Austroads: Transport Research and Trends

Addressing Head-on Conflicts Towards a Safe System Alignment Oct 31, 2024

Head-on crashes are a serious issue in Australia and New Zealand. Head-on crashes result in significantly higher trauma than most other crash types. The provision of an appropriate median or centreline treatment is important to mitigate the risk of head-on crashes.

In this webinar, Dr Rod Troutbeck, Jade Hogan and Jamie Robertson described the range of improvements from supportive treatments like pavement markings and audio-tactile line markings through to the use of flexible barriers in narrow medians as a primary treatment. The discussion and guidance centre on rural two-lane roads but also applicable to all roads. The recommended practices are based on both literature and case studies.

The presenters introduced the crash modification factors developed for the hierarchy of approaches to address head-on crashes and the case studies that support these factors. The optimum solution is to provide a median barrier, however other treatments may be appropriate in certain circumstances depending on considerations including road function, space or resource constraints, and access requirements. The designer should start with the option that has the greatest Safe System alignment. It will need to be demonstrated that this option is not feasible before investigating and selecting an option with lower Safe System alignment are prioritised and other alternatives must be given lower emphasis.

The presenters discussed the implications for road designers including the treatment’s applicability, effectiveness and dimensions. The maintenance considerations and implications for other road users, including sight distance requirements were also discussed.

National Harmonisation of Road Safety Audit Practices Oct 28, 2024

By applying road safety knowledge to road projects throughout their lifecycle, road safety audits provide greater confidence to road authorities that potential and actual road safety risks are identified and can be mitigated.

Road safety auditors are currently managed individually by state and territory road agencies, leading to variability in training, accreditation, registration, and continuing professional development requirements across Australia and New Zealand.

Austroads members are committed to improving the consistency and quality of road safety audit practices across Australia and New Zealand and have agreed to implement a national framework to manage road safety auditors and road safety audit training providers.

This webinar provided an overview of the national harmonisation project, including why it is needed, the anticipated benefits, what the national framework will look like, as well as project deliverables and timelines.

The webinar was presented by Michael Nieuwesteeg, Chris Koniditsiotis, Andrew Lee and Kellie Houlahan.

There were question and answer opportunities during the session.

Driver Distraction Roadmap: Implementation Guide Aug 22, 2024

The implementation of the National Roadmap on Driver Distraction is a commitment under Australia’s National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030. Austroads has released a guide for this work and is preparing two research and development projects for delivery over the next financial year.

The webinar presents the guide, the first projects being prepared, and encourage further discussion and ongoing engagement about this important road safety issue.

This webinar is presented by Matin Nabavi, Mike Regan and Martin Small.

Standards Australia – Bitumen and Related Materials for Roads (2022-24) Aug 20, 2024

The webinar provides an overview of an Austroads project which provided expert technical input into the revision of three Australian Standard test methods (AS 2341.4, AS 2341.15 and AS 2341.27) and three national specification documents (AS 2008, AS 2157, AS 1160) during the period between September 2022 and August 2024. It also includes the results of a laboratory study which investigated whether consistency at 25 °C tests (AS 2341.25) could be replaced by rotational viscosity at 25 °C tests (AS 2341.4) in the bituminous emulsion specification (AS 1160).

Demystifying Digital Drivers Licences and the Austroads Digital Trust Service Aug 12, 2024

As a longstanding authority in verifying drivers’ licences, Austroads is leading Australia’s development of world class solutions that safely and securely support driver licence verification.

As part of the transformative initiative to harmonise Mobile Drivers Licences (mDL) across all jurisdictions, Austroads is establishing a National Digital Trust Service (DTS) enabling mDLs to be securely verified anywhere, at any time.

The first stage of the project, a pre-production version of the DTS, will be powered by MATTR and deliver DTS capabilities that will have the ability to support multiple types of digital credentials. Based on the MATTR VII platform, the DTS will act as the root of trust for the mDL ecosystem across Australia, ensuring that mDLs can be verified regardless of the issuing jurisdiction or location by relying parties anywhere in the world.

This webinar gave an overview of mDLs and the Austroads DTS, presented by Christopher Goh, Austroads’ National Harmonisation Lead – Digital Identity, and representatives from MATTR – Luke McIntyre, Chief Product Officer, and Tobias Looker, Chief Technical Officer.

Policy and Other Non-Infrastructure Measures to Increase Active Transport Mode Share Jul 24, 2024

This is the final webinar in the three-part webinar series to present the outcomes of the Austroads project “Prioritising Active Transport”.

Presenters Dr Elliot Fishman and Andrew Somers focus on various policies and other non-infrastructure interventions that can be used to increase levels of active travel. These interventions include measures such as speed reduction, policies to integrate public transport with walking and cycling, pricing measures for motor vehicle use and parking and shared micromobility programs.

The session also covers how policy and other non-infrastructure interventions perform in terms of their impact on growing active transport mode share, in comparison to the cost and complexity of implementing these initiatives.

Infrastructure Interventions to Increase Active Transport – Most Effective Approaches Jul 23, 2024

This is the second session in a three-part webinar series to present the outcomes of the Austroads project “Prioritising Active Transport”. This webinar builds on the first webinar by focusing on the types of infrastructure interventions that can be used to increase active transport mode share.

Participants will gain an understanding of the effectiveness of these interventions and their suitability, depending on the geographical context (e.g. inner city, suburban, regional).

The webinar is presented by Dr Elliot Fishman and moderated by Andrew Somers.

Increasing Active Transport Mode Share Jul 23, 2024

This webinar was part one of a three-part webinar series to present the outcomes of the Austroads project 'Prioritising Active Transport'.

A wide range of Australian government agencies have a goal to increase the mode share for walking and cycling. Yet much of the data shows that active transport levels have stagnated over the last 15 years. This webinar presented data on Australian and overseas best-practice measures that can be implemented to grow the contribution of walking and cycling to transport systems across Australasia.

Participants learnt about the different categories of interventions that can be used to increase active transport mode share. They also learnt how a prioritisation framework can be used to select interventions that are the most impactful in boosting walking and cycling mode share, while also considering the cost and complexity of different interventions.

The webinar was presented by Dr Elliot Fishman and moderated by Andrew Somers.

Gender Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines Jul 11, 2024

Cities throughout the world are recognising many public spaces are not welcoming or inclusive, particularly for women, girls, gender diverse groups and vulnerable people.

This webinar, presented by Anna Chauvel and Richmond Henty, focuses on Canberra's first Gender Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines. The guidelines will help planners, engineers, architects, landscape designers and developers create urban spaces that reflect the needs, interests, and routines of the city’s diverse community, enriching people’s daily lives.

Developed following over two years of community and stakeholder engagement, the guidelines will aid with the design and delivery of public urban spaces as well as transport and infrastructure projects, including wayfinding. The guidelines are one of the actions to come out of the Second Action Plan 2020-22 of the ACT Women’s Plan.

The guidelines will deliver practical outcomes to the daily lives of women, girls, gender diverse and vulnerable people in Canberra improving their safety, access, mobility, health, and enjoyment in public spaces.

How to Design Better Cities for Women and Girls Jul 09, 2024

Safety is often the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about transport and city planning from a gender perspective, but feeling safe should be the baseline, not the benchmark when it comes to inclusive cities.

From Barcelona’s Superblocks to women’s cycling rates in Copenhagen, through to building women’s autonomy into the business case, this webinar’s presenter Estelle Grech shares key insights from her Churchill Fellowship where she travelled to 14 cities around the globe to research how to design cities for women in girls.

Updating Austroads Guide to Road Safety Parts 2 and 7 Jul 03, 2024

The Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 2: Safe Roads (AGRS Part 2) and Guide to Road Safety Part 7: Road Safety Strategy and Management (AGRS Part 7) have recently been updated.

AGRS Part 2 is designed to provide all levels of government across Australia and New Zealand with information on the role infrastructure plays in the Safe System. AGRS Part 2 presents guidance on the selection and implementation of infrastructure treatments to reduce road trauma and deliver a zero-harm future. These guidelines cover network risk assessment techniques and present a suite of infrastructure interventions (proven and emerging) that can be implemented to address the key road safety issues on our road networks: high-speed lane departures, intersections, and vulnerable road users. Interventions are categorised using a treatment hierarchy approach aligned with Safe System principles. The Guide contains practical, hands-on advice to help practitioners identify, prioritise, and deliver infrastructure interventions that are aligned with Safe System principles and the contemporary Zero Planning approach to road safety.

The AGRS Part 7 was expanded to include other network-wide concepts and processes, such as Network Safety Planning, Future State Modelling (backcasting) and Movement and Place Frameworks. It also identifies how the different parts/pillars of the Austroads Guide to Road Safety can be used to develop solutions that work towards network aspirations and significantly reduce serious road trauma.

This webinar, presented by Hafez Alavi and Paul Durdin, outlines the key changes to AGRS Part 2 and AGRS Part 7. The content includes examples from both guides that demonstrate how the updated guidance would be practically interpreted by practitioners to deliver treatment outcomes that are more aligned with the Safe System approach.

Austroads Coober Pedy Sprayed Seal Trial – 11-Year Inspection Findings Jun 25, 2024

A large proportion of the road networks in Australia and New Zealand consist of flexible granular pavements protected by sprayed sealing surfacings. An Austroads sprayed seal trial site was established in Coober Pedy in South Australia during 2011 to evaluate the relative performance of seals constructed with different grades of binders from their placement through to long‑term service. The site was constructed to predominantly compare the performance of different Austroads Technical Specification ATS 3110 polymer modified binder (PMB) grades when they were used in strain alleviating membrane (SAM) applications.

This webinar, presented by Steve Patrick and Dr Robert Urquhart, describes the findings obtained from an inspection of the trial site conducted 11 years after construction. The inspection included detailed visual assessments of the condition of each trial section by an expert team. Seal samples were also obtained from the trial sections so that binders could be extracted for rheological and chemical analysis tests. The test results obtained for the extracted binder samples have been used to gain insights into how the properties of the trial binders have changed over time.

The results of the visual assessment work indicated that all sections of the trial site were generally performing well after 11 years of service. Extracted binder sample tests indicated that all binders have become progressively harder over time. The control C170 bitumen section of the trial site has hardened more over time than the sections containing PMBs.

Local Government Readiness for Connected and Automated Vehicles Jun 24, 2024

This webinar is aimed at helping local governments (LGs) across Australia and New Zealand navigate the evolving landscape of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). As managers of a large portion of the road network, LGs play a pivotal role in shaping the future of transport.

This webinar provides an overview of an Austroads project that developed guidance to enhance LGs’ preparedness for CAV integration. The webinar explores ten critical areas essential for LGs seeking to prepare effectively, spanning legal considerations and infrastructure readiness as well as financial impacts and stakeholder engagement. The session will also outline the proposed actions to support current and near-term vehicles with human operators and longer-term, fully automated vehicles.

The webinar also covers a proposed LG CAV Preparedness Framework and an Inflection Point Monitoring tool developed to assist LGs with decision making amidst the evolving landscape of CAV adoption.

The webinar starts by presenting the results of the initial consultation exercise, giving context to the understanding of what LGs considered to be most useful and relevant for their needs. It will then run through an overview of the developed tools and resources.

The webinar is presented by David Yee and Andrew Somers.

Strategic Review of Road Design Guidance Apr 23, 2024

For decades, Austroads Guide to Road Design (AGRD) has served as a critical resource for practitioners involved in road planning, design and engineering. Austroads recently completed a strategic review of road design guidance, identifying strategies to sustainably maintain the AGRD as the pre-eminent road design guide in Australia and New Zealand.

Through an online survey and face-to-face interviews, the project team identified opinions and possible strategic actions from users of the AGRD, stakeholders in road design practice and international experts. This webinar describes what the review learned, and the nature of actions proposed to realise identified opportunities.

Webinar presenters, Andrew Somers and Dr Rod Troutbeck, report on the findings of the engagement with the AGRD’s users and non-users. Provided feedback identified that road design must be context-sensitive and Austroads’ road design guidance needs to cover the range of contexts and the application of judgement is a critical part of context-sensitive designs and solutions.

The presenters also explore how changes to structure and content might allow the AGRD to:

better cover urban environments
integrate guidance for planning and design
more effectively promote context-sensitive design practices
establish clearer links to supporting evidence.

Safe Active Streets – An Overview of WA's Pilot Program Apr 09, 2024

The Department of Transport Western Australia has been working with Western Australian local governments to develop, trial and evaluate ‘safe active streets’ to encourage more people to walk, wheel and ride in their communities.

The pilot program trialled and adapted common local area traffic management treatments to create 30 km/h environments with unique designs created that reflect local community needs and context.

This webinar explores the origins of the program, how and why it started, it will share high-level insights from the evaluation, including what worked, what didn’t and what was learnt along the way. It also shares ‘where to next’ for the program and how this work will be used to inform guidelines to support the delivery of safe active street infrastructure by local government into the future.

The webinar is presented by Caroline Elliott and Helen Ginbey, moderated by Sam Bolton.

This webinar is part of the Cycling and Walking Australia and New Zealand (CWANZ) webinar series. CWANZ is the Australasian lead reference group for walking and bike riding on transport and recreation networks. For further information please visit www.cwanz.com.au

Feasibility of Using Anti-stripping Additives as an Alternative to Hydrated Lime Apr 08, 2024

Moisture damage in asphalt (also known as stripping) can significantly reduce the durability and strength of asphalt pavements, often resulting in expensive repairs. Hydrated lime is widely used in Australia to reduce the moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixes in service; however, potentially more sustainable additives (such as liquid anti-stripping agents) are also widely used internationally to reduce the risk of moisture damage in asphalt pavements.

Austroads has completed a project that investigated the use of alternative anti-stripping additives (other than hydrated lime) to reduce the moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixes in service.

An interim laboratory assessment protocol was developed to assess the effectiveness of different anti-stripping additives.

This webinar with Joe Grobler, Dr Chrysoula Pandelidi and Sean Dorahy presents:

important factors affecting the moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixes
commonly used moisture susceptibility test methods
the main benefits and disadvantages of using hydrated lime or liquid anti-stripping agents
an interim Austroads laboratory assessment protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of different anti-stripping additives.

2023 National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey Apr 05, 2024

The National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey is a survey of the Australian community to understand their participation in walking and cycling. The survey has been run every two years since 2011.

Until 2019 the survey was managed by Austroads. In 2021, Cycling and Walking Australia and New Zealand (CWANZ) took over the coordination of the survey, adding walking to get a baseline on the level of participation for walking across Australia.

In this webinar, CWANZ presented the 2023 National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey, covered its methodology and provided a high-level overview of the results. Presenters also spoke about how the data is used in different states.

Speakers were Cameron Munro, CDM Research, Fiona Goodbody, Department of Transport, Western Australia and Dr Tepi Mclaughlin from University of Western Australia.

Validation of Superpave™ Method of Asphalt Compaction for Australasia Apr 04, 2024

Austroads has completed a project to replace the obsolete gyratory compactors used in design and quality control testing of asphalt mixes and update its Guide to Pavement Technology Part 4B: Asphalt.

Austroads asphalt mix design procedure currently relies on Gyropac compaction for volumetric mix design. The discontinuation of the Gyropac compactor has resulted in a significant gap in the Austroads asphalt mix design procedure and created a need for a replacement.

The Austroads Asphalt Research Technical Group has identified the Superpave™ gyratory compactor as the most likely replacement for this gap.

The project team undertook a comprehensive literature review and testing of asphalt mixes to understand the relationship between compaction in Gyropac, Servopac (setup to AS/NZS) and Superpave™ gyratory compactors to allow the adoption of the Superpave™ standard gyratory settings in the Austroads mix design procedure.

This webinar, presented by Dr Bevan Sullivan and Sean Dorahy, provided a detailed overview of the project, including the findings of the literature review and test data. There were question and answer opportunities during the session.

Update to the Guide to Bridge Technology Part 7 Mar 28, 2024

Austroads has completed its update of Section 3: Inspection, Testing, Monitoring and Reporting of the Guide to Bridge Technology Part 7: Maintenance and Management of Existing Bridges.

The project involved taking a fresh look at the inspection process to provide a flexible framework from which users of the Guide can develop and improve their own inspection processes.

The project team undertook an assessment of Australian and New Zealand jurisdictions, as well as some international organisations. The assessment included reviewing the processes and practices and the uses of inspection data collected at each inspection level. This was followed up with a workshop with each individual jurisdiction.

Practices varied across the jurisdictions from basic to advanced levels in terms of programming, data collection, and inspection processes. Similar observations were also made of the international practices assessed. The current practices were also assessed against the existing documentation to quantify gaps within the existing documentation.

With the current range of complexities in systems, data requirements and processes, coupled with the intention of some jurisdictions to change existing practices, it was concluded that a flexible approach is needed within the revised inspection framework to enable varying jurisdictional needs to be accommodated. The fundamentals such as defining inspection types, components and component numbering are documented as a single approach, whilst for other sections, a risk-based framework will be adopted to allow flexibility, such as in assigning inspection timings.

Key updates to the Guide include:

Condition rating vs defect mapping, allowing flexibility to adopt positions between the two processes.
Standardisation of bridge and culvert definition.
A ‘Rosetta stone’ of bridge componentisation, describing the nuances of the different jurisdictions.
Standardisation of component rating descriptors.
Reaffirming and refining inspection levels and inspection frequencies.
Audit, quality control and inspector training.

The webinar will be presented by Andy Ng and Paul Cannons.

Methodology for Comparing Dangerous Goods Risk in Road Tunnels to Those on Alternative Routes Mar 26, 2024

This webinar presents the work involved in developing a standardised comparative risk assessment method for assessing life safety risk of dangerous goods being routed through the tunnel or via an alternative surface route. The project was conceived to focus on new road tunnel projects, but the methodology developed could also be used for comparative assessment of alternative surface routes.

Dangerous goods are a wide variety of substances and objects that pose acute risks to people, property, and the environment due to their chemical or physical characteristics. The transport by road of such goods is necessary to achieve broad societal benefits, yet such transport has inherent risk of significant events adversely affecting people (road users, adjacent populations, and responders) and the environment.

The webinar describes the proposed methodology as well as providing a case study application of the methodology to aid practitioners. The session provides a summary of the legal context for undertaking such assessments and the responsibilities that lie with the various stakeholder parties. The authors also present the broader context in which the life safety assessment results should be considered and the other decision-making factors that should be applied.

The webinar is presented by Dr Conrad Stacey and Nigel Casey.

Driving Data Potential: Exploring the Country's Road Network in the Digital Atlas of Australia Mar 05, 2024

This webinar is hosted with the Digital Atlas of Australia Team and Geoscience Australia. In this session we explore how the Digital Atlas is transforming the way we access and use location data. The team discusses the National Roads dataset – a comprehensive dataset on Australia’s roads, now freely accessible to the public.

The team also talks about the value and insights driven by integrating a national, reliable view of Australia's road networks with other trusted location data.

Optimising Project Delivery Performance – Accelerated Projects Mar 05, 2024

Over the last decade there has been a trend by a number of governments to invest more heavily in transport infrastructure and systems, and to accelerate programs of work. This has been a response to various ‘burning platforms’ including transport congestion in our major urban areas, fast growing populations, extreme events like flooding, bushfires and earthquakes, and job creation to support economic growth.

