Welcome to our monthly Austroads RoadWatch: Roundup for July
RoadWatch: Roundup
July 2023
Welcome to our monthly Austroads RoadWatch: Roundup for July. Discover our latest news, published reports, Guide updates, webinars and events.
Austroads' project to eliminate serious road trauma by 2050 has started its first stream
Austroads' project to eliminate serious road trauma by 2050 has started its first stream "Definition of Zero Harm and Current State Assessment".
Informed by jurisdictional expertise, Stream 1 will investigate and improve the definition of key terms, evaluate systemic and safety gaps and risks, and based on the results, develop a Zero Planning Framework for all Austroads jurisdictions. Stream 1 will be delivered by a specialist vision zero planning consultancy Lösningar led by Johan Strandroth, Jessica Truong, and Kenn Beer.
Gear up now for the 3G Shutdown
3G services in Australia are shutting down. Between December 2023 and September 2024, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will be closing their 3G networks to make room for new, faster networks. The 3G network shutdown will affect vital equipment and services and the road transport sector is urged to start their transition immediately.
“The shutdown will affect the large number of devices across the industry. Early transition and planning are crucial,” said Geoff Allan, Austroads Chief Executive. “We urge everyone to begin their migration process now as it may take months to complete, depending on the number of affected devices and the availability of installers”.
Austroads and Transport Certification Australia have partnered with key industry players and organisations and will run a webinar to provide high-level information on the impacts of the shutdown and what local government and transport industry need to do to prepare for the transition.
Monday 4 September 2023, 1pm AEST
Register for a free webinar presented by representatives from the Australian telcos involved in the shutdown.
Austroads continues to strengthen international collaboration with the UK Bridge Owners Forum
Austroads has been collaborating with the UK Bridge Owners Forum for over two years, sharing good practice, knowledge and expertise to gain the best outcomes for bridge infrastructure research in Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Ireland.
The UK Bridge Owners Forum brings together 20 member organisations in the UK and Ireland including Transport for London, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Transport Scotland, and the Welsh Government. The forum promotes co-operation, collaboration and partnership amongst bridge owners and managers from across the UK and Ireland. Working closely with the UK Roads Liaison Group Bridges Board, the forum facilitates the sharing of best practice in the design and management of bridges and identifies opportunities for research or improvement in practices.
“The interactions between Austroads and the UK Bridge Owners Forum have been invaluable in providing us an international perspective for our bridge research program, and the development of our guides," said Austroads' Transport Infrastructure Program Manager, Ross Guppy.
Jerome Carslake recognised with an Austroads achievement award
Austroads has recognised Jerome Carslake for his management of an important and complex project "Suicide in Road Transport" undertaken by the Road Safety and Design Program. Jerome' exceptional work in coordinating engagement with a vast range of stakeholders ensured the successful delivery of this sensitive project.
The project produced a report "Road Transport Suicide Prevention". The report is the first of its kind to be published by Austroads and takes a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the best measures to prevent suicide attempts on Australian and New Zealand roads.
Responsible reporting
Suicide and suicide prevention are legitimate topics of public interest; however, it is important to understand that communicating about suicide also has the potential to do harm. Proceed with caution when communicating about suicide attempts and deaths.
For advice about responsibly reporting on mental illness and suicide, view the Mindframe guidelines or contact mindframe@health.nsw.gov.au.
2023 Australasian Road Safety Conference early bird registrations close soon
The Australasian Road Safety Conference's early bird registration closes 31 July. The conference will host Australasia's leading road safety and injury prevention researches, practitioners and policy makers in Cairns, Queensland, from 19 to 21 September 2023.
Register for in-person attendance before 31 July 2023 and you will go in the draw to win a Return Skyrail Experience for two adults thanks to Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Or thanks to Sunlover Cruises you could win a Moore Reef Day Tour for two adults or a Fitzroy Island Day Tour for two adults.
Find out more at the conference website.
The conference program is shaping up. Dave Cliff, CEO of the Global Road Safety Partnership has been confirmed as the keynote speaker of the event. Three interactive workshops have also been lined up. These are:
- 'Emerging vehicle technologies supporting safe mobility of older Australians', presented by Professor Judith Charlton and Associate Professor Sjaan Koppel.
- 'Let's redesign our roads NOW', presented by Dr Robbie Napper and Dr Marilyn Johnson.
- 'A systems-thinking approach to road safety: policy position statement workshop', presented by Professor Paul Salmon and Martin Small.
NSW’s transition to Smart On-Board Mass for PBS mass monitoring webinar
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is transitioning from Interim On-Board Mass (OBM) management to Smart OBM. All Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicle operators with mass monitoring as a condition of access will need to transition to the more advanced telematics technology by 1 June 2024. Austroads and Transport Certification Australia (TCA) will host a webinar to provide an overview of the upcoming changes and how they will affect PBS drivers travelling to and within the state.
Webinar attendees will be taken through the steps required for signing up to Smart OBM or transitioning from Interim OBM to Smart OBM.
Presenters – Gavin Hill, General Manager of Strategy and Delivery at TCA, and Brett Graham, Senior Manager for Road Access at TfNSW – will also talk about the importance of Smart OBM for the road network and how mass data from Smart OBM is being used by road managers.
