Active transport + sustainable travel

Create more liveable towns and cities by integrating diverse transport modes to improve wellbeing and reduce carbon emissions.

We’re passionate about planning and designing safe, efficient and enjoyable active transport solutions, including walking networks and cycleways. We work with a wide range of partner organisations in design teams to deliver projects with a people and place function.

Planning and designing for active transport

The role of transport planners and engineers is to create an environment that supports and encourages people to travel as independently as possible. Walking is key to supporting healthy and active lifestyles now, and in the future. 

Local councils and communities work with us to develop transport infrastructure design for active modes of transport. These plans are tailored to the size of the authority and can help councils unlock funding to enhance their walking and cycling environment.

Our team has experience developing national walking and cycling guidance. Our plans create built environments with inclusive design and a sense of place.

Reduce the impact of commuting and business travel

More local authorities require businesses to prepare a travel plan as part of the resource consenting process. We can help you complete a travel plan that meets the requirements of the consenting process and benefits your team and your customers.

Understanding your organisations travel patterns can help you:

With extensive experience developing travel plans, we have the tools to make travel planning easier for you. We also develop school travel plans, either to address specific concerns, or as part of the masterplanning processes.

Contact Tracy Fleming to inquire.

The help and the assistance we get from Abley is very high quality, very professional. They go over and above by building transport models to help us make strategic decisions and keeping those models up to date. It’s a next level professional relationship, where they deliver recommendations and add value, without us having to ask. They’re the right people to work with for any sort of transportation project. I can’t recommend them highly enough.”

Scott McKenzie, Roading Manager, Mackenzie District Council

Case study

Equipping Tekapo to handle intense growth in traffic

The Mackenzie District Plan, written in the early 2000s, did not foresee the pace of growth that has occurred in the area. Increases in visitors to Takapō is impacting roading, parking and road safety. Abley has worked closely with Mackenzie District Council on transport planning for five years on strategic level master planning and transport design. 

Accessible Design Tactile Paving

Ann-Marie Head and Tracy Fleming presented a webinar on behalf of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (October 2020) about how to design and install tactile indicators correctly.

This webinar focused on:

  • Why and when tactile indicators are required
  • The different types of indicator and how to lay them out correctly for users
  • Standard layouts and practical examples

A Tactile Indicator Technical Note summarising the guidance was also recently launched and can be found on the Transport Agency’s Walking tools and resources page. This note will be a helpful resource for designers, contractors and contract supervisors installing tactile indicators as it provides the key principles and set out dimensions for the different indicator types at mid-block crossings and intersections.

Contact our active transport experts

Ann-Marie Head
Associate Director, Transportation Engineering

Jeanette Ward
Technical Director, Transportation Engineering