RoadWatch: Roundup
March 2026
Welcome to our monthly Austroads RoadWatch: Roundup for March. Discover our latest news, published reports, Guide updates, webinars and events.
Austroads stocktake builds picture of sustainability, biodiversity and heritage practice in transport across Australia and New Zealand
Transport agencies face growing expectations to deliver infrastructure that is safe, reliable and resilient, while also responding to environmental pressures such as biodiversity loss and the need to protect and manage cultural heritage.
Austroads has released the Environment and Sustainability Initiatives Stocktake 2025–2027: Year 1, continuing and building on earlier work to provide deeper insight into how transport agencies across Australia and New Zealand are embedding sustainability practices across their operations and strategic frameworks.
Building on reporting from 2022 to 2024, this Stocktake marks a step change in the depth and breadth of coverage across sustainability, biodiversity and heritage. It forms part of a broader three‑year program that examines seven sustainability themes over time.
The Stocktake deepens its scope by examining how agencies are establishing sustainability governance arrangements, the actions being taken to protect and enhance ecological outcomes, and the ways in which both First Nations and non‑First Nations heritage values are being recognised and managed through transport planning, delivery and operations.
Joanne Vanselow, Austroads’ Environment & Sustainability Program Manager, said the Stocktake plays an important role in helping agencies understand how their work is evolving over time. “This update shows how the policy and strategic landscape is shaping sustainability practice across the transport sector, helping agencies reflect on their own maturity, and encouraging innovation and progress towards a more sustainable transport future.”
Environment and Sustainability Initiatives Stocktake 2025-27: Year 1
- Monday, 30 March 2026 | 1:00 pm AEDT
- Register here
Austroads updates Traffic Theory Guidance in Traffic Management Guide
Austroads has released an updated edition of its Guide to Traffic Management Part 2: Traffic Theory Concepts, strengthening the technical foundation available to practitioners working in traffic engineering.
Part 2 is one of 13 guides in the Guide to Traffic Management series. It provides the theoretical background needed to understand traffic behaviour and carry out the analyses that support effective traffic management plans and road design proposals.
The latest update includes a significant revision to the section on gap acceptance, ensuring practitioners have access to contemporary and rigorous analytical methods.
This edition also improves the documentation of gap‑acceptance analyses, adopts the Cowan headway distribution to provide more robust modelling, and updates references to align with contemporary guidelines.
New Austroads research strengthens guidance on working widths for concrete safety barriers
Austroads has released new research that updates recommended working widths for concrete road safety barriers, providing clearer guidance to support safer roadside and infrastructure design across Australia and New Zealand.
While existing working width values used by road agencies were found to be generally consistent across jurisdictions, the research re‑evaluates these values using evidence from international crash tests and computer simulations that examine how far vehicles move behind concrete barriers during a crash.
The research establishes revised recommended working widths for test levels TL‑3, TL‑4 and TL‑5 concrete barriers, with values varying according to barrier height and containment level. The recommendations account for the behaviour of heavy vehicles during impacts and include adjustments to reflect Australia’s maximum legal vehicle height.
The report also discusses the implications of working width selection in tunnels and lower speed environments, where vehicle behaviour and impact conditions differ from open road settings.
Jon Whelan appointed Chair of Austroads Board
Jon Whelan, Chief Executive of the South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport, has been appointed the new Chair of the Austroads Board.
Jon brings four decades of experience with South Australia’s Department for Infrastructure and Transport and is widely regarded for his commitment to improving transport outcomes for the community.
Jon succeeds Louise McCormick, who stepped down from the position to take up a new role as the Executive General Manager, Strategy Growth and Development at the Northern Territory’s Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet. Her departure marks the end of a historic tenure as the first woman to lead the Austroads Board.
Dr Allan acknowledged the outstanding contribution of the outgoing Chair, Louise McCormick. “I am excited to see what Louise does in the future,” he said. “She has had an immeasurably positive impact on Austroads, and we are very thankful for her leadership during her time as Chair.”
New national guidance helps transport agencies lower carbon while maintaining concrete performance
Austroads has released practical guidance to support transport agencies and industry in managing emissions associated with concrete used in road and rail projects, contributing to Australia and New Zealand’s transition to net zero while maintaining safety, durability and performance.
The guidance provides clear, practical pathways for agencies to reduce embodied carbon while maintaining long term asset performance. It supports informed decision making by clarifying opportunities within existing standards, strengthening the use of carbon data, improving understanding of performance outcomes, and encouraging collaboration across industry and supply chains.
