Guidelines for Vision Zero Network Safety Planning

⁠⁠⁠Purpose:

Austroads seeks responses from appropriately experienced service providers to develop guidance for developing, implementing, and evaluating Network Safety Plans that align with the 2050 Vision Zero target and Charting a Path to Zero’s Planning for Zero Framework (PfZF).

Note to Tenderers: This project will involve a project delivery team (the subject of this RFT) and an independent Expert Working Group (the subject of an EOI). Tenderers and individuals interested in this work should review both RFT and EOI documents. Participation in this tender does not exclude participation in the EOI, and vice versa.

Objective

The objective of this project is to expertly establish a high-quality Network Safety Planning Guideline for Austroads members, that provides flexibility for road manager needs and road network nuances, in line with the 2050 Vision Zero target and Charting a Path to Zero’s Planning for Zero Framework (PfZF).

Scope:

The Scope of the project consists of five (5) phases.

Phase 1: Project Initiation and Needs Validation

Key Activities:

• Conducting an inception workshop with Austroads members and key stakeholders to confirm shared project goals and an initial guidance outline.
• Refining problem statements and objectives based on stakeholder feedback.
• Exploring project risks and potential solutions.

Key Deliverables:

• Meeting minutes
• Final problem statement and objectives
• Risk register.

Phase 2: Review of Current Practices and Stakeholder Engagement

1. Key Activities:

• Comprehensive literature review identifying current best practices, gaps, and commonalities in Network Safety Planning (NSP) across Australia and New Zealand, –including local government, and internationally.
• Targeted stakeholder consultations through interviews or focus groups with state and local government representatives.
• Engage with an expert working group of Network Safety Planning experts to identify knowledge and practice that can inform the guidelines.
• Review published Austroads guidance on Network Safety Planning (including AP-R618-20) and recommend any relevant updates and/or need to retire existing guidance.

2. Determine the viability of tools and methodologies that can be used to support practitioners to implement NSPs, and recommend (if any) two priority tools and/or methodologies for Austroads to consider further.

3. Presentation of preliminary findings to Austroads to validate scope and receive feedback for refinement.

4. Key Deliverables:

• Consultation and meeting minutes
• Literature review and findings from consultation
• Updated risk register.

Phase 3: Drafting the Network Safety Planning Guidelines

Key Activities:

1. Developing the structure and first draft of the Guidelines, emphasising foundational principles aligned with the Planning for Zero Framework (PfZF)

• ensuring consistency and alignment with previous Austroads guidance on NSPs, where relevant
• incorporating specific guidance that is harmonised and fit for purpose for its users (incl. local government, state/territory agencies, and national bodies) and which considers emerging active transport modes and vulnerable road users.

2. Conducting a milestone workshop or online forum with stakeholders and expert working group to refine and ensure practical applicability of the guidelines draft.

Key Deliverables:

• Draft Guideline and supporting report.
• Workshop minutes
• Updated risk register.

Note: Guidance needs to be fit for all road managers, road users and road types (including intersections).

Phase 4: Refinement and Validation of Guidelines

Key Activities:

• Piloting or case study reviews with selected jurisdictions to test the draft Guideline and obtain practical feedback.
• Refining the Guideline based on feedback from pilot implementations and further stakeholder inputs.
• Organising a second milestone workshop to finalise the document and confirm alignment with the PfZF and the needs of road managers across all levels of government.

Key Deliverables:

• Case study outcomes in Research Report
• Updated Guidelines
• Workshop minutes
• Updated risk register.

Phase 5: Publication, and Knowledge Transfer

Key Activities:

• Finalising the Network Safety Planning Guideline, including practical templates and case studies validated by stakeholders.
• Disseminating the guidelines through an Austroads Research Report.
• Identifying relevant parts of Austroads’ guides and guidelines that require updating to be in line with and/or reference the Network Safety Planning Guideline.

Key Deliverables:

• Final Research Report including a section on relevant parts of the Austroads guides and guidelines to be updated.
• Final Guideline.
• Webinar.

Deliverables

The key deliverables include:

• A Research Report
• A Network Safety Planning Guideline document
• A webinar upon project completion

The above key deliverables do not remove the need for the Tenderer to provide interim reports, presentations, and workshops, as necessary, to successfully deliver the project objective and all elements of the scope.