Austroads: Transport Research and Trends

The transport sector, particularly in road network operations and management, is experiencing a period of significant and rapid change globally. This disruption is directly affecting how people and industry access, navigate and use transport and road networks. Expectations around transport, travel needs and user behaviour are shifting.

More broadly, these changes are contributing to the growing momentum to improve how we live and work, and how our cities function and evolve. As a result, the capabilities needed to manage and operate transport networks are also changing quickly.

The changes within the sector can be grouped into five key areas:

• network safety
• technological advancements
• environmental sustainability and climate change
• shifting network demands
• evolving customer and stakeholder expectations

In response, Austroads has commissioned the Road Manager Operations Capability Framework, supported by a research report. Together, these outline how road managers can effectively respond to emerging trends in transport operations.

The framework identifies four core capabilities: communication, stakeholder engagement, leadership and change management. It also outlines four operational capabilities: network management, incident and event management, system management, and data and insights. Each capability is supported by a set of skills mapped against a proficiency matrix.

The webinar, presented by Richard Boggon and Thomas D’Arcy, explores the trends shaping the future of road network operations. It also provides a detailed overview of the capability framework, the skills and proficiencies it defines, and how it can be applied and adopted within the sector.

This webinar provided an overview of the Austroads Report, ‘LED Lighting in Road Tunnels – Best Practice Approaches’ which summarises the process undertaken to explore tunnel lighting upgrades to LED, and provides best practice guidance for tunnel owners and operators considering the transition to more efficient lighting systems.

Many existing tunnels currently use fluorescent or High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lighting, and there is a growing opportunity to replace or retrofit these with more efficient light emitting diode (LED) equivalents. While LED luminaires generally boasts higher efficacy than fluorescent and HPS equivalents, lighting upgrade projects can present major technical and cost challenges.

Drawing on stakeholder consultations and a literature review, this webinar discussed current practices, common challenges, and practical considerations for planning and delivering lighting upgrades. Presenters used local case studies and project experiences to provide recommendations to support informed decision-making throughout the project lifecycle for future projects and also answered attendee questions at the end of the seminar.

As jurisdictions across Australia and New Zealand increasingly rely on data to improve road safety, transport efficiency, and sustainability, Austroads’ Telematics Analytics Platform (TAP) is at the forefront, providing road agencies data to make better-informed decisions.

Managed by Austroads, TAP provides secure, online access to aggregated and anonymised telematics data from vehicles enrolled in the National Telematics Framework schemes. It offers invaluable insights into vehicle movements, road usage, and infrastructure performance, enabling local agencies to optimise their strategies and operations.

This webinar focused on the benefits of using telematics data for local asset management and transport planning – particularly with regard to restricted access heavy vehicles. Presenters spoke about how local transport managers harness data from TAP to drive improvements in infrastructure management, land use and urban planning, road safety, and transport efficiency.

What was covered:

• What data is included, and what the data represents
• How local road managers are using TAP to enhance road safety, optimise decision-making, and improve road network performance
• Key benefits of integrating telematics data into local transport planning and asset management

Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) systems, such as eCall, automatically notifies emergency services in the event of a crash, transmitting key data such as the location, time and severity of the incident. The primary purpose of ACN is to aid faster response time to crashes, increasing the likelihood of occupants surviving a crash. While ACN technology is becoming increasingly common in new vehicles and personal devices like smartphones and smartwatches, Australia and New Zealand face challenges in its adoption.

As part of the project, a research report was developed, which provides a summary of the ACN services emerging in Australia and New Zealand, including their operation, benefits, market uptake, and high-level costs to implement. Approaches taken in other countries are also identified, to assess the applicability and potential implications of these approaches to Australia and New Zealand.

