Austroads: Transport Research and Trends

This webinar provided an overview of the Austroads’ report, Keeping People Safe When Walking – Stream 2: Economic Assessment of Safer Speeds, completed as part of the Keeping People Safe When Walking program. The assessment applies a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) approach, which estimates and compares the costs and benefits for society from 12 different hypothetical speed limit reductions in a variety of (mostly urban) contexts. Emerging economic techniques were applied to value, in dollar terms, the benefits of reduced speed limits for society from reduced road trauma and improved pedestrian mobility. This was weighed against productivity-related costs from increased travel time. The assessment builds a framework and evidence to support road managers looking to assess speed limit changes.

In this webinar, attendees heard about:

• how speed limit reductions can be assessed using a cost-benefit analysis framework
• why it appears there is a strong case for safer speed limits as a key pedestrian safety intervention
• the key drivers of this result and areas where further evidence would add value for future policy reform assessments.

This webinar was presented by Anna Wilson. The Q+A was moderated by Phil Harbutt.

This webinar introduces the Travel to School Guideline, developed to support the planning and delivery 
of safe, active travel for students. 

The guideline promotes integrated, evidence-based approaches that prioritise children’s mobility, health, 
and safety within transport and land-use planning.

It provides a practical framework for planning both new and existing schools, drawing on best-practice principles, policy guidance, and implementation tools suitable for a range of school environments.

During the webinar, we explore key elements of the guideline, including:

* Integrated planning – coordinating land use, school siting, and transport infrastructure to reduce reliance on car travel.

* Collaboration – working across government, schools, and communities to achieve successful outcomes.

* Integrated solutions – combining infrastructure improvements with travel behaviour change initiatives.

* Community-informed planning– a model to ensure local knowledge shapes context-appropriate solutions.

* Case studies, tools, and resources to support implementation and evaluation.

The guideline is supported by two research reports covering the principles and best-practice evidence behind the guidance

Concrete is the most widely used material in transport infrastructure, and one of the largest sources of embodied carbon in road and rail projects. Because these emissions are locked in at the point of construction, reducing emissions from concrete represents one of the most immediate and significant opportunities for transport agencies working toward net zero across Australia and New Zealand.

In this webinar, presenters discussed the new national guidance from Austroads, outlining practical, evidence-based pathways to lower embodied carbon while maintaining safety, durability and long-term performance. Drawing on case studies from across both countries, the session demonstrated how lower-carbon concrete is already being delivered, often in the industry.

The webinar also explored the staged roadmap for action, opportunities within existing standards and the proposed coordinated national approach to support consistent adoption and innovation across the transport sector.

The webinar was presented by Philip Vimpani, Sachinthani Karunarathna and Miles Dacre, with the Q+A moderated by Ben van Zanten.

The Austroads 2025 Environment and Sustainability Initiatives Stocktake examines how member agencies are developing and embedding sustainable practices across their organisations. The Stocktake included reviews of environment and sustainability strategies, policies, and practices related to transport assets, systems, and services, focusing on three key themes: overarching sustainability, biodiversity, and heritage.

Building on the 2023 and 2024 Stocktakes, the 2025 analysis offers deeper insights into the progress member organisations are making in integrating sustainability into their operations. Data was collected through a comprehensive survey and validated through focus group sessions. Agencies also completed a maturity self-assessment to reflect on their sustainability integration journey, helping inform the development of case studies showcasing best practice across Australia and New Zealand. Maturity indicators were created for each theme to support organisations in evaluating their current position and identifying opportunities for improvement.

The Stocktake also includes an international scan, reviewing policies and strategies from global counterparts, along with a detailed assessment of the policy, regulatory, and procedural landscape in Australia and New Zealand. This provides a clearer understanding of the complex environment influencing agencies’ ability to shape and implement sustainable outcomes.

During the webinar, we share the key findings from the 2025 Stocktake, highlight major trends and challenges, and explore the initiatives member organisations are undertaking to advance sustainability across the transport sector.

As electric vehicle (EV) uptake increases across Australia and New Zealand, there are new risks and operational impacts of EV incidents, and amended incident response practices are needed.

This webinar presents the Austroads framework from the project NEG6523 on EV incident response.

Watch to gain the evidence, tools and coordination insights to support forward planning and implementation for EV incident response, to reduce risk and improve safety and network resilience, including:

1. A clear view of how EV fires differ from combustion engine vehicle fires, including thermal runaway and hazards, including off-gassing and secondary ignition.
2. Practical steps in a 5-stage incident response process, from planning to recovery, aligned with Austroads’ traffic incident management guidance.
3. Lessons from international case studies showing effective on-road responses and their local relevance.
4. 17 practical recommendations to reduce risk and improve safety and network resilience from consistent EV incident management across jurisdictions.

