Austroads: Transport Research and Trends

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

‘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

Show notes

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.