While there is an extensive range of advice on project management, there is little written up on how to successfully set-up and accelerate programs of work using the best of project management and governance techniques, particularly in the context of Australian and New Zealand. The Austroads recently complete project aimed to fill this gap by highlighting key things to consider for programs generally up to $500 million from the experience of over 50 experts. A number of case studies are presented to illustrate best practice. This also includes how best practice can be amplified and a culture of continuous improvement can be best established and maintained.

Not surprisingly, the report outlines how successful delivery of accelerated programs is underpinned by sound initial planning, strong governance and leadership, role clarity and an understanding across the team of the importance of the work. Particularly in pressure situations to make ‘things happen’, these things can be forgotten about or not given enough thought and resource. The case studies demonstrate how programs can be accelerated and robust prioritisation, approval and procurement process can still be followed. It just takes a clear focus on the desired outcomes and a strong mandate.

This webinar is presented by Duminda Wijayasinghe, David Silvester and Ray Paterson.

Guidelines for Incident Response Vehicles and Truck-Mounted Attenuators Mar 05, 2024

This webinar presents the results of the Austroads project that developed guidelines for incident response vehicles and truck-mounted attenuators. The project was a collaboration between Austroads, iMOVE, Queensland University of Technology and Deakin University.

Two sets of guidelines have been developed as part of the project. The first set provides information on models/types and design specifications of incident response vehicles. The guidance focuses on three vehicle types: tow trucks, truck-mounted attenuators (TMAs) and utility vehicles. In general, the design considerations are separated into three stages: determining models and general specifications, determining additional features and equipment, and determining markings, signs and other identification measures to ensure visibility and identifiability of the incident response vehicles.

The second set provides guidance on when and how TMAs and other attenuator vehicles should be used in incident response scenarios. The use of TMAs for incident response often requires departures from the established guidelines for TMA use, which are generally developed around planned operations (i.e. roadworks and maintenance activities). These issues are addressed alongside related considerations around broader temporary traffic management pertaining to incident response specifically.

In the webinar, presenters Narelle Haworth, Ashim Debnath and Drew Gaynor, provide an overview of the project, including the findings of the literature review, results of the stakeholder consultations and guideline development.

Is Zero Road Trauma Possible? Feb 08, 2024

The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 has set the ambitious global target to halve road traffic fatalities and injuries by 2030. Some jurisdictions have set even more ambitious targets by setting a date for achieving zero road trauma, such as by 2050.

While there is a growing body of evidence around what initiatives are effective in reducing road crashes and injuries, what is missing is how to prioritise these measures and a lack of tangible planning frameworks to assist countries to link near- and long-term targets with day-to-day operations.

This webinar explores how to use backcasting, a vision-based planning approach, to determine what the metrics of a safe road system should look like in order to achieve zero road trauma and how the current road system is tracking towards this desired state and how jurisdictions can utilise this approach to develop strategies to achieve their near- and long-term targets.

The webinar is presented by Jessica Truong, the winner of the Women in Road Safety Award presented by Austroads at the 2023 Australasian Road Safety Conference.

Driver Licensing Directions Feb 06, 2024

Driver licensing legislation and regulation is the responsibility of each of Australia’s 8 states and territories. However, there is a commitment by all jurisdictional regulators to harmonised practices with minimum licensing standards. Under the Austroads registration and licensing taskforce, states and territories agree periodic programs of work to improve licensing practice which recognises emerging research and trends and supports movement towards increasing road safety.

To guide the development of licensing practice in Australia all states and territories have agreed to the five principles of aspirational intent to guide and inform their licensing policy and work programs. This webinar outlines these five principles and describes some of the work currently underway in support of these principles.

The webinar is presented by Judy Oswin who has worked on driver licensing policy as both a state regulator and consultant for over 20 years.

Changes to the National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework Jan 30, 2024

Australia’s Transport Ministers have agreed in-principle to an improved, nationally‑consistent approach to the training and licence progression of heavy vehicle drivers, that improves road safety and productivity.

The in-principle changes were approved by infrastructure and transport ministers in December 2023 through the agreement by the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers Meeting (ITMM) to endorse the National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework Decision Regulation Impact Statement (Decision RIS).

The changes are designed to increase the safety and job‑readiness of heavy vehicle drivers.

Austroads will develop best-practice standards and training material to support consistent delivery of the enhanced heavy vehicle competencies and assessments.

Austroads will work with each state and territory government and the different industries to fully scope the implementation program, identify policy, service and stakeholder issues and options, and seek to collaboratively develop a coordinated plan to deliver the anticipated safety and productivity benefits of the reform.

In this webinar, Paul Davies, Austroads General Manager Programs, explains the changes in detail.

Use of a Driving Simulator to Assess Driver Response to the NorthConnex Tunnel Design Features Dec 05, 2023

How do drivers respond to the iconic tunnel design features included in the NorthConnex road tunnel project? What were the objectives of the designs and have the designs achieved these objectives? How do the designs affect driver behaviour?

The webinar explains the two key elements of this work – the validation of the UNSW driving simulator as a means of assessing road tunnel design features, and the use of that simulator to test driver response to the design features included in NorthConnex. The presenters explains the logic of the trial methodology, whereby the driving behaviour of trial participants was assessed in the actual tunnel as well as in the simulated tunnel – the latter both with the design features included and with the features excluded.

The work sought to determine whether the design features enhanced the driver experience without an adverse effect on safety. The work demonstrates that the driving simulator is a valid tool for assessing tunnel design features and therefore provides a platform to inform design features in new tunnels but also a tool to assess how such designs may help to mitigate operational issues in existing tunnels.

The webinar is presented by Prof Michael (Mike) Regan, Dr Prasannah Prabhakharan, Julius Secadiningrat, Jack Mazaraki, Nicholas Rozenauers, Nigel Casey and Richard Merrett.

Northern Territory Transition to Temporary Traffic Management National Training Nov 16, 2023

The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics held a webinar on the 16 November 2023 to update industry on the Northern Territory’s transition to the National Training Framework Temporary Traffic Management (NTFTTM). Industry and individuals currently working in Temporary Traffic Management roles, or associated with the Temporary Traffic Management industry were encouraged to attend to understand the changes being implemented in February 2024. Transitional arrangements being implemented by the Department with the intention of minimising the impact to industry, were explained for existing Northern Territory Work Zone Traffic Management qualifications transitioning to the national training.

The webinar was presented by Bob Pemble, Patsy Thomas and Sean Stieber. There were question and answer opportunities during the session.

Austroads Vehicle Classification Scheme – Measuring Active Transport Nov 09, 2023

Austroads has developed an extended vehicle classification scheme (EVCS) to enable improved understanding and monitoring of the evolving vehicle mix on Australian and New Zealand roads in traffic and transport surveys. This builds upon the existing 1994 vehicle classification scheme.

The EVCS provides greater granularity for each of the existing 12 classes of vehicles and adds a new class for active transport to address the need to count a variety of active transport users such as pedestrians, skateboards and e-scooters.

The EVCS will allow transport agencies to better manage transport demand within and between modes, survey active transport and understand how demands integrate with other modes.

The scheme will help identify changes in transport operational performance and optimise plans for effective access management and asset maintenance.

This webinar is the third session in a three-webinar series, and it will focus on measuring active transport. The first webinar covered heavy vehicles and the third session discussed the changes to light vehicles.

This webinar, presented by Drew Gaynor and David Johnston, focuses on active transport and discusses:

the creation of level 3 class 20
the greater granularity in level 4 subclasses
emerging challenges in categorising class 20 elements
the use of alternative counting technologies.

Austroads Vehicle Classification Scheme – Light Vehicles Nov 02, 2023

Austroads has developed an extended vehicle classification scheme (EVCS) to enable improved understanding and monitoring of the evolving vehicle mix on Australian and New Zealand roads in traffic and transport surveys. This builds upon the existing 1994 vehicle classification scheme.

The EVCS provides greater granularity for each of the existing 12 classes of vehicles and adds a new class for active transport to address the need to count a variety of active transport users such as pedestrians, skateboards and e-scooters.

The EVCS will allow transport agencies to better manage transport demand within and between modes, survey active transport and understand how demands integrate with other modes.

The scheme will help identify changes in transport operational performance and optimise plans for effective access management and asset maintenance.

This webinar, presented by Drew Gaynor and David Johnston, is the second session in a three-webinar series, and it focuses on the changes to light vehicles. The first webinar covered heavy vehicles and the third session will provide information on measuring active transport.

This webinar discusses:

level 3 classes 1 and 2
the greater granularity in level 4 subclasses
thresholds between classes 2 and 3
the use of alternative counting technologies.

Austroads Vehicle Classification Scheme – Heavy Vehicles Oct 25, 2023

Austroads has developed an extended vehicle classification scheme (EVCS) to enable improved understanding and monitoring of the evolving vehicle mix on Australian and New Zealand roads in traffic and transport surveys. This builds upon the existing 1994 vehicle classification scheme.

The EVCS provides greater granularity for each of the existing 12 classes of vehicles and adds a new class for active transport to address the need to count a variety of active transport users such as pedestrians, skateboards and e-scooters.

The EVCS will allow transport agencies to better manage transport demand within and between modes, survey active transport and understand how demands integrate with other modes.

The scheme will help identify changes in transport operational performance and optimise plans for effective access management and asset maintenance.

This webinar, presented by Drew Gaynor and David Johnston, is the first session in a three-webinar series, and it focuses on the changes to heavy vehicles. The second webinar will cover light vehicles and the third session will provide information on measuring active transport.

This webinar discusses:

level 3 classes 3 to 12
the greater granularity in level 4 subclasses
better description of axle groupings
the creation of a new class 19 for heavy vehicles that do not fit readily into the prescribed classifications
backward compatibility with existing heavy vehicles counting
further validation of some sections.

Physical Infrastructure to Support Connected and Automated Vehicles Oct 19, 2023

In this session, we will present a comprehensive report that identifies and explores those physical infrastructure practices that matter most to CAVs. Just like human drivers, CAVs need to understand line and pavement markings, electronic and non-electronic signs, and traffic signals. Computer sensing and computer processing, however, differ to humans, and differ between different and evolving systems used in Active Safety Systems (ASS), Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), and Automated Driving Systems (ADS).

Drawing insights from a review of Austroads publications and latest research, this webinar uncovers the latest industry knowledge and physical infrastructure requirements. Discover the latest practices and standards, and where clear agreements have emerged, recommendations for effective changes will be unveiled. Furthermore, we examine areas where further study, monitoring, and industry engagement are needed, ensuring a holistic approach to accommodating future developments.

This webinar helps agency decision-makers preparing for future physical infrastructure CAV support practices. The knowledge presented in this report is based on robust evidence and expert opinions, providing a snapshot of the current landscape while remaining adaptable to the evolving CAV industry and its technological advancements.

Update to the Guide to Road Design – Detailed Review of Supplements Oct 05, 2023

Supplements have provided important additional guidance to the Austroads Guide to Road Design (Guide). But there are questions about their use. Are these supplements needed? What should they contain? Should the information in the agency supplements be included in the Guide? These questions were addressed in a recently completed Austroads project that undertook a detailed review of jurisdictional supplements to the Guide.

This webinar describes the classification of material in the jurisdictional supplements to establish guidance that could be moved into the Guide.

The sessions focuses on a cross-jurisdictional platform for managing supplements within a jurisdiction and moving information from supplements to the Guide. The platform was developed with the input from the Project Control Group and the Road Design Task Force represented by Australian and New Zealand road agencies, and the Australian Local Government Association.

The platform uses a ‘push-pull” approach where Austroads looks to ‘pull’ information from the supplements, and the road agencies look for a means to ‘push’ information into the Guide. This approach aims to assist in minimising supplement content and harmonising material in the Guide.

The webinar was presented by Dr Rod Troutbeck, Dr Hafez Alavi, Mark Lenske and Phil Rosser.

Australia and New Zealand Roads Capability Analysis 2022-2032 Sep 22, 2023

Following previous workforce capability studies undertaken in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017, Austroads engaged Oxford Economics Australia to undertake a new workforce capability analysis for member authorities based on planned and forecasted infrastructure development and service objective requirements in Australia and New Zealand over the next 10 years to 2032.

Through stakeholder and industry engagement – as well as gap analysis including extensive data analytics – this analysis seeks to explain how skills demand will form for road agencies over the coming decade, what will be the key threats to workforce capability in the roads sector, and what road agencies can do to respond to the challenges ahead.

The study identifies which jurisdictions are expected to experience capability gaps in the next five years and stresses the importance of implementing measures to attract and retain skills, particularly given competitive threats from rising activity in other sectors over the coming decade.

New to this iteration of the study is the provision of quantitative data through interactive dashboards which allow users to focus on specific skills and occupation profiles in each jurisdiction. These dashboards will be updated with new workforce data and forecasts through 2024 and 2025.

This webinar, presented by Adrian Hart and Thomas Creevey from Oxford Economics Australia, provides a summary of the results and findings of this research. The session covers the following:

current breakdowns of the roads skilled workforce in Australia and New Zealand
state of play and outlook for roads activities and skills demand
insights from industry survey and interviews on existing capability concerns
how the roads industry can respond positively to the workforce skills challenge
what information the new dashboards contain and how they work.

National Telematics Framework: Setting a Benchmark for Intelligent Access Sep 20, 2023

For over a decade, the National Telematics Framework has been setting a benchmark as an effective regulatory framework for optimised vehicle movements, making Australia a world-leader in intelligent access management.

The National Telematics Framework (Framework) was established following a series of decisions made by ministers between 2003 and 2008 and was globally recognised as an International Standard (ISO 15638) in 2012.

Supporting an open marketplace of telematics and related intelligent technology providers, the Framework consists of a common set of infrastructure and rules administered by the Transport Certification Australia (TCA) on behalf of the Australian Government.

The Framework provides an ecosystem to manage relationships and interactions between producers, providers, and consumers. Encouraging innovation and competition, it enables a market of certified services and type-approved hardware from multiple telematics providers. This provides assurance to the road managers and regulators as they manage vehicle access on the road network for improved efficiency, safety and protection of critical infrastructure.

The Framework is recognised as world’s best practice and has been referenced by other countries as they navigate similar complexities around compliance, asset protection and community benefits.

This webinar is beneficial to practitioners and policy makers within the transport industry. It provides useful insights for the development of future vehicle management programs and shares practical lessons around the implementation of complex regulatory frameworks.

Practical Approaches for Managing Regional Road Safety Priorities Sep 13, 2023

Road users in regional and remote Australia are at a greater risk of road trauma than those living in major cities. Approximately one third of Australians live in regional or remote areas but two thirds of fatal crashes occur in these areas. The fatality rate in regional and remote areas is 12.2 deaths per 100,000 population and increases to 34.6 deaths per 100,000 in very remote areas. The former figure is almost five times greater than the rate for major cities which is 2.6 deaths per 100,000 population.

Austroads has completed a project to provide information on known effective road safety interventions for regional and remote areas.The information is presented in two reports. The first is the research report and the second report, which is based on the research report, is a shorter practitioner-focussed report which provides succinct and easy-to-access information via factsheets on evidence-based effective interventions, a prioritisation framework, and evaluation framework.

The evidence-based findings from this project provide practical guidance for practitioners to effectively select, prioritise, implement and evaluate interventions to prevent road fatalities and serious injuries in regional and remote areas.

This webinar provides a background to and overview of the project; highlights from the literature review; an overview of the factsheets and how they have been structured; a summary of the prioritisation framework and its application; and a summary of the evaluation framework and its application.

The webinar is presented by Dr Tana Tan, Dr Lisa Wundersitz and Dr Chris Stokes.

A National Approach to Measuring Non-fatal Crash Outcomes – Stage 2 Sep 12, 2023

Information on injurious road crashes is required for prevention. National information on fatal cases has been available for many years, but information on serious non-fatal cases has been lacking. This webinar will take participants through the outcomes of Stage 2 of an Austroads project commissioned to establish a system to report serious injury cases due to road crashes in a consistent way throughout Australia and over time.

Stage 2 aimed to obtain ten years of data from all jurisdictions (2008 to 2017), report against equivalents to the NRSS fatality indicators and analyse characteristics of the data, including matched and unmatched cases, cross-border flows, and the impact of data linkage on estimates. Ethics and data custodian approvals enabled data to be collected from all jurisdictions except Western Australia.

Information on injurious road crashes is required for prevention. National information on fatal cases has been available for many years, but information on serious non-fatal cases has been lacking.

Webinar presenters Professor James Harrison and Associate Professor Angela Watson explain the method used in Stage 2 of the project and provide a detailed overview of the project findings.

Australian 3G Network Shutdown Sep 04, 2023

Between December 2023 and September 2024, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will close their 3G networks to make room for new, faster services. The 3G network shutdown will affect vital equipment and services across the road transport sector.

Devices that rely on 3G will no longer function and need to be upgraded or replaced to continue operating. Commonly affected devices include:

telematics and vehicle/asset tracking devices installed in heavy and light vehicles, as well as general assets such as trailers, generators, etc.
traffic management signs used in school zones, intersections and freeways
weather systems and stations
alarms/building entry
devices that incorporate gateway or mesh backhaul
personal Emergency Response (PER) systems
phones and tablets.

Businesses, government, and industry are being urged to commence their transition immediately to avoid lapses in vital equipment and services across the road transport sector. Early transition and planning are vital given the large number of devices affected by the shutdown. The migration process can take months, and timing is dependent on the number of affected devices and the availability of installers.

New Zealand is also shutting down their 3G network. The country will close their services between August next year and the end of 2025.

This webinar, organised by Austroads and Transport Certification Australia (TCA), provides high-level information on the impacts of the Australian 3G shutdown and what local government and transport industry need to do to prepare for the transition.

Presenters are David McIntosh, Telstra’s National Telematics Domain Lead, Michael Reynolds, Head of Network Products, Programs and Services at Optus, Mark Joselin, Followmont Transport Compliance Manager, Adam Ritzinger, Chief Technical Officer at Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia, and John Gordon, Manager Strategic Development at TCA.

NSW’s Transition to Smart On-Board Mass for PBS Mass Monitoring Aug 31, 2023

Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is transitioning from Interim On-Board Mass (OBM) management to Smart OBM. All Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicle operators with mass monitoring as a condition of access will need to transition to the more advanced telematics technology by 1 June 2024.

Smart OBM systems capture axle mass measurements as digital records and share the data with relevant road managers in a secure and standardised way.

The changes aim to harmonise the use of Smart OBM systems for mass monitoring of heavy vehicles in New South Wales with other states.

The changes will require the operators of eligible PBS vehicles to have Smart OBM systems fitted to their vehicles. Additionally, those vehicles must be enrolled in an applicable scheme of the Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA), and their Smart OBM systems paired with an Application Service Provider (ASP) certified by Transport Certification Australia (TCA).

This webinar provides an overview of the upcoming changes and how they will affect PBS drivers travelling to and within the state.

Webinar attendees are taken through the steps required for signing up to Smart OBM or transitioning from Interim OBM to Smart OBM.

Presenters also talk about the importance of Smart OBM for the road network and how mass data from Smart OBM is being used by road managers.

The session is beneficial to PBS operators who operate their fleet in NSW or travel across the border, ASPs seeking information to update their customers and road authorities looking to better understand the use of Smart OBM data.

