RA members Main Roads WA and GHD have been awarded a High Commendation by the Australasian College of Road Safety in the annual Diamond 3M awards.
Main Roads WA and GHD co-designed the Low-Cost Urban Road Safety Program to deliver treatments to local roads in the Perth metropolitan area to reduce crash risks for drivers and vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists.
This program will help support local governments to deliver cost effective and innovative solutions, with the intention that the safety benefits of the initial program will promote and guide the extension of future programs.
A geospatial data analytics platform, and liveability metric were created to identify where the greatest risk of road trauma exists, enabling Main Roads to assign road safety funding on a pre-emptive basis using both historical records and predicted activity.
GHD undertook extensive research to design effective low-cost local area traffic management treatments. Innovative approaches enabled the delivery of road safety treatments at less than 30% of the cost of traditional engineering solutions.
In collaboration with Main Roads, concept designs were developed to combine the most effective features of the mini-roundabout and plateau treatments. This work included digital testing of vehicle behaviour, 3D modelling and visualisation of the treatments from a road user perspective.
After higher-risk neighbourhoods were identified, and low-cost area traffic management treatments were planned, GHD and Main Roads worked with the relevant Local Governments to implement these treatments. A robust visual mapping tool, fact sheets and other stakeholder communications created a strong case for the efficacy of the proposed treatments and garnered the support of local counsellors and other non-technical stakeholders, including residents.