Austroads identifies opportunities to improve pedestrian planning for agencies and councils across Australasia

Friday, 23 January 2026

Walking or wheeling is part of every journey, every day, for everyone. Pedestrian planning therefore plays a critical role in enabling safe and equitable access to jobs, services and communities across Australia and New Zealand.

In this context, the term walking and wheeling refers to people who move through the road network on foot or with wheeled mobility. This includes people using assistive devices, people pushing prams, children and people with mobility challenges. People travelling by bicycle or micromobility devices are not included within this definition.

For many trips, walking and wheeling is the primary mode of travel. For longer journeys, it is often one part of a multi‑modal trip involving public transport or private vehicles, reinforcing the importance of safe, accessible pedestrian connections across the transport network.

Austroads has completed a review of pedestrian planning across the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management, assessing existing guidance against best practice and identifying opportunities to improve clarity, consistency and effectiveness. The findings provide a foundation to inform future improvements to Austroads guidance to better support practitioners and agencies.

The review examined all parts of the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management that relate to walking and wheeling planning and infrastructure. It involved a gap analysis of existing content, an assessment against national and international best practice, and the identification of recommended changes to address those gaps. The review was informed by consultation with Austroads member organisations, local government practitioners, industry specialists and end users.

Amy Naulls, Austroads Transport Network Operations Program Manager, said the review provides a clear evidence base to inform future work. She noted that the project examined how pedestrians are currently considered across the Guide to Traffic Management and identified opportunities to make the guidance clearer, more consistent and better aligned with contemporary practice.

The report also considered how three established frameworks – Safe System, Universal Design and Movement and Place – should inform guidance.

“This review gives us a clear pathway to lift the safety, accessibility and consistency of pedestrian planning across Australia and New Zealand. By embedding Safe System, Universal Design and Movement and Place thinking into future updates of the Guide to Traffic Management and Guide to Road Design, we can better support every person walking or wheeling to move independently, confidently and safely through our streets,” said Amy.

The findings highlight opportunities to improve the clarity of language used in guidance, better reflect inclusive design principles, and strengthen how pedestrian safety is considered in areas such as crossings, intersections and access to public transport. The report also notes the importance of recognising pedestrians with reduced mobility and varying walking speeds, and of accounting for situations where pedestrian demand may be latent or suppressed.

By clearly identifying gaps between existing guidance and best practice, the review provides a foundation for future consideration of updates to Austroads publications, while recognising that individual jurisdictions will determine their own responses based on local priorities, legislation and funding.

Amy added, “Austroads members are focused on improving mobility for all. Understanding where people do not feel able to walk or wheel today helps road managers plan for more equitable and safer access to jobs, services and the community.”

Download Austroads’ Strategic Review of Pedestrian Planning Guidance.