The webinar is presented by Gavin Hill, General Manager of Strategy and Delivery at TCA, and Brett Graham, Senior Manager for Road Access at TfNSW.

National Harmonisation of Test Methods Used in Asphalt Performance Specifications Aug 21, 2023

The asphalt industry is rapidly evolving, and it is widely accepted that prescriptive specifications are not necessarily well suited to take full advantage of the benefits that new and innovative technologies can provide. There is therefore a desire to develop a national performance-based asphalt specification that would allow asset owners and asphalt suppliers to take full advantage of the enhanced performance characteristics of current and emerging asphalt technologies.

This webinar, presented by Joe Grobler, provides an overview of a recently completed Austroads project undertaken to harmonise test methods used in asphalt performance specifications. The project developed three new Austroads asphalt test methods and updated several existing methods for use in future performance-based specifications.

The project also collated available flexural modulus, fatigue resistance and permanent deformation resistance test data of locally manufactured asphalt mixes to inform the future development of these performance limits.

The presenter talks about the background to the new test methods and the indicative performance limits established for modulus, fatigue and permanent deformation resistance.

This work builds on the results of the previous Austroads project that developed a national performance-based asphalt specification framework.

Evaluation and Reporting of Automated Vehicle Trials Aug 03, 2023

Trials of automated vehicle (AV) technology are undertaken to research and develop the technology, understand the supporting regulatory and operational frameworks required, and prepare for wide-scale adoption of the technology. Governments across Australia and New Zealand have expressed an interest in maximising the value of trials through improved evaluation and knowledge sharing. To meet this need, Austroads has prepared guidance for the evaluation and reporting of AV trials. This guidance seeks to improve consistency in evaluation and reporting as an enabler and contributor to improved knowledge sharing across jurisdictions.

The guidelines set out the three key stages associated with evaluation and reporting. The scoping and planning stage helps with understanding the objectives and purpose of the trial and the associated evaluation, along with developing a plan to reach the evaluation objectives. For the conducting stage, guidance is provided on undertaking the trial, based on the trial plan, with necessary adjustments, to gather and analyse findings. Finally for the reporting and dissemination stage, the guidelines provide advice on reporting on the key findings from the evaluation and disseminating the report broadly.

Best Practice for Road Tunnel Wall Panels and Finishes Jul 13, 2023

Austroads has recently completed a project to identify best practice for road tunnel wall panels and finishes to ensure the products achieve performance, access, maintenance, and durability requirements. The best practice research provided through this project aims to add value to tunnel operators over the life cycle of the assets by facilitating ease of maintenance access for regular inspections, and meeting durability requirements.

In this webinar, Tony Peglas and Georgia O’Connor gave an overview of the research undertaken into best practice solutions for road tunnel wall panels and finishes, including outcomes of the stakeholder consultation, a detailed current practice review, a literature review, and the development of specification framework.

New Edition of the Design Vehicles and Turning Path Templates Guide Jul 05, 2023

The Design Vehicles and Turning Path Templates Guide has been restructured as part of the update of the Guide to Road Design Part 4. This webinar, presented by Noel O’Callaghan and Malcolm Mak, is the fourth session in a four-part series to provide an overview of the update.

The session focuses on new guidance added to the Design Vehicles and Turning Path Templates Guide covering design vehicles versus checking vehicles, performance-based standards, clearances between swept paths, software parameters and a new design vehicle for a passenger vehicle towing a trailer.

Using the Updated Guide To Road Design Parts 4B and 4C Jun 27, 2023

Austroads’ recent project has updated the Guide to Road Design (AGRD) Part 4 series. This webinar is the third in a four-part series to provide an overview of the project, including the aim, research background, methodology and outcomes.

This session, presented by Noel O’Callaghan and Malcolm Mak, explains how to implement the changes in AGRD parts 4B and 4C, including mini and radial roundabouts, cyclist treatments, ramp cross section, entry and exit ramps, sight distance, grade separated intersections.

When the Rider, not the Rubber, Hits the Road Jun 20, 2023

Can motorcycle protective clothing really prevent serious injuries in motorcycle crashes?

Over the past 20 years there have been great advances in the technology of impact and abrasion resistant materials and yet many of the garments currently available will fail under average crash conditions or are too hot to be worn in warm climates. In the absence of effective standards, motorcyclists have had to rely on advertising, brand name or price when buying protective garments.

This webinar traces the research process and evidence that has resulted in the development of an independent testing program to inform consumers as to the performance of currently available motorcycle jackets, pants and gloves. The researchers have also developed a guide for the manufacturers of PPE to ensure their products are fit for purpose.

This webinar describes the mechanisms and limits of motorcyclist’s protective clothing, the prevalence and types of injuries, the limitations of standards, the challenges to manufacturers and road authorities in factoring motorcycle PPE into a safe system.

The webinar is presented by Dr Liz de Rome, the winner of the Women in Road Safety Award presented by Austroads at the 2022 Australasian Road Safety Conference.

Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme Update Jun 15, 2023

The current learner approved motorcycle scheme (LAMS) was introduced in NSW in 2002 to replace the 250cc engine capacity limit for novice riders (i.e., those on learner and provisional licenses) as race replica 250cc motorcycles were over-represented in fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes. It was subsequently adopted by VIC, QLD, SA, NT, WA, TAS, and New Zealand, albeit with some amendments in some jurisdictions. A formal review of the LAMS has not been performed since its introduction.

This webinar was presented by Dr Tana Tan and provided an overview of the Austroads project that reviewed the LAMS with the aim of bringing it up to date with the latest research and information and ensuring it provides optimal safety outcomes for novice motorcycle riders.

Motorcycle Rider Perceptive Countermeasures Jun 14, 2023

In this episode, Dr Tana Tan and Dr Mario Mongiardini are joined by Jason MacPherson (who moderates the live Q+A) to provide a detailed overview of the findings of Austroads' recent research report, Motorcycle Rider Perceptive Countermeasures.

Listen, subscribe and head to the Austroads website to find out about how you can register to come to one of our webinars live. Registration is free.

Using the Updated Guide to Road Design Parts 4 and 4A Jun 07, 2023

Austroads’ recent project has updated the Guide to Road Design (AGRD) Part 4 series. This webinar is the second in a four-part series to provide an overview of the project, including the aim, research background, methodology and outcomes.

This session explains how to implement the changes in the AGRD parts 4 and 4A, including pedestrian and railway crossings, horizontal alignment, sight distance, auxiliary lanes, truck acceleration lanes, right turn and left turn treatments.

The webinar is presented by Noel O’Callaghan and Malcolm Mak.

Overview of the Changes to the Guide to Road Design Part 4 Series Jun 01, 2023

Austroads’ recent project has updated the Guide to Road Design (AGRD) Part 4 series. This webinar is the first in a four-part series to provide an overview of the project, including the aim, research background, methodology and outcomes.

The session outlines the new concepts and content that have been included in AGRD parts 4, 4A, 4B, 4C and the Austroads Design Vehicles and Turning Path Templates Guide.

The webinar is presented by Noel O’Callaghan and Malcolm Mak.

Austroads Project Pipeline 2023-24 May 25, 2023

This webinar is beneficial to consultants who may be interested in tendering for Austroads projects. The session covers new Austroads projects lined up for the 2023-24 financial year, Austroads process around research data collection and what is required to become a successful tenderer.

To find information about Austroads' current tenders, visit the tenders webpage. On that page, you can also subscribe to our Tenders newsletter to receive alerts when a new project is advertised.

Multimodal Incident Management Reference Architecture May 05, 2023

Austroads has developed a set of reference architecture models, content and guidance for use by road agencies to identify, plan and improve their multimodal incident management (MMIM) capabilities. MMIM is the resolution of an unplanned incident that negatively impacts, or has the potential to impact, the normal operation of more than one transport mode. MMIM aims to maintain transport services and minimise journey disruptions in day-to-day transport operations. It involves a coordinated response from multiple road and public transport operators to resolve incidents and restore the transport network to normal operating conditions.

The reference architectures presented in this webinar covers two high-priority topic areas identified by Austroads members: Situational Awareness Tool (SAT) and a MMIM system, which are closely related. A SAT is an information system that provides road and public transport network monitoring and incident detection. A MMIM system is an information system that supports the management and resolution of detected incidents with its operational partners across the road and public transport network. Both systems are defined using a series of outputs that describe the required business architecture and information system aspects of each topic. Agencies are expected to adopt and adapt the architectures to suit their existing environments.

The webinar was presented by David Yee and Andrew Somers. There were question and answer opportunities during the session.

Austroads National Harmonisation of Temporary Traffic Management Practice – Update Apr 27, 2023

In this webinar, Chris Koniditsiotis, Lead Implementation Consultant and Patsy Thomas, National Temporary Traffic Management (TTM) Operations Manager provide an update on the implementation and operational commencement of the Austroads National Harmonisation of Temporary Traffic Management Practice including:

National Training Framework for TTM
Austroads and jurisdictional adoption
National Registration Framework for TTM
Austroads IT Registry system allowing online electronic management of entities, individuals, and qualifications.

Best-Practice Guidance for the Design, Delivery and Testing of Road Tunnel Aesthetic Features Apr 26, 2023

Austroads has recently completed a project to identify best-practice guidance for the design, delivery and testing of in-tunnel aesthetic design features, with the aspirations to improve tunnel safety and customer experience.

Through the review of recent tunnel projects, current literature and practices, a definition was developed for in-tunnel aesthetic design features and a best-practice process through which in-tunnel aesthetic design features are designed, delivered, and tested.

This webinar with Warwick Keating and John Birch provides an overview of the findings of this project and the best practice methodology which should be considered when planning, designing, procuring, operating and maintaining in-tunnel aesthetic design features.

Getting ready for RADS - from Roads Australia’s podcast The Hub Apr 24, 2023

Listen to the latest episode of Roads Australia's podcast with Dr Sarah Jones, who is Project Director for the implementation of Austroads' Road Asset Data Standard (RADS). Data offers a world of opportunity to underpin the delivery of transport services that are more aligned with customer experiences. When it comes to the management of transport infrastructure and assets, data is a powerful tool that lets us plan and deliver those activities more effectively. However, all of this relies on interoperability. If systems can’t ‘talk’ to each other, we will miss out on productivity, safety and custom experience benefits. This episode covers why data standards matter and explores some of the work Austroads has been doing to prepare and implement a data standard for the national road network. More from the Hub Podcast.

Asphalt Laboratory Fatigue Relationships Mar 22, 2023

The Austroads mechanistic-empirical design system documented in Part 2 of the Guide to Pavement Technology uses a laboratory fatigue relationship previously developed by Shell to predict the fatigue life of asphalt layers. The Shell fatigue relationship was developed over 40 years ago based on testing a selection of asphalt mixes from Europe and the USA. The mixes used to develop the original relationship are therefore unlikely to represent the modulus and fatigue behaviour of modern mixes (including mixes incorporating recycled materials) currently being used in Australia and New Zealand.

Austroads project Asphalt Laboratory Fatigue Relationship – Stage 1 Utilisation of Existing Data benchmarked available fatigue laboratory test results of locally manufactured asphalt mixes against the fatigue performance predicted by the generic Austroads fatigue relationship. The project also reviewed some important modulus and fatigue testing parameters that may affect the design of asphalt layers, including different sample preparation methods and the minimum number of test specimens required to develop a laboratory fatigue relationship.

This webinar with Joe Grobler, Dr Negin Zhalehjoo and Peter Bryant, presents the findings of the project, including the preliminary fatigue relationships developed for locally manufactured asphalt mixes with conventional (unmodified) bitumen.

Victorian Government’s Enrolment of Smart OBM Mar 17, 2023

The Department of Transport and Planning Victoria has announced 30 June 2023 as the final deadline to have smart on-board mass (OBM) systems fitted to certain high productivity freight vehicles (HPFVs).

Beyond this date, the mass limits of the below classes of vehicles will be restricted if not fitted with Smart OBM:

vehicles more than 26m in length, with a Gross Combination Mass (GCM) in excess of 68.5 tonnes
quad-axle semi-trailers with a GCM in excess of 46.0 tonnes

This webinar, presented by Gavin Hill and Ian Mond, covers:

the changes and how they will affect transport operators traveling in/to Victoria
the steps required for signing up to Smart OBM
the importance of Smart OBM for the Victorian road network
the ways mass data from Smart OBM is being used by road managers.

Road Deterioration Model Update Mar 07, 2023

Road deterioration (RD) models help in predicting future road condition and assessing maintenance needs. Austroads’ recent project updated the current Austroads RD models using the additional long-term pavement performance (LTPP) and long-term pavement performance maintenance (LTPPM) data as well as other available data, such as the traffic speed deflectometer (TSD) datasets, to improve these models’ explanatory power to support wider loading and the climate conditions observed in Australia. The updated and improved RD models can predict the impact of the wider loading and climate conditions observed in Australia.

The project produced four Austroads publications covering the updated RD models for cracking, strength (deflection), rutting and roughness. The project was managed in conjunction with the technical support of a Project Working Group sourced from industry and the road agencies. In addition, expert advice was sought from acknowledged experts in industry and academia.

Each of the reports documented a literature review of the state-of-the-art in deterioration modelling, a review of the available datasets for each of the RD models, the approach used to update each of the RD models and the validation of the rutting and roughness RD models.

This webinar with Dr Tim Martin, Ranita Sen and Tyrone Toole presents an overview of the methodology used to achieve the above objectives and the outcomes of the project.

The session covers:

the basis for using the LTPP and LTPPM datasets for updating the RD models, including use of the TSD automatic crack detection (ACD) device data specifically for the update of the RD model for cracking
the methodology adopted for updating the RD models
validation of the rutting and roughness RD models.

2022 Winners of the Austroads Bridge Awards Feb 28, 2023

The webinar showcases the projects recognised with the Austroads Bridge Awards. The Austroads Bridge Awards acknowledge individuals and organisations that have delivered outstanding bridge structures and design across Australia and New Zealand.

The awards were presented at the 11th Austroads Bridge Conference held in Adelaide from 15 to 18 November 2022 proudly co-hosted by Austroads and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport South Australia.

The award-winning projects are:

Excellence in Innovation: InQuik Australia, Toorale Bridge Project

Submitted by InQuik, Alluvium Consulting Australia, and Pensar Infrastructure Group. Presented by Logan Mullaney, Managing Director of InQuik.

Excellence in Asset Management: Auckland Harbour Bridge Emergency Repairs

Submitted by Beca, WSP, SRG Global, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, and ASM Fulton Hogan-HEB Joint Venture. Presented by Will Pank, Technical Director – Structural Engineering, Beca.

Best Structure 35 metres or under: Hay Street Bridge Vertical Clearance Improvement Project

Submitted by BG&E, Bocol Constructions, MACA, and Main Roads Western Australia. Presented by BG&E’s Technical Director-Bridges Graeme Dundas, and WA - Bridge Lead Erica Smith.

Best Structure over 35 metres: Mandurah Bridge

Submitted by BG&E, Georgiou Group, Main Roads Western Australia, and City of Mandurah.

Presented by Boris Vujovic, BG&E’ Technical Director.

Development of Machine Learning Decision Support Tools for Pavement Asset Management Feb 24, 2023

This is the second webinar in a two-webinar series. The session describes two case studies in the use of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to create decision-support tools for pavement asset management.

In the first study, we explore whether ML can learn to reproduce expert treatment decisions and automatically identify candidate projects, using historic condition, treatment and inventory data.

In the second study, we explore extensions to conventional Pavement Management System (PMS) optimisation tools which provide insight into the network-wide implications of various multi-criteria funding allocation scenarios, and the levels of service that can potentially be realised.

The webinar is presented by Tim Cross and David Rawlinson.

Queensland’s Transition from IAP to TMA Feb 23, 2023

The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads has announced upcoming changes which will harmonise the use of National Telematics Framework applications for heavy vehicles in Queensland with other jurisdictions.

These changes will include transitioning the subject vehicles from the:

Intelligent Access Program (IAP) to the Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA)
Interim On-Board Mass (OBM) Solution to Smart On-Board Mass (Smart OBM)

This webinar, presented by Gavin Hill from TCA and Mark Mitchell from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, provides an overview of the changes covering:

the use of the National Telematics Framework to improve road outcomes
the differences between IAP and TMA
what’s behind the change
what you need to know about the 18-month transition

Success Strategies for Delivering Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Projects Feb 21, 2023

Austroads has published practical guidance to help expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in pavement asset management. AI/ML projects are notoriously prone to failure, including late or incomplete delivery, or even being abandoned without useful outcomes.

This webinar, presented by Tim Cross and David Rawlinson, is the first one in a two-webinar series. It describes the tips, tricks and success strategies we have found to avoid the common pitfalls and ensure AI/ML projects proceed to delivery and successful integration with existing business processes. The presenters introduce a Quick Reference document to help practitioners in their projects, and provide practical examples to explain how to use it.

Zebras and Wombats: Factchecking “False Sense of Security” Feb 16, 2023

Decisions on how transport agencies provide for people walking to safely cross the roads has been greatly influenced by historical research, that has in the past failed to examine the infrastructure design and lacked behavioural data.

This webinar, presented by Mark McDonald, Principal Technologist (Bicycles, Pedestrians and Motorcycles) at the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, looks at the different types of pedestrian crossing controls, behavioural responses of both drivers and people crossing and analyse the road safety implications. The presentation goes through the crash characteristics involved, including control of crash forces, analysis of crash braking patterns, the impact of uniform pavement marking on reaction times, speed and yield rates and crash reduction factors.

The webinar gives a review of safe system and evidence-based research relating to unsignalised crossings for people walking or riding bikes. It answers the questions: Who are we relying on? What is the safety evidence? Is “false sense of security” supported by evidence?

Passenger Cars and other Non-Truck Tyres Crumb Rubber in Asphalt Feb 14, 2023

This webinar focuses on the Austroads report Passenger Cars and other Non-truck Tyres Crumb Rubber in Asphalt: National Market Analysis, Review of Industry Practices and Technology Transfer.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of the fate and availability of end-of-life tyres from other-than-truck sources, such as passenger car tyres and mining and agricultural tyres, for road paving operations.

The webinar, presented by Anna D'Angelo from the Australian Flexible Pavement Association and Associate Professor Filippo Giustozzi from RMIT, discusses the market-readiness of Australia and New Zealand to use recycled crumb rubber in asphalt from a variety of end-of-life tyres rather than a single source (i.e. truck tyres).

The session provides information on the current tyre recycling industry across Australia and New Zealand and the evaluation of potential technological opportunities to produce crumb rubber in both countries.

Changes to Guide to Road Design Part 5 – Improvements to the Regional Flood Frequency Estimation Method Feb 02, 2023

In response to feedback provided by industry and stakeholders, Austroads has reviewed its Guide to Road Design Part 5: Drainage – General and Hydrology Considerations.

The improved guidance responds to the implications for road authority and consulting engineering practices arising from the 2019 update of the Australian Rainfall and Runoff document.

This is the second webinar in a two-webinar series, and it covers the improvements made to the Regional Flood Frequency Estimation (RFFE) method.

