Australian Local Government Association

Road safety

One of the reasons Australia has been significantly reducing road trauma over the past 30 years, is that the public perception of road safety is changing. Road safety is no longer seen as a purely 'transport problem' - but also as a preventable community health issue. With this increasing community focus, local government is now playing a vital role in road safety.

Local roads comprise 85% by length of Australia's road network and are the essential means of accessing homes, businesses, health, education and community services and recreational opportunities. They are a vital component of the 'residential amenity' of our neighbourhoods - and a crucial part of this amenity is safety.

But the pressure on our roads - and on safety - is dramatically accelerating. By 2020, Australia's total freight task will almost double; urban passenger trips will increase by about a third; and non-urban passenger travel could rise by about 70%. This growth will place much greater demands on local transport infrastructure and the safety margins of our road system.

To manage this challenge, local government must be a key partner in the efficient and effective planning, funding and delivery of road services. The Roads to Recovery (R2R) and Black spots programs are excellent examples of federal and local government partnerships which are providing direct benefits to our community. Increased safety has been a major outcome of the more than 14,000 R2R projects. Improving the surface condition, width and alignment of many local roads, upgrading dangerous intersections and better signage, all make a real difference to road safety in our community.

Road safety has a strong Australia-wide focus, and ALGA represents local government on the National Road Safety Strategy Panel, the Austroads Road Safety Taskforce and the Australasian College of Road Safety. ALGA also has a good working relationship with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, in the federal Department of Transport and Regional Services.

ALGA is a founding partner of the SaferRoads program. ALGA represents local government on a wide range of national road safety bodies and promotes best-practice road safety initiatives across local government.

Local government also has a valuable partnership with state governments in providing community-based road safety officer programs.

The Western Australian Local Government Association co-ordinates the RoadWise Program, as an important element of the WA Road Safety Strategy. Since 1994, RoadWise road safety officers have established a state-wide network of local road safety committees in the state's 11 regions. They provide advice and assistance in the promotion of road safety and facilitate the planning, implementation and evaluation of local activities aimed at addressing road safety priorities. The network involves both formal and informal structures and relationships based on sound principles of health promotion aimed at empowering individuals and building the capacity of local communities.

Funding is provided for projects such as the Local Area Targeted Enforcement program, Speed Alert Mobile projects, Driver Reviver Stops, and Belt Up and Win. Annual awareness raising activities such the White Ribbons for Road Safety Christmas campaign and the Blessing of the Roads Easter campaign are also supported by the community road safety network. For details contact:

In NSW, the Local Government Road Safety Officer program is a collaborative approach for achieving road safety in NSW councils. Initiated in 1992, the program involves local councils and communities in road safety planning and activities in order to contribute to the state-wide effort of reducing the incidence and severity of crashes.

The program brings together the Roads and Traffic Authority, the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (NSW Division), the Local Government Association and Shires Associations of NSW, the Motor Accidents Authority and council road safety officers. The program delivers behavioural, enforcement and educational strategies which complement engineering and planning solutions that address local road safety problems. There are currently 101 participating councils and 78 road safety officers, with 33 councils from the Sydney metropolitan area and 68 in regional areas. For details contact:

These initiatives illustrate the active partnerships used by local government to promote road safety. ALGA's membership of key national road safety groups and the 'SaferRoads' program, its support of road safety research and councils' development of safer road infrastructure, all combine to help deliver safer communities and reduce road trauma across Australia.