DrMichelle Zeibots

Michelle Zeibots is a transport planner, specialising in the analysis of sustainable urban passenger transport systems. Her research, consultancy work and teaching draws together operational, behavioural and governance features relating to multi-modal urban transport networks. Michelle is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology (FEIT) where she lectures in transportation planning & engineering. Michelle is also the CoLeader of Program 5 — Transport Economics, Planning & Service Engineering within the UTS Transport Research Centre, which is a multi-displinary, cross-faculty research hub within UTS dedicated to applied transport research, teaching and learning programs within a customer service paradigm.

Michelle combines her knowledge of more sustainable public and active (walking and cycling) transport models as a means of reducing road traffic congestion through her specialisation in induced traffic growth, having completed a PhD in the topic at the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at UTS. Michelle has since acted as an expert witness and expert referee, carried out empirical analysis and joint-authored reports for several Australian State and New Zealand Government agencies on this aspect of travel behaviour change. Her knowledge of the limitations of urban motorway development and induced traffic growth has been combined with practice-based research and development on Least Cost Planning approaches to enhance public transport operations through improved signaling, customer guidance and operational improvements which she teaches in the subject 48370 Road & Transport Engineering.

Michelle is regularly approached by television, newsprint and radio journalists to comment on transport policy and projects in NSW and other Australian states. She has been interviewed by high profile media interviewers and is often asked by journalists to explain technical concepts and assist them with background information on stories. She has a particular gift for translating technical concepts into relatable language and stories. She is mindful of the political context in which public discussion takes place — another reason journalists like to work with her — and this has enabled her to assist communities and local governments to make a case for sustainable active and public transport projects.