Austroads: Transport Research and Trends

Austroads has recently completed a project to review and propose improvements to the guidance on interrupted traffic flow theory contained within the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management (AGTM), Part 2 and Part 3. The updates will broaden practitioners’ understanding of interrupted traffic flow theory and enable them to manage congestion on road networks more effectively.

This webinar, presented by Mark Plattz and Emily Plath, will equip practitioners with the knowledge of the existing topics and emerging best practice in the assessment of simple and complex traffic scenarios in an Australasian context.

Presenters outline the work undertaken during the project and detail the proposed changes to Part 2 and Part 3 of the Guide to Traffic Management. The key areas that have been identified for development in AGTM Part 2 and Part 3 include bottlenecks, travel time reliability, roundabout theory, analysis of signalised intersections, active transportation and demand management, multi-modal considerations and traffic flow impacts of heavy vehicles.

The freight industry is critical to the Australian and New Zealand economies. It comprises road, rail, sea and air transportation including supporting services such as warehousing, storage, freight forwarding and customs brokerage for both domestic and international trade.

As the freight task grows and perceptions of its impact increases, governments face increased community pressure that can lead to restrictions on freight operations. This creates the need for communication campaigns towards the community on the significance and value of freight whilst understanding and addressing possible community concerns.

Austroads commissioned research on ‘Best-Practice Approaches to Road Freight and Communities’ to develop guidelines for best-practice strategies and supporting materials for national, state/territory and local road managers to communicate the importance of freight to the community.

In this webinar, held on 26 November 2020, Drew Gaynor, Anthony Fisk, Christina Chin and Jack Doyle present the key findings of the review, focusing on:

- The importance of the Social Licence to Operate concept.
- The development of the communications strategy encompassing the three levels of campaigns.
- The ‘toolkits’ developed to guide road managers on the necessary steps required to undertake a campaign and the communication tools to inform and engage with the community.

Flexible granular pavements protected by sprayed seal surfacings are the backbone of the Australian and New Zealand road networks. Road agencies in Australia and New Zealand have therefore been focused on producing quality, long-lasting sprayed seal surfacings. Such efforts include conducting research into bituminous binders as a key component of sprayed seals.

A landmark achievement in this area was the Austroads sprayed seal trial sites at Coober Pedy in South Australia and Cooma in New South Wales. These trials were established to evaluate the relative performance of seals constructed using various grades of binders, from their placement through to long-term service. This was a significant research investment made to ensure that the national specifications and test methods that are used for the procurement of sealing binders are contemporary and robust, and incorporate performance requirements to ensure that the bituminous binders that are being procured are of suitable quality and are not prone to premature ageing.

This webinar presents the outcomes of the Austroads research project which was conducted to monitor the performance of the trial sites up to about 8 years since construction. The project work includes comprehensive studies on the ageing properties of trial binders and their effects on the life of sprayed seal surfacings.

Presented by Young Choi and Steve Patrick.

Introducing automated vehicles could dramatically impact the Australian and New Zealand travelling public’s driving experience and the industry’s approach to road safety and road design. This journey will undoubtedly take many years and considerable efforts in partnerships, testing, certification, design and legislation. A growing range of vehicles already available in the market offer automated-steering functions enabled by Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS). Their performance depends on the vehicle’s technology and the environment where they are used. Greater consistency and quality in pavement markings will benefit not only automated vehicles but also all road users.

This webinar, presented on 21 October 2020 by Julien Marr, April Zhang, Scott Benjamin and John Wall, focuses on the outcomes of the Austroads research project, which was conducted to understand how longitudinal pavement markings affect automated steering functions and how existing design and maintenance practices could be improved.

Minimising the risk of roadside crashes is important in reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. The recently updated Part 6 of the Austroads Guide to Road Design includes a new method to determine the risk associated with roadside crashes and to identify where risk mitigation treatments are required on urban and rural road networks. The approach establishes a Network Roadside Risk Threshold (NRRIT) which consistently directs the locations for treatments within projects.

This webinar, presented by Peter Ellis and Rod Troutbeck on 6 October 2020, describes the procedure’s background in detail explaining the concepts and research behind it.

The presentation slides can be downloaded from the supporting documents tab after logging in.

This webinar, presented on 29 September by Graham Hobbs, Amy Naulls and James Smithers, focuses on the findings of Austroads’s report Optimising Project Delivery Performance that investigates the challenges and issues affecting the delivery of transport infrastructure projects and the consequential impacts on value for money, timeliness of delivery, agency and political reputation.

Report authors present insights from surveys and interviews conducted with 38 Australian and New Zealand industry experts who came from a range of organisations and roles and who have been involved in the delivery of transport infrastructure projects valued between $1m -$100m.

Presenters talks about the central themes that have emerged from the research and outline short, medium and long-term opportunities to be considered for improvement across the industry in Australia and New Zealand.

Minimising the risk of roadside crashes is important in reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. The recently updated Part 6 of the Austroads Guide to Road Design includes a new method to determine the risk associated with roadside crashes and to identify where risk mitigation treatments are required on urban and rural road networks. The approach establishes a Network Roadside Risk Threshold (NRRIT) which consistently directs the locations for treatments within projects.

This webinar is focused on user guidance, including the practical application of the new method. The webinar describes the new procedure for evaluating a rural road network, how policies will influence decisions and how the NRRIT can consistently delineate road sections where treatments are required.

The webinar also provides the basis of the procedure by using a simpler example so that participants can appreciate its broader application. The example demonstrates how risk graphs, based on contemporary knowledge, can be used to expedite the assessment procedure.

Presented by Peter Ellis and Rod Troutbeck.

Austroads commissioned a review of the heavy vehicle road access tools used in jurisdictions across Australia and New Zealand. Based on the review and a gap analysis, a decision making framework and resource repository have been proposed to help heavy vehicle operators and road asset owners make clear and consistent road access and compliance assessment decisions.

In this webinar, held on 20 August 2020, Drew Gaynor and Christina Chin present the key findings and recommendations of the review.

This webinar, presented by Richard Delplace and Thuan Nguyen on 18 August 2020, provides an overview of the Draft National Prequalification Scheme for Temporary Traffic Management (NPSTTM), which has been developed by Austroads in consultation with its member agencies represented on the Temporary Traffic Management Technical Reference Group (TTMTRG).

The NPSTTM document provides information on a proposed framework for companies wishing to become prequalified for temporary traffic management works. Prequalification is a mandatory requirement for all works managed by state and territory road authorities participating in the scheme. Local governments and other road infrastructure sector representatives may also adopt the scheme as part of their contracts.

Austroads is currently seeking comments on the NPSTTM and this webinar is an opportunity for industry representatives to learn more about the document before they submit their feedback on 28 August 2020.