The following is discussed in the session:

Background to the RFFE method
Recent improvements to the RFFE method
Worked examples
Limitations of RFFE and how to assess the quality of the answers produced

The webinar is presented by WMAwater’s Managing Director Mark Babister and William Weeks, currently a private consultant and former Director - Hydraulics and Flooding for the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Austroads Rejuvenator Evaluation Protocol for Increasing Asphalt Recycling Feb 01, 2023

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in new asphalt mixes is a common practice in Australia and New Zealand due to its many benefits. RAP contents are typically about 10–20% but higher contents can be used, if the effect of the aged binders present in RAP is accounted for. Rejuvenators can be used to soften the hardened binders which are present in RAP, and are therefore considered an essential component for producing high-content RAP mixes.

Although Australian and New Zealand asphalt producers acknowledge the importance of rejuvenators (in particular when producing high RAP mixes), rejuvenators are not commonly used due to the lack of specifications/guidelines that can evaluate the potential performance of rejuvenators when used in RAP mixes. To address this issue, Austroads has developed a rejuvenator evaluation protocol. In this protocol, rejuvenators are evaluated as part of binder blends, and their short/long-term ageing resistance is assessed to ensure their performance at the production stage as well as during service in the long term.

This webinar with Young Choi, Robert Busuttil and Robert Urquhart presents the proposed protocol and its development work. The development work involved a literature review into international rejuvenator specifications and research studies, in particular those which investigated the effect of rejuvenator properties on the properties/ performance of asphalt binders and mixes.

The development work involved obtaining feedback from Austroads technical group members and international experts. These studies were conducted to ensure that the evaluation protocol is robust and practical.

The webinar also covers a plan for future validation studies which will ensure that the protocol is suitable for use in Australia and New Zealand.

Changes to the Guide to Road Design Part 5: Drainage – General and Hydrology Considerations Jan 31, 2023

In response to feedback provided by industry and stakeholders, Austroads has reviewed its Guide to Road Design Part 5: Drainage – General and Hydrology Considerations.

The improved guidance responds to the implications for road authority and consulting engineering practices arising from the 2019 update of the Australian Rainfall and Runoff document.

This webinar is the first in a two-webinar series and it provides an update on the changes to the Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 5. The session focuses on Section 6 and covers the other changes. The following is covered in the session:

Change in terminology – from average recurrence interval (ARI) to annual exceedance probability (AEP)
Why Rational Method is no longer suitable for most cross-drainage applications
What Rational Method is suited for (primarily longitudinal road drainage)
An introduction to alternative flow estimation techniques (incl. regional flood frequency estimation (RFFE))
Rare and extreme events
Flood impacts/tunnel portals
Safety in design
Joint probability and uncertainty

The webinar is presented by WMAwater’s Managing Director Mark Babister and William Weeks, currently a private consultant and former Director – Hydraulics and Flooding for the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Austroads Safety Hardware Training and Accreditation Scheme Dec 07, 2022

Road safety barriers are a critical component of a safe road transport system and are saving lives and preventing serious injuries every day across Australian and New Zealand roads. To ensure they deliver their intended safety outcomes and manage the extreme forces involved in high-speed crashes, barriers must be correctly installed and maintained.

This webinar with Michael Nieuwesteeg and Chris Koniditsiotis from Austroads, Robert Tabor and Stephanie Craig from Lantra, Jade Hogan from Transport for NSW and Evan Coulson from the Department of Transport Victoria presents the Austroads Safety Hardware Training and Accreditation Scheme (ASHTAS), which delivers a high standard and nationally consistent set of training outcomes for individuals installing and maintaining road safety barriers in Australia and New Zealand.

ASHTAS responds to Austroads members, along with the road safety barrier industry, who have been concerned about the quality of installation of road safety barriers which may put the safety of the public and road workers at risk.

Review of Impact of Service Authorities on Infrastructure Projects Dec 01, 2022

Austroads is undertaking a multi-stage project to support road transport and traffic agencies across Australia to manage the impacts of third-party assets on the successful delivery of road infrastructure projects, including road projects with a rail interface. To form an effective, evidence-based strategy and action plan, the project included international literature research, jurisdictional consultation and four road infrastructure project case studies.

This webinar with Robert Eames, Nicola Boyd, David Bourne and Maria Drysdale presents the research findings and where change is required to improve the efficient delivery of major infrastructure projects when third-party assets are involved. One key element proposed is a national minimum dataset of information to monitor third-party impacts on road infrastructure projects.

The collection and reporting of high-quality data is essential but depends on stakeholders sharing cost information so that value-based decisions can be made across the whole project. Measurement of costs associated with utilities on projects will permit analysis of past events which will lead to two beneficial outcomes:

Understanding events and determining patterns will enable predictions of the future to be made.
Quantitative evaluation of past project events will allow plans for improvement to be developed.

Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements Part 3: Performance Outcomes Part B and Future Recyclability Nov 29, 2022

Austroads has completed its project APT6305 Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements which was investigating road-grade recycled plastics that can be used to construct and maintain asphalt roads.

The project results are provided in four reports:

The first report examined the use of road-grade recycled plastics in asphalt pavements and investigated the most suitable types of recycled plastics for incorporation into asphalt.

The second report provided a comprehensive overview of the development of various testing frameworks for the characterisation of road-grade recycled plastic, the incorporation of recycled plastics in bitumen and asphalt and the study of possible emissions and microplastics release.

Report 3 Part A presented the results of the experimental investigation on recycled plastics in asphalt and bitumen by focusing on the asphalt and bitumen properties, microplastics and emissions. The report focused on the wet and dry method of incorporation of plastics into asphalt.

This 75-minute webinar focuses on Part B of the third report outlining the mixed methods (i.e., low melting point plastics as additive to modify asphalt) performance and environmental assessment and expanding on the recyclability of reclaimed plastic-modified asphalt.

The webinar was presented by Andrew Papacostas from Department of Transport Victoria, Associate Professor Filippo Giustozzi from RMIT University and his team, including Dr Marie Enfrin, Yeong Jia Boom, and Dr Dai Lu Xuan.

Best Practice in Smart Motorways Operations Nov 15, 2022

The operation of smart motorways is a subset of broader transport operations and relies on complex organisational arrangements with highly specialised capabilities to manage a growing number of assets, follow a wide range of operational scenarios, coordinate with multiple stakeholders, and continuously adapt to new technologies and systems. This increasing complexity places pressure on traffic management centre (TMC) managers and their operational staff who are responsible for delivering motorway safety and efficiency objectives.

As such transport agencies continually seek to improve the way smart motorways operational capabilities are managed, developed and adapted to minimise disruption for customers through best practice operational planning, project integration, live network monitoring, traveller communications and traffic management.

In response Austroads has prepared a research report looking into emerging and new trends to inform potential future directions for TMCs across Australia and New Zealand. Guidelines have also been developed for road-focused agencies to help classify their operating characteristics, define a national capability framework for the operational environment, and showcase good practice integration of new projects and enhanced smart motorways schemes.

This webinar, presented by David Yee, Simon Gough and Joanne Deng, provides an overview of the future trends, research findings and agency guidance. The research into future trends helped to identify different motorway operational methods and practices as well as operational principles that underpin an agency’s smart motorway capabilities. These smart motorway capabilities include TMC business management, live motorway operations, motorway operational planning and optimisation, motorway projects integration as well as use of intelligence tools and devices to inform decision making.

The webinar also offers advice on how to support improving smart motorway capabilities using a Smart Motorway Classification Model and Capability Framework. The capabilities are the foundational abilities that should be developed. The Capability Maturity Model is a maturity scale for smart motorway capabilities that can be used by agencies to set future targets and to measure against. The guidance advises how to use the Capability Maturity Model to plan and improve smart motorway capabilities and projects integration work.

NSW Movement and Place Framework Nov 11, 2022

Movement and Place is a multi-disciplinary, place-based approach to the planning, design, delivery and operation of transport networks. It broadens our thinking about our roads and streets beyond their functional role in supporting movement - they are also places for people to live, work and spend time.

It is part of an international shift towards embracing the importance of people, and place when designing, planning or operating streets and roads. It recognises the complementary relationships between place and movement and matching the road or street to its desired function within the wider network.

This webinar, presented by Arjan Rensen, Ben Cebuliak and Gareth Collins, provides an overview of the whole-of-government NSW Movement and Place Framework and how it supports Austroads Guidance, Australian Standards and the Global Street Design Guidelines as they apply in different contexts across NSW. The Framework invites practitioners to take collaborative, spatial and vision-led approaches and offers a common language and process of collaboration to support meaningful discussions across all levels of government, industry, and communities.

Guidance on the Installation of Low and Zero Emission Vehicles Charging Infrastructure Nov 03, 2022

Internal combustion engine vehicles are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and New Zealand. Encouraging the public to utilise low and zero emission vehicles (LZEVs), such as battery electric vehicles will contribute to creating a more sustainable road transport system.

As the number of LZEVs is expected to rise, there will be a growing demand for charging infrastructure. Increasing availability of such infrastructure will also encourage the uptake of LZEVs; however, currently there is little guidance available to road agencies to assist them in managing the installation of charging infrastructure within road reserves.

This webinar with David Silvester and Norman Cheung presents new Austroads guidance to help agencies manage the planning, installation, and operation of charging infrastructure for non-commercial passenger vehicles with battery-electric or hybrid propulsion within the road reserve or road related areas.

The guidelines draw on the latest international and national experience and case studies and can be used by agencies in the implementation of consistent charging facility practices to reduce costs, improve the road environment, road safety, network operations, and LZEV driver experience.

The webinar covers guidance on managing the life cycle of the facilities, including planning, design, operations, interoperability, maintenance, and decommissioning.

Implementing the Austroads Road Asset Data Standard Oct 25, 2022

To enable collaboration and the adoption of best-practice approaches across jurisdictions, Austroads is undertaking a multi-stage project to standardise and automate ways of recording and sharing road asset information.

The benefits of standardised collection of road asset data and the availability of a platform to store or exchange data include:

direct savings to road agencies through reduced information management costs, including the opportunity to sustain an open and competitive market of data collectors
reducing the time needed to train new staff and contractors
facilitating better decision making on road investment and expenditure through consistent asset data
facilitating the implementation of national reforms, including Heavy Vehicle Road Reform and automated vehicle reform
providing consistent asset data to accommodate innovative technology in the road sector (e.g., LIDAR technology, building information modelling (BIM), and digital twinning).

This webinar, presented by Chris Koniditsiotis, Angus Draheim, Tom Magarey, David Deacon and Geoffrey Paton, presents an overview of the implementation of the Austroads Road Asset Data Standard and demonstrates a knowledge sharing platform that is being developed for road managers to use to report activities, collaborate and share insights.

National Access Framework for Heavy Vehicles Oct 19, 2022

The proposed National Access Framework for Heavy Vehicles is a principles-based strategic policy document which highlights the role of state and local government road managers in managing heavy vehicles access on the road network. It is also proposed to establish a national Access Working Group to deliver a targeted national Access Work Program based on the Framework's principles.

In this session, presenters – Pascal Felix, Stuart Maxwell and Sanjiv Sathiah, talk about the elements of the framework and how they will potentially benefit state and local road managers and industry.

Using Business Intelligence Tools in Road Asset Management Oct 18, 2022

Road agencies are increasingly utilising various business intelligence tools to collect, process and analyse large amounts of asset management data from internal and external systems. Harnessed information is used to maintain road assets and improve the efficiency of their performance.

In this webinar data practitioners from the Tasmanian Department of State Growth, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and Main Roads Western Australia talk about their experience in using digital data analytics tools for improving the accessibility and visualisation of data in road asset management.

Norah Weatherby’s presentation focuses on the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads’ asset information systems and analytics platforms that are critical to supporting Queensland’s road network.

David Deacon shares how the Tasmanian Department of State Growth’ Roads Asset Management Branch works with data to enable effective decision-making, break down silos and connect people.

Shaan Ciantar, from Main Roads Western Australia, talks about Power BI’s Pavelytics, an interactive app that displays relevant data to asset and maintenance managers on selected road sections. Shaan’s presentation goes through the need for such an app, how it was scoped for maximum usability, the data-design process, and finally a demonstration of the app in use.

Nicholas Archer presents a novel approach to mapping road data for Main Roads Western Australia using a custom Power BI visual and web service.

Multimodal Incident Management Sep 20, 2022

Road agencies increasingly recognise the value of coordination and cooperation with public transport operators in responding to road and transport incidents, as it helps support a more holistic and integrated multimodal approach to minimising traveller disruption.

Austroads has developed guidance for road-focused agencies to improve their capabilities in the management and resolution of an unplanned incident that negatively impacts, or has the potential to impact, the normal operation of more than one transport mode.

This webinar, presented by David Yee and Andrew Somers, provides an overview of the multimodal incident management (MMIM) research findings and agency guidance. The guidance examines worldwide MMIM methods and practices, and identifies key themes and principles for agencies to consider in planning and developing their MMIM capabilities. These themes include vision and strategy for MMIM, coordination and cooperation, integrated operations centres, leverage existing practices, integrated traveller information, traveller demand management and network load balancing, alternative transport services, multimodal data exchange, MMIM tools, and intelligence and decision making.

The webinar also offers advice on how to improve MMIM capabilities using a MMIM Capability Framework that consists of three components:

a set of MMIM capabilities
a MMIM Capability Maturity Model
guidance

The capabilities are the foundational abilities that should be developed. The Capability Maturity Model is a maturity scale for MMIM capabilities that can be used by agencies to set future targets and to measure against. The guidance advises how to use the Capability Maturity Model to plan and improve MMIM capabilities.

NHVDCF Consultation RIS Online Briefing Sep 14, 2022

Austroads is encouraging drivers, employers and trainers to have their say on proposed changes to heavy vehicle driver licensing in Australia.

The changes are documented in a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (C-RIS) which seeks feedback on proposed changes to the National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework. The Framework was endorsed by ministers in 2011 but has only been implemented in four states and territories.

At the request of transport ministers, Austroads has been undertaking an extensive program of work to review and improve the NHVDCF.
Austroads’ review aims to deliver a harmonised Australian licence training and assessment framework that produces safe and competent heavy vehicle drivers and reflects the current and future needs of heavy vehicle operators and the future freight task.

Visit austroads.info/c-ris to download the C-RIS, access fact sheets and videos summarising the proposals and provide feedback.

Standards Australia – Bitumen and Related Materials for Roads Sep 13, 2022

In Australia and New Zealand, bituminous binders used in road construction are tested prior to use to ensure they will perform satisfactorily during road construction/maintenance. Some of the Australian Standards that are used for these tests have not been updated for 25 years which can make it difficult for testing laboratories to adhere to them.

In this webinar Dr Robert Urquhart presents an overview of an Austroads project which provided expert technical input into the revision of seven Australian Standards – four bituminous emulsion, one polymer modified binder and two cutback bitumen related Australian Standard test methods. They were revised by the Australian Standards Committee CH-025 ‘Bitumen and related products for roadmaking’ between August 2020 and September 2022.

Following topics are covered in the session:

the process used to update an Australian Standard
the main changes to each of the seven Standards
the status of revision of each Standard

Sustainable Road Tunnels Aug 25, 2022

Road tunnels are an important element of the transport infrastructure, requiring significant resources and energy to construct, operate and maintain. Consequently, they are potentially a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution.

Practices and methods that promote the sustainability of road tunnels are, therefore, necessary for alleviating the pressure they exert on scarce resources and the natural environment. However, sustainability is not about what should be done for the environment, it is something that must be done to preserve the quality of all life on the planet. It is particularly important for a road tunnel compared to a road at grade as a road tunnel has a substantially higher carbon footprint, both during its construction and the continuous operation of its systems throughout its operating life.

Every state and territory in Australia, as well as New Zealand, has committed to net zero emissions by 2050. In this context, responsible organisations have an obligation to reduce the sustainability impacts of delivering and operating road tunnels whose asset life is expected to extend beyond 2050.

In this webinar, Georgia O’Connor, Les Louis and Tony Peglas give an overview of the research undertaken to include updates for sustainability in the four parts of the Austroads Guide to Road Tunnels (AGRT).

The research presented in the session will provide owners, operators, designers and those constructing tunnels with guidance on how to achieve more sustainable outcomes at each stage of a road tunnel’s life cycle.

Assessing Waste Material in Road Surfacings Aug 18, 2022

Governments, transport agencies, and industry have identified the need to reduce waste going to landfill and increase the use of recycled materials to achieve more sustainable development and improve outcomes for communities. The latest update to the Guide to Pavement Technology Part 4E: Recycled Materials covers the advancement in material re-use that has occurred in the 13 years since the 2009 version of the guide was published.

There is wide concern around the misuse of recycled materials in road construction, and it is generally agreed that roads should not be viewed as alternative avenues for waste disposal. A protocol has been established that follows a step-by-step process for quantifying the effect of using novel, post-consumer and industrial wastes or recycled materials in asphalt pavements and sprayed seal surfacings.

This webinar covers the following key updates made to the Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology Part 4E: Recycled Materials:

Latest and emerging recycled materials utilised within pavements and information on their use in specific applications as well as associated issues, risks, and considerations.
The developed holistic assessment framework for the use of recycled materials in road pavements.
The developed protocol for asphalt and sprayed seals that establishes a step-by-step process for quantifying the effect of using novel, post-consumer and industrial wastes or recycled materials.

The webinar is presented by Phil Herrington from WSP New Zealand, Brody Clark from WSP Australia with participation of Grant Bosma from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and Mike Pickering from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Using the New Edition of the Guide to Road Design Part 6 Aug 02, 2022

Austroads has updated the Guide to Road Design Part 6: Roadside Design, Safety and Barriers (AGRD Part 6) introducing new sections on the fundamentals of safety barrier systems and design advice for other road safety devices.

This webinar, presented by Dr Rod Troutbeck and Richard Fanning, focuses on the updated Section 6 providing an overview of the process to design the installation of a safety barrier.

The session describes the actions for defining the context of the installation including choosing an appropriate containment level. It also outlines the preliminary design tasks of selecting a barrier and defining its lateral and longitudinal position.

The aspects of detailed design are also described, including the installation refinements, selecting the appropriate terminal or transition and the structural design of a proposed barrier. Finally, the webinar briefly describes the documentation of the design.

Changes and New Elements of the Guide to Road Design Part 6 Jul 26, 2022

Austroads has updated the Guide to Road Design Part 6: Roadside Design, Safety and Barriers (AGRD Part 6) introducing new sections on the fundamentals of safety barrier systems and design advice for other road safety devices.

This webinar, presented by Dr Rod Troutbeck and Richard Fanning, covers the new structure of AGRD Part 6 and new information included as part of the current guide update focusing on the following sections:

Section 4: Treatment Options, including options for consideration for a number of relatively common hazards
Section 5: Fundamentals of Safety Barrier Systems, including information to assist users to make informed decisions when selecting a barrier system for a particular site
Section 6: Road Safety Barriers, including design process.

The webinar also provides details and the research background to a number of new concepts and processes that have been included in AGRD Part 6. These include barrier flexibility as a measure of their performance, the use of working width rather than deflection, the need to choose an appropriate containment level, the use of a new concept of the departure points of redirection, the placement of barriers behind kerbs, a revised method to calculate the length of need, the need to install barriers in appropriate soils and the orientation of barriers on superelevated roadways.

Guidance to Support Cloud Connected Road Users Jul 21, 2022

Road users are increasingly recognising the value of data for improved mobility and safety. Austroads Cloud Connected Road User (CCRU) project studied how agencies can support cloud-connected road users through data from portable and fixed in-vehicle devices to assist with trip planning, and warning and advice when travelling. The project examined various CCRU data provision methods and practices in the EU, USA, Australia, and New Zealand to provide agencies with guidance on how to manage, enhance, and deliver data to CCRUs.

