‘Millions of jobs at risk from AI’ shrieks the newspaper headline. But, if you look at the online calendars of UK transport planners today, everyone is hard at work: serving clients, undertaking modelling and analysis, designing schemes and writing reports in much the same way as we have been for the last 15 years. 

So, who is right? Will AI lead to more transport planners receiving their P45s, or will we be alright? Let’s look at where we spend our time as transport planners, to see where AI might start to impact our work.

Computers are incredibly good at pulling data quickly and making sense of it. For example, finding the relevant policy documents from a council website is currently a laborious job often given to a junior transport planner.

Using some AI, we have found it possible to clean up this data, to make identifying and summarising these documents a breeze. Or [searching online for] local bus services: technology can definitely help us with this sort of work.

Meanwhile, drafting reports such as transport assessments, local transport plans or business cases – particularly where there is a set structure and clear requirements – is also well-suited to AI.

Pulling insights out of this analysis and modelling is not yet as good as an experienced human, but the technology is getting better every day. And, of course, speeding up the [overall] review is another promising area.

This type of work, which can be incredibly time-consuming, and (whisper it) not always that enjoyable, is where AI has a lot of potential to save you time. That time saved can then be redeployed into the more valuable types of work where you, as a human, have the edge.

Main image: Shot of SchemeFlow in action; credit: SchemeFlow

Humans still possess the creative edge

Some AI tools are starting to help with creative problem-solving in transport planning. For example, US company TestFit offers a brilliant tool that will automatically optimise car parking layouts based on the shape of the land available.

But even the most advanced AI is nowhere close to an experienced professional at solving access at a tricky site or working out a masterful strategy to overcome planning objections.

Finally, there are the most human parts of your job: giving expert trusted advice to your clients and supporting them with their toughest problems and persuading people of your case, be they local residents, planning officers or an inspector at a planning inquiry.

There is a whole world of expert work in transport planning, where it is hard to see AI taking over anytime soon.

Personally, I see a [human] future with more creative problem-solving, and expert advice to clients and less time spent doing boring data collection, analysis and report-drafting. Focusing on the things you went into transport planning for in the first place. Perhaps the age of AI isn’t looking so bad for transport planners after all.
 
Andrew Browning was former chief of staff to West Midlands mayor Andy Street and was in conversation with John Challen.

CIHT will be discussing the power of data and social inclusion at our next Masterclass on 21 March.