Crossings and Footpaths
Road design and management must consider all road users, especially vulnerable users like pedestrians and bicycle riders. Road infrastructure must ensure active travel modes like walking and cycling are more accessible and safer.
Infrastructure that help people cross busy roads safely include:
- clearly marked and signalised pedestrian crossings
- centre-of-road refuge islands
- motion detectors
- surface sensors.
The Department of Infrastructure and Transport works with local governments to maintain safe, accessible roads for pedestrians with:
- signalised pedestrian crossings
- kerb extension to minimise crossing distance
- kerb ramps
- medians and pedestrian refuges
- tactile ground surface indicators.
Read more about crossings on Pedestrians and Safety around Schools.
Rail and level crossings
Trains and trams play a vital role in transporting people and goods across South Australia. However, the mix of high speeds, passengers and freight intersecting on rail and road systems poses a risk of severe or catastrophic incidents.
Everyone plays a role in rail safety, including drivers, riders, pedestrians and passengers. Many organisations share the responsibility for managing level crossing safety, such as state government, local government and rail infrastructure owners.
SA Level Crossing Safety Strategy
The South Australian Government is committed to zero harm at level crossings across South Australia.
South Australia’s Level Crossing Safety Strategy 2025-2034 was released in May 2025, replacing the 2017 Railway Crossing Safety Strategy. It priorities improving safety at level crossings and complements and supports effective level crossing safety initiatives and programs already in place across South Australia. The Strategy is supported by South Australia’s Level Crossing Safety Action Plan 2025-2028 to help contribute to the national vision of zero harm at level crossings by 2050.
National Level Crossing Safety Committee
The National Level Crossing Safety Committee is a forum for key senior officials from state and Australian governments to:
- foster a nationally consistent, cooperative and collaborative approach to level crossing safety
- provide governance and guidance on implementing actions to reduce the likelihood of crashes and near hits at level crossings.
Members of the committee include representatives from:
- Australasian jurisdictions
- Australian Government
- local government
- rail industry associations and regulators.
Find out more about the National Level Crossing Safety Strategy 2023–2032.
Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator is responsible for:
- regulatory oversight of rail safety in every Australian state and territory
- promoting and improving national rail safety to ensure the safety of the community.
Learn more about the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.