Quotes
Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moved.
Robin Williams- Chicago (American) academy Award-winning actor and comedian (1951-)
23 December 2011
Abley Transportation Consultants office will close at 5pm Friday 23 December and reopen at 9am on Monday 9 January. If you need to speak to a member of staff over this period please contact Steve Abley via mobile 021 556 864.
Abley Transportation Consultants wishes all our clients, staff and family a merry Christmas and happy New Year. We look forward to catching up with you in 2012.
3 December 2011
Abley staff and partners have returned to work this week very inspired from a cooking demonstration by Jo Seagar at Seagar's in Oxford. Jo kept us all entertained while providing some great menu ideas and general food presentation and cooking advice. The resulting meal was enjoyed by all, and everyone returned back to Christchurch full of good food and Christmas cheer.
2 December 2011
As part of Auckland’s vision as the most liveable city in the world, transport plays a vital role in shaping our communities and the experiences people have of New Zealand’s largest city. Auckland Transport recognises this and is helping to shape how practitioners deliver walking solutions. Steve was asked and presented on ‘Predicting Walkability – it’s now possible’. For a copy of his presentation please contact Steve.
25 November 2011
Our Kurt Janssen, Laura Bates, Peter Rose and Stacy Rendall all presented at the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Conference this week. Kurt's paper titled 'Safety at Intersections Prioritisation Tool', Laura's paper on post earthquake public transport planning, Peter's paper titled 'Optimising Bridge Asset Management' and Stacy's paper titled 'Measuring Transport Choice and Energy Resilience' all attracted good audiences and participation. If you are interested in obtaining any of the presentations, please contact Kurt.
21 November 2011
An independent commissioner appointed by the Christchurch City Council has today granted consent for Imperial Discount Liquor Limited trading as Henry’s to establish and operate a liquor store at the intersection of Yaldhurst and Avonhead Roads in Christchurch. Abley provided the transport planning advice to Imperial Discount Liquor Limited for this application, which included the presentation of hearing evidence. For more information contact Paul.
18 November 2011
The New Zealand Local Authority Traffic Institute (or TRAFINZ) Conference was held in Hamilton this week. Paul presented on 'Getting Traction from Road Safety Investment' and Steve presented on 'The Christchurch earthquakes – how’s it going?'. Both presentations are availbale from Paul and Steve.
15 November 2011
We are seeking a replacement Financial Administrator with skills to also provide office support. This is an important role within our organisation. The successful applicant has the ability to fully develop the role and the outcomes that come with shaping a team of 12 people; including improving financial procedures and administration systems. If you are interested in applying for the role click here.
10 November 2011
Kurt, Peter, Stacy and Laura have their papers accepted at the 2012 IPENZ Transportation Group Conference. This gives Peter the opportunity to reclaim the best technical note (Conference presentation) award that was presented to Peter at his last IPENZ Transportation Group Conference appearance in 2010.
1 November 2011
We are very pleased to announce that Kylee Galbraith has joined Abley as a Senior Transportation Planner. Kylee is a Kiwi who has recently returned from the UK where she worked for a number of local authorities on secondment from a large multi national consultancy. You can read more about Kylee here.
29 October 2011
Two Abley teams completed the McClean’s Island 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race on a tremendous day on Saturday. The weather was stunning and a great time was had by all.
28 October 2011
Stacy and Kurt's paper explores the concept of facility saturation values which looks at how many facilities people neglect when accessing a particular activity destination on foot. Ann-Marie and Courtney's paper reveals a method for prioritising new cycle infrastructure projects based on an innovative combination of spatial analysis and benefits and costs analysis. Andy's paper presents the findings of recent research that reveals active travel behaviours associated with a range of household variables and locations in New Zealand. Steve's paper presents on Predicting Walkability - Research Report 452, which looks at the factors to be taken into consideration when measuring to what extent the built environment is walking friendly. The walking and cycling conference is the first ever NZ Walking and Cycling Conference in New Zealand and is to be held in Hastings in February 2012. The conference theme is creating smarter connections.