“The guidance builds on work already underway across the sector. Reducing emissions from concrete represents one of the most immediate opportunities available to transport agencies. Concrete accounts for a large proportion of embodied emissions in transport projects, and meaningful reductions can be achieved using materials and practices that are already available in the market,” said Ross Guppy, Austroads Transport Infrastructure Program Manager.
Carbon Reduction and the Use of Low-Carbon Concrete
- Thursday, 23 April 2026 | 1:00 pm AEST
- Register here
Academic study seeks insights on grey and traditional fleet management
Austroads is sharing an opportunity to contribute to current academic research examining how organisations manage safety across grey fleet and traditional fleet vehicles.
Led by PhD candidate Zac Tucker (MAIC–Griffith University Road Safety Research Collaboration), the study explores differences in safety management practices for privately owned vehicles used for work compared with company‑provided vehicles, with the aim of building a clearer understanding of risks and informing future road safety efforts.
Individuals aged 18 or over who drive a privately owned or company‑provided light vehicle (under 4.5t) for work, or who manage such vehicles within their organisation, are invited to take part by completing a short anonymous survey or registering for a voluntary online interview.
Participation is entirely optional, and sharing this opportunity does not indicate Austroads’ endorsement of the research or its outcomes.
All upcoming Austroads webinars
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.
Environment and Sustainability Initiatives Stocktake 2025-27: Year 1 | Register
Monday 30 March 2026, 1 pm AEDT
Register for this webinar to discover the key findings, trends, and best‑practice initiatives from the Austroads 2025 Environment and Sustainability Initiatives Stocktake, revealing how transport agencies across Australia and New Zealand are embedding sustainability into their operations.
Updates to the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management in Edition 1.2 | Register
Tuesday 14 April 2026, 1 pm AEST
Join this webinar for a clear, practical walkthrough of the key updates in the latest Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (Edition 1.2) and what they mean for everyone involved in planning, approving, and delivering temporary traffic management across Australia and New Zealand.
Carbon Reduction and the Use of Low-Carbon Concrete | Register
Thursday 23 April 2026, 1 pm AEST
This webinar will show how transport agencies can immediately reduce embodied carbon in concrete by applying new national guidance, real‑world case studies and a staged roadmap that supports safe, durable and lower‑carbon outcomes across Australia and New Zealand.
Travel to School Guidelines | Register
Thursday 30 April 2026, 1 pm AEST
Register for this webinar to learn how the new Travel to School Guideline supports safe, active student travel through integrated planning, community collaboration, and practical tools backed by best‑practice evidence.
Keeping People Safe When Walking Stream 2 – Understanding Inequality in Pedestrian Safety Outcomes | Register
Thursday 7 May 2026, 1 pm AEST
This webinar will examine how safety outcomes for people walking varies by age, gender, geography and socio-economic circumstances, and the implications these varied risks present for road safety policy, planning and practice.
Keeping People Safe When Walking Stream 2 – Economic Assessment of Safer Speeds | Register
Thursday 14 May 2026, 12 pm AEST
Join this webinar to explore the cost‑benefit analysis of safer speed limits, uncover why lower speeds offer strong pedestrian safety benefits, and learn the key drivers and evidence shaping future policy reform.
Guideline for Driver Distraction Data Collection | Register
Monday 18 May 2026, 1 pm AEST
This webinar will explain the proposed framework for Driver Distraction Data Collection, an automated framework that can be included in any electronic crash report to determine if distraction is a potential causative factor in a crash.
Keeping People Safe When Walking Stream 2 – Strengthening Key Practitioner Guidance and Methodologies | Register
Thursday 21 May 2026, 3 pm AEST
Register for this webinar to explore key opportunities to improve pedestrian safety guidance. The presenters will discuss ways to strengthen a systems-based approach to pedestrian safety planning, intervention selection, and evaluation.
Work with us
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 currently have positions open for:
- Communications Officer
- Senior Engagement Lead – Digital Trust Service
- Head of Policy and Transition – Digital Trust Service
- Senior Technical Business Analyst
View current vacancies here.
Upcoming industry events
ANET Conference, 23 – 25 March, Brisbane
IPWEA Australasian Fleet Conference, 23 – 25 March, Melbourne
START26 National Conference, 26 – 27 March, Adelaide
ISC Connect, 1 – 3 June, Brisbane
Transport Conference 2026, 9 – 10 June, Cairns
