Welcome to our monthly Austroads RoadWatch: Roundup for September
RoadWatch: Roundup
September 2023
Welcome to our monthly Austroads RoadWatch: Roundup for September. Discover our latest news, published reports, Guide updates, webinars and events.
Breakthrough report shows national road crash injury data is possible
Australia’s states and territories will publish AusRAP star ratings on all arterial roads by 2025, as part of a commitment to accelerate the use of AusRAP. The Austroads members approved a new AusRAP Strategy and Business Plan that commits to 12 targets that will support the national target of at least 80% of travel on 3-star or better roads by 2030.
AusRAP is the Australian Road Assessment Program. As the AusRAP lead, Austroads will coordinate and assist jurisdictions and local government to maximise the road safety trauma reduction in their management of, and investment in, Australian roads.
"As a mechanism to drive better safety outcomes, AusRAP will play a significant role in building a path to zero deaths and serious injuries. I am excited about working with road authorities and our AusRAP partners to build on the existing risk measurement and investment prioritisation efforts," said Michael Nieuwesteeg, Road Safety and Design Program Manager.
80% of travel on 3-star or better roads by 2030
New research by Austroads demonstrates it is possible to collect robust national data about injuries caused by road crashes, filling a crucial information gap in the work to reduce road trauma in Australia.
This is the first time data on this scale has been collected at a national level. The breakthrough report has shown that it is feasible to link crash data to hospital data and analyse serious road injuries using a consistent method.
“I am enormously proud of this accomplishment,” said Austroads Chief Executive, Geoff Allan. “This report will result in significant public good. and make the road a safer place.”
“The report is a huge achievement,” said Austroads Road Safety and Design Program Manager, Michael Nieuwesteeg. “This is the first time such comprehensive data on serious injuries has been available in Australia. This data is crucial to track our progress in achieving the National Road Safety Strategy goal of reducing these injuries by thirty per cent over the decade to 2030.”
Capability analysis quantifies skill gaps in transport agencies for the next decade
Skills gaps across the infrastructure industry have been compounded by the global pandemic, supply side factors and rising demand.
In the wake of these exacerbating factors, Austroads’ latest workforce capability project assessed the skill shortage facing Australia and New Zealand’s transport agencies over the next decade and explored ways to address them.
“With infrastructure investment in road construction and maintenance expected to continue across Australia and peak in New Zealand over the next few years, the insights and solutions contained in the capability analysis provide a clear picture of the realities of the industry, as well as a clear plan on how to address these skills and capability gaps in the workforce,” said Geoff Allan, Austroads Chief Executive.
New research recommends road and transport safety interventions for regional and remote areas
Austroads has published a new report outlining road and transport safety interventions that can reduce fatal and serious injury crashes in regional and remote areas.
The fatality rate for regional and remote areas is almost five times greater than the rate for major cities, and the prioritisation of effective road safety interventions for these areas is vital.
“While only a third of Australians live in remote or regional areas, two thirds of fatal crashes occur in these areas. This means that Australian road users living in these areas are at a far greater risk for road trauma than those who live in our major cities,” said Michael Nieuwesteeg, Road Safety and Design Program Manager at Austroads.
Austroads welcomes new project manager for Future Vehicles & Technology and Environment & Sustainability programs
Joanne Vanselow has joined Austroads to lead two programs: Environment & Sustainability and Future Vehicles & Technology, bringing with her years of experience working in future and safer vehicles.
Prior to joining Austroads in August, Joanne was employed by the Victorian Government’s Department of Transport and Planning, where she was a Senior Project and Policy Officer in the Safer Vehicles and Future Vehicle Technology Team in Road Safety Victoria.
During her time with the Victorian government, Joanne managed projects on vehicle safety data and connected and automated vehicle technology trials, with a particular focus on how vehicle technologies can reduce road trauma and how to ensure the benefits of technology are maximised on the road network.
“I am passionate about sustainable and safe transport,” said Joanne. “I am also very interested in how technology can be utilised to help us achieve our national targets of zero road-related deaths and net zero emissions by 2050.”
Before her time working in government, Joanne worked in various engineering product development roles at Ford and Holden.
Read more about Future Vehicles & Technology and Environment and Sustainability
Telematics data streamlines supply chain
The automated tracking of empty freight containers can improve turnaround times by more than 30 per cent.
