Transport Planner

Transport planners manage road, rail and air transport networks. Transport planners look at the impact of large and small scale transport issues. This can be at local level looking at national transport systems, or even global transport issues. They may be looking at new infrastructure such as HS2 or they could be considering a new airport runway, Heathrow has been in planning for many years; or may be putting a new crossing in outside a school. Transport planners carry out studies and analyse existing transport systems, discuss ideas and designs with authorities and communities, they may even make a model of the system on a computer to check it works. They may be calculating increased traffic to a new shopping centre; looking at reducing accidents on stretches of roads; working out the effect of parking and congestion charges; or ways to get people to walk, cycle and use more public transport. Transport planners will need good maths and English qualifications. Geography and Environmental science qualifications are useful too. Transport planners will usually need a degree but you could start as a transport planning assistant and train whilst you are working.Transport Planners can earn from £22,000 to £50,000 per year.