#74 Network Safety Plan (pt 3.2)

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The current short series of briefs explores key Network Safety Plan (NSP) principles and components. Having looked last week at the Safe System and associated network-wide approaches (brief #73), this week summarises Movement and Place for road categorisation within the NSP approach.

Movement and Place within the NSP

Movement and Place is recognised as a key component of NSP. Austroads (2026) defines Movement and Place as:

A framework to identify the function of every road and street based on the level of mobility and place (access) they provide.

The NSP is described as a strategic method within which a Movement and Place framework represents a tactical element, as seen conceptually in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Network Safety Plans through a conceptual lens (Source: Austroads, 2026)

The Movement and Place framework represents a holistic, long-term planning approach that is compatible with Safe System principles. Movement and Place is also noted as a ‘cross-cutting principle’ involving multiple practice areas. A concept as well as a defined approach, ‘movement’ emphasises operation and efficiency of the transport network (people and goods), while ‘place’ focuses on the role of roads and streets as public spaces in which transport and mobility is only one of many considerations.

Additionally, Austroads emphasises the dynamic nature of a NSP, which necessitates regular review and updates to maintain relevance and effectiveness. As such, application of Movement and Place within the NSP should also be able to be adaptive and responsive to the needs of the broader network as well as specific places, links and corridors. For a simple visualisation, the Movement and Place framework is reproduced conceptually from Austroads (2020, p.6) in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Movement and Place framework (Source: Austroads, 2020)

Key references

Many Austroads publications, including guides and research reports, are relevant to various aspects of NSP design and integration with Movement and Place frameworks. Without listing all of these, the key references for information presented here include:

Austroads (2020). Network Design for Road Safety (Stereotypes for Cross Sections and Intersections) User Guide. AP-R619-20. Sydney, Austroads. https://austroads.gov.au/publications/road-design/ap-r619-20

Austroads (2026). Guide to Road Safety Part 7: Road Safety Strategy and Management. AGRS07-26. Sydney, Austroads. https://austroads.gov.au/publications/road-safety/agrs07