13 October 2011
Steve presented in Auckland and Wellington on resent research relating to Integrated Transport Assessments: Research Report 422. The presentation explained how the research report provides a national guidance document for preparing Integrated Transport Assessments. The presentation focused on the level of detail to be included in an assessment of transport effects and explained how Integrated Transport Assessments fit into the RMA process and how the guidance document fulfils a resource gap in New Zealand. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of Steve's presentation, contact Steve.
28 September 2011
This research that was undertaken by Abley Transportation Consultants and Beca Infrastructure provides a number of mathematical formulas for predicting the quality of the walking environment.
This innovative research uses operational and physical variables that were matched with the measured perspective of the user using the footpath or road crossing. A number of formulas were derived that means practitioners can measure the quality of the existing walking environment and predict changes in the walking environment before changes are implemented. The research can be viewed via the NZTA website.
26 September 2011
Steve Abley presented to the Institute of Directors Canterbury Branch tonight along with Justin Murray of Murray and Co and Dr Jan Kupec of Aurecon. The presentation was in two parts, first Justin and Steve speaking about their recent trip to San Francisco, and secondly Jan speaking about his Urban Search and Rescue deployment to Japan.
20 September 2011
We are pround to announce that Jay Baththana will be joining the Abley team in January. Jay has a Master of Engineering Studies with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Science with a Specialism in Operations Research with a Major in Statistics from The University of Auckland. He has a very keen interest in transportation and has outstanding academic grades. Outside work he has a keen interest in cricket having represented Sri Lanka at a national level. Welcome to the team Jay.
19 September 2011
Abley has entered a netball team for the last two years in the local Christchurch indoor competition. This has been a great way for our technical team to better understand each other in a sporting environment. You can learn more about what we offer as an employer here.
13 September 2011
Abley was commissioned to assess the transportation impacts of a new 8 hectare retail precinct to be located at the entry point of Christchurch Airport off State Highway 1 (SH1), Memorial Avenue & Peter Lemming Road. Spitfire Square is modelled on a traditional town square, with a landscaped place for meeting, socialising, exercising, shopping, eating and relaxing. The precinct is expected to support the 5,000 workers and 25,000 visitors to the airport. Abley completed the assessment on behalf of Christchurch International Airport and the application was approved on a non notified basis.
2 September 2011
Steve Abley presented at Landcare Research this morning at the request of the Sustainability Society. Steve was in exceptionally high calibre company including Professor Bob Lloyd from Otago University and Emeritus Professor Chris Kissling. The title of Professor Lloyds presentation was 'Peak Oil – are we ready? And Peak Oil:NZs Response'. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of Steve's presentation, contact Steve.
20 August 2011
The Harvard Kennedy School of Governance has requested permission to use the Greater Christchurch Earthquake Relationships Figure produced by Abley Transportation Consultants as an example of governance models for recovery. Over the last 70 years, the Kennedy School has become the global leader in educating and empowering individuals committed to advancing the public interest. This is a significant acknowledgement of the proactive work Abley Transportation Consultants undertakes to understand complex problems.
19 August 2011
Abley Transportation Consultants has developed a figure that shows the governance structures that have developed as a result of the Canterbury earthquakes. This figure is available here. Please notify earthquake@abley.com to enable this work to be updated.
18 August 2011
Our Courtney Groundwater has been awarded the Hume Fellowship for 2012. This is an extremely prestigious award and one that Abley Transportation Consultants has very strong ties with - our Steve Abley was awarded the same fellowship six years earlier in 2005. Courtney plans to use her scholarship to study at University of Leeds in 2012. The University of Leeds has a prestigious postgraduate Transportation Masters course. Well done Courtney from all of the team here at Abley Transportation Consultants.
16 August 2011
Today the Christchurch Central City Recovery Plan was released. Abley have assisted Council to develop the regulatory structure for transport that includes important changes including ‘link and place’, maximum car parking standards and an adjusted high traffic generator rule. The Central City Plan was developed under very short timeframes and Abley has been proud to assist Council in the rebuilding of our city. If you want to view the Central City Plan click here.
15 August 2011
Our Paul Durdin presented to a group of transport professionals in Dunedin last Thursday night on Integrated Transport Assessments. The presentation was about the history of transportation assessments and the development of NZTA Research Report 422 'Integrated Transport Assessment Guidelines'. The guideline assists professionals to better understand the scope and probable inputs for undertaking an Integrated Transport Assessment.
