Conducting road safety audits in Central Queensland using an instrumented motorcycle as a basis for funding submissions: a case study

Abstract

Conducting road safety audits in Central Queensland using an instrumented motorcycle as a basis for funding submissions: a case study Motorcyclists continue to be significantly overrepresented in the number of lives lost on Queensland roads. This paper represents a case study of a collaborative approach between a local road safety advocacy group, key state and local government agencies, industry and the university sectors, as well as the broader motorcycling community to identify candidate sites and to develop and deliver a program of pro-active road safety improvements to roads in the Mackay-Whitsunday district. Funded through the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ Community Road Safety Grant Scheme, the project team undertook an applied research project to: (i) identify appropriate road sections for investigation through crash profiling and consultation; (ii) conduct road safety audits on prioritised road sections using new technologies or an instrumented motorcycle; and (iii) develop a program of safety works based on the audit findings, resulting in two larger programs of work being submitted to the Targeted Road Safety Program funding stream as well as several lower cost treatments being delivered through the regional Road Safety Minor Works Program. This paper demonstrates how the use of information from a targeted road safety audit can add value to infrastructure funding submissions.