The session will be beneficial to PBS operators who operate their fleet in NSW or travel across the border, ASPs seeking information to update their customers and road authorities looking to better understand the use of Smart OBM data.
There will be question and answer opportunities during the session. No charge but registration is essential. Can’t make the live session? Register and we’ll send you a link to the recording.
Thursday 31 August 2023, 1pm AEST
Register to hear about the upcoming changes and how they will affect PBS drivers.
New dates and locations announced for NSW Movement and Place Framework course
Several new dates have been added to the popular NSW Movement and Place Framework training course, some in regional locations.
The one-day course, delivered as a workshop by the University of Technology Sydney, is designed for practitioners across state government, councils and consultants working in transport planning, land use planning, urban design, architecture and development.
The new dates are:
- 6 July in Parramatta
- 21 July in Milsons Point
- 10 August in Milsons Point
- 24 August in Parkes
- 8 September in Sydney CBD
- 21 September in Wagga Wagga
- 26 October in Newcastle
There is no charge for our webinars, but registration is essential. If you can’t make the live session, register and we will send you a link to the recording.
Evaluation and Reporting of Automated Vehicle Trials | Register
Thursday 3 August 2023, 1pm AEST
In this webinar you will learn about Austroads' new guidance for evaluation and reporting of automated vehicle trials. The guidance seeks to improve consistency as an enabler and contributor to improved knowledge sharing across jurisdictions.
National Harmonisation of Test Methods used in Asphalt Performance Specifications | Register
Monday 21 August 2023, 1pm AEST
This webinar will provide an overview of a recently completed Austroads project undertaken to harmonise test methods used in asphalt performance specifications. The project developed three new Austroads asphalt test methods and updated several existing methods for use in future performance-based specifications.
NSW’s Transition to Smart On-Board Mass for PBS Mass Monitoring | Register
Thursday 31 August 2023, 1pm AEST
Join this session to hear about the NSW's transition from Interim On-Board Mass (OBM) management to Smart OBM. The session will be beneficial to PBS operators who operate their fleet in NSW or travel across the border, application service provides seeking information to update their customers and road authorities looking to better understand the use of Smart OBM data.
Australia's 3G network Shutdown | Register
Monday 4 September 2023, 1pm AEST
Australian telcos are shutting down their 3G services in Australia between December 2023 and September 2024. This will affect vital equipment and services across the road transport sector. Join us for a webinar with key industry players and organisations who will provide high-level information on the impacts of the shutdown and and how local governments and the transport industry should prepare for the transition.
A National Approach to Measuring Non-Fatal Crash Outcomes: Stage 2 | Register
Tuesday 12 September 2023, 1pm AEST
Register for an overview of the outcomes of Stage 2 of an Austroads project commissioned to establish a system to report serious injury cases due to road crashes in a consistent way throughout Australia and over time.
Guide to Road Safety Update – Practical Approaches for Managing Regional Road Safety Priorities | Register
Wednesday 13 September 2023, 1pm AEST
This webinar will provide a background to and an overview of the project that gathered information on known effective road safety interventions for regional and remote areas. Join to learn how to effectively select, prioritise, implement and evaluate interventions to prevent road fatalities and serious injuries in regional and remote areas.
Update to the Guide to Road Design – Detailed Review of Supplements | Register
Thursday 5 October 2023, 1pm AEDT
In this session you will hear about the outcomes of a project that reviewed and classified material in the jurisdictional supplements to the Austroads Guide to Road Design to establish guidance that could be moved into the Guide. You will also learn about a cross-jurisdictional platform developed to minimise supplement content and harmonise material in the Guide.
Recent webinar recordings
Austroads tenders and project opportunities
- ABT6458 Review of the use of flexible thermoplastic pipes under roads. Closing Monday 31 July.
APT6183 Austroads asphalt performance specification. Closing Tuesday 15 August.
Current vacancies
We have open positions for:
- Programs Administrator (Sydney)
- Senior Technical Project Manager (Sydney)
- Road Safety Project Manager (Sydney or Melbourne)
- Technical Project Officer (Melbourne)
- Electronics Engineer (Melbourne)
BITRE research
BITRE's monthly bulletin contains current counts and summaries of road crash deaths and fatal road crashes in Australia. Data are sourced from the road traffic or police authorities in each jurisdiction.
You can also view monthly updated road safety statistics and an Australian Road Deaths Database.
Upcoming industry events
Event organisers are carefully reviewing their arrangements to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Please be aware that details may change at short notice.
ITS Australia Global Summit 2023, Melbourne, 28-31 August 2023
Australian Freight Industry Awards, Melbourne, 2 September 2023
ecologiQ Greener Infrastructure Conference, Melbourne, 18-20 September 2023
XXVIIth World Road Congress, Prague, 2-6 October 2023
Technology and Maintenance Conference, Melbourne, 16-18 October 2023
9th International Conference on Weigh-In-Motion (ICWIM9) and 17th International Symposium on Heavy Vehicle Transport and Technology joint international conference, Brisbane, 6-10 November 2023