12 August 2011
Our Steve Abley and Stacy Rendall presented to a select group of decision makers at the Victoria Department of Transport today on accessibility planning. The Department of Transport is an especially forward looking organisation in this area and was keen to understand the work Abley recently completed for the Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management (AITPM) 2011 Conference. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the presentation, contact Steve.
11 August 2011
A strategic cycling network plan for Dunedin that Abley has developed was approved by Dunedin City councillors yesterday. The Otago Daily Times announcement can be found here.
10 August 2011
The Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management (AITPM) 2011 Conference was held in Melbourne and our Steve Abley and Stacy Rendall were accepted to present on the issue of Transport Choice and Energy Resilience. The presentation was attended by approximately 100 people and was well received. One of the members of the audience said “Your presentation on accessibility and energy was certainly one of, if not, the highlight of the conference for me”. Well done Stacy and Steve.
6 August 2011
As part of the commitment to build and support our team, Abley Transportation Consultants staff were invited to join a ‘weekend get away’ in Tekapo. The entire team had a great time, skiing, hot pooling and generally relaxing. Thank you to Kathryn, Courtney and Peter who did a great job of organising the event.
2 August 2011
Abley Transportation Consultants have won a public tender and been appointed to assist Kapiti Coast District Council in the area of transport access and plan implementation. This is a prestigious appointment given Kapiti Coast District Council is well known for its forward thinking in the area of environmental sustainability. Kapiti Coast District Council recently won the ‘Central and Local Government Stepping Up’ category in the highly prestigious Green Ribbon Awards run by the Ministry for the Environment. Abley are looking forward to assisting Council.
1 August 2011
We are very proud to announce that soon to graduate Peter Cockrem has accepted a position with Abley Transportation Consultants. Peter is an outstanding student who is expected to graduate from the University of Canterbury with very a high academic record. Peter will start in 2012.
26 July 2011
Due to an expanding national workload Abley Transportation Consultants is seeking a senior transportation engineer to join our respected and forward looking team. We are looking for an ambitious transportation professional in their early to mid career to take the leap to a more senior role. To learn more click here and to make application click here.
25 July 2011
It is unusual for snow to fall in Christchurch so we thought it deserved a picture. If you enjoy the great outdoors, walking, sailing, cycling, mountain biking, water skiing or snow skiing plus a whole lot more, Christchurch and New Zealand offers plenty of excitement. We all managed to make it to work today.
7 July 2011
We are looking for an undergraduate or post graduate engineering student in their final year of study. This person will be introduced to and build on the cutting edge thinking and analysis we provide for a wide range of clients. The role is an ideal opportunity for a student with high quality grades and a can do attitude to join a team that supports each other in a nurturing and progressive environment. To learn more about this position click here. Applications can be made here.
6 July 2011
Kurt's paper titled 'Safety at Intersections Prioritisation Tool', Peter's paper titled 'Optimising Bridge Asset Management' and Stacy's paper called 'Measuring Transport Choice and Energy Resilience' have all been accepted for presentation at this years' SSSC conference held in Wellington in November. The conference theme is Innovation in Action - Working Smarter. For a link to the conference website please click here.
1 July 2011
Steve Abley reports on his trip to San Francisco as part of a delegation of Christchurch City Councillors and business leaders. Read the full article here as published in IPENZ Engineering Direct.
28 June 2011
Abley Transportation Consultants is proud to announce that Laura Bates has joined us as a GIS Graduate. Laura has experience working with the ESRI suite of software programs and has a BSc in Geography and Geology from the University of Canterbury. She has previous work experience working for central government and is an important addition to the Abley team. Laura can be contacted here.
24 June 2011
Two days ago New Zealand experienced the shortest day and to coincide, this week we celebrated with a mid winter dinner at Tiffanys Restaurant and Bar. A great night was had by everyone including wives, husbands and partners. Thanks Tiffanys, from everyone at Abley Transportation Consultants.
22 June 2011
The short-term action plan for Safer Journeys, New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy for the next 10 years, has just been released. Abley is pleased to be involved in assisting with the development of the High-Risk Intersections Guide which will identify high-risk intersections and prioritise treatment programmes. Our involvement stems from an earlier innovative project completed for the Christchurch City Council, which resulted in the project and it’s leader, Paul Durdin, being selected as a finalist for the 3M Traffic Safety Innovation Award at this years annual IPENZ Transportation Conference.