In this webinar, the presenters outlined project aims, methodology, key findings from the report and next steps. Drawing from lessons learned from preparing the report, international deployments and local stakeholder feedback, this webinar explored how ACN can be effectively implemented to maximise safety and economic benefits, and highlight key decisions around technology standardisation, investment in emergency response systems, and ensuring equitable access to the technology. Presenters also answered Q&A at the close of the session.

Are you looking for an opportunity to work with Austroads to help Australian and New Zealand transport agencies deliver efficient, reliable, and safe mobility to their customers?

This webinar introduced new projects lined up for the 2025-26 financial year. Consultants interested in tendering for Austroads projects will find this session beneficial.

The session covered the Austroads tendering process with presentations from Austroads program managers:

• Ross Guppy, Program Manager Transport Infrastructure
• Michael Nieuwesteeg, Program Manager Road Safety and Design
• Amy Naulls, Program Manager Transport Network Operations
• Joanne Vanselow, Program Manager Vehicles and Technology, and Environment and Sustainability

This webinar was moderated by Paul Davies, General Manager Research, Guidance and Practice.

In this webinar, MACA Chief Executive Helen Lindner and Professor Julie Brown discuss an Austroads project for Australia and New Zealand investigating specialty harnesses and vests. These products are sometimes used by children and young people with disabilities and medical conditions when travelling in motor vehicles.

The project aimed to improve knowledge and understanding of why these products are used, how people are accessing them, their compatibility with different vehicle types, and their design and safety. In the webinar, the presenters outline the project aims, methodology, key findings, expert safety recommendations and next steps.

Pedestrian safety is a critical concern worldwide, and some countries have been particularly successful. Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark have achieved 40-60 per cent reductions in pedestrian deaths over the last 20 years. Australia and New Zealand, however, lag and pedestrian safety is only marginally improving.

Achieving Australia and New Zealand’s vision for road safety, where no one is killed or seriously injured, will be challenging for pedestrian safety without a shift in our current approach. The Keeping People Safe When Walking: Stream 1 project found that comprehensive implementation of known interventions could reduce pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in Australia and New Zealand by 70-90 per cent. 

The webinar covered:

• pedestrian safety risk priorities
• priorities to improve the data needed to support investment in pedestrian safety
• strategies and interventions to progress Vision Zero for pedestrian safety

The purpose of the update to Guide to Road Design Part 1: Objectives of Road Design is to outline a proposed recommendation of amendments to the design domain and design exception process sections. The need for updating these sections is consistent with increasing industry challenges in designing and constructing road infrastructure in constrained environments or other various contexts, which make it impractical or impossible to adopt design solutions traditionally deemed as acceptable or normal practice.

Across Australia and New Zealand, many jurisdictions have their own guidelines in place to assist designers and practitioners in developing context sensitive design solutions, which may require the introduction of elements which depart from the design standards. These guidelines include processes for analysing risk and identifying risk mitigation strategies and are generally similar between jurisdictions.

In developing a proposed guideline for inclusion into Part 1, a systematic methodology was developed, planned and implemented which consisted of a literature review and stakeholder engagement.

The National Training Framework for Temporary Traffic Management has been operational since January 2024 and has been implemented by South Australia, Victoria, Northern Territory and Tasmania. The Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (AGTTM) provides comprehensive guidance for the planning, design, and implementation of safe and efficient temporary traffic management practices in Australia and New Zealand. Substantial revisions have been made within AGTTM Part 8 relating to the national harmonisation of training associated with temporary traffic management. The purpose of updated content within AGTTM Part 8 is to bring the guide in line with National Harmonisation of Temporary Traffic Management, which includes the National Training Framework.

AGTTM Part 8 has been reviewed and updated to reflect Austroads members' agreed operational policy position on the Training Framework, RTO Approval Framework and Prequalification Scheme. These processes comply with a harmonised approach to work, health and safety requirements, and relevant training and educational requirements. Additional changes have been made to reflect industry best practices, clarify content, and address terminology consistently. This webinar was presented by Point8’s Rosie Toohey and Peter Bilton.