Webinar: Austroads’ Strategic Review of Pedestrian Planning Guidance

Pedestrian Safety Overhaul

Pedestrian fatalities in Australia reached alarming levels in 2025, with 197 deaths recorded—the most since 2007. This surge, up 23% from the previous year, has exposed vulnerabilities in current urban planning. Major cities bore the brunt, accounting for over half the toll, as larger vehicles like SUVs and utes, often fitted with bull bars, amplified injury severity in collisions. The trend reversed historical patterns, with pedestrians now outnumbering passenger fatalities for the first time.

Austroads, the peak body for road transport in Australia and New Zealand, responded with a strategic review released on 16 January 2026. It scrutinises the Guide to Traffic Management, identifying gaps against international best practices. Key frameworks—Safe System, which prioritises survivable speeds and designs; Universal Design, ensuring accessibility for all abilities; and Movement and Place, balancing traffic flow with livable spaces—underpin the recommendations. The review stems from a project initiated in 2022, amid mounting evidence of suppressed pedestrian demand where poor infrastructure deters walking.

Real-world impacts hit hardest among vulnerable users: children, the elderly, and those with mobility impairments face exclusion from essential services. In New South Wales and Victoria, which logged the highest deaths at 154 and 133 respectively through May 2025, inconsistent crossing treatments and high-speed zones exacerbate risks. Stakes are high with the national road safety strategy targeting a 50% fatality reduction by 2030; current trajectories suggest failure, with 1,332 total road deaths in the year to November 2025, a 3% rise.

Costs loom large—retrofitting networks could run into billions, but inaction invites graver consequences: persistent inequities, strained healthcare systems from injuries, and missed economic gains from active transport. Non-obvious tensions arise in trade-offs between driver convenience and pedestrian priority; lower speed limits, rolling out in 2026 across states like Queensland and Tasmania at 30-40km/h in high-traffic areas, frustrate motorists but cut severe crashes by up to 20%. Emerging EV adoption adds complexity—new mandates from November 2025 require acoustic alerts on quiet vehicles to aid visually impaired pedestrians, yet integration with broader planning remains uneven across jurisdictions.