This webinar, presented by Vibeke Matthews and David Yee, provides an overview of the various business models that may be used by agencies to support the CCRU ecosystem. It addresses the potential range of agency involvement across the key roles of CCRU data gatherer, data provider and data presenter that may be employed depending on the business model adopted for each data type.

The webinar also offers advice on how to manage the six key data function areas that are critical to supporting CCRUs. These include managing data foundations, governing data, planning and designing data, enabling and maintaining data, using data; and, if presenting data directly to road users, managing road user apps and websites. The outputs of this project will form the foundation of data support requirements for future CAVs.

Austroads Innovative Temporary Traffic Management Device and Solution Assessment (AITDSA) Scheme Jun 28, 2022

This webinar, presented by Austroads Temporary Traffic Management Project Manager Chris Koniditsiotis and AITDSA Workstream Manager Gavin Hill, is an overview of the Austroads Innovative Temporary Traffic Management Device and Solution Assessment (AITDSA) scheme (commencing 1 July 2022).

AITDSA provides a way for innovative devices and solutions used for temporary traffic management to be assessed and recognised by Austroads members throughout Australia and New Zealand.

AITDSA responds to the emergence of new technologies, innovative solutions, and devices that can be used to improve safety at mobile and static work sites that perform a diverse range of functions, including:

regulating traffic (i.e., to assign priority and indicate regulations in force)
informing motorists of hazards or regulatory controls ahead
warning of temporary hazards that could endanger motorists or workers and plant engaged in work on the road.

Austroads Project Pipeline 2022-23 Jun 21, 2022

This webinar introduces Austroads new projects lined up for the 2022-23 financial year.

The session is most beneficial to consultants who may be interested in tendering for Austroads projects.

Upcoming projects focus on road network resilience, pavement design, movement and place, cycling and micromobility, future freight vehicles, road design, driver licensing, climate change risk assessment, automated and electric vehicle data exchange and provision.

Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements Part 3: Performance Outcomes May 19, 2022

Austroads Project APT6305 Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements is investigating the use of recycled plastics in asphalt. The project is almost completed with results to date provided in three published reports.

The first report examined the use of road-grade recycled plastics in asphalt pavements and investigated the most suitable types of recycled plastics for incorporation into asphalt.

The second report provided a comprehensive overview of the development of various testing frameworks for the characterisation of road-grade recycled plastic, the incorporation of recycled plastics in bitumen and asphalt and the study of possible emissions and microplastics release.

The third report, the most comprehensive so far, presents the results of the experimental investigation on recycled plastics in asphalt and bitumen by focusing on the asphalt and bitumen properties, microplastics and emissions.

This webinar presents the outcomes of the project to date and covers the results of the multi-faceted (i.e. performance and environmental testing) laboratory investigation on bitumen and asphalt modified with recycled plastics. The session provides details on a potential framework for introducing the use of recycled plastics into current policies and specifications.

Webinar presenters are Andrew Papacostas from Department of Transport Victoria, Associate Professor Filippo Giustozzi from RMIT University and his team, including Dr Marie Enfrin, Yeong Jia Boom, and Dr Dai Lu Xuan.

Guide to Project Delivery Parts 2 and 3 Update Apr 07, 2022

Two parts of the Austroads Guide to Project Delivery – Part 2: Planning and Control and Part 3: Contract Management – have been reviewed and updated to assist road-based infrastructure delivery units of transport agencies to improve efficiencies and reduce costs in the project delivery stage.

In this webinar Colin MacKay, Nigel Powers and Karen Cogo present the updated guides which focus on new industry best practice and techniques that have become available since the Guide to Project Delivery was published in 2014, including lean construction and digital engineering.

Perceptual Countermeasure Treatments to Reduce Crash Risks in Tunnels Mar 29, 2022

Road tunnels are major pieces of infrastructure across the road network, and the number of tunnels is expected to increase in the coming years. Although they are relatively safe, a significant number of crashes occur on the approaches to and within tunnels.

Austroads commissioned the University of New South Wales, Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation (rCITI) to investigate and evaluate the application of low-cost perceptual countermeasure (PCM) treatments in road tunnel environments as a means of improving driver speed behaviour, alertness and lane discipline, thereby reducing crash risk. The project involved two key research activities.

Research Activity 1 involved a systematic literature review and stakeholder consultation. Based on the outputs of these activities, three PCM treatments were selected for evaluation in a virtual reality driving simulator: Striped Wall Pattern; Rumble Strips (Edgeline and Centreline); and Pacemaker Lighting.

Research Activity 2 involved an experimental study conducted in the virtual reality driving simulator, located at rCITI. The virtual 3D environment for the driving simulator was based on the cross-sectional layout and alignments of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. Driving performance data as well as subjective feedback from participants relating to their interaction with the PCM treatments were collected and analysed.

This webinar provides an overview of the two research activities and the key findings deriving from them. It is presented by Professor Michael Regan, Julius Secadiningrat, Dr. Prasannah Prabhakharan, and Mitchell Cunningham.

Proposed Signage for Low and Zero Emission Vehicles and Associated Infrastructure Mar 22, 2022

Austroads has published a report proposing a set of symbols for low and zero emission vehicles (LZEVs) and associated charging or refuelling infrastructure to be used on road signs and for road marking in Australia and New Zealand. The proposal forms a basis for testing and standardisation of the symbols (according to the Australian Standards) and their adoption in the Australian Road Rules and signage manuals.

The background of this work is that with the uptake of low and zero emission vehicles, consistent signage for electric-powered vehicle parking and charging is required. New Zealand has rolled out charging signage nationwide. However, in Australia there are currently no standardised low and zero emission vehicle symbols or signs.

This webinar, presented by Dr Robert Kochhan, Paul Hayes and Dr Clarissa Han, provides an overview of the report and the proposed symbols for the following five categories:

Electric-powered vehicle
Electric-powered vehicle being charged
Charging station for electric-powered vehicles
Hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle and associated refuelling infrastructure
Access to lanes and roadways designated for electric-powered vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicles.

Benefits and Costs of Providing a Minimum Physical Infrastructure Standard for the Operation of Automated Driving Mar 17, 2022

Physical road infrastructure such as pavement markings and signals may have an important role to play to support the uptake of automated vehicles (AVs). Austroads has recently completed a project to provide road agencies with clear advice on investing in physical infrastructure to support the operation of AVs.

This webinar, presented by Andrew Somers, Simon Xue and Elnaz Irannezhad, provides a detailed overview of the advice that addresses which infrastructure types should be prioritised for investment, as well as the timing and scale for that investment.

The advice has been developed against a backdrop of significant uncertainty around the future of AVs. These uncertainties include the year high-level AVs will become market-ready and the level of reliance of future AVs on physical infrastructures. To inform the development of the advice, the project first undertook an uptake forecast, an infrastructure assessment and economic analysis.

Having accounted for the various uncertainties of future AVs, the project has found the greatest return can be achieved by investments that will:

support current lower capability AVs
offer some advantages for human drivers
be strategically relevant to future higher-level AVs.

Maximising the Use of Sustainable Rehabilitation Treatments Mar 10, 2022

This webinar, presented by Dr Negin Zhalehjoo, Andrew Papacostas and Dr Didier Bodin, focuses on the outcomes of an Austroads research project “Laboratory Fatigue Characterisation of Foamed Bitumen Stabilised (FBS) Materials”. The objective of this project was to develop a laboratory fatigue relationship to predict the performance of FBS materials to be used for future pavement design of FBS materials. Extensive laboratory experiments were undertaken during the project, including indirect tensile testing and flexural testing on laboratory prepared and cured FBS specimens.

The webinar covers the following key topics:

A summary of the testing program and procedures to measure and analyse the fatigue life of FBS specimens.
The results of indirect tensile testing and flexural testing to determine the modulus, strength, and fatigue characteristics of FBS materials.
The development of a new laboratory fatigue relationship for FBS materials as well as the discussion on the potential link between the fatigue performance of the FBS mixes and the mix properties.
The comparison between the fatigue life predictions from the Shell asphalt laboratory fatigue relationship against the predictions using the developed presumptive fatigue relationship in this project.

Increasing the Use of Recycled Glass in Road Infrastructure Mar 03, 2022

This webinar, presented by Dr James Grenfell and Dr Didier Bodin, focuses on the development of a specification on the supply of recycled crushed glass sand as part of a project to support increased use of recycled crushed glass (RCG) in road infrastructure. The project covers the use of RCG as a backfill and bedding sand, and within drainage, embankment fill, landscaping, and low risk concrete applications.

The webinar covers the technical basis behind the specification development and discusses the guidelines on how to process RCG.

National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy Mar 01, 2022

The National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy sets the agenda for coordinated and well-planned government and industry action to 2040 and beyond, with a national vision for freight systems and supply chains to contribute to a strong and prosperous Australia.

The Strategy commits to action in four key areas:

Smarter and targeted infrastructure,
Enable improved supply chain efficiency,
Better planning, coordination and regulation; and
Better freight location and performance data.

This webinar, presented by Georgia O’Cianain, Andrew Higgins and Deb Fearns, provides an overview of the following action items under the Strategy:

National Freight Data Hub, a federated data-sharing network to provide open access to government data, help industry share data together, and collectively answer the big questions about Australia’s freight performance and how we can improve it.
Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard, a web-based data visualisation tool that provides detailed and interactive modelling of Australian transport and logistics supply chains across road and rail. A total of 150 commodities are available with a variety of capabilities including enhanced geographic filtering.
National Urban Freight Planning Principles, seven high-level principles endorsed by Australian, state and territory governments that provide guidance for land use decision-making across all levels of government to improve planning for freight in Australia’s metropolitan areas.

National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey 2021 Feb 24, 2022

Launched in 2011, the National Cycling Participation Survey (NCPS) has been run every two years. Its original aim was to establish a baseline and measure performance against the National Cycling Strategy 2011-2016. Until 2019 the NCPS was managed by Austroads, to maintain a continuous dataset. In 2021, Cycling and Walking Australia and New Zealand (CWANZ) took over the coordination of the survey, adding walking to get a baseline on the level of participation for walking across Australia.

In this webinar, the 2021 National Walking and Cycling Participation Survey (NWCPS) is presented by CWANZ, as coordinators of the 2021 survey, in conjunction with Austroads.

The webinar covers the methodology and provides a brief review of the results. Presenters also talk about how the data is used in different states and some interpretations that can be made.

Speakers include Cameron Munro, CDM Research, Robyn Davies from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland, and Dr Zarin Salter from the Department of Transport, Western Australia.

Inclusion of Recent Road Safety Research in the Guide to Road Design Feb 15, 2022

Guide to Road Design is Austroads’ most downloaded publication with more than 155,000 copies accessed in the last 18 months.

A recent project looked at whether improvements could be made based on recently released Austroads research. That review identified possible inclusions relating to improvements to practice focusing on Safe System, the vulnerability of motorcycles and specific heavy vehicle road design considerations.

A report “Inclusion of Recent Road Safety Research in the Guide to Road Design Phase 2” proposed updates to the Guide to Road Design, as well as suggested improvements for the Guide to Road Safety and Guide to Traffic Management. The report also detailed a process to be followed to include future research into the guides and bring any new updates into practice in an efficient and timely manner.

This webinar with Noel O’Callaghan and Malcolm Mak presents a detailed overview of the report.

Introducing Austroads’ New Road Safety Auditing Guidance Feb 08, 2022

This webinar presents the new Austroads Guide to Road Safety Part 6: Road Safety Audit.

Key topics covered in the webinar include:

Strengthening the requirements within the Guide as the default for Australia and New Zealand and formal exemption protocol for jurisdictions.
Identifying the roles, responsibilities and conduct required of all stakeholders to achieve optimum value from the process, especially including parties operating outside of the road agency, e.g. private sector clients. The importance of commissioning and responding to audits.
The provision of further guidance and clarity on competency and qualification requirements to inform local protocols for the assessment across the tiers of auditor.
Integration of road safety auditing within the Safe System and the emerging practical interface with recent tools such as Safe System Assessments.
Improving the quality and consistency of how risks / hazards are expressed, assessed, and prioritised.
New documents, templates and tools throughout the Guide, including audit checklists (now referred to as ‘prompt lists’), audit code of conduct, road safety audit policies, sample road safety audit reports etc.

The webinar presenters are Paul Hillier (Project Consultant), Joseph Le (Co-Project Manager) and Kenn Beer (Co-Project Manager and Technical Advisor).

Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements Part 2 Dec 16, 2021

Austroads project “Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements” is investigating the use of recycled plastics in asphalt. The project is well underway with results to date presented in two reports.

The first report examined the use of road-grade recycled plastics in asphalt pavements and investigated the most suitable types of recycled plastics for incorporation into asphalt.

The second report provided a comprehensive overview of the development of various testing frameworks for the characterisation of road-grade recycled plastic, the incorporation of recycled plastics in bitumen and asphalt and the study of possible emissions and microplastics release.

This webinar, presented by Andrew Papacostas, Dr Filippo Giustozzi, Yeong Jia and Dr Marie Enfrin, is the second session in a two-part series. It provides an overview of the outcomes of testing to date including techniques to assess emissions and microplastic release associated with the manufacture, placement and use of asphalt containing recycled plastic.

Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements Part 1 Dec 14, 2021

Austroads project “Use of Road-grade Recycled Plastics for Sustainable Asphalt Pavements” is investigating the use of recycled plastics in asphalt. The project is well underway with results to date presented in two reports.

The first report examined the use of road-grade recycled plastics in asphalt pavements and investigated the most suitable types of recycled plastics for incorporation into asphalt.

The second report provided a comprehensive overview of the development of various testing frameworks for the characterisation of road-grade recycled plastic, the incorporation of recycled plastics in bitumen and asphalt and the study of possible emissions and microplastics release.

This webinar, presented by Andrew Papacostas and Dr Filippo Giustozzi, is the first session in a two-part series and it details the outcomes of the potential use of road-grade recycled plastics in asphalt pavements and selection of the most suitable types of recycled plastics for incorporation into asphalt.

Road Authority Data for Connected and Automated Vehicles Dec 09, 2021

The Austroads Road Authority Data for Connected and Automated Vehicles (RADCAV) project studied the provision of agency-owned data to connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) addressing six high-priority data sets: roadworks, incidents, variable speed limit signs and lane control signals, static speed limits, traffic signals, and heavy vehicle access restrictions.

This webinar, presented by Vibeke Matthews and David Yee, details a data provision framework that can be used by an agency to build capability in providing data to vehicles. The framework consists of the following components:

Capability model – a model that describes the spectrum of capabilities for the provision of agency data relative to vehicle and road agency capability over time. This ranges from Day 0.5 Capability (decision and actions made by vehicle controller), to Day 4 Capability (decisions and actions made by the vehicle).

Reference conceptual architecture – a series of outputs that describe the business architecture and information systems architecture necessary to provide agency data to vehicles at various levels of capability.

Implementation guidance – advice on how to use the Capability Model and Reference Conceptual Architecture as part of a process to improve an agency’s data provision capabilities.

The data provision framework is flexible and does not prescribe one end-state for agencies. Agencies have the freedom to choose a target state that suits their desired outcome, available funds, and appetite for change. It also caters for changes in vehicle capability over time, given that the introduction of higher-capability vehicles may be some years away.

Guide to Road Tunnels Part 2 Update: Rationalising Network Signage for Over-height Vehicles Dec 02, 2021

A recently completed project has recommended changes to the Austroads Guide to Road Tunnels Part 2: Planning, Design and Commissioning to provide guidance on rationalising road signs on the approaches to tunnels, to divert over-height and dangerous goods vehicles that approach tunnel entrances.

When these vehicles attempt to pass through tunnels that have not been designed to cater for them, this can cause significant damage to the infrastructure, massive traffic congestion and, in some unfortunate circumstances, injury or loss of life of the motorists. As such, it is highly advantageous to divert these vehicles away from tunnels wherever possible to reduce these negative impacts.

This webinar, presented by Bob Allen, Marcus van der Velden, Lindsay Edmonds and Charmaine Joe, covers the following:

Project methodology and key findings of the review
Current signage practices review and gap analysis
Proposed signage scheme
Human factors considerations.

New Direction for AusRAP – Austroads leadership of Australian Road Assessment Program Nov 23, 2021

The Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) was introduced to Australia by state mobility clubs, with the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) providing leadership in partnership with Austroads, Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP). The AusRAP partnership has worked together in conjunction with state, territory and local governments on infrastructure safety investment optimisation and measurement since 2001. A Memorandum of Understanding between AAA, Austroads, iRAP and ARRB was signed in 2012. Recognising the extensive use of the AusRAP protocols and systems at an institutional level by road agencies across Australia, leadership of AusRAP is now transitioning from the AAA to Austroads.

The Austroads-led AusRAP Program will build on an extensive platform of local experience and application by state and local government agencies, motoring clubs, Austroads and ARRB. In total over 300,000 km of AusRAP star rating and investment planning assessments have been completed, over 50,000 km of risk mapping and over 400 km of road designs have been star rated in Australia. The partnership will continue to benefit from, and contribute to, the global iRAP partnerships that are in place in over 100 countries worldwide.

This webinar covers the following:

New leadership, governance and collaboration for AusRAP
Global directions and learnings from the UK
Exciting developments in Australia
Next steps for AusRAP.

The webinar is presented by Geoff Allan, Michael Nieuwesteeg, Rob McInerney, James Bradford and John Hardwick.

Strategic Review of the Guide to Traffic Management Nov 11, 2021

Austroads Guide to Traffic Management (AGTM) has been a valuable resource for industry, particularly amongst traffic engineering and operations cohorts. The transport context is evolving rapidly, and a strategic review identified that a new approach is needed to keep pace with industry expectations and the strategic objectives of Austroads and its members.

The new Austroads Guide to Transport Operations and Management (AGTOM) is planned to feature a new format as well as updated content.

This webinar, presented by Richard Delplace, Andrew Somers, Craig Moran, Andrew Wall and Simon Latham, covers:

The key findings of the review of AGTM.
Insights from leaders within transport agencies on the challenges the new AGTOM needs to help users to navigate.
The objectives, rationale and overview of the new AGTOM.
Austroads’ plans to transition from the AGTM to the AGTOM.

New Pathway for the Implementation of Nationally Harmonised Temporary Traffic Management Practice Oct 26, 2021

The Austroads project progressing the National Harmonisation of Temporary Traffic Management Practice has gone through a significant reset, resulting from a recent review. The outcomes of the review and resulting reset were recently considered and approved by the Board of Austroads. This webinar, presented by Richard Delplace and Chris Koniditsiotis, covers the following:

broad findings of the review and reset
new governance arrangements including newly established Task Force
focus on major reform implementation and stakeholder engagement
a staged pathway to operationalisation.

Cycling for Sustainable Cities Oct 19, 2021

Cycling is a sustainable means of urban travel. It has the potential to serve many short- and medium-distance trips – for commuting to and from work and school, shopping, and visiting friends – as well as providing recreation and exercise. Cycling promotes physical, social, and mental health, helps reduce car use, enhances mobility and independence, and is economical for both public and personal budgets.

