Image credit: Gagliardi Photography

In regional Western Australia, approximately half of deaths and serious injuries occur on roads managed by local governments, and Star Rating assessments are helping to advance the Business Case for investment in 439 high-speed roads to reduce this risk.

The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) is a voice for over 1.3 million Western Australians, championing change that will create a safer, sustainable and connected future.

Mr David Elston, Acting Senior Manager Public Policy at RAC said, “The local road network in regional Western Australia faces a pressing road safety challenge. It is characterized by vast distances, low traffic volumes roads that are unforgiving of mistakes and high numbers of fatal and serious lane departure crashes. To meet the ambitious road safety targets set for 2030, urgent infrastructure upgrades are essential.”

In partnership with the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) and Main Roads WA, the National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO) conducted a Star Rating assessment of up to 10,000 kilometres of sealed, high-speed local government roads, using a stereotype approach to rate the network with the limited data available.

NTRO then used the results to identify and prioritise cost-effective safety treatments suitable for local government roads.

As a result, 439 local government roads spanning over 8,200 km, which is a third of the high-speed sealed local government road network in WA, have been prioritized for enhancements, including critical measures such as improved line marking and shoulder sealing.

These upgrades are projected to improve the average road Star Rating Score of these roads from 38.4 to 29.1, a reduction of 24%, and to prevent 138 fatalities and 489 serious injuries over a 30-year lifespan.

The AusRAP assessment has helped inform the nation-leading business case, with the aim to have it now considered by Infrastructure Australia and included in Australia’s Infrastructure Priority List of nationally significant proposals to be considered for funding.

Image credit: RAC

The results have also informed RAC and WALGA advocacy at the State and Federal levels.

To date the WA Government has provided an additional $20 million investment to expand the Regional Road Safety Program to local roads and the WA Nationals Party has made a $276 million election commitment towards the program.

“This important project has provided the vital evidence-base we need to advocate for crucial investment in road upgrades,” Mr David Elston said.

“Investing in these safety improvements would be a significant step toward creating safer travel conditions for all road users in our regions.”

Mr Elston and Malcolm Mak, Senior Safer Infrastructure Engineer of NTRO presented the project findings at the recent Australasian Road Safety Conference, held from 30 September to 3 October in Hobart, focussed on the theme “Target 2030. What’s the pathway forward?” 

Image credit: Judy Williams, iRAP

Mr Mak pointed out that while rural local roads are often high-risk and justifying infrastructure upgrades can be challenging, AusRAP simplifies the evaluation of their safety benefits.

The road safety challenge posed by regional Western Australia is not unique, so the program may provide a valuable model for other jurisdictions to adopt for local government roads, advocating for increased investment in road safety.