Strategy

#66 Local Street Management (pt 3) - LATM Study scope and objectives

The third entry in the current series on Local Area Traffic Management (LATM), as informed by the AGTM Part 8: Local Street Management [1], outlines Stage 2 of the LATM process, which is to define the study scope and objectives. The key tasks for Stage 2 are identified in the Guide as including: Define and collect required data Identify problems Identify potential solutions Define and confirm objectives The specific objectives should reflect the issues and problems that are

2 days ago2 min read

#65 Local Street Management (pt 2) - Initiating LATM

Our previous brief introduced the principles and planning processes of Local Area Traffic Management (LATM), as informed by the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management Part 8: Local Street Management [1]. As noted, the main objective of LATM is to encourage appropriate driver behaviour for local streets, promoting safety, amenity and sense of place through low speeds and management of traffic volumes. Consistent with other concepts such as Network Safety Plans and Movement and

May 43 min read

#64 Local Street Management (pt 1) - Overview

Local Street Management, also referred to as Local Area Traffic Management (LATM), is informed in large part by the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management Part 8[1]. The Part 8 Guide is intended to inform government and industry planners and engineers on best practice design, development and management of local area residential streets and related infrastructure. The current brief provides an introduction and overview of the Austroads Guide Part 8, with specific components of

Apr 272 min read

#62 Environmental impacts of lower speed limits

The benefits of lower vehicle speeds are regularly reported in terms of safety, particularly for vulnerable road users, where the relationship between impact speed (velocity) and survivability is generally well-established, as noted previously . Less often reported are the environmental impacts of lower speeds, including reduced vehicle emissions and fuel consumption, which may be expected in many cases where speed reduction measures are implemented. With research on this top

Apr 132 min read

#60 Road Safety Audit Harmonisation

Austroads recently released a new Research Report[1] (AP-R747-26) detailing the proposed implementation of national harmonisation of road safety audit (RSA) practices. The report describes a ‘Breakeven analysis’ approach to evaluating RSA benefits, rather than a more traditional cost-benefit analysis. This is due to a reported lack of published research on the ‘relationship between road safety audit quality and outcomes (including crash risk and construction efficiency)’. Au

Mar 233 min read

#59 Self-explaining Roads

Self-explaining (or self-enforcing) roads were noted in our recent brief (#58) as an integral part of Network Safety Plans. The concept of self-explaining roads (SER) is not a new one, with European researchers clearly articulating the need to design roads which align with driver expectations since the 1980s. As described by Theeuwes (1995): The so-called “Self-Explaining Road” (SER) is a traffic environment which elicits safe behavior simply by its design. [1] Early researc

Mar 162 min read

#58 Network Safety Plan (Part 2)

As reported in our previous brief on the topic, a Network Safety Plan (NSP) is a strategic plan to reduce crash risk across a network by prioritising investment in safety infrastructure and related measures. The current brief expands upon the previous entry with further details about NSP foundations, integration with related strategies and approaches, and anticipated benefits. NSPs are based on Safe System and Movement and Place principles, and consistency in applied standar

Mar 22 min read

#56 Federal Black Spot program and Safe System alignment

Our brief last week summarised key elements of the Australian Government’s Black Spot Program , which provides funding of up to $3 million for infrastructure and related treatments at sites with high crash risk. Here we extend on that topic to outline the program’s alignment with Safe System principles and practice. Having been central to Australian road safety strategies and action plans in recent decades, many readers will be familiar with the key Safe System pillars, incl

Feb 162 min read

#55 Federal Black Spot program summary

The Australian Government’s Black Spot Program provides funding for road infrastructure and related treatments at sites with a demonstrably high risk of serious crashes. Two main types of projects are covered under the program, including reactive and proactive projects. Reactive projects target sites with a known history of serious crashes, while proactive projects target sites where high risk is identified through a Road Safety Audit (or other risk assessment methodology)

Feb 92 min read

#54 Roadside Rubbish and Related Reflections

When we think of ‘taking out the trash’, most of us don’t consider loading it into our car and driving out to illegally dispose of it on an unsuspecting rural or suburban road shoulder. However, despite providing a novel habitat for limited small fauna[1], this is a persistent problem on Australian roads and roadsides, with potentially devastating outcomes in some cases. Source: https://www.vic.gov.au/forests-are-no-place-dumped-rubbish Identification and impacts “Litter”, ac

Feb 22 min read

#52 Effects of extreme heat on pavement

As reported in a previous brief , Australia faces the likelihood of more frequent and destructive extreme weather events in the coming decades. While the impacts of floods and storms on transport infrastructure are generally known and sometimes quantified, and future scenarios are predicted, the specific effects of extreme heat on pavement integrity are less often reported. This is relevant because extreme heat impacts pavement integrity without the additional destructive eff

Jan 122 min read

#48 Extreme weather events: Cost and resilience

Australia faces the likelihood of more frequent and destructive extreme weather events in the coming decades due to climate change. In terms of damage to infrastructure from such events, roads tend to be hit hardest, impacting road users, communities, industry and all levels of government. Acknowledging the impacts of floods in eastern States in 2021-22, a 2023 Parliamentary Inquiry into the issue reported estimated costs of road repairs and rebuilds of approximately $3.8 bil

Nov 24, 20252 min read

#47 Speed Limit Compliance

The relationship between vehicle speeds, crash risk, and injury severity is well known and is a key topic that continues to be examined heavily in road safety research. Generally, both crash risk and injury severity risk increase with higher speeds. This is a fundamental driver of various efforts to reduce speeds and speeding through a combination of engineering, enforcement, education and regulatory measures. The benefits of speed reduction measures may be crudely estimated

Nov 17, 20252 min read