This webinar is based on the book “Cycling for Sustainable Cities” written by Ralph Buehler and John Pucher. In the session, the authors explore how to make city cycling safe, practical, and convenient for a broad spectrum of ages, genders and abilities. They also discuss the latest cycling trends and policies around the world and consider specific aspects of cycling.

Based on data from 2019-2020 from cities around the world, they review the impacts of COVID-19 on cycling levels and government policies to promote cycling.

Taken together, the presentation demonstrates that successful promotion of cycling depends on a coordinated package of mutually supportive infrastructure, programs and policies. Cycling should be made feasible for as many people as possible and not limited to especially fit, daring, well-trained cyclists riding expensive bicycles.

Investigation of Pavement Assessment Methodologies for PBS Access Oct 14, 2021

We rely on road freight transport to keep Australia’s economy moving. Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicles, that are typically longer and heavier, do this work more efficiently but how much road damage do they cause in the process?

This webinar, presented by Anthony Germanchev, Georgia O’Connor and Angus Draheim, explores the methods used by road managers to answer this question. It proposes a framework to support consistent approaches to understanding and comparing the pavement impacts of PBS vehicles. Some of the key steps government agencies are taking to support road managers in assessing PBS vehicles for network access are also outlined.

National Specification for Crumb Rubber Binders in Asphalt and Seals Oct 06, 2021

Australia and New Zealand produce about 510,000 tonnes of end‑of‑life tyres annually. Crumb rubber derived from end‑of‑life tyres has been used in Australia for several decades to enhance the performance of binders used in sprayed seals but prior to 2017 the use of crumb rubber in asphalt pavements was limited.

Due to the lack of crumb rubber binder grades suitable for use in asphalt in the Austroads national polymer modified binder (PMB) specification (ATS 3110), two Australian jurisdictions and the Australian Flexible Pavement Association recently developed specifications for crumb rubber binders for use in asphalt which were based on tests and testing protocols used in Arizona and California.

This webinar, presented by Robert Urquhart, focuses on the outcomes of an Austroads research project which investigated whether the crumb rubber binders that were trialled in asphalt could be specified in terms of the tests and testing protocols used to specify other types of PMBs in the Austroads national PMB specification. Specification requirements have also been proposed for a binder containing 9% crumb rubber by weight which could be used in sprayed sealing applications.

The webinar also discusses the results of laboratory asphalt performance tests which investigated the effects of the amount of crumb rubber in a binder on asphalt performance.

Data to Support the Heavy Vehicle Road Reform Sep 28, 2021

Austroads has recently published the final report for the three-year project Data to Support the Heavy Vehicle Road Reform, which has investigated a number of different aspects of the requirements, gaps, and opportunities for supplying infrastructure data suitable for supporting a future heavy vehicle cost recovery and investment process. It represents a total of seven years of work from 2013 to 2020.

The project explored issues related to the supply of data on freight routes required by the Heavy Vehicle Road Reform. This included: how to measure the level of service (LOS) of freight routes, mechanisms for obtaining nationally harmonised data about road assets, and providing insight into the nature, quality and consistency of road-related data across Australian jurisdictions.

This webinar, presented by Ulysses Ai, provides a summary of the project’s main activities and key learnings including:

Development of the Heavy Vehicle Infrastructure Rating as a concise measure of LOS for freight routes.
Development of the National Asset Register and learnings from processes seeking to obtain asset data from local governments.
A study of candidates for a national base map for road-related data and guidance on subsequent processes for data-matching.
An analysis of inconsistencies in traffic data.
Investigation of practices across Australian jurisdictions for expenditure reporting data, pavement deterioration modelling, and maintenance data records.

Evaluating the Rutting Performance of Binders Sep 16, 2021

Asphalt pavements are a major component of the Australian and New Zealand road networks. Road agencies in Australia and New Zealand have been putting great efforts to produce pavements which perform and are long-lasting. This has led to the development of national specifications to ensure materials of suitable quality are used for road construction.

Austroads ATS 3110 is used as a national performance-based specification for polymer modified binders (PMBs). The specification includes the consistency 6% (at 60 °C) property to evaluate the relative performance of a binder to resist rutting, as it is one of the major failure modes of asphalt pavements.

Consistency 6% tests are currently conducted using the elastometer instrument that was developed in Australia specifically for these tests. This instrument, however, is no longer being manufactured and the supplier is no longer providing technical support for existing instruments. A new test method has therefore been developed to determine consistency 6% properties using a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) rather than the elastometer. The DSR is widely used to test bituminous binders and other materials across the world.

Presented by Young Choi, this webinar details the outcomes of the Austroads research project which was conducted to develop the DSR consistency 6% test method. The project work included an extensive literature review, equipment investigations, optimisation of test procedures and validation studies using many different types of binders. These studies were conducted to ensure that the new DSR test method is equivalent to the current elastometer test method.

Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard Sep 14, 2021

Comparing the movement of commodities, domestically and internationally, helps to identify potential action areas to support Australian supply chain efficiency, competitiveness and resilience. As part of the Commonwealth international benchmarking project, the Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard was developed as a joint initiative between CSIRO and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (the department).

The dashboard is planned for release in the second half of 2021, and provides modelling and insights on Australian supply chain performance to:

support data-led decision-making to inform policy, investment and operational outcomes for government and industry
provide a national picture of supply chain performance across a wide range of metrics, commodities and regions
provide a comprehensive evidence base for international comparison.

This webinar demonstrates how users will be able to compare supply chain metrics across commodities, different transportation paths or segments in supply chains (e.g. producer to distributor, or distribution centre to port) and in different regions or locations (currently LGAs, states and territories).

The dashboard displays aggregated outputs from the Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool (TraNSIT) – a computer modelling tool developed by CSIRO that performs mass optimal routing of vehicle movements between thousands of enterprises. For each origin/destination enterprise pair, the model selects the least-cost travel path as well as the optimal vehicle configuration, allowing for road access and conditions, driver fatigue regulations and vehicle decoupling costs. The model outputs information on freight paths as well as detailed transport costs. Following release of the first iteration, stakeholder engagement is planned to gain feedback to further refine the model to best meet the needs of users.

Presented by CSIRO’s Senior Scientist Andrew Higgins and Ross Slater, Assistant Director at the department’s National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy Implementation Unit.

Review of the Guide to Road Safety and Structure for Online Access: Part 7 Aug 26, 2021

The Review of the Guide to Road Safety and Structure for Online Access project has updated the Guide to Road Safety with the latest research, primarily from Austroads published material, and restructured the guide for better online access and to allow content to be more easily added in the future.

This is a second webinar in a two-part series to provide an overview on the updated guide. Presented by Kenn Beer, Dr Tana Tan and Johan Strandroth, this session focuses on Part 7, which contains guidance on contemporary approaches to road safety strategy development and road safety management.

The webinar covers the latest concepts and practices in strategy development including target setting, backcasting for scenario building and the use of performance indicators to sustain a results-focused approach to whole-of-road system transformation.

Review of the Guide to Road Safety and Structure for Online Access Aug 24, 2021

The Review of the Guide to Road Safety and Structure for Online Access project has updated the Guide to Road Safety (AGRS) with the latest research, primarily from Austroads published material, and restructured the guide for better online access and to allow content to be more easily added in the future.

The newly updated and restructured AGRS is the first step in delivering a guide to road safety that is easier for readers to navigate and one that aligns with the Towards Zero philosophy. It is a starting point for further improvements and the generation of potential future research projects, especially in the area of Safe Vehicles and Safe People.

This webinar, presented by Dr Tana Tan and Kenn Beer, is the first in a two-part series and it provides an overview of the updated guide. Focusing on Part 1, the session explains how to use the guide and outlines key points for each of the new parts. It also covers opportunities for future research.

Use of Recycled Plastics in Road Surfacing Aug 10, 2021

The ban on the export of recycled waste plastic by the Australian government has led to interest in the use of recycled waste plastic in road surfacing applications. Austroads has published a report, Interim guidelines for the use of recycled waste plastic in local government road surfacing applications, to assist local government in the use and procurement of road surfacing products incorporating recycled waste plastic.

This webinar, presented by Azeem Remtulla and Steve Halligan provides key information from the interim guidelines, discusses the status of the use of recycled waste plastic in road surfacing applications, the methods for the addition of recycled waste plastic into bituminous binders and asphalt along with limitations on the use of recycled waste plastic and proposes a methodology to the procurement of products incorporating recycled waste plastic.

The webinar also discusses surfacing applications for local council roads and propose a framework for comparing the properties of conventional asphalt to alternative asphalt mixes containing recycled waste plastic. This framework is based on current state road authority (SRA) and local government asphalt specifications and includes proposed tests to compare the performance properties of conventional asphalt against alternative asphalt mixes.

Worked hypothetical examples of the procurement and assessment process for asphalt incorporating recycled waste plastic as an alternative to conventional asphalt are also shared.

Technical Basis of Changes to Guide to Pavement Technology Aug 03, 2021

Austroads has published two technical reports drawing together the research underpinning changes made to key components of the Guide to Pavement Technology.

The reports detail the technical basis for changes made to Guide to Pavement Technology Part 2: Pavement Structural Design and Guide to Pavement Technology Part 5: Pavement Evaluation and Treatment Design.

This webinar, presented by Dr Michael Moffatt and Dr Geoff Jameson, outlines the technical basis of the changes made to Parts 2 and 5 since the last versions of the technical basis reports were published in 2008.

The 2017 edition of Part 2 included improvements to the design of flexible pavements, significant revision to the procedures used to calculate the design traffic, new procedures for the design of pavements with lime-stabilised subgrades and improved methods to predict the in-service fatigue life of cemented materials and estimate asphalt and cemented material design moduli.

The Guide to Pavement Technology Part 5 provides guidance on the selection and design of strengthening treatments to rehabilitate pavements. This is an integral part of managing a road network. The most recent edition of the guide enhanced the design procedure and expanded its use to a broad range of strengthening treatments, including asphalt overlays, inlays, major patchings and stabilisation of pavement layers and subgrade. The procedure is identical to the mechanistic-empirical procedure for the design of new pavements (detailed in Part 2) with the addition of an initial phase which determines the properties of the materials in the road-bed.

Emerging Vehicle Technology Trials Online Repository Jul 27, 2021

This webinar presents an Austroads online repository of emerging vehicle technology trials conducted by Austroads’ members and private industry around Australia and New Zealand.

The trials capture some of the ground-breaking work and lessons learned to help agencies better focus their research investment and inform policy and strategy decisions leveraging the benefits of emerging technologies and minimising some of the risks associated with them.

Webinar presenters are Andrew Somers who speaks about the repository, its purpose and content, James Soo from the Department of Transport Victoria and Nicholas Brook from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.

James Soo shares lessons learned from the Advanced Connected Vehicles Victoria (ACV2) trial, CAV Highway Pilot trial and the Omni-Aware Roadside Adaptation of Automated Vehicle LiDAR project.

Nicholas Brook talks about how Automated Vehicles interact with road infrastructure and the Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot.

Austroads Project Pipeline 2021-22 Jul 22, 2021

This webinar provides an overview of Austroads’ projects 2021-22 and what is required to work with Austroads.

The session is beneficial to consultants who may be interested in tendering for Austroads projects.

The projects discussed focus on data collection and management, digital engineering, tunnel design and componentry, bridge assessment, pavement technology, road design, road safety audits, driver licensing, environment reporting, and vehicle and infrastructure connectivity.

The webinar is presented by Paul Davies, Austroads Acting General Manager Operations, and program managers:

Ross Guppy, Program Manager Transport Infrastructure
Michael Nieuwesteeg, Program Manager Road Safety and Design
Richard Delplace, Program Manager Transport Network Operations
Vibeke Matthews, Acting Program Manager Future Vehicles and Technology, and Environment and Sustainability Program.

Strategy for an Improved Mechanistic-empirical Flexible Pavement Treatment Design Jun 24, 2021

Following the update of the Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology Part 5: Pavement Evaluation and Treatment Design in 2019, Austroads commissioned the development of a strategy for future improvement of the mechanistic-empirical procedure (MEP) used in pavement rehabilitation and strengthening treatment design.

This webinar, presented by Dr Didier Bodin and Dr Geoff Jameson, outlines future research direction derived from the review of national and international literature and road agency best practice. Priority areas were identified through engagement with pavement designers across road agencies and industry. The main topics presented include:

Methods to characterise past and future fatigue damage of existing bound pavement layers.
Design method to quantify the extent of reflective cracking in treatment layers.
Enhanced use of traffic speed deflectometer data.

The roadmap for short, medium and long-term strategy will inform future research program towards providing pavement designers with improved pavement rehabilitation design procedures in the near future.

The webinar also discusses practical aspects of the pavement and subgrade layers moduli back-calculation from measured surface deflections.

Next Generation Asset Data Collection: Road Pavement Performance Jun 22, 2021

The increasing pace of change of technology brings considerable promise of more data, of a higher quality, captured for a lower cost. This has the potential to improve the asset management of roads by enabling better decision making and providing a more complete picture of asset performance.

These benefits, however, are not automatic. For asset managers, it can be difficult to know what technology is available and how the benefits compare to costs. There is also often considerable friction in moving to new approaches as existing processes and systems are tailored for the status quo. Perhaps the biggest hurdle is confidence in moving from an existing approach to having trust in the unknown.

In response to this need to understand the emerging technologies available, the cost-effectiveness of these technologies, and the implications of transitioning from existing to new approaches, Austroads has developed a research report on next generation data collection technologies for road pavement assets.

With specific reference to road pavement assets, this webinar takes attendees through:

The key themes across the data required to inform asset management decisions.
The current state of data collection technologies.
The interconnected ecosystem of emerging data collection technologies.
A structured framework for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of emerging data collection technologies.
Insights from the application of the evaluation framework and implications for future approaches to data collection.

Presented by David Jansen, Susan Chamberlain, Ella Hingston, Dr Colin Kemp and Trevor Chiang.

Development and Justification of Asset Preservation and Renewal: Investment Decision Making Jun 18, 2021

This is a final session in the series of three webinars based on the Austroads report Prolonging the Life of Road Assets Under Increasing Demand: A Framework and Tools for Informing the Development and Justification of Asset Preservation and Renewal.

It is presented by Tim Martin, Tyrone Toole and Qindong Li, and explains the broad framework and the economic and customer centred basis for justifying appropriate levels of investment in road asset preservation and renewal. Examples include those which impact strategic, network level decisions and supporting policies and processes.

Development and Justification of Asset Preservation and Renewal: Framework and Tools Jun 09, 2021

This is the second session in a series to present the findings of Prolonging the Life of Road Assets Under Increasing Demand: A Framework and Tools for Informing the Development and Justification of Asset Preservation and Renewal.

The webinar, presented by Tyrone Toole, Dr Tim Martin, Ranita Sen, Qindong Li and Liam Terris, explains the framework, tools and case studies in detail, and how asset management practitioners can apply these in their day-to-day work.

The emphasis is on reinforcing good practice and its justification and how different preservation and renewal options can be evaluated.

It also provides a detailed introduction into the Pavement Life-cycle Costing tool, followed by worked examples through the presentation of several case studies.

Design and Construction Guidelines for the Delivery of Large Cantilever and Gantry Structures Jun 08, 2021

Over recent years there have been a number of incidents of structural failures of sign and high mast lighting structures across Australia and New Zealand, primarily due to poor design and construction practices. In addition to the obvious unacceptable safety risks and property damage caused by such incidents, these failures create substantial unforeseen operational costs to repair and modify these assets. This often results in significant traffic delays and imparts reputational damage to the governing road authority and other parties involved.

The Austroads report Design and Construction Guidelines for the Delivery of Large Cantilever and Gantry Structures documents consistent advice for the design and construction of large cantilever and gantry structures that is aligned with national and international best practice.

This webinar, presented by Claire Jager, Linda Ziebell and Andrew Wong, covers the following key topics:

gaps in current guidance and standards
examples of good practice
lessons learned from past failures.

The guidance document should be read alongside relevant standards and is intended for use by all stakeholders including:

state road agencies
local government agencies
designers, contractors and fabricators.

Development and Justification of Asset Preservation and Renewal: Report Overview Jun 03, 2021

This is the first session in a series of three webinars to present the findings of the report Prolonging the Life of Road Assets Under Increasing Demand: A Framework and Tools for Informing the Development and Justification of Asset Preservation and Renewal.

The session covers:

Review of challenges, guiding principles, examples of practice and definition of requirements.
Development of framework, procedures and supporting tools.
Scope and design of the case studies.
Case study results and consolidated findings.

Presented by Qindong Li, Tim Martin, Ranita Sen and Tyrone Toole.

Options for Managing the Impacts of Aged Heavy Vehicles May 27, 2021

The freight industry is critical to the economy, and for many sectors it is heavy vehicles that underpin freight movements and prosperity.

The average age of trucks in Australia and New Zealand is among the highest in the developed world. The oldest trucks are associated with higher environmental and health costs than newer trucks, yet these have been poorly quantified to date. Managing these issues is important to maintaining the freight industry’s social license.

Austroads has published a research report which analyses the impacts of an ageing heavy vehicle fleet and explores measures that have been used to manage this challenge in Australasia and internationally.

An Overview of the New Guide to Road Design Parts 1 and 7 May 25, 2021

Austroads has recently completed a project to consolidate the previous Guide to Road Design Part 1: Introduction to Road Design, Part 2: Design Considerations and Part 8: Process and Documentation into a new Part 1: Objectives of Road Design.

This update to Part 1 of the Guide to Road Design provides practitioners with a detailed description of the critical aspects of road design and essentially combines the former parts 1, 2 and 8 into one single part. This will enable Part 2 to be utilised for network design considerations in a future update and the removal of Part 8 of the Guide.

In addition, a new Part 7: New and Emerging Treatments has been created to provide information to practitioners using emerging treatments which are known to provide some benefit from a safety and/or operational perspective but have not yet produced evidence for predominant contexts.

Part 7 contains design-related knowledge, findings from research and practical experiences about new, emerging and innovative treatments. This is a holding place for information about these treatments where full guidance is not available, for all road environments or until learning from implementation/trials is captured. The intention is for this information to be migrated to the respective parts 1 to 6 of the Guide when comprehensive evidence and dimensional guidance is available.

This webinar, presented by Noel O’Callaghan and Malcolm Mak, provides an overview of the new parts 1 and 7 and explain the links to other Austroads guides as well as jurisdictional supplements.

Paving our ways May 13, 2021

This webinar presents a book “Paving Our Ways”, which references Austroads’ research and provides a comprehensive international history of the world’s pavements, running from the earliest human settlements to the present day. No previous book has covered such a broad canvass.

The book is written for general and technically oriented readers, tracing the human and social aspects of pavement development and use and providing detailed technical background. It also caters to students of engineering and transport wishing to broaden their knowledge of their profession or taking a course in the history and sociology of engineering.

“Paving Our Ways” provides interesting and curious asides about the stranger aspects of pavements. It explores the controversies surrounding the development of macadam pavements and, later, of asphalt pavements in a way that provides many insights into modern pavements. It also examines the subsequent competition between pavements using bituminous or cementitious binders.

The book covers three major time zones. The first is from the times of the Egyptian pharaohs to the end of the Roman era, the second is from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the First World War during which people like Tresaguet, Telford and McAdam had major impacts, and the third is from the end of the First World War to the present time when motorised trucks and machinery dramatically changed the way the pavements were made and used.

