Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urban Transport Planner

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires an experienced Urban Transport Planner to develop, evaluate and deliver multimodal transport strategies and projects that improve urban mobility, sustainability and accessibility. The Urban Transport Planner will lead transport modelling, policy advice, stakeholder engagement and implementation planning for streets, corridors, public transport, active travel and freight initiatives. This role is ideal for candidates with strong technical skills (travel demand modelling, GIS, microsimulation), excellent written and verbal communication, and proven experience translating transport analysis into implementable policy and infrastructure.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Graduate Transport Planner / Junior Transport Planner
Traffic Engineer or Highway Engineer
Urban Planner with transport focus

Advancement To:

Senior Transport Planner / Lead Transport Planner
Principal Transport Planner or Transport Planning Manager
Head of Transport Planning / Director of Transport Strategy

Lateral Moves:

Transport Modelling Specialist
Sustainable Mobility / Active Travel Manager
Public Transport Operations Planner

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the development of integrated urban transport strategies and multimodal network plans that align land use, accessibility and sustainability objectives, producing clear deliverables for council/agency decision‑makers.
Conduct travel demand modelling and forecasting using tools such as VISUM, TransCAD, EMME, or similar, to evaluate future scenarios, mode shift potential, and network performance under land‑use and policy change.
Prepare robust traffic and transport impact assessments for development applications, assessing trip generation, distribution, assignment, intersection performance and recommending mitigation measures.
Design and evaluate public transport improvements (network design, timetable optimization, service integration, priority lanes) and prepare business cases to secure funding and approvals.
Lead corridor and network planning projects — arterial, bus rapid transit, tram/light rail, and cycling/pedestrian corridors — including feasibility, concept design and staged implementation plans.
Conduct micro- and macro‑simulation analysis (e.g., VISSIM, AIMSUN) to test intersection solutions, junction layouts, signal timing and operational strategies for complex junctions and interchanges.
Deliver active travel planning: design bicycle networks, pedestrian priority schemes, safe routes to school programs, and infrastructure audits supporting modal shift and road safety targets.
Undertake traffic counts, intercept surveys, origin‑destination studies and parking utilisation surveys; cleanse and analyse primary data to inform project recommendations.
Develop and maintain GIS datasets and spatial analyses (ArcGIS, QGIS) to support accessibility analysis, catchment mapping, and visualization of transport interventions.
Prepare funding submissions, grant applications and well‑structured business cases (including cost–benefit analysis, NPV, multi‑criteria), and present evidence to funding bodies.
Produce high‑quality technical reports, planning documents, policy briefs and plain‑English summaries for stakeholders, ensuring clarity of recommendations and actionable next steps.
Lead community and stakeholder engagement activities including workshops, public consultation events, presentations to councils, advisory groups and deputies, and incorporate community feedback into project design.
Provide technical advice to planners, engineers and policymakers on transport policy, parking management, demand management, Travel Demand Management (TDM) measures and regulatory implications.
Oversee contract procurement and manage external consultants for specialist modelling, environmental assessments, engineering design and construction support, ensuring deliverables, budgets and timelines are met.
Monitor and evaluate post‑implementation performance of transport projects using KPIs (travel time, mode share, safety outcomes, patronage), preparing lessons learned and continuous improvement plans.
Integrate climate resilience and sustainability into transport projects, assessing emissions, adaptation measures and low‑carbon mobility options to meet organisational net‑zero targets.
Conduct road safety audits, collision analysis and design countermeasures in line with Safe System principles to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
Develop parking strategy and curbside management plans, incorporating demand pricing, loading zones, and first/last‑mile solutions to optimise kerb space use.
Coordinate freight and logistics planning, including last‑mile delivery solutions, freight routes, loading/unloading strategies and stakeholder engagement with industry operators.
Provide mentorship, training and technical guidance to junior planners, modellers and multidisciplinary teams to build capability and ensure rigorous quality assurance.
Liaise with statutory authorities, transport operators, utilities and development proponents to negotiate delivery of infrastructure, developer contributions and service requirements.
Prepare and present high‑impact visualisations, scenario animations and dashboards that communicate transport impacts and benefits to non‑technical audiences and decision makers.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis from internal teams and external stakeholders.
Contribute to the organisation's transport data strategy, including open data, sensor deployment and long‑term monitoring plans.
Collaborate with business units and urban designers to translate policy and data requirements into technical briefs and engineering scope of works.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within project teams and cross‑functional initiatives to deliver transport products iteratively.
Assist in the preparation of procurement documents, tender evaluations and contract management for technical consultants and modelling suppliers.
Support development of training materials and internal workshops to upskill staff on transport modelling, GIS and stakeholder engagement best practices.
Maintain awareness of emerging technologies (micromobility, MaaS, connected vehicles, ITS) and evaluate their application in local transport contexts.
Contribute to policy reviews, regulatory submissions and hearings, preparing evidence and technical responses for statutory processes.
Support grant and partnership identification, helping to secure co-funding and collaborative arrangements with regional and national transport agencies.
Manage small project budgets and schedule trackers, escalating risks and proposing mitigation actions to senior management.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Travel demand modelling and forecasting (VISUM, TransCAD, EMME or equivalent) — scenario testing, ABM exposure or 4-stage modelling workflows.
Micro‑simulation and operational analysis (VISSIM, AIMSUN) for junctions, signals and intersection performance testing.
Transport planning and policy development — multimodal network design, public transport planning, active travel strategies and TOD integration.
Traffic engineering fundamentals — intersection capacity analysis (SIDRA, HCM), signal timing, roundabout design and ITS considerations.
GIS and spatial analysis skills (ArcGIS Pro, QGIS) — catchments, isochrones, route network analysis and cartographic outputs.
Data analysis and scripting — Python, R, SQL for data wrangling, statistical analysis, model automation and reproducible workflows.
Strong report writing and business case development — cost–benefit analysis, NPV, economic appraisal and funding applications.
Road safety analysis and auditing knowledge — crash data analysis, Safe System approach and countermeasure design.
Survey specification and fieldwork management — counts, origin‑destination, intercept and automated data sources (Bluetooth, ANPR, loop detectors).
Public transport modelling and scheduling tools or experience with GTFS data, timetable planning and patronage forecasting.
Proficiency in stakeholder engagement, participatory design and facilitation techniques to deliver meaningful consultation.
Experience with performance monitoring systems, dashboards and data visualisation tools (Power BI, Tableau, Kepler.gl).
Familiarity with climate and sustainability assessment methods for transport interventions and emissions estimation.

