2023 Brisbane Sessions

Session 1

Prototyping transport experiences with customers

Zoe Green and Iain Barker (Meld Studios)

Session: 1

Room: Lounge

Summary: Virtual Reality. Prototyping. Innovation.

What are the different ways we can interact with customers and envision our transport futures? Prototyping is about eliciting a response from someone. This is something we can test with customers. The intention of this process is to help improve a design or to make a decision. Zoe outlined how this is an iterative process. She posed; how does this change our response? Prototyping means you can be confident in what you are releasing in the world. Moving forward, how can we be productive rather than reactive? Iain discussed how this approach was employed to reimagine paper timetabling in Melbourne. How did the wider community react? Another example was prototyping wayfinding. Do people prefer switchback or parallel escalators? Prototyping helps us to identify what is intuitive.

“You can use an eraser on a drafting table or a sledgehammer on a construction site” -Frank Lloyd Wright

What does public transport need to look like to replace the convenience of your car

Lydia I & Zara Trengrove (Moreton Bay Council)

Session: 1

Room: Meeting Room 5

Summary: This session discussed the accessibility & feasibility of changing public transport to meet new demand. Some mitigation tactics used include: - integrating public transport options before developments are developed. - introducing demand based transit. Some key challenges include: - densification & introduction of public transport as an afterthought. - less demand as a cause of low frequency.

Road Pricing

Group Discussion

Session: 1

Room: Meeting Room 8

Summary: The house talked about road pricing in different cities around the world as examples. It was said that the current transport policy is not transparent and there should be more specific goals regarding alternative modes, toll price, inside city and outside, etc. along with public transport and micro-mobility.

Hydrogen City Bus vs Local Context

Iain Dorward (Foton Mobility)

Session: 1

Room: Meeting Room 6

Summary: Foton Mobility, a Hydrogen Buses company, is looking to enter the Queensland Market. The objective of this session was to introduce the opportunities and challenges of hydrogen buses (compared to battery electric buses), including energy consumption, storage, range, and infrastructure; and to find ways to facilitate entrance in the QLD context. One of the main points was that for both demand and supply, lowering the cost is crucial, and will primarily be achieved through economies of scale, massification of hydrogen supply, and take-up of hydrogen buses across the state.

NIMBYism and sustainable transport

Madison Bland (Cities Reserach Institute)

Session: 1

Room: Meeting Room 7

Summary: Meaningful engagement with the community is required to combat NIMBYism. “What’s in it for them” is required; listen to their fears using value-based messaging. How we frame a project is important—not just an X-type project, but community safety, health, and benefit. Lead them on the journey. Early engagement is necessary to gain support and communicate back learnings and how they have influenced the project. Target the consultation well: geographic segments; population segments. Paid attendance? Examples of good projects that started with negative community sentiments include High St, Auckland, Gold Coast Light Rail, and City of Yarra safe bicycle infrastructure. Takeaway: Learning the lesson of renewable energy earning social licence.