We’ve all seen it. The piece of infrastructure that looks perfect on paper, wins design awards, and yet… nobody uses it.
In my new book, Set Strategic Direction, I call this the “Ghost Bridge” problem.
Consider this scenario: A city council funds a multi-million dollar pedestrian and cycle bridge over a major highway. The engineering is flawless. The aesthetics are stunning. But three years after opening, usage is less than 10% of the forecast.
Why?
The objective was vague: “Improve active transport connectivity.”
Because the team focused on Output (building infrastructure) rather than Outcome (enabling journeys). On the north side, the bridge dumped cyclists into a muddy, unlit park with no connecting path to the main employment hub just 500 meters away.
The project solved a geometric problem (crossing the road) but failed the strategic problem (getting people to work).
The Missing Link: The Translation Layer
This happens because we often skip the most critical step in the planning lifecycle. We jump straight from Policy (the high-level ambition) to Delivery (the project brief), without addressing Strategic Direction.
In Set Strategic Direction, I break down the hierarchy you need to master to avoid building Ghost Bridges:
- Policy (The Why): The broad principles and high-level goals (e.g., “Net Zero by 2050”).
- Strategy (The How): The translation layer where we set clear objectives, priorities, and logic models.
- Delivery (The What): The projects, services, and operational plans.
A strategy without a clear direction is like a map without a destination. Without a clear line of sight from policy to projects, even well-resourced strategies fail to gain traction.
How to Fix It
To stop building ghosts, we need to improve the “Translation Layer”. We need to stop accepting vague objectives like “improve safety” or “increase access” and start crafting strategic intents that are measurable and logic-tested.
In my new book, I provide the specific tools to do this, including the Policy Breakdown Worksheet and the Transport Objective Builder.
If you are tired of projects that drift and strategies that gather dust, this guide was written for you.
Get your copy of Set Strategic Direction today