Soft Skills

Strong analytical and problem‑solving mindset with attention to detail and ability to synthesise complex technical information.
Excellent written and verbal communication — able to translate technical analysis into compelling, plain‑English recommendations.
Project management capability: planning, risk management, budgeting, and delivering outcomes on time and on budget.
Stakeholder management and partnership building — diplomacy and negotiation with elected officials, operators, developers and communities.
Adaptability and initiative — comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment with shifting priorities and multiple projects.
Leadership and mentoring — capacity to guide junior staff, run workshops and champion best practices within teams.
Customer‑focused approach ensuring solutions meet accessibility, equity and user needs across diverse communities.
Creative thinking and systems perspective for designing integrated, long‑term transport solutions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Transport Planning, Civil Engineering, Geography, or related discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Transport Planning, Urban Transport, Transport Engineering, or Planning with transport specialisation.
Professional accreditation (PIA, IStructE, ITE, CIHT or equivalent) and continuing professional development in transport modelling/analysis.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Transport Planning and Engineering
Urban and Regional Planning
Civil Engineering
Data Science / GIS
Environmental Planning

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–8 years of professional experience in transport planning, modelling or traffic engineering roles.

Preferred:

5+ years’ experience delivering transport strategy, modelling and projects in local government, transport agency or consultancy.
Demonstrated experience leading multi‑disciplinary projects, producing business cases and securing funding.
Proven proficiency with at least two major transport modelling or simulation packages and strong GIS capability.