AusRAP News: 80% of travel on 3-star or better roads by 2030

Australia’s states and territories will publish AusRAP star ratings on all arterial roads by 2025, as part of a commitment to accelerate the use of AusRAP. The Austroads members approved a new AusRAP Strategy and Business Plan that commits to 12 targets that will support the national target of at least 80% of travel on 3-star or better roads by 2030.

AusRAP is the Australian Road Assessment Program. As the AusRAP lead, Austroads will coordinate and assist jurisdictions and local government to maximise the road safety trauma reduction in their management of, and investment in, Australian roads.

The responsibility for management of AusRAP was transferred from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) to Austroads in 2021. “The transition of leadership to Austroads is an exciting moment in the AusRAP story,” said Geoff Allan, Austroads Chief Executive. “We will lead this great initiative together with our partner organisations and continue the important work of helping road managers measure and improve safety on Australian roads and providing a powerful tool to communicate road safety information to the public”.

AusRAP is the Australian version of the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP). AusRAP will contribute to achieving national as well as specific state or territory fatality and serious injury reduction goals by ensuring good coordination, integration and sharing of knowledge with global partners across more than 100 countries.

“As a mechanism to drive better safety outcomes, AusRAP will play a significant role in building a path to zero deaths and serious injuries. I am excited about working with road authorities and our AusRAP partners to build on the existing risk measurement and investment prioritisation efforts,” said Michael Nieuwesteeg, Road Safety and Design Program Manager.

“Our goal is to coordinate reporting activity, data analysis and training of road managers across Australia, which will support the safety transformation of our roads,” Michael said.

As the AusRAP lead, Austroads will partner with the AAA, the Australasian College of Road Safety, the Australian Local Government Association, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, iRAP, state, territory and local governments and the Australian Road Research Board.

“The next steps for us are to progress AusRAP’s key strategic activities for the next 2 years. We have important projects in the pipeline and are looking forward to accelerating the program and building on all the fantastic work that has already been done,” said Michael.

Find out more about AusRAP.

Austroads members are the Australian and New Zealand transport agencies, representing all levels of government: