Project overview

Solent Transport has been funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) to develop a ‘Future Transport Zone’ (FTZ) for the region. The project runs until mid 2025, and involves developing and trialing innovative transport solutions, including:

(1) ‘Breeze’, an integrated multi-modal platform and Mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) app;

(2) a new range of ‘Solent Go’ travel products;

(3) wide-scale use of hire e-scooters, bikes and e-bikes;

(4) pilot trials of dynamic demand-responsive transport;

(5) new mobility credits incentives;

(6) wider business-to-business engagement for sustainable travel;

(7) freight macro- and micro- consolidation of deliveries; and

(8) drone logistics.

TRG is leading the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the overall FTZ programme, working in conjunction with TRL and the University of Portsmouth. The team also engage, report and share insights with NatCen, who lead on the national evaluation of all the UK FTZs on behalf of the DfT. In addition to the annual DfT traffic data, the dedicated M&E traffic and transport ‘Data Explorer’ visualisation and analysis tool has been expanded to encompass:

(1) daily and hourly traffic network information from the available on-road sensors in Portsmouth and Southampton;

(2) data from the Sub Regional Transport Model (SRTM) as provided by SYSTRA;

(3) the Propensity to Cycle Tool as developed by Lovelace and Goodman;

(4) Data on the use of ITSO Smartcards, provided by Unicard.

Further information is available on the main project webpage: https://southampton.likn.co/engineering/research/projects/solent-future-transport-zone-theme-1.page

Staff

Lead researchers

Professor John Preston

Professor in Rail Transport

Research interests

  • Demand, capacity and cost modelling for sustainable transport infrastructure.
  • The design, monitoring and evaluation of transport interventions designed to promote sustainable choices.
  • The determination of pathways for future mobility transitions to net zero carbon.
Connect with John
Other researchers

Professor Tom Cherrett

Prof of Logistics and Transport Mgnment

Research interests

  • Understanding and improving the distribution of goods and the management of freight vehicles in urban areas, including the supply of goods to hospitals and the use of consolidation centres; 
  • How optimisation techniques can be used to improve system efficiency and in what ways Intelligent Transport Systems (smart tagging of assets and the use of smartphones) can improve operating efficiency; 
  • Approaches to more effectively collect and manage the movement of waste in terms of both household domestic waste collection strategies, Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) management and joint domestic/commercial waste collection strategies. He has worked on a number of research projects in these specific areas: (Department for Transport grant PPAD 9/142/034, ‘Optimising vehicles undertaking waste collections' GR/S79626/01, SUE project 55 ‘Transport and Logistics'; EP/D043328/1, ‘Green Logistics'.
Connect with Tom

Dr Rich McIlroy EngD, C.ErgHF, C.Psychol, FHEA

Senior Research Fellow in MaaS
Connect with Rich

Dr Alan Wong

Research Fellow

Research interests

  • the development of people-friendly, sustainable and liveable cities, that inter-link urban with transportation planning;
  • improving the de-carbonisation of road transport, with the associated improvements on air quality;
  • encouraging more sustainable modes of travel, including walking, cycling and taking public transport, with the health benefits these can also bring;
Connect with Alan

Dr Marcus Young PhD

Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Application of GIS methods and techniques to research relating to public transport and active travel.
  • Development of open source tools for transport planning applications, for example the Station Demand Forecasting Tool and the GB Traffic Data Explorer.
  • Rail demand modelling and appraisal with a focus on developing improved aggregate models to forecast demand for new railway stations.
Connect with Marcus

Mr Fraser McLeod

Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Transport
  • Freight logistics
Connect with Fraser

Mr Adrian Hickford

Senior Research Assistant

Research interests

  • Methods to assess future changes to national and regional infrastructure systems
  • Promoting use of active travel and sustainable transport and improvements to road safety
  • Sustainable distribution and freight
Connect with Adrian

Dr Andy Oakey BEng, PhD

Research Fellow
Connect with Andy

Dr Matt Grote

Research Fellow Transport & the Envirmt

Research interests

  • Mitigating road traffic impacts
  • Sustainable aviation
  • Practical modelling methods
Connect with Matt

Professor Tim Waters

Head of Department

Research interests

  • Wave propagation in structures
  • Vibration control
  • Vibration based structural health monitoring
Connect with Tim

Professor Toni Martinez Sykora

Professor

Research interests

  • Optimisation and Combinatorial Optimisation 
  • Cutting and packing problems
  • Transportation and vehicle routing problems
Connect with Toni

Professor James Scanlan

Professor of Design
Connect with James

Dr Mehmet Erbil

Principal UAV Engineer Soton UAV THU
Connect with Mehmet

Dr Bob Entwistle

Principal Enterprise Fellow Soton UAV
Connect with Bob

Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups

Research outputs