Charting a Path to Zero: Applying Safe System in Road Infrastructure Planning, Design and Traffic Engineering

Overview Austroads Ltd is undertaking the project "Charting a Path to Zero: Applying Safe System in Road Infrastructure Planning, Design and Traffic Engineering", examining how the transformation to Safe System End States is reflected in the guidance, policy settings, assumptions, cultural norms, processes and practices that shape road infrastructure planning, design, traffic engineering, delivery, operation and maintenance across Australia and New Zealand. Purpose The purpose of this project is to map out how the transformation to Safe System End States is reflected in the guidance, policy settings, assumptions, cultural norms, processes and practices that shape road infrastructure planning, project pipeline development, design, traffic engineering, delivery, operation and maintenance across Australia and New Zealand. The project will consider Austroads guidance, jurisdictional supplements, member policies, and how guidance is interpreted, applied, or adapted in practice. While the project originated from concern about the application of Safe System in road design guidance, it recognises that many road network functions, operating assumptions and design outcomes are set well before detailed design. Strategic network planning, corridor planning, business case development, investment prioritisation and project pipeline planning can establish preferred options that may remain on the shelf for many years before investment occurs. These early decisions, together with commercial, professional, organisational and cultural settings, can strongly shape whether future projects are capable of delivering Safe System outcomes. Objectives The objective is to strengthen alignment between Safe System principles, Charting a Path to Zero, jurisdiction-defined Safe System End States, and the practical decisions that shape road infrastructure and traffic engineering outcomes. This includes identifying opportunities to strengthen Safe System application, understanding where traditional planning and design assumptions continue to influence future road corridor upgrades, and clarifying where genuine trade-offs require transparent consideration. Scope The scope of the project is to review the following, and identify where current guidance, policies, practices and decision pathways could be strengthened to align road infrastructure planning, project pipeline development, design and traffic engineering outcomes with Safe System principles and the Planning for Zero Framework, leading to a system that is designed to avoid death and serious injury: Austroads guidance and tools that influence road infrastructure planning, design, traffic engineering and road safety outcomes, including Austroads' Guide to Road Design, Guide to Traffic Management, Guide to Road Safety, jurisdictional supplements and notes, Road Safety Audit, Safe System Assessment and related assessment, assurance and decision-support tools used for road infrastructure planning, design, traffic engineering or Safe System outcomes Each jurisdiction's road infrastructure lifecycle: assumptions, policies, practices and decision pathways that shape strategic network planning, corridor planning, project pipeline development, business case development, concept design, design, traffic engineering, delivery, operation and maintenance The cultural, organisational and risk settings that influence how road design guidance is interpreted and applied, including where professional norms, perceived liability concerns, design exception processes, funding criteria or established practice may reinforce traditional design choices rather than Safe System outcomes This will support more consistent application of Safe System principles across jurisdictions and road contexts, taking into account jurisdiction-specific Safe System End States, by identifying how Safe System principles are integrated within the full road infrastructure planning lifecycle, from strategic network planning and pipeline development through to operation and maintenance, including where objectives reinforce one another, where trade-offs arise, and how those trade-offs should be addressed transparently. Any recommendations arising from this work should recognise the diverse contexts in which transport decisions are made. The project will produce a Technical Report, an Internal Report, and a Webinar. Primary users include Austroads task forces, guide custodians and technical reference groups, with downstream use by practitioners, consultants, road planners, designers, traffic engineers, project delivery teams, road operators, road maintainers, auditors and Safe System Assessment users. Deliverables Technical Report or Research Report summarising findings, gap analysis, member practice, consultation findings (one or more reports, structured by workstream or consolidated as agreed with Austroads) Internal report including recommendations for Austroads guide custodians on changes to guidance and tools, support for practitioners to adapt revised guidance, and change management requirements, with appendices including guide-ready text updates where required (an internal report or consolidated internal advice, structured by workstream as agreed with Austroads) Webinar to support dissemination and adoption (one or more webinars or dissemination products, as agreed with Austroads)