Monday, 20 July 2026
Road design practitioners across Australia and New Zealand now have access to a series of important updates that improve consistency across key road design guidance, address identified gaps and inconsistencies, and provide clearer direction on speed-related terminology.
The updates apply to Parts 1, 3, 4, 4A, 6, 6A, 6B and 7 of the Austroads Guide to Road Design, one of the most widely used technical resources for road agencies, local governments, consultants and transport practitioners.
The changes are designed to make guidance easier to apply in practice, support more consistent decision-making across jurisdictions, and ensure road design advice reflects current industry expectations and approaches.
Austroads Road Safety and Design Program Manager Michael Nieuwesteeg said the updates would help practitioners access clearer, more consistent guidance when planning, designing and delivering road infrastructure projects.
“Road design practitioners rely on Austroads guidance every day to support decisions that affect the safety, efficiency and operation of the transport network,” said Michael.
“These updates strengthen consistency across multiple parts of the Guide to Road Design, address areas where improvements were identified, and help ensure practitioners are working from a common and contemporary set of principles.”
The updates are informed by two supporting research reports:
- AP-R766-26: Updates to Austroads Guide to Road Design: Parts 1, 3, 4, 4A, 6, 6A, 6B and 7
- AP-R768-