A Career in Transport Planning
We all need to get around – whether by plane, train, bus, car, bicycle or even
on foot – and we need the infrastructure in place to enable us to do this.
It is the transport planners who plan, manage and improve the transport systems.
The work
Transport planning involves all part of the transport system from walking and
cycling, to use of cars, lorries, buses and trains, air and (even) space travel!
There is inevitably a close inter-relationship between where activities take place and
how and when travel occurs. Transport planning involves all stages within a
project or scheme from initial research, development of a solution, feasibility,
design, viability, acceptance, project delivery and management through to review and
implementation of any necessary improvements.
The skills
If you are interested in environmental issues, climate change, sustainability,
travel, economic performance and regeneration then transport planning might be the
career for you. The skills sought are:
- Lateral thinking
- Analytical and problem-solving
- Communication – verbal and written
- Numeracy
- Eye for detail
- Computer literacy – especially spreadsheets, databases as well as
modelling and/or simulation software
- Imagination and vision
Entry requirements
Mostly new entrants are graduates, with the sought after degrees being geography,
civil engineering, town or transport planning/management and environmental science.
Other subjects such as maths, social sciences or business can also be acceptable.
Many entrants will also have a post-graduate qualification but that is not a
pre-requisite.
In addition, there might also be opportunities to join a training programme with a
local authority or consultancy firm and combine work with studying for transport
planning qualifications.
Salary and career development
Starting salary will vary depending on whether the role is in the public or private
sector, but will be in the region of £20,000. There are opportunities to
move into more senior positions, with employees likely to be encouraged to study for
relevant professional qualifications or master’s degrees and undertake regular
continuing professional development to support their career progression.
Employers
The key employers are the public sector, with opportunities available in local and
national government organisations, and the private sector, where the principal
employers are consultancies.
Currently there are around 10,000 transport planners in the UK at the moment,
however there is normally a need for some 600 to 900 new planners every year.
This strong demand for qualified transport planners means that there is relatively
steady stream of opportunities available.
Contacts
There is a number of professional bodies and trade associations relevant to the
sector: