COVID19 may be the biggest threat that we will face in our lifetime. It’s a threat to our health. It’s a threat to our economy. It’s a threat to our global transport system. It’s a threat that will test us, our communities and our Governments.

It’s also an opportunity. An opportunity to do things very differently.

Our Governments have spent the last 40 years spending billions building new roads. Governments and Councils around the world are spending more and more money every year, so that we can drive our own car and all get to work at roughly the same time.

• They’re spending billions building new roads so that most people can drive to and from work at about the same time
• They’re spending billions widening existing roads because most of us start work at roughly 8am
• They’re spending billions constructing new Park and Ride car parks so that people can park their car, free-of-charge, and then all catch a bus or train at around 7.30am and start work at about 8am

Every year Governments and Councils are spending more money – billions upon billions – and we’re getting worse outcomes:

• Our roads are jam packed, gridlocked and congested in rush hour, but under-used at other times.
• Our buses and trains are at capacity and over-crowded, but only during peak hours
• Our Park and Ride car parks are stranded assets, deserted and empty for 12 hours every day

Congestion is a big and expensive problem. According to TomTomIndex data urban traffic congestion is increasing all the time and as is lost time. Congestion reportedly cost the USA $88 billion in lost time in 2019.

So, what’s the solution? What is the alternative?

The solution is Demand Management. Demand Management enables Governments and councils to:

1. Understand current and future pressures and constraints in the transport system
2. Identify when and where there is spare capacity
3. Redistribute demand to where there is – and to take advantage of – spare capacity

The advantages are:

1. We create capacity using and utilising our existing assets – think High Occupancy Vehicle lanes rather than building new roads
2. We spread the load using network management and operations – think technology and optimisation rather than building new roads
3. We influence and change people’s behaviours to walking, cycling, ride hailing, working from home and reducing the number of trips we all make – think re-mode, re-time, re-route rather than building new roads

Demand management is not just for roads and transport. These measures can also be applied to health care, education and housing.

The ultimate result is that our Governments spend our money and their resources where it’s really needed – health, education, mental health, the environment, bushfire recovery, climate change, domestic violence, homelessness and unemployment, to name but a few – instead of spending billions upon billions building new roads so that we can all start work at roughly the same time.

I’m writing this in a history defining moment. Everything in our society, economy and environment is changing. People (including me) are locked down in their homes. Our airlines are grounded. Millions of people are working from home and socializing online. One after another businesses, large and small, are closing their doors. There has never been a more important time for our Governments to change the way they use and spend our money.

We’ll all come out of this pandemic changed, one way or another. And our Governments will need to change too. Many of us will agree that this time our Governments shouldn’t stimulate our economy simply by building new roads.

We’ve been given an opportunity to do things differently. We may never get the chance or opportunity to change ‘Business As Usual’ ever again. Let’s make Demand Management the legacy of COVID19.

By Rachel Smith

Rachel is an author, speaker and transport planner.She was retained by the UK Government for 6 years as a specialist advisor, has spoken at more than 200 conferences, has 2 TEDx talks and her work has appeared in international media including the BBC, ABC, DW-TV, SBS, Disney Channel and The Economist. She was part of the BMW Guggenheim Lab, developed the first crowd solving bicycle map and won the CIHT BP Road Safety Award.