Walking, cycling and public transport

Improving safety for people who walk and cycle and increasing public transport patronage.

In urban areas, safer, lower speed environments can provide environmental, health and access benefits by making road users feel safe and choose more active transport. Public transport is a safer mode of transport than any other form of road travel, based on crash exposure risk.27 Efforts will continue to be directed towards encouraging greater use of these shared transport modes. Improved safety for pedestrians and improved public transport can assist older road users to maintain mobility and access to services without the need to drive a private motor vehicle. Younger people also benefit from this freedom to travel safely before they are old enough to drive.

Strategic approaches are needed to improve road safety for people who walk, ride bikes and to encourage people to use public transport. Data is a key enabler to inform decision-making, for example better data on walking and cycling that includes injury crashes. We will also continue to partner with local government, schools and other stakeholders to identify, plan, design and implement safety improvements in local streets near schools and other community precincts to support safer, better connected travel by all road users. School and education precinct improvements will continue to be a focus, as will bicycle education to provide practical education for children to learn road rules and safe cycling behaviour.

E-scooters have become popular in Adelaide with the approval of three trials across the metropolitan area. E-scooters can be a low cost, attractive and convenient travel option, potentially providing an alternative to vehicles and travel independence for users. Currently, they can be used through trials approved for certain council areas.

There are a number of ways to make our roads safer for walking, cycling and using a mobility device, such as clearly marked and signalised pedestrian crossings, pedestrian refuges, bicycle lanes, off-road paths and safe road crossings. Lower speed environments where motor vehicles and bicycles travel at comparable speeds, or physical separation between vehicles and cyclists where there is significant speed differential are both ways to improve safety for cyclists as they reduce both the likelihood of collisions occurring and reduces crash severity.

Different purposes for different roads

Roads and streets not only enable the movement of people and goods between destinations, they also are places and destinations for people to live, work and socialise. Some roads, such as motorways, provide for fast movement with little or no ‘place’ function, whereas in vibrant entertainment precincts, local streets and places for people (low speed shared zones), the emphasis on place is the primary consideration.

Movement and Place is an approach that takes into account road function in road design and operation. In planning for the transport network we need to consider the role of the road and its integration with the adjacent land use to ensure that the treatment meets the needs of the users.

Use of the approach involves assigning a place and movement category to a section of road. It considers the local context of the road and assists in selecting appropriate measures for operation, management and improvements to the network. This approach informs speed management and road design and will be used to inform decisions, including those on speed management.

Place is categorised from 1-5 with 1 being a place of strategic significance such as a recognised tourist precinct or major activity centre such as a CBD. These places have active land uses and lots of activity on the street such as outdoor dining. 5 at the other end of the scale is a local residential or industrial street.

Movement is categorised from 1-5 with 1 being corridors for the mass movement of people or goods often defined as major traffic or freight routes. These corridors are designed for non-stop movement with limited access to adjacent land use. Local access roads fit into movement category 5.

In an area where there is high pedestrian usage, cyclists sharing roads with vehicles including buses and meeting places adjacent to the road, the movement and place approach will emphasise the need for slower movement with place as the primary consideration. This might result in a lower speed limit or other road safety treatments to improve the safety for all road users in that area.

Aligning road design with function improves road safety by ensuring the road network recognises and provides for different transport modes.

Key strategies to improve safer roads for all road users

  1. Strengthen or embed the use of the movement and place approach in the design of safer roads, suburbs and towns;
  2. The movement and place approach will be used to take account of road function when planning road safety treatments and determining operational settings (e.g. setting speed limits);
  3. Positive provision policies for cycling and walking infrastructure irrespective of the project intent;
  4. Safer and more connected walking and cycling infrastructure;
  5. Enable the safe use of innovative mobility solutions (e-scooters);
  6. Work with local councils to design safer community and pedestrian precincts (schools, main streets, recreation and sports) using a movement and place approach;
  7. Improving pedestrian and cyclist safety when crossing arterial roads;
  8. Work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a consistent, informed and collaborative approach to the holistic management of level crossing risks;
  9. Improved design of roads that encourage the desired behaviours in users, for example, signage and a road environment that gives a clear indication of what is ahead;
  10. Public awareness and education about safe road use;
  11. Continue to review technical roads standards and guidelines, for example traffic control devices, in the context of road safety risks and priorities, changing vehicle performance, new technologies and other new information;
  12. Develop an evidence-based model to guide maintenance investment and maximise the safety of existing road assets;
  13. Infrastructure improvements, such as signage and line marking, to facilitate the advancement of automated driving systems, electric vehicles and other technology;
  14. Monitoring and continuous improvement of road infrastructure treatments to quantify safety performance and effectiveness;
  15. Continued focus to identify high risk locations for motorcyclists and provide appropriate treatments and protection from roadside hazards;
  16. Promote the benefits of public transport to encourage mode shift to increase public transport patronage; and
  17. Improve data collection and analysis relating to walking and cycling crashes.

Specific strategies to improve the safety of regional roads are set out as part of the priority on regional and remote areas.