Local Government Network Risk Assessment Project Survey |
The Office of Road Safety is interested in how local governments in Australia can be better supported to undertake network safety risk assessments.
We are seeking feedback from all local governments in Australia. Even if your council is not currently doing network risk assessments – we want your feedback.
About this survey
This survey is part of a broader project which aims to identify best practice for network risk assessments that are fit-for-purpose and applicable across diverse areas, from urban centres to rural and remote regions.
Your feedback in this survey will help identify the skills, support and capabilities local governments need to undertake fit-for-purpose network risk assessments. We are interested in the barriers and challenges facing local government, as well as examples of good practice in network risk assessment. The results from this survey will also be used as a baseline to measure progress against the National Road Safety Strategy 2023-30.
This project is being managed by the Australasian College of Road Safety, on behalf of the Office of Road Safety. If you have any questions or comments about this project, please contact Caroline Colbran: caroline.colbran@acrs.org.au.
What is a network risk assessment?
A network risk assessment is undertaken across a road network. It involves:
• using information about the road environment or crash data to determine the current (or projected) safety risk to road users at corridors and/or intersections, and
• applying this methodology across the network to identify those sites at highest risk of a fatal or serious injury crash in the future.
A network risk assessment is undertaken across a road network. It involves:
• using information about the road environment or crash data to determine the current (or projected) safety risk to road users at corridors and/or intersections, and
• applying this methodology across the network to identify those sites at highest risk of a fatal or serious injury crash in the future.
“High risk” sites are defined either by their risk relative to other locations, or by comparing them to an established risk threshold like a star rating or a specified crash density/crash rate metric.
The objective of the network risk assessment approach is to ensure that locations with an established or emerging safety issue are prioritised for road safety infrastructure treatments ahead of lower risk locations.
Network risk assessments form a critical component of network safety planning process. The National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-25 defines a ‘Network Safety Plan’ as “… an assessment of the road safety risk across a road network supplemented by the assessment of benefits against the costs of specific road safety interventions to reduce that risk. The output of a network safety plan is an investment plan which can be budgeted for and implemented as funds become available."