Interventions for a sustainable transport system for New Zealand: results from a Delphi study

Abstract

Transport plays a central role in the economy and in the wellbeing of society. However, the use of vehicles also has undesirable consequences such as particulate emissions, road accidents and greenhouse gas emissions. Transport systems globally are also facing major changes, such as the emergence of new and improved technologies, changing demographics, and shifting societal norms. What might these changes and challenges mean for the future of New Zealand’s transport system, and what interventions might be needed to ensure a transport system which will enable New Zealand to thrive in this changing environment? This report describes findings from the fourth and final round of a Delphi study conducted with New Zealand transport experts over 2014-2015. The overall aim of the study was to gain insights from transport experts about the potential future of New Zealand’s transport system. In brief, stages 1-3 of the Delphi study involved identifying the evolving constraints and opportunities in transport systems globally and how influential those factors might be in shifting transport systems in new directions. Experts also ranked the characteristics of a sustainable transport system. During stage 3 of the Delphi study, experts nominated the trends, innovations, and step changes that most urgently required interventions in order to enable New Zealand to thrive economically, environmentally, and socially. In the fourth and final round of the Delphi study, participants were provided with the resulting list of the 10 highest priority areas and asked to describe interventions that they considered were most critically needed to support at least three of those priorities. This report focuses on the outcomes of this final stage, and the implications for New Zealand’s transport system.