20 June 2011
The delegation that recently visited San Francisco to learn about post earthquake recovery presented to the Canterbury Business Leaders Group this evening. The group included Christchurch City Councillors and business people and our Steve Abley. The lessons the group presented are summarised as 'build back better', 'collaboration', 'transparency and permissiveness', 'involving businesses' and 'earthquake insurance'. The presentation was attended by about 60 people including CERA, CCC and prominent business people.
15 June 2011
Our Steve Abley presented to about 40 land use professionals in Hamilton this evening including transport planners, engineers, land use planners and Councillors. The presentation was about the history of transportation assessments and the development of NZTA Research Report 422 'Integrated Transport Assessment Guidelines'. The guideline assists professionals to better understand the scope and probable inputs for undertaking an Integrated Transport Assessment.
Steve often presents to technical and community groups interested in understanding some of the more interesting parts of transport. If you are interested in obtaining the presentation or inviting Steve or one of the other Abley Transportation Consultants team to present to your group, please contact Steve.
15 June 2011
Abley Transportation Consultants prepared a network of cycle routes for Dunedin connecting key destinations. The project has been identified in a '20-to-30-year vision' costing $18 to $30 million. The proposal is to build a network of strategic cycleways through Dunedin and today won approval from Dunedin City Councillors to proceed to public consultation.
The project followed an initial review of cycling in Dunedin; it has gone through a stakeholder workshop, site visits and an internal review. The purpose of the network was to identify key cycling corridors, allowing any improvements to be completed in a focused, rather than piecemeal way. Abley's suggestions for roads included cycle lanes, separated cycle lanes, shared and exclusive cycle paths, tunnels and overpass bridges.
2 June 2011
Courtney was recently interviewed as to her percetion of a recent engineering graduate, she says... "I finished my Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil) in 2009 at Canterbury and took the summer off to travel before starting work at Abley Transportation Consultants... Working for a small firm like Abley has made this really easy as I have direct access to the most experienced people in the company who are always willing to answer my questions. Abley also gives all technical employees the opportunity to attend at least one conference each year. I have been to two IPENZ transportation group conferences... Abley is a great place to work – it has provided me with lots of opportunity for ongoing learning" The entire article can be found here.
1 June 2011
Steve was pleased to accept an invitation from University of Canterbury teaching staff and today lectured to senior University of Canterbury students on Land Use Developments and Transport Assessments. The class 'Planning and Managing for Transport (ENTR611)' is part of the Master of Engineering in Transportation qualification.
The Master of Engineering in Transportation was established in cooperation with the University of Auckland and with financial and other support from the transport industry in New Zealand. It covers three main areas - transportation planning, traffic engineering and pavement engineering, with options for specialising in one or all.
27 May 2011
Our Steve Abley has returned from San Francisco and together with the Christchurch delegation is ready to disseminate the lessons learnt to the wider community including business, community and professionals. To see the final instalment of the Television New Zealand broadcasts from San Francisco including an interview with Steve, click here.
16 May 2011
Steve Abley, Managing Director of Abley Transportation Consultants, has been asked to join a Christchurch delegation heading to San Francisco to gain valuable insight into its rebuild programme following the 1989 earthquake.
The delegation will include five city councilors and six members of the Canterbury Business Leaders Group, of which Abley is a member. The delegation will pay their own travel and expenses. While in San Francisco they will meet with experts and key stakeholders on a variety of subjects including urban design, public transport, housing reconstruction, restoring business confidence and tourism recovery, building code and building resilience, private sector partnerships and governance.
9 May 2011
Our Courtney Groundwater is currently involved in the Neighbourhood Engineers Awards (NEA) as an engineering Mentor for Springston School. Every year the NEA gives prizes to the best and most innovative collaboration on a project between students, teachers and volunteer engineers. The project chosen by Springston School is the development of a fun and exciting bicycle track. Courtney is using her experience in the transportation sector to give the students professional insight in to the project.