This webinar is presented by Dr Eleanor Short, Emma Sutcliffe and Will Fooks.

Road agencies on behalf of governments in Australia and New Zealand are increasingly supporting the use of Large Freight Vehicles (LFVs) to deliver the growing freight task more productively, sustainably and safely.

The Austroads project Design for Large Freight Vehicles (NEF6394) aims to develop harmonised, best-practice road design requirements for modern and emerging LFVs for all new road and road upgrade projects along heavy vehicle routes.

This webinar discusses the first component required for this project: helping develop support for updating the guidelines and providing recommendations on where the Austroads Guidelines may need updating. It also details the potential next steps required in this process.

This webinar is presented by Sam Potts, Steve McKenna and Ryan Miller.

A recent Austroads research project has examined opportunities to improve the design guidelines for thin asphalt–surfaced unbound granular pavements, with a focus on their susceptibility to asphalt fatigue distress.

This webinar presents the key outcomes of the project, including insights drawn from the analysis of road network data to assess the relative performance of thin asphalt surfacing treatments. It will also discuss the methodology and findings of a shift‑factor calibration approach developed, highlighting its implications for pavement design and the prediction of thin asphalt surfacing performance.

In addition, the session introduces a practical framework for establishing project-level curvature limits to mitigate the risk of premature fatigue cracking.

Overall, the project findings provide improved guidance for material selection, design, and construction of thin asphalt-surfaced granular pavements. This webinar will be of particular interest to pavement engineers, asset managers, designers, and professionals involved in planning and delivering road rehabilitation programs.

Road safety is a team sport – a marathon, not a sprint. The greatest gains occur when many elements synthesise and successes are shared. This webinar draws on experience across more than 140 countries, working alongside partners from every road safety ‘walk of life’ – including governments, development banks, industry, mobility clubs, and NGOs – united by an ambitious goal: a world free of high-risk roads, despite a crisis that claims more than 3,000 lives each day.

From advocacy at the United Nations, to aligning diverse stakeholders around common objectives, to collaborating with communities at the roadside in low- and middle-income countries, the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) and its partners are helping make safer journeys a reality.

In this session, Judy Williams, winner of the ACRS Women in Road Safety Award presented by Austroads at the 2025 Australasian Road Safety Conference, examined how a clear vision, strategic partnerships, and active community engagement create the conditions for meaningful and lasting road safety progress, and why communicating success matters as much as delivering it. It explored how connection brings clarity and impact: bringing the right people together at the right time with leadership and evidence; building capacity to deliver strategic implementation plans; unlocking investment and partnership opportunities; and learning through evaluation.

Using practical tools such as the Elements Wheel and SWOT thinking, Judy showed how progress doesn’t require doing everything at once, but through understanding which levers to pull and when, harnessing the power of many through community-building, mentoring, and partnerships.

Finally, the webinar highlighted the importance of making success visible. By sharing outcomes through human stories, compelling narratives, data, imagery, and effective communication, we can inform, persuade, inspire, and accelerate change. Progress comes from showing up, staying connected, learning from setbacks, and never giving up.

Discover the latest findings from the Austroads Review of Pedestrian Planning Guidance. Join moderator Mary Haverland (Avandra) and presenters Tim Judd (PJA) and Prue Oswin (Sidelines Traffic) as they share practical strategies for safer, more inclusive pedestrian infrastructure. Learn about a Universal Design and the Safe System approach to ensuring a safe pedestrian environment that accommodates all ages and abilities, with real-world case studies and actionable recommendations. We’ll foreshadow updates to the Austroads Guides and provide clear steps you can apply now. You’ll see how Safe System–aligned crossing treatments and Universal Design translate into practical decisions across suburban and regional contexts. The session includes a live Q&A and links to take-away resources you can use on your next project.

Speed is a significant contributor to road trauma, influencing both the likelihood of a crash, and also the severity of crash outcomes, regardless of the cause. Austroads is updating the Guide to Road Safety Part 3: Safe Speeds (AGRS Part 3) with the latest evidence and best practice in speed management. This webinar provides an overview of the new content in this interim Guide update.

Speed management is a rapidly evolving policy area, and Austroads continues to conduct research and assess the latest approaches to the topic. Work has already commenced to identify gaps in knowledge for the next update of the Guide, expected for release in 2026. This includes the recent publication of a new report titled ‘Review of Speed Management Evidence and Guidance’ (AP-T385-25). This report presents the findings of a literature review and engagement with stakeholders to identify and address key gaps in current guidance. The findings from this review are discussed in this webinar, including how these will inform the updated structure and content of AGRS Part 3.