or email research@nzta.govt.nz .
Economic development
To improve the valuation of economic benefits of land transport activities.
| Year commissioned | Project title | Researcher |
|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | Regionalisation of the National Land Transport Demand model | NZ Institute of Economic Research |
| 2014/15 | Demonstrating the benefit of network operation activities | Traffic Design Group Ltd |
Activity management
To improve the performance of land transport activities and assets.
Opus International Consultants| Year commissioned | Project title | Researcher |
|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | Transition from visual condition rating of cracking, shoving and ravelling to automatic data collection | University of Auckland |
| 2014/15 | Pavement moisture measurement to indicate risk to pavement life | Road Science (Downer NZ Ltd) |
| 2014/15 | Expected maintenance rates for pavement surfaces | Opus International Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Cracking in specialist surfacings | Opus International Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Bitumen performance testing | Opus International Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Removing barriers to rubber in roads | Opus International Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Best practice for digout and pothole repairs | Road Science (Downer New Zealand Ltd) |
| 2014/15 | Evaluation of shear connectors in composite bridges | NZ Heavy Engineering Research Association |
| 2014/15 | Seismic design and performance of high cut slopes | Opus International Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Benchmarking the operations and maintenance of New Zealand's roading sector | Auckland Uniservices |
| 2013/14 | Integral bridges design criteria and guidance for New Zealand | Opus International Consultants |
| 2013/14 | Quantifying the likelihood of barrier strike maintenance | Abley Transportation Consultants |
| 2013/14 | Optimum renewal of audio tactile profiled markings | |
| 2013/14 | Chipseal cracking | Opus International Consultants |
| 2013/14 | Understanding the long term asset management requirements of low noise road surfaces | Opus International Consultants |
| 2013/14 | Getting the best value from delineation | Opus International Consultants |
| 2011/12 | The relationship between vehicle axle loadings and pavement wear on local roads | CAPTIF |
| 2011/12 | Reduce flushing to improve chipseal life | Opus International Consultants |
| 2011/12 | Review of the NZTA Treatment Selection Algorithm (TSA) | Beca Infrastructure |
Integrated land use and transport systems
To more efficiently manage transport and integration with land use.
| Year commissioned | Project title | Researcher |
|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | Measuring the value of the movement of people and goods to inform the One Network Road Classification functional categories criteria | PriceWaterhouseCooper NZ |
| 2014/15 | Quantifying the economic and other benefits of enabling priority bus egress from bus stops | Abley Transportation Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Considering a cost-benefit analysis framework for Intelligent Transport Systems | AECOM New Zealand Ltd |
| 2014/15 | The role of real-time crowdsourced information and technology in supporting traveller information and network efficiency | Abley Transportation Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Efficiency and safety at intersections | Resolve Group |
| 2014/15 | The costs and benefits of inner-city parking vis-à-vis network optimisation | Opus International Consultants |
| 2013/14 | Travel time savings and speed: actual and perceived | Malatest International |
Transport demand management
To manage the people and freight demand for transport and provide impetus for changing transport choices.
| Year commissioned | Project title | Researcher |
|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | The role public transport can play in Safer Journeys and, in particular, to advance the safe system approach | Opus International Consultants |
| 2013/14 | Public Transport and the next generation | Opus International Consultants |
| 2012/13 | Metropolitan public transport rail - the external benefits and the optimal level of public funding for rail | COVEC |
| 2011/12 | Pricing strategies for public transport services | Douglas Economics Ltd |
Safety, security and public health
To improve the safety, security and public health of users, communities and the sector workforce through improvements to the land transport system.
| Year commissioned | Project title | Researcher |
|---|---|---|
| 2015/16 | The crash performance of seagull intersections and left turn slip lanes | MWH New Zealand Ltd |
| 2015/16 | Safety risks and interventions for cyclists and best practice for cycle skills training for both adults and children | Mackie Research and Consulting Ltd |
| 2014/15 | International benchmarking of rail safety indicators | Interfleet Technology NZ Ltd |
| 2014/15 | The prevalence and impairment effects of drugged driving in New Zealand | University of Waikato |
| 2014/15 | Best practice international solutions for mitigating human factors causes of Signals Passed at Dangers (SPAD) | Interfleet Technology NZ Ltd |
| 2014/15 | Improving safety for people who cycle on rural roads | Opus International Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Speed limit reductions to support lower SCRIM investigatory levels | Opus International Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Why are some urban traffic signals much less safe than others? | Abley Transportation Consultants |
| 2014/15 | Drivers understanding of temporary and permanent slippery road surface signage | Opus International Consultants Ltd |
| 2014/15 | The relationship between road lighting and night time crashes in areas with speed limits greater than 50km/hr | Opus International Consultants Ltd |
| 2014/15 | Time and fuel effects of different travel speeds | Malatest International Consulting and Advisory Services Ltd |
Environmental impacts of land transport
To measure the impacts of land transport construction, operation and maintenance emissions/pollutants on the natural and built environment.
| Year commissioned | Project title | Researcher |
|---|---|---|
| 2015/16 | Establishing the impacts on and management of vertebrate species population viability resulting from land transport activities, focusing on New Zealand's native bat species | Wildland Consultants Ltd |
| 2015/16 | Evidential basis for community response to land transport noise | AECOM New Zealand Ltd |
| 2014/15 | Impacts of exposure to dust from unsealed roads | Golder Associates (NZ) Ltd |
| 2014/15 | Risk assessment of road stormwater run-off | MWH New Zealand Ltd |
| 2014/15 | Understanding trends in vehicle emissions | Golder Associates (NZ) Ltd |
| 2014/15 | Infrastructure and historic heritage management | Landcare Research Ltd |
| 2014/15 | Specification of low-noise road surfaces and noise barriers | Opus International Consultants |
Sustainable land transport
To improve the sustainability of the land transport system.
Performance monitoring
| Year commissioned | Project title | Researcher |
|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | Effectiveness of the NZ Transport Agency's strategy led procurement procedures policy environment | Allen and Clarke Policy and Regulatory Specialists Ltd |