3 May 2011
Small companies grow into successful and strong companies though good leadership. The Shareholders and Directors of Abley Transportation Consultants recognise this and have appointed two non executive directors to the board. The new directors are Brian Wood and Ross Major. Brian Wood has been elected to the position of Chairman.
Brian was previously the Managing Director, Asia Pacific of MWH Limited and was responsible for the overall leadership in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brunei with total revenue in excess of US$120 million. Ross cofounded Cosgrove Major Consulting Engineers which grew under his leadership to a staff of twenty. Both professional directors now undertake external directorships for a small number of exceptional clients.
11 April 2011
There are two major milestones to every professional career, one being qualified to enter a profession and two, being elected by your peers as competent to act as a professional. A further milestone is being elected as a Fellow where exceptional high standing is required. The team at Abley Transportation Consultants is very proud to announce that our Steve Abley has been elected as a Fellow of IPENZ.
Fellows are members who have made a substantial contribution to the development of the engineering profession, its practices or IPENZ itself. Fellows therefore represent the most experienced part of the Membership, and thus users of engineering services can expect the same fully professional service that they obtain from Professional Members, but with the knowledge that a Fellow is sometimes more experienced and/or knowledgeable than a Professional Member.
"Steve Abley is elected a Fellow of IPENZ for his contribution to the advancement of engineering practice and the development of the Institution. We recognise his contribution to improving transport network assessment methodologies, and his strategic and energetic contribution to governance of the Institution.
He has researched and developed techniques for assessing the accessibility of transport networks, seeking better integration of land use and transportation planning practices. In his service to the Institution at Branch, Technical Interest Group, Subsidiary Board and Governing Board level he has earned respect for his fresh and insightful vision and drive to build the professional body."
8 April 2011
Our Peter Rose is a Futureintech Ambassador and last month taught at the Gifted Education Centre at Kendal School. Peter visited the young children to talk about different types of bridges and how the style of construction made them stronger or weaker. You can learn more about Futureintech and Abley Transportation Consultants support for this programme here.
29 March 2011
Loosely based on the movie “The Incredibles” the Abley team took the theme for the IPENZ Transportation Group conference dinner to the next level last week in Auckland by creating their own superheros “The IncredAbleys”. The dinner took place at St Matthews in the City which had been transformed into Gotham City and the Bat Cave for the evening, complete with Batman, Robin, Catwoman and the Butler. Our thanks go out to the conference organisers for a thoroughly enjoyable night.
3 March 2010
We are very proud to announce we have new premises for our entire team including Futureintech at 30a Carlyle Street, Sydenham. Our new premise is expansive and provides us a base that remains close to the central city. Our new office also includes a tennis and basketball court that we plan to make extensive use of. Thank you to CB Richard Ellis team for all your help.
22 February 2010
A major earthquake struck Christchurch on 22 February. All our staff are unharmed although our central city office premises has suffered damage.
We have been contacted by a number of clients and colleagues over the last few days asking if and how they can support us. Our business continues to operate and our communications (email and mobile phones) remain functional, our server is secure and we have capability to work remotely. Our office phones will soon be redirected to our mobiles and we are working on securing temporary premises.
The Abley team will get through this tragic event and continue to operate a business of which we are immensely proud. Our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and we hope you, your family and friends are safe.
If you want to contact us, please do not hesitate to do so. In the first instance Steve Abley is available on 021 556864.
16 February 2011
Our Steve Abley's article 'What's a Profession?' has just been reprinted in the Institute of Directors' Boardroom February Newsletter. Boardroom articles are designed to inform and stimulate readers in areas of interest for directors. You can read the complete article here.
19 January 2011
We are seeking to appoint a motivated and energetic person in the very early stage of their career to join our respected team. This person will provide support to our GIS and traffic animation and modelling staff. The role is an ideal opportunity for someone looking for experience post further education or someone with a high level of computing skills post leaving school. To find out more about this role please view our careers website www.ableycareers.com.
13th January 2011
Christchurch City Council has appointed Abley Transportation Consultants to investigate the implications of the proposed change to New Zealand's right hand give way rule at intersections. The proposed change is due to come into effect in early 2012.
The purpose of this study is to make Council aware of the extent of issues expected to arise from the rule change and to develop standardised methods of addressing the issues that can be implemented prior to the rule change coming into effect. The study is due to be completed in April 2011.
