Road Safety
Providing a safe road environment
Program Expenditure
Government Goal
Results based service delivery
Aim
Reduce the State’s road fatalities to the lowest in Australia by minimising the road factors contributing to road trauma and reducing the serious crash injury rate.
About the Program
The program includes:
- all State and National Black Spot projects
- intersection improvements
- overtaking lanes
- rail crossings
- bridge safety improvements.
Key Performance Indicators
| Road Safety Program KPI | Target | Actual | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| % Community satisfaction of road safety | 90 | 91 |  |
| % of contracts completed on time | 90 | 91 | |
| % of contracts completed on budget | 90 | 98 | |
Looking Ahead
- Deliver the $20 million State Black Spot Program and the $19 million Federal Black Spot Program.
- Deliver the $30 million Safer Roads and Bridge Improvements Program.
- Deliver the $5 million State railway level crossing improvement program.
Key Projects
| Project | Total Project Cost ($ million) | 2015-16 Cost ($ million) | Completion Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfields – Esperance Region | ||||
| Coolgardie Esperance Highway | 2.8 | 2.8 | March 2016 | Install audible edge-lines, widen to 11 m and seal 9 m. |
| Goldfields Highway | 1.3 | 1.3 | December 2015 | Upgrade 3 heavy vehicle parking bays. |
| Great Southern Region | ||||
| Albany Highway Passing Lanes | 13.6 | 6.7 | April 2017 | Overlay and widen near Harold Road, Tunney, Martagallup and Woogenellup. |
| Kimberley Region | ||||
| Victoria Highway | 3.9 | 3.4 | June 2016 | Widen and seal 11 kms of shoulders including culvert extension and install audible edge lines. |
| Metropolitan Region | ||||
| Electronic School Zones Signs | 36.0 | 19.0 | June 2017 | Install 3,700 electronic speed limit signs at every school in Western Australia. |
| Toodyay Road/Noble Falls | 6.0 | 6.0 | April 2016 | Road upgrading to provide passing lanes and turn pockets. |
| Mid West – Gascoyne Region | ||||
| Great Northern Highway floodway upgrades (Munarra, Karalundi and Kumarina) | 10.9 | 1.5 | March 2017 | Improve serviceability of key floodways between Meekatharra and Newman. |
| North West Coastal Highway - Binnu to Ajana | 2.3 | 2.1 | June 2016 | Widen seal to 9 m. |
| Pilbara Region | ||||
| North West Coastal Highway - Karratha to Roebourne | 1.9 | 1.9 | June 2016 | Construct passing lane. |
| State Black Spot funded – Great Northern Highway channelised intersection opposite Port Hedland Airport | 0.9 | 0.9 | June 2016 | Construct protected turn lanes and rationalise accesses to the airport and businesses. |
| South West Region | ||||
| Bussell Highway - Vasse to Margaret River | 46.4 | 6.3 | March 2016 | Upgrade of 16 intersections, 13 passing lanes, widen pavement to 9 m, seal shoulders. |
| Pinjarra Williams – Marradong to Quindanning | 12.8 | 1.8 | June 2016 | Widen 24 km of single lane seal to 7 m. |
| Wheatbelt Region | ||||
| Realign 4 km of Collie Lake King Road at Gibbs Siding | 8.0 | 5.8 | October 2016 | Improve curves and intersections. |
| Toodyay Road Intersection with Morangup Road Upgrade | 0.7 | 0.7 | June 2016 | Intersection upgrade. |
Black Spot Programs
104 projects funded by the State Black Spot Program
- 18 projects on State roads
- 86 projects on local roads
- $20 million investment.
77 projects funded by the Australian Government Black Spot Program
- $19.6 million investment.
Railway Level Crossing Upgrade Program
The State has invested more than $5 million to improve the safety of railway level crossings, on works such as upgrading:
- red flash lights at seven crossings
- red flash lights and boom gate control at one crossing
- electrical equipment at one crossing
- five crossings fitted with new LED flash lights.
Case Study: Wheatbelt Highway Safety Review
The Wheatbelt Highway Safety Review represents a more collaborative approach involving road safety agencies working together with the community to improve road safety outcomes in the short-to-medium-term.
The Wheatbelt Region has been overrepresented in road trauma statistics for an extended period of time. Sections of road targeted in this review included Toodyay Road, Great Southern Highway (between Chidlow and York) and Great Eastern Highway. These roads had the highest Killed and Serious Injury (KSI) crash densities in the Wheatbelt Region, with differing traffic volumes and road conditions – making them ideal choices for the review.
This new approach was in response to the number of road deaths and serious injuries on the State’s roads in 2014. It draws on the experience of similar reviews in other Australian States, which aim to reduce road trauma by tapping into the knowledge of experts across a range of road safety disciplines – as well as locals who regularly use the roads under investigation.
The success behind this project was based upon a number of key elements, including:
- Extensive in-depth analysis of the crash history
- Technical considerations, in particular geometric design, traffic type and volumes, and driver behaviour characteristics
- Consultation with local stakeholders and the community.
The review commenced with desktop analyses, proceeded to on-site technical assessments and incorporated extensive community and stakeholder engagement. A key element of the review was a bus trip focusing on “multi discipline” input. This field inspection involved input from regulators, enforcers, designers and road users with practical assessment of known crash sites. Our Road Safety Branch joined with regional offices to present an analytical approach to each site and consider achievable counter measures.
Also of particular note was the use of an interactive online mapping tool to record community input and two highly-focussed community forums held in Merredin and Toodyay. The engagement activity resulted in the proposal of a number of traffic treatment modifications. Many of these have already been implemented, and a large number are in scoping or planning phase.
Strategically, one of the most important outcomes of the review was its reinforcement of our commitment to reduce KSI on Western Australian roads and helping shape our Road Safety Management System – ROSMA. This system uses a holistic view of the road transport system, seeking to manage the interaction between the road, travel speed, the vehicle and the road user. Developed in line with best practice internationally, ROSMA is on track to be accredited against ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety (RTS) Management Systems by late 2017, meaning we will become the first road authority to be accredited to this international standard in Australia, and possibly the world.
We continue to take important steps towards reducing road trauma in new and innovative ways. This review sets the benchmark to develop similar approaches for other high-priority roads throughout Western Australia and reinforces our commitment to the Safe System approach, which underpins the State’s road safety strategy Towards Zero.