Looking back on the way current pavement technologies evolved, the authors of the book Maxwell Lay, formerly Director ConnectEast and Australian Road Research Board, John Metcalf, Formerly Louisiana State University, USA and Kieran Sharp, Road Eng. Assoc. of Asia and Australasia show how Australian practice relates to international practice.

Austroads Technical Specifications for Roadworks and Bridgeworks May 06, 2021

Currently, most Austroads member agencies rely on their unique technical specifications for the delivery of roadworks and bridge projects. In many cases, these specifications have been developed over a number of years in consultation with local industry and suppliers.

While it is recognised that there will always be some requirements that will only apply to a single jurisdiction, standardising specifications (and the associated test methods) has the potential to improve work processes for road agencies, suppliers and contractors.

To increase efficiency for road agencies and industry and optimise compliance with contract requirements, 14 technical specifications have been published for all Austroads member agencies to use for the construction of roadworks and bridgeworks. These specifications are suitable for use with any general conditions of contract, including design and construct contracts. They are expected to be used in conjunction with supplementary local or contract specific requirements.

This webinar, presented by Richard Edwards, takes participants through the technical specifications development process and provides an overview of the structure and layout adopted for the specifications.

Network Operation Planning: Case Studies and Capability Building Apr 22, 2021

Network operation planning aims to guide the day-to-day operation and development of the road network. These management activities are regularly completed and documented through the development of Network Operation Plans (NOPs), which link policy objectives while managing competing transport and land use priorities. This intent of NOPs is generally agreed, but the way and level of application varies across the jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand. The recent adoption of the Movement and Place (M&P) Framework in most of these jurisdictions has also influenced NOPs.

Austroads has led a review to understand current NOP practices and provide material to build capabilities in state and local government agencies to increase NOP use and implementation. The approach to increase NOP use and application consisted of a review of relevant literature, five case studies in four jurisdictions and a detailed review of the Network Fit Assessment Tool. There was also engagement with state transport agencies.

The project has produced an online Reference Material Library to help those looking to develop or evolve NOP processes.

The webinar, presented by Andrew Somers, Will Fooks and Alex Blackett, covers:

an overview of the activities undertaken as part of this project.
a summary of the takeaways from the review of current practices.
an introduction to the Online Library.

Revision of Austroads Guide to Road Tunnels Part 2: Planning, Design and Commissioning Mar 25, 2021

This webinar, presented by Les Louis, Lauren Thompson and Dr Richard Yeo, informs practitioners about the updates made to Part 2 of the Guide to Road Tunnels in 2021 and the reasons for those changes. Every section of Part 2 is addressed to show what changes have been made. More detail is provided about the new sections of the document, highlighting the most significant material added to the document in the section on Systems Engineering.

The overall changes brought about by recent research and developments, and those caused by revisions of the other parts of the guide as well as the addition of Part 4 are also addressed.

Engineering Guideline to Bridge Asset Management Mar 24, 2021

The Engineering Guideline to Bridge Asset Management was developed to provide specific asset management guidance for road bridges. The guideline promotes an engineering approach (engineering principles, knowledge, experience and modelling tools) as being the only robust method for understanding the current and future, condition and needs of a bridge network.

The guideline defines best practice asset management for bridges over their lifecycle in a manner that will provide a transparent link between investment and outcomes. It includes a specific and detailed asset management framework for bridges.

This webinar, presented by Barry Wright, Torill Pape and Peter Shaw, takes participants through the development of the guideline and provides an overview of the key principles and learnings contained in the guideline.

Improved Traffic Management Guidance: On-Road Public Transport Priority Tool Mar 23, 2021

On-road public transport (ORPT) priority treatments improve public transport’s level of service increasing reliability and travel time benefits for users.

Austroads has developed a practical process (referred to as a ‘tool’) to guide practitioners through the selection of the appropriate ORPT priority treatments for any road scenario. The tool is documented in the 2020 Austroads report AP-R645-20 On-Road Public Transport Priority Tool.

This webinar, presented by David Green and Graham McCabe, provides an overview of the tool explaining how it was developed and how practitioners may use the tool in their day-to-day work.

Improved Traffic Management Guidance: Freeway Capacity Analysis Mar 16, 2021

Austroads’ report Improved Traffic Management Guidance: Freeway Capacity Analysis reviews the latest research and practices in freeway capacity analysis and makes recommendations for updating Austroads FCA guidance.

This webinar with Paul Bennett and Graham McCabe presents the research and findings outlined in the report, including the consultations with practitioners from across Australia and New Zealand, the comparative study of different capacity analysis methodologies and the recommendations made for updating Austroads FCA guidance.

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

Effectiveness and Implementation of Raised Safety Platforms Mar 04, 2021

Raised Safety Platforms (RSPs) are a vertical deflection device increasingly used to reduce the maximum comfortable operating speed for vehicles to Safe System collision speeds, particularly at intersections. While the use of vertical deflection devices has typically been limited to lower speed environments, there is increasing interest in the use of RSPs in higher speed environments and for other locations where pedestrians and cyclists would typically be injured.

The purpose of Austroads’ research report ‘Effectiveness and Implementation of Raised Safety Platforms’ was to provide clarity around the design and operation of RSPs and deepen the understanding of leading international practice across a range of applications and performance dimensions. The research included a review of literature, sample investigations and edits to relevant Austroads guides. The literature has shown that, outside of the Netherlands, where RSPs have been used extensively, a ‘community of practice’ is developing in Australia and New Zealand, with the majority of applications at signalised intersections above 50 km/h to date being in Victoria. There is evidence that RSPs are a promising road safety countermeasure.

In this webinar Fabian Marsh, Hamish Mackie and Rebekah Thorne outline the research approach and the key findings from the information review and sample investigations that have implications for future practice.

Pedestrian Planning and Design for Residential Areas Feb 26, 2021

This webinar, presented by Ann-Marie Head and Jeanette Ward, focuses on the planning and design considerations for walkable residential neighbourhoods, both new and existing, and where to find that guidance in Austroads’ guides.

The webinar covers the following key topics:

what data to collect
planning/network considerations
design considerations
examples of applying walkable characteristics
best practice examples.

This is a final session in the series of webinars held by Austroads to step practitioners through the updated pedestrian planning and design information.

Austroads’ review of the pedestrian planning and design guidance in the Guide to Traffic Management (AGTM) and Guide to Road Design (AGRD) identified a total of 120 planning and design gaps. Recommended changes to the AGTM were published in April 2020 followed by a series of exceptionally popular webinars.

Recommended changes to the AGRD have been reviewed and approved by the Road Design Task Force and will find their way into the AGRD as part of its update and restructure planned by the Road Safety & Design program in FY20-21.

Innovation and Best Practice in Performance Measurement and Transport Outcomes Feb 25, 2021

‘What gets measured gets managed’ (Drucker, 1954). Performance metrics, indicators and benchmarks describe how our road assets (and transport systems) are functioning and operating within the context of the road users’ (and societal) expectations. This enables agencies and authorities to manage investment and resources to address the areas of greatest need.

Austroads first developed National Performance Indicators (NPIs) in 1993 to promote consistency in reporting of road performance across state transport agencies. Over time, however, the uptake of NPIs has diminished due to a misalignment with state agencies’ own performance reporting needs, concurrently with the advent of new datasets and the increased value that these datasets provide.

This webinar, presented by Simon Latham, Scott Benjamin and Robert Kane, explores the current performance reporting practices used nationally and internationally including the type and application of urban road network performance indicators and metrics. The webinar highlights challenges and opportunities related to existing performance indicators and reporting and discusses the recommendations which look to support consistent and commonly agreed performance indicators (revised NPIs) for urban road-based transport performance measurement.

Road Cross-Section Design for Road Stereotypes and a Safe System Feb 23, 2021

This webinar, presented by Richard Fanning, Noel O’Callaghan and Madeleine Bekavac, is about the guidance on road cross-section design for road stereotypes, which have been developed to assist road managers, planners and designers to achieve improved road safety outcomes through the application of consistent standards along a road corridor.

Practitioners will learn about the thirteen midblock road stereotypes that cover rural and urban roads ranging from freeways and motorways to local access roads. Through a number of case studies, presenters will demonstrate the application of the stereotypes for the development of network safety plans that illustrate how to achieve reductions in crash risk along the network.

Presenters also outline a range of cross-sections with different attributes that were considered appropriate for each road stereotype and assessed for crash risk using the International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) star ratings, the Australian National Risk Assessment Model (ANRAM) fatal and serious injury (FSI) crash prediction models.

A user guide developed to assists practitioners in selecting the most appropriate stereotypes suitable for the needs of their jurisdictions is also discussed.

Pedestrian Planning and Design for Activity Centres Feb 22, 2021

This webinar, presented by Ann-Marie Head and Jeanette Ward, focuses on the planning and design considerations that contribute to walkable activity centres - vibrant places where people shop, work, meet, relax and often live. The session also explains where this information can be found in Austroads’ guides.

The webinar covers the following key topics:

what data to collect
planning/network considerations
examples of applying walkable characteristics
design considerations
types of shared space streets
best practice examples.

This session is the fourth in the series of webinars held by Austroads to step practitioners through the updated pedestrian planning and design information.

Austroads’ review of the pedestrian planning and design guidance in the Guide to Traffic Management (AGTM) and Guide to Road Design (AGRD) identified a total of 120 planning and design gaps. Recommended changes to the AGTM were published in April 2020 followed by a series of exceptionally popular webinars.

Recommended changes to the AGRD have been reviewed and approved by the Road Design Task Force and will find their way into the AGRD as part of its update and restructure planned by the Road Safety & Design program in FY20-21.

Pedestrian Planning and Design at Intersections Feb 16, 2021

This webinar presents how to ensure intersections are planned and designed appropriately for pedestrians, and where to find that guidance in Austroads’ guides.

The webinar covers the following key topics:

what data to collect
types and how they impact pedestrians
selection process
design of each type to improve walking outcomes
best practice examples.

Presented by Ann-Marie Head and Jeanette Ward.

This session is the third in the series of webinars held by Austroads to step practitioners through the updated pedestrian planning and design information.

Austroads’ review of the pedestrian planning and design guidance in the Guide to Traffic Management (AGTM) and Guide to Road Design (AGRD) identified a total of 120 planning and design gaps. Recommended changes to the AGTM were published in April 2020 followed by a series of exceptionally popular webinars.

Recommended changes to the AGRD have been reviewed and approved by the Road Design Task Force and will find their way into the AGRD as part of its update and restructure planned by the Road Safety & Design program in FY20-21.

Midblock Crossings for Pedestrians Feb 12, 2021

This webinar, presented by Ann-Marie Head and Jeanette Ward, focuses on how to ensure pedestrian crossings are planned and designed appropriately, and where to find that guidance in Austroads’ guides.

The webinar covers the following key topics:

what data to collect
types, description and appropriate context
selection process
design details for each type
best practice examples.

This session is the second in the series of webinars held by Austroads to step practitioners through the updated pedestrian planning and design information.

Austroads’ review of the pedestrian planning and design guidance in the Guide to Traffic Management (AGTM) and Guide to Road Design (AGRD) identified a total of 120 planning and design gaps. Recommended changes to the AGTM were published in April 2020 followed by a series of exceptionally popular webinars.

Recommended changes to the AGRD have been reviewed and approved by the Road Design Task Force and will find their way into the AGRD as part of its update and restructure planned by the Road Safety & Design program in FY20-21.

Transitions Between Steel Beam and Concrete Barriers Feb 11, 2021

A transition in a safety barrier system is a short section between a more flexible system and a less flexible system to decrease the flexibility gradually along its length. At present there are various transition designs being used by road agencies.

This webinar describes the development, testing and evaluation of a proposed Australasian transition from a strong post public domain W-beam to a concrete barrier.

Presented by Rod Troutbeck, Daniel A. Naish and Jade Hogan.

Road Space Allocation for Pedestrians Feb 09, 2021

Austroads’ review of the pedestrian planning and design guidance in the Guide to Traffic Management (AGTM) and Guide to Road Design (AGRD) identified a total of 120 planning and design gaps. Recommended changes to the AGTM were published in April 2020 followed by a series of exceptionally popular webinars.

Recommended changes to the AGRD have been reviewed and approved by the Road Design Task Force and will find their way into the AGRD as part of its update and restructure planned by the Road Safety & Design program in FY20-21.

This is the first session in the series of webinars to step practitioners through the updated pedestrian planning and design information. It presents how to ensure pedestrians are catered for appropriately in road cross sections, and where to find that information in the Austroads guides.

The webinar is presented by Ann-Marie Head and Jeanette Ward on 9 February 2021.

Opportunities to Build Capacity in Traffic Management Jan 21, 2021

An Austroads study of Australian and New Zealand roads capability (AP-R574-18) identified capability/learning gaps amongst graduates and novice practitioners in traffic management. The 2018 study also confirmed that road agencies are experiencing skill shortages and the existing roads workforce will be under threat from rising activity in other sectors.

To address this recognised lack of traffic management knowledge and skills, a series of ‘short and sharp’ learning modules were developed on a range of fundamental traffic management topics.

The learning modules were developed in collaboration with Austroads member agencies and informed by user testing with young practitioners.

Designed for practitioners entering the field and anyone who wishes to increase their knowledge and improve their capabilities in traffic management, the learning modules cover 21 topics and contain supporting quizzes and tutorials. The units include an Introduction to Traffic Management, Traffic Theory, Studies and Analysis, Network Operations Planning and Management, the Safe System Approach and Intelligent Transport Systems.

This webinar discusses the selection of traffic management topics covered in the learning modules and the processes involved in their development and testing. It demonstrates the learning modules and shows how to access them from the Austroads website.

Presented by Paul Bennett and Graham McCabe.

Development of Design Procedures for Lightly Bound Cemented Materials in Flexible Pavements Dec 16, 2020

The addition of a small amount of cementitious binder to non-standard granular materials may result in a fit for purpose base or subbase at a significantly lower cost than crushed rock complying with standard specifications. Such lightly bound cemented (LBC) materials have particular use in pavement rehabilitation and heavy patching as they are less susceptible to block cracking and crocodile cracking than cemented materials.

The binder content and strength of LBC materials are significantly lower than heavily bound cemented (HBC) materials. Austroads’ recent report, which reviewed the performance of selected Queensland pavements with LBC bases, has shown that it is possible to design and construct a low-strength material with base thickness and subbase support sufficient to limit the extent of the micro cracking development that leads to macro-cracking.

Considering the use and performance of LBC for moderate to heavily trafficked roads, a structural design method was developed for pavements containing LBC materials and HBC materials in the post fatigue cracking phase of life, including:

A new elastic characterisation method, applicable to LBC materials and HBC materials in the fatigue cracked state, including methods to vary the design modulus according to the design modulus of the layer supporting the cracked material and the thickness and modulus of the overlying bound materials.
Design charts to select LBC base thicknesses to inhibit the development of block cracking and crocodile cracking, with the minimum thickness varying with design traffic loading and the support provided by the layer under the LBC base.

This webinar, presented by Dr Geoff Jameson and Dr James Grenfell, explains the structural design method in detail, including its development and application.

Improved Guidance on Interrupted Traffic Flow Theory Dec 03, 2020

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.

Best-Practice Approaches to Road Freight and Communities Nov 26, 2020

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.

Outcomes from the Long-Term Monitoring of Austroads Sprayed Seal Trials Nov 17, 2020

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.

Implications of Pavement Markings for Machine Vision Oct 21, 2020

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.

A Holistic Investment Prioritisation Framework for Road Assets Oct 08, 2020

Currently road authorities rely on multiple different decision making-frameworks to help identify investment opportunities for the road network. The framework used often varies depending on the nature of the expenditure. For example, cost benefit analysis is commonly used to assess large capital upgrades and risk assessments are commonly used to identify bridges that need treatment. The outputs produced by the different decision-making frameworks are incompatible, making it difficult to prioritise across different expenditure types.

This webinar presents a holistic prioritisation framework that supports investment decision making across and within service groups, asset classes and expenditure categories. The framework also seeks to enhance existing asset management reporting by providing easy to understand portfolio-level outputs to help non-technical decision makers make funding decisions.

Presented by Martin Chow and Dylan Frangos.

Updated Roadside Design Guidance: Crash Risk Evaluation Procedure Background Oct 06, 2020

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.

Optimising Project Delivery Performance Sep 29, 2020

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.

Updated Roadside Design Guidance: Crash Risk Evaluation Sep 22, 2020

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.

Framework and Tools for Road Freight Access Decisions Aug 20, 2020

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.

Draft National Prequalification Scheme for Temporary Traffic Management Aug 18, 2020

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.

Draft National Training Framework for Temporary Traffic Management Aug 17, 2020

This webinar, presented by Richard Delplace and Thuan Nguyen on 17 August 2020, provides an overview of the Draft National Training Framework for Temporary Traffic Management (NTFTTM), which has been developed by Austroads in consultation with its member agencies represented on the Temporary Traffic Management Technical Reference Group (TTMTRG).

The NTFTTM document sets out a proposed process and training requirements for practitioners responsible for design, control or implementation of temporary traffic management. The content of the framework will be incorporated in the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management (AGTTM) Part 8.

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

Classifying, Measuring and Valuing the Benefits of Place on the Transport System Aug 13, 2020

This webinar, held on 13 August 2020, presents the findings of Austroads’ recent research project that explores the many different ways in which place is being measured both locally and internationally, and how transport practitioners can practically and effectively classify, measure and value the place function of our streets.

Presenters Will Fooks and Ed Zhao talk about the experiences and challenges shared by more than 130 participants across Australia and New Zealand, navigate the subjectivities and complexities and establish a framework by which the benefits of place can be captured, communicated and, ultimately, inform transport planning, design and investment decision-making.

Standards Australia: Bitumen and Related Materials for Roads Aug 11, 2020

This webinar, presented by Robert Urquhart on 11 August 2020, gives an overview of an Austroads project which provided expert technical input into the update of four Australian standards which were revised by the Standards Australia Technical Committee CH-025 ‘Bitumen and related products for roadmaking’.

This webinar describes the main changes that have occurred during revision of the following standards:

AS 2341.3 Determination of kinematic viscosity
AS 2341.12 Determination of penetration
AS 2341.18 Determination of softening point
AS 3568 Oils for reducing the viscosity of bituminous binders for pavements.

Vehicles and Technology: Future State 2030 Aug 06, 2020

This webinar, presented by Andrew Somers and John Wall on 6 August 2020, outlines the results of Austroads’ forecasts regarding penetration of automated, connected and electric vehicles technologies into new vehicles and vehicle fleets through to 2030. Each forecast focuses on a specific attribute, including:

Active safety systems
Capability for automated driving on motorways, in urban areas and in rural areas
Connectivity via Cooperative ITS (C-ITS) or to the cloud via mobile data networks
Battery Electric Vehicles
Used for hire with a driver (as taxi, rideshare, etc).

These forecasts show the effects of a likely pattern of technology adoption and the proliferation of that technology through the fleet. As such, many of the forecasts show that only modest proportions of the fleet are equipped by 2030.

While outside of scope, considerations of the impacts of the technologies remain important and one role of this project was to provide forecasts on anticipated penetration to inform continued discussions on and planning for these impacts.

Procurement Decision Tool: A Case Study of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing Jul 31, 2020

This webinar, presented by Adrian Bridge on 31 July 2020, provides an overview of a new procurement tool and its application to a road infrastructure project, the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing in Queensland.

The tool has been designed to significantly advance value for money in the delivery of infrastructure projects.

Tactical Urbanism: Streets for People Jul 21, 2020

In this Austroads webinar, held on 21 July, leading practitioners Mike Lydon, Claire Pascoe and Sara Stace talk about the latest actions in tactical urbanism and how they influence the rethink of public space to build cities that are more inclusive, safe and prosperous for all.

Transport Modelling for Project Managers Jul 09, 2020

This webinar, presented by Bryan Li on 9 July 2020, provides an overview of a resource designed to equip practitioners who may not have specific technical experience in transport modelling with clear and practical guidance to help make informed decisions when procuring modelling services or communicating the associated processes.

Introduction to the Life Cycle Costing Framework and its Application to Sealed Roads Jul 01, 2020

This webinar, faciliated by Tyrone Toole, Phil Hunt and Ranita Sen on 17 June 2020, focuses on the life-cycle costing framework and a suite of practical examples to demonstrate how to assess the best use of available marginal and non‑standard materials in sealed roads in different geographical and climactic conditions in Australia.

Introduction to the Life-Cycle Costing Framework and its Application to Unsealed Roads Jun 30, 2020

This webinar, presented on 30 June 2020 by Zia Rice, Tyrone Toole and Lory Noya, looks specifically into the use of the life-cycle costing framework and the important components that are considered for the assessment of an unsealed road. Special guest speakers from ARRB’s Asset Management team provide greater detail into the life-cycle costing examples through the presentation of several case studies.

Introduction to the Life-Cycle Costing Framework and its Application to Unsealed Roads Jun 30, 2020

This webinar, presented on 30 June 2020 by Zia Rice, Tyrone Toole and Lory Noya, looks specifically into the use of the life-cycle costing framework and the important components that are considered for the assessment of an unsealed road. Special guest speakers from ARRB’s Asset Management team provide greater detail into the life-cycle costing examples through the presentation of several case studies.

Decarbonisation of Road Transport Network Operations in Australia and New Zealand Jun 16, 2020

This webinar, presented by Richard Palmer on 16 June 2020, gives a detailed overview of Austroads’ recent publication ‘Decarbonisation of Road Transport Network Operations in Australia and New Zealand’. The issues paper provides an analysis of the contribution of the road transport sector to generating GHG emissions in Australia and New Zealand. It also frames the role that road transport network operations play in supporting the state and national emissions reduction goals.

Measuring Pedestrians: Survey and Audit Methods Jun 03, 2020

This webinar presented by Ann-Marie Head and Jeanette Ward on 3 June 2020 focused on why and how to measure walking activities. The webinar highlighted the Guide to Traffic Management series which was recently updated to incorporate international good practice pedestrian planning and design guidance.

Introduction to the Materials Assessment Framework and its Application in Resource Assessment Jun 02, 2020

This webinar, presented by Zia Rice and Phil Hunt on 2 June 2020, is the first one in a series of three online sessions to extend practitioners’ understanding of what influences material performance and how to balance it with budget optimisation and level‑of‑service requirements.

The session details the development of the materials assessment framework and how it can be used to undertake resource assessment.

Pedestrian Planning Concepts Jun 01, 2020

This webinar, presented by Ann-Marie Head and Jeanette Ward on 27 May, explains how to better plan for high quality walking environments in our towns and cities. The webinar highlights the Guide to Traffic Management series which has recently been updated to incorporate international good practice pedestrian planning and design guidance.

Charting Changes in Austroads' Guide to Traffic Management May 21, 2020

This webinar, presented by Richard Delplace and David Green on 19 May, provides an overview of changes to the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management. These changes follow the completion of Austroads project NTM6100: Translating research into practice – Advancing the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management. One of the aims of the project was to recommend and implement changes to the Guide to ensure that it is clearer and more useful to its users.

Education and Training for Drivers of Assisted and Automated Vehicles May 15, 2020

This webinar, held on 13 May, identifies the skills, knowledge and behaviours drivers need, now and in the future, to safely operate cars and trucks equipped with higher levels of automation. It was presented by Professor Michael Regan, Dr Prasannah Prabhakharan, Phil Wallace and Mitch Cunningham.

Bridge Assessment Beyond the AS5100 Deterministic Methodology May 07, 2020

This webinar, presented on 30 April, gives an overview of ways to assess the safety of existing bridges beyond the Rating Factor approach of AS5100. It was presented by Dr Colin Caprani, Dr Mayer M Melhem and Professor Mark G Stewart.

Investigation and Development of Bridge Formulae for Inclusion in the Performance-based Standards Apr 29, 2020

This webinar, presented on 29 April 2020, discusses the merits of three options to advance the future of PBS access in Australia as it relates to bridges. It was presented by Angus Draheim, Matthew Bereni and Neal Lake.

Sustainable Roads Through Fit-for-purpose Use of Available Materials Apr 15, 2020

This webinar, presented on 15 April 2020, provides an overview of the key components which influence fit-for-purpose material selection for low to medium volume regional and rural roads.

It covers:

material performance and risk assessment
risk reduction techniques
materials option assessment
life cycle cost assessment process.

It considers material properties, traffic, climate, material modification and stabilisation, and life-cycle-cost implications. Case studies provide real-life, practical examples.

It was presented by Mick Savage, Zia Rice and Tyrone Toole.

An Australian Drink Driving Policy and Regulatory Framework Apr 09, 2020

This webinar, delivered on 9 April 2020, examines alcohol related road trauma and reports on the differing legislation, penalty and enforcement policies and practices in place across Australian jurisdictions. It recommends improvements in policy and practice for both the short and long term.

It was presented by Greer Banyer, Eric Howard and Anne Harris.

Assessment of Key Road Operator Actions to Support Electric Vehicles Apr 01, 2020

This webinar, delivered on 31 March 2020, provides insights into a recent Austroads report that identifies actions that road operators can take to support the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

The presentation covers:

The different types of electric vehicles.
Core and non-core functions of road operators in supporting the transition to EVs.
The key themes that influence the actions road operators need to consider to support the transition to EVs. This includes leadership, governance, mass/license concessions, registration and licensing data, EV charging guidelines and EV charging infrastructure.
The key core actions (must do actions) around registration & licensing, road access and EV charging infrastructure. In addition to an overview of the key non-core actions (may do actions to further support the transition to EVs) around education, governance and EV charging infrastructure.

It was presented by John Wall, David Green, Mark Gjerek and Nathan Gore-Brown.

Integrating Safe System with Movement and Place with for Vulnerable Road Users Mar 31, 2020

This webinar, presented by Dr Bruce Corben on 26 March 2020, demonstrates ways to integrate Safe System design and operation with Movement and Place for vulnerable road users, in particular pedestrians and cyclists.

Local Government Road Safety Management Guidance Feb 29, 2020

This webinar, held on 27 February 2020, provides an overview of Austroads guidance on contemporary best practice methods for developing and implementing road safety management frameworks for local government.

Local government roads typically have a more diverse range of road types, environments and users than state roads, which makes them difficult to manage. The crash rate is generally twice that of state roads and previously much of the body of industry guidance has not been directly relevant to the local government sector.
It covers:
• the road safety management system and its relevance for local government in Australia and New Zealand
• principles and processes for the development of a framework for road safety management
• developing interventions for local government and key stages in developing of road safety programs
• implementation and the importance and purpose of monitoring and evaluation.

This webinar was presented by Paul Durdin.

Managing Sealed and Unsealed Local Roads Feb 18, 2020

This webinar provides an overview of the life cycle management of local sealed and unsealed roads. It highlights the Austroads Guides and the AUS-SPEC national local government specification system which assist local government practitioners to design, construct and maintain sealed and unsealed roads.

The webinar was presented on 17 February 2020 by Mick Savage and Nandini Mehta.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 10: Supporting Guidance Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 10: Supporting Guidance.

Part 10 provides information on a range of topics to support the information contained within the other parts of this Guide. The information includes, risk management processes, review, inspection and road safety audit of worksites, events and emergency works.

Presented by Dr Dan Sullivan.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 9: Sample Layouts Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 9: Sample Layouts.

Part 9 provides illustrative and educational sample layouts to support the other parts of the Guide and to assist Traffic Management Designers in the interpretation of the various requirements of this Guide.

Presented by Alex Zelenko.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 8: Process and Procedures Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 8: Process and Procedures.

Part 8 provides guidance to road authorities, road infrastructure managers, any party conducting works on, or near a road, and all persons involved in planning, designing, implementing, managing and completing temporary traffic management works. It details the processes and procedures relating to jurisdictional management of temporary traffic management at roadworks. The information included covers: categories of temporary traffic management; powers, roles and responsibilities; training; and standard forms and descriptions.

Presented by Bert Prinsloo.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 7: Traffic Controllers Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 7: Traffic Controllers.

Part 7 details contemporary traffic controller practices including information about training competencies, control instructions and devices.

Presented by Leah Kelly.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 6: Field Staff: Implementation and Operation Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 6: Field Staff – Implementation and Operation.

Part 6 sets out the requirements of field staff in the process of installing, monitoring and dismantling traffic management on public roads.

Presented by Lee Vossen.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 5: Short Term Low Impact Worksites Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 5: Short Term Low Impact Worksites.

Part 5 identifies and details preferred temporary traffic management design and operational practices to be applied for short term low impact works on or near roads.

Presented by Leah Kelly.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 4: Mobile Works Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 4: Mobile Works.

Part 4 has been prepared to assist with mobile worksites, in accordance with Austroads best practice. It provides general information about the context and components of designing temporary traffic guidance schemes at mobile worksites.

Presented by Leah Kelly.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 3: Static Worksites Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 3: Static Worksites.

Part 3 has been specifically prepared to assist with the preparation of traffic guidance schemes (TGSs), in accordance with Austroads best practice. It provides general information about the context and components of designing temporary traffic guidance schemes at static worksites.

Presented by Leah Kelly.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 2: Traffic Management Planning Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 2: Traffic Management Planning.

Part 2 has been specifically prepared to assist with the preparation of traffic management plans (TMPs), in accordance with Austroads best practice. It provides general information about the context, components and format of a TMP.

Presented by Kat McAulay.

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 1: Introduction Dec 11, 2019

This online presentation provides an overview of the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management Part 1: Introduction.

Part 1 provides an introduction to the topic of Temporary Traffic Management and describes the structure to the 10 Parts of the Guide, the key principles of Temporary Traffic Management and the ongoing governances of the Guide and training by Austroads.

Presented by Dr Dan Sullivan.

Austroads Guide to Traffic Management Launch Dec 11, 2019

This recording is of the launch event for the Guide to Temporary Traffic Management held on 11 December 2019.

Austroads’ Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (AGTTM) details contemporary temporary traffic management requirements for Australia and New Zealand practitioners. It contains guidance and instructions for planning, designing and implementing temporary traffic management to ensure the safety of employees and contractors working in or near traffic, and a safe environment for all road users.

The culmination of a four-year collaborative project between Austroads, Australasian transport agencies and industry, the Guide will help to harmonise temporary traffic management practice in Australia and New Zealand.

The Guide to Temporary Traffic Management comprises:
• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Traffic Management Planning
• Part 3: Static Worksites
• Part 4: Mobile Works
• Part 5: Short Term Low Impact Worksites
• Part 6: Field Staff – Implementation and Operation
• Part 7: Traffic Controllers
• Part 8: Processes and Procedures
• Part 9: Sample Layouts
• Part 10: Supporting Guidance.

Presented by:
• Neil Scales OBE, Austroads Chair and Director-General Department of Transport and Main Roads
• Louise Van Ristell, Executive Officer, Traffic Management Association of Australia
• Dr Dan Sullivan, Austroads Safety at Road Worksites Project Manager.

Download the Guide at austroads.com.au/publications/temporary-traffic-management/agttm-set

Improving the Reliability of Heavy Vehicle Parameters to Support More Accurate Traffic Modelling in Australia and New Zealand Dec 09, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of ways to more accurately model heavy vehicle movements during interrupted traffic flows in Australia and New Zealand.

It covers:

background and results of the Austroads project
heavy vehicle characteristics relevant to intersection capacity such as length and width, clearance space, acceleration and deceleration
heavy vehicle parameter development for traffic modelling software - SIDRA, LINSIG, VISSIM and AIMSUN, based on video survey and calibration.

The webinar presented on 9 December 2019 by Dr Young Li and TK Kim.

Standardisation of ITS Technology Asset Management Datasets Dec 05, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of the first version of the standardised condition and performance datasets for intelligent transport systems (ITS) assets.

ITS assets are technologies placed in vehicles and infrastructure to improve the safety and efficiency of transport systems.

You will learn about:

how to define ITS asset criticality
the gaps in the ITS asset data that currently exist
case studies on jurisdictional data collection and standardised KPIs for performance reporting
benefit-cost-analysis for the implementation of the data standard
how Auckland Motorways adopted the data standard and the insights and benefits gained.

The webinar was presented on 5 December 2019, by Dr Clarissa Han and Dean Parker.

Australasian Road Asset Data Standard – Opportunities for Local Government Nov 29, 2019

This webinar outlines how local road managers can use the data standard and engage with collaboration activities, to provide access to new asset management and maintenance insights with minimal impact on workload.

It covers:

the Austroads Data Standard’s design, and definitions, and the multiple ways it can be used
how harmonised data sets are being used to promote benefits at local and national levels
how this supports national transport and infrastructure reform actions
how the collaboration process works, and the insights gained from local government currently participating
how harmonised data sets provide new asset management insights.

The webinar was presented on 29 November 2019 by Angus Draheim, Georgia O’Cianain, Ashish Shah and Muhammad Khatree.

Infrastructure Changes to Support Automated Vehicles on Rural and Metropolitan Highways and Freeways Nov 07, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of the gaps in current physical and digital road infrastructure to support connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) on Australian and New Zealand highways and freeways.

It covers:

what infrastructure readiness is required for CAVs
results of the extensive field audit
how current infrastructure standards compare to the requirements for CAV readiness
what actions are appropriate to take now given the uncertainty that remains
how this project complements other Austroads projects to build a more complete picture of progress readiness for CAVs.

The webinar was presented on 7 November 2019 by John Wall, Andrew Somers and Anthony Germanchev.

Properties of General-purpose Cement with Increased Percentages of Limestone Oct 15, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of an Austroads project that investigated whether cements with elevated limestone content would perform satisfactorily in ambient-cured and precast concretes subjected to aggressive exposure conditions.

The webinar was presented on 15 October 2019 by Dr Ahmad Shayan and Fred Andrews-Phaedonos.

Vehicles as a Workplace Oct 09, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of the ‘Vehicles as a Workplace: Work Health & Safety Guide' from a safety, regulatory and industry perspective.

The Vehicles as a Workplace Guide provides practical risk management guidance for individuals and organisations who use vehicles on public roads for work.

The guide describes a process for dealing with road traffic hazards in line with work health and safety (WHS) legislation and road traffic safety principles. It covers all vehicle use in road traffic and complements other legislative requirements that apply to businesses whose primary purpose is transport, such as bus, truck or taxi operators.

The webinar was presented on 9 October 2019 by Martin Small, Grant Phillips, Mace Hartley and Peter Daly.

Key Freight Routes: Heavy Vehicle Usage Data Project Oct 03, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of an Austroads project that analysed telematics data to explore how heavy vehicles use Key Freight Routes.

It covers:

the methodology used in preparing the research
outcomes of discussions with industry and other stakeholders
key recommendations from the report
recent updates to the National Telematics Framework which support the recommendations including: new telematics applications at different levels of assurance, release of the Telematics Data Exchange, and accessibility of data to road managers and other stakeholders.

The webinar was presented on 3 October 2019 by Tim Renowden and Gavin Hill.

National View on Regional and Remote Road Safety Oct 01, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of the causes and contributing factors behind road crashes in regional and remote areas, and strategic guidance to identify the best approaches to eliminate harm.

It covers:

key current road safety issues in regional and remote areas based on crash data and the research literature
stakeholder perspectives on current issues
evidence-based measures and new initiatives for improving road safety in regional and remote areas
recommendations, aligned with the Safe System approach, that provide strategic directions for future actions
future opportunities for regional and remote road safety.

The webinar was presented on 1 October 2019 by Melissa Watts and Dr Lisa Wundersitz.

Dangerous Goods in Tunnels Sep 12, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of an Austroads project that examined the passage of dangerous good through Australasian road tunnels, and continuing studies on this topic.

It covers:

the background of the project
a standardised methodology to guide the assessment of risk and the variations between existing tunnels and tunnels entering the design phase
current national and international practice
the next stage of the study.

The webinar was presented on 12 September 2019 by Nigel Casey and Bruce Dandie.

Opportunities in Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Sep 03, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and the opportunities it presents for transport agencies in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).

Mobility as a Service refers to the shift from personally-owned transport modes to mobility solutions that are consumed as a service. This project explored industry definitions, service characteristics, global best practice, and ways ANZ transport agencies are harnessing the risks and opportunities associated with MaaS.

It covers:

why there is no single definition of MaaS
international and local transport agency experience in MaaS initiatives
common features of the mobility and service environments that support MaaS
potential roles for the public sector in supporting MaaS outcomes.

The webinar was presented by Mary Haverland and Pete Davis.

Guide to Road Tunnels Part 4: Retrofitting Tunnels Aug 29, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of the new Guide to Road Tunnels Part 4: Retrofitting Tunnels and the requirements for developing a project to upgrade a road tunnel.

It covers:

why a retrofitting project may be required for a tunnel
the types of retrofitting projects
the process of developing a retrofitting project
acceptable standards for retrofitting
retrofitting or refurbishing individual components of the tunnel or tunnel systems
achieving energy efficiency in tunnel construction and operation by adopting appropriate solutions
case studies on the M2 Norfolk Twin Tunnels NSW and the refurbishment of the Terrace Tunnel, New Zealand.

The webinar was presented on 29 August 2019 presented by Les Louis.

Guide to Pavement Technology Part 5: Pavement Evaluation and Treatment Design Aug 22, 2019

This webinar, presented on 22 August 2019, provides an overview of the key changes to the Guide to Pavement Technology Part 5: Pavement Evaluation and Treatment Design, and the significant advances in the thickness design of structural treatments for flexible road pavements.

It covers:

an overview of the pavement evaluation process and selection of treatment options
use of Travelling Speed Deflectometer (TSD) to design granular overlays
new procedures for mechanistic-empirical design of strengthening treatments.

Presented by Geoff Jameson and Dr Michael Moffatt.

Development of a Sprayed Seal Binder Cracking Test Aug 08, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of an Austroads project that developed a new sprayed seal binder cracking test and compared the performance of polymer modified binders (PMBs).

It covers:

background of the project
sprayed seal binder cracking test
comparisons of the performance of S20E/A20E and S25E/A15E grade PMBs in asphalt and sprayed seals
proposed changes to AGPT/T190 based on the results of the project.

The webinar was presented on 8 August 2019 by Robert Urquhart.

General Conditions of Contract for Construction - National Capital Works 4 (NCW4) Jul 25, 2019

This webinar provides an overview of the new General Conditions of Contract for Construction - National Capital Works 4 (NCW4), released by Austroads and the Australian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC).

It covers: