Transportation Planner

Working Schedule

• Transportation Planners work full-time, with overtime needed in some cases for meetings or shift work. Travel is often necessary for site visits. 

Typical Duties

• Discuss projected transportation route needs and problems with engineers and applicable stakeholders
• Perform research and review surveys to assess existing infrastructures and transportation systems 
• Assess the potential for improvements. Plan out proposals for new projects and renovations
• Review budgets and provide feasible cost estimates 
• Consider the potential impacts of project development on residential areas and the environment 
• Use traffic modeling software and geographic information systems to generate transportation flow pattern simulations and analyze congestion points
• Collaborate with engineers, including transportation modeling specialists, to analyze or resolve complex design issues and ensure compliance with regulations 
• Engage the public to gather feedback and share information through hearings, meetings, surveys, and other forms of communication
• Draft written plans, reports on findings, and permits 
• Stay on top of relevant policies related to land use and environmental impact

Additional Responsibilities

• Utilize pedestrian and vehicle traffic counting programs
• Speak on behalf of legal jurisdictions in relation to land development 
• Update boundary and roadway classification data, as needed

Soft Skills

• Analytical
• Budget-conscious 
• Coordinating and instructing activities
• Organizational skills
• Leadership
• Objectivity 
• Patient 
• Practical 
• Resourcefulness
• Sound judgment and decision-making
• Strong communication skills, including active listening and negotiation

Technical Skills

• Corridor planning
• Familiarity with safety and environmental issues related to land use
• Familiarity with traffic and transportation software such as CORSIM, VISSIM, Cube Voyager, and TransCAD
• Infrastructure analysis
• Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, calculus, geometry, and applied statistics
• Understanding of applied engineering science and technology related to goods and services production
• Understanding of transportation planning policies and applicable laws 

• Architectural companies
• Consulting services
• Department of Transportation
• Engineering firms
• Local and state government agencies

Transportation Planners often work on massive-scale projects that can impact millions of pedestrians, transportation users, local citizens, businesses, and the environment for decades to come. Suffice it to say, such projects must be thoroughly planned out in collaboration with numerous other team members, and all potential issues sorted before work begins. 

Garnering public feedback and concerns is critical, as is staying in compliance with applicable regulations and taking long-term environmental impacts into consideration. Not all projects will be popular, and some may even be controversial, leading to legal challenges. Thus, Transportation Planners should be expert communicators who can stay flexible and listen to the concerns of the public. 

The world’s getting more crowded quickly, with the population rising from 2.5 billion in 1950 to almost 8 billion in 2023. At the current pace, Earth could have 11.2 billion people living on it by 2100! With so many people working, driving, riding buses, parking cars, and flying in planes, Transportation Planners must strive to plan out corridors and other areas able to handle today’s needs as well as ones in the future.

State and federal pushes to lower greenhouse gas emissions are leading the transportation industry to seek ways to reduce vehicle traffic on the roadways. The idea of mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) is aimed at reducing the need for every individual to own a car, and states may try to incentivize users by creating MaaS lanes similar to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV or “carpool”) lanes. 

Transportation Planners work well on teams and are great communicators. These skills may have been honed through early school activities and involvement with extracurricular groups. They might have shown a general interest in design or architecture and the behind-the-scenes of how towns and cities function. Many have always been attuned to environmental issues and could have wanted to be involved with public works in a way that decreases harmful impacts on the planet.