A collaborative Victorian project, using data supplied by Transport Certification Australia (TCA), has demonstrated that empty container parks with high levels of automation are significantly more efficient than those that use paper forms to track vehicles.
“This is an excellent example of how TCA’s data and work results in tangible decisions by government and genuine improvements to the efficiency of one of our economy’s most important industries,” said John Gordon, Manager Strategic Development at TCA.
Updated sprayed sealing Work Tips to ensure safety, high productivity and low cost of pavement maintenance
Six updated Work Tips on sprayed sealing are now available for pavement engineers. The Work Tips provide most current guidance to ensure safety, high productivity, and low cost of maintenance of roads surfaced with sprayed seals.
Sprayed seals are an important component in the road system in Australia and New Zealand. Sprayed seals are an economical surfacing and are used effectively as treatments on roads carrying several thousand vehicles per day.
The updated Work Tips focus on selection of seals, planning of sprayed work, pre-spraying techniques, essential elements of the calibration process for bitumen sprayers and aggregate spreading equipment as well as construction practices during extreme hot weather.
Registration open for #RAPCommunity! Join at the iRAP Innovation Workshop in Prague
Don't miss your chance to register for the in-person 2023 iRAP Innovation Workshop in Prague from 5-6 October.
This year's workshop is being held in association with the XXViith World Road Congress. It will be a two-day event for registered delegates of the World Road Congress. Oresentations and discussions will explore innovations in road agency leadership, data, investment planning and finance that can be used to implement change and deliver on the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and the Paris Agreement.
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.
2023 National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey | Register
Tuesday 3 October 2023, 1pm AEDT
In this webinar, Cycling and Walking Australia and New Zealand will present the 2023 National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey covering its methodology and providing a high-level overview of the results. Presenters will also talk about how the data is used in different states.
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.
Physical Infrastructure to Support Connected and Automated Vehicles | Register
Wednesday 18 October 2023, 1pm AEDT
Come along to a webinar discussing the latest on connected and automated vehicles (CAV) and the pivotal role that interaction with physical infrastructure plays in their integration into our transport system. This webinar will help agency decision-makers preparing for future physical infrastructure CAV support practices.
Austroads Vehicle Classification Scheme – Heavy Vehicles | Register
Wednesday 25 October 2023, 1pm AEDT
Join us for the first session in a three-part webinar series detailing the changes to the Austroads vehicle classification scheme. This webinar starts off the series with a discussion of the scheme and heavy vehicles.
Austroads Vehicle Classification Scheme – Light Vehicles | Register
Thursday 2 November 2023, 1pm AEDT
Tune in for the second webinar in the three-part webinar series on the Austroads vehicle classification scheme. This session will cover the changes to light vehicles.
Austroads Vehicle Classification Scheme – Measuring Active Transport | Register
Thursday 9 November 2023, 1pm AEDT
Come along to the final webinar in the three-part series detailing the changes to the Austroads vehicle classification scheme. This final webinar will focuses on measuring active transport.
Recent webinar recordings
Austroads tenders and project opportunities
- NEG6445 Road manager operations capability. Closing 4pm AEDT, Wednesday 4 October 2023.
NEG6438 Transport network management guidance for flooding and wet weather events. Closing 4pm AEDT, Monday 25 September 2023.
Current vacancies
Austroads and Transport Certification Australia (TCA) employ staff across a range of specialised and technical disciplines. We pay attention to maintaining a safe and welcoming work environment, where all staff have equal access to opportunities. We encourage our staff to participate in external and internal training to make sure their skills and knowledge are continuously improved. We take inclusion and diversity seriously. We embrace difference and diversity of identity, experience and thought, and actively strive for inclusive behaviours across our company and our work.
We have open positions for:
- Program Lead AusRAP
- Business Support Analyst
- Strategic Initiatives Manager
- Road Safety Project Manager
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.
Australasian Road Safety Conference, Cairns, 19-21 September
XXVIIth World Road Congress, Prague, 2-6 October 2023
14th Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS) & Mayors' Forum, Brisbane, 11-13 October 2023.
Technology and Maintenance Conference, Melbourne, 16-18 October 2023
CICA National Conference, Exhibition & Crane Display, Perth, 26-28 October 2023
AfPA International Flexible Pavements Conference, Brisbane, 30 October - 1 November 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
