Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urban Transport Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Urban Transport Officer is a transport planning and delivery specialist responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring urban mobility programs that improve safety, accessibility and sustainability of the street and transit network. Working across local government, transport authorities or private consultancies, the role combines data-led travel demand modelling, traffic and public-transport coordination, infrastructure planning, stakeholder engagement and policy delivery to meet city-wide mobility objectives. Key focus areas include active travel, public transport optimization, traffic management, road safety audits, and integration of land use and transport planning.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Transport Planner
Traffic Engineering Technician
Graduate Urban Planner

Advancement To:

Senior Transport Planner / Senior Urban Transport Officer
Transport Policy Manager
Principal Transport Consultant

Lateral Moves:

Public Transport Operations Coordinator
Road Safety & Active Travel Program Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the development and delivery of transport and mobility plans for urban corridors, neighborhoods and development sites, ensuring alignment with local transport policy, sustainability targets and land‑use plans.
Conduct travel demand forecasting and multi-modal modelling (e.g., VISUM, EMME, VISSIM, SATURN) to evaluate future network performance, mode shift scenarios and the impact of proposed developments on traffic flows and public transport services.
Prepare and write comprehensive traffic impact assessments and transport statements for planning applications, including mitigation strategies, parking provision analysis and contributions to Section 106 / developer contributions.
Coordinate and design traffic management schemes — including intersection geometry, signal timing optimisation, bus priority measures and temporary traffic arrangements — to improve network efficiency and reduce congestion.
Deliver road safety audits and collision data analysis, identify high-risk locations, and develop evidence-based countermeasure packages (engineering, enforcement and education) to reduce casualty rates.
Design and implement Active Travel interventions (cycle lanes, pedestrian priority areas, school streets, low traffic neighborhoods) with detailed concept drawings, design constraints and delivery plans.
Lead stakeholder engagement and public consultation programs for projects, including workshops, public drop-in sessions, statutory consultations, and liaison with bus operators, emergency services and local communities.
Manage procurement and contractor relationships for transport infrastructure projects, including preparing specifications, evaluating bids, negotiating contracts and supervising construction delivery to ensure compliance with design and safety standards.
Develop public transport improvement proposals — timetable changes, route realignments, stop relocations and interchange upgrades — and liaise with operators and franchising bodies to implement service enhancements.
Monitor and evaluate transport project outcomes using performance indicators (journey time, ridership, safety, modal share), prepare regular performance reports and update project designs based on monitoring feedback.
Provide technical advice to planning teams and elected officials on transport-related planning applications, policy changes, parking management, demand management and transport assessments.
Prepare grant applications, funding bids and business cases (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, VfM assessment) for active travel, public transport and traffic calming schemes to secure external and internal funding.
Maintain and analyse transport datasets from sensors, ITS, travel surveys, origin-destination studies and third-party sources; cleanse data, build dashboards and translate insights into actionable recommendations.
Oversee implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and traffic signal coordination projects, including telemetry, adaptive signal control and real-time passenger information systems to minimise delays and improve reliability.
Ensure compliance with national and local transport regulations, design standards (e.g., Manual for Streets, AASHTO guidelines), accessibility standards and environmental requirements in project delivery.
Prepare technical drawings, specifications and tender documents using CAD or GIS platforms; review design submissions and provide technical clearance for construction.
Lead multi-disciplinary project teams, manage project budgets, timelines and risk registers, and ensure milestones are met through effective project governance and reporting.
Advocate and deliver behaviour change and travel demand management initiatives (travel planning, workplace travel schemes, parking policy interventions) to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips and increase public and active transport use.
Develop and maintain relationships with regional transport authorities, highway agencies and neighbouring local authorities to align cross-boundary transport initiatives and integrated network solutions.
Advise on emergency transport contingency planning and coordinate temporary network changes during events, roadworks or incidents to maintain safe and efficient movement across the urban area.
Support policy development for sustainable mobility strategies, emissions reduction targets and zero-emissions zones, translating high-level goals into implementable transport actions and schemes.
Mentor junior staff, coordinate external consultants and represent the organisation at industry forums, committee meetings and in front of planning panels or elected members.

Secondary Functions

Prepare briefing notes, technical memos and presentation materials for senior management and elected officials, summarising analysis, risks and recommended courses of action.
Support internal GIS capability by producing spatial analyses and map products to visualise trip patterns, accident clusters and scheme extents for decision-making and public communication.
Contribute to accessibility and inclusion assessments, ensuring transport schemes cater for vulnerable users, disabled people and older adults in line with statutory duties.
Maintain knowledge of national policy updates, funding programs and best practice in sustainable urban mobility and share insights across the team to continuously improve delivery.
Assist with monitoring of contracted services (e.g., bus operators, maintenance contractors) and intervene when performance indicators are not met, escalating where necessary.
Provide technical support for pilot projects and trials (pop-up cycleways, bus priority corridors) including post-trial evaluation and recommendations for permanent schemes.
Support cross-departmental projects (housing, economic development, public realm) to ensure transport implications are captured and mitigated through integrated planning.
Coordinate with data teams to source, interpret and visualise transport telemetry and IoT data for real-time operational decision-making.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Transport planning and policy development — comprehensive knowledge of urban transport strategies, parking policy, and travel demand management.
Traffic modelling and simulation — experience with VISUM, VISSIM, SATURN, EMME or similar modelling platforms and the ability to run scenario analysis.
Road safety analysis — experience performing Road Safety Audits (RSAs), collision cluster analysis and designing countermeasures.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) — proficient with ArcGIS or QGIS for spatial analysis, mapping and data visualisation.
Public transport planning — knowledge of bus/trolley/tram operations, route planning, timetable optimisation and interchange design.
Technical design and CAD — ability to produce and review engineering drawings using AutoCAD, MicroStation or similar tools.
Data analysis and visualization — strong Excel, SQL and dashboarding (Power BI, Tableau) skills for monitoring and reporting transport KPIs.
Project and contract management — experience preparing tenders, managing consultants and delivering schemes on budget and on time.
ITS and traffic signal systems — understanding of adaptive signal control, SCOOT/UTMC systems and ITS architecture.
Transport appraisal and business case writing — ability to prepare economic appraisal (BCR/VfM) and funding bids.
Regulatory and standards knowledge — familiarity with national design standards (Manual for Streets, DMRB/AASHTO), accessibility and environmental requirements.
Survey and fieldwork skills — experience commissioning or conducting traffic surveys, pedestrian counts, origin–destination surveys and public transport ridership studies.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder engagement and public consultation skills; able to build consensus and manage conflicting interests.
Excellent written and verbal communication — clear reports, concise briefings and persuasive presentations to technical and non-technical audiences.
Strategic thinking with an analytical mindset — able to translate data into policy recommendations and practical interventions.
Problem-solving and decision-making — pragmatic, safety-focused and able to balance competing priorities under time pressure.
Team leadership and collaboration — experience leading multi-disciplinary teams, mentoring staff and coordinating external partners.
Negotiation and influencing — able to negotiate design changes with developers, operators and statutory bodies.
Adaptability and resilience — comfortable working across operational delivery and long-term planning priorities.
Attention to detail and quality assurance — rigorous checking of technical documents, designs and contractual deliverables.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Transport Engineering, Geography, Environmental Planning or related discipline.

Preferred Education:
Master’s degree in Transport Planning, Mobility Studies, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering or a relevant professional qualification (MRTPI, IStructE, ICE membership or equivalent).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Transport Planning and Engineering
Urban and Regional Planning
Civil Engineering
Geography / GIS and Spatial Planning
Environmental Science (with transport focus)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of relevant professional experience in transport planning, traffic engineering or urban mobility delivery.

Preferred:
5+ years’ experience delivering transport projects in local government, regional transport authorities or consultancies, with demonstrable experience in multimodal planning, stakeholder management and delivering schemes from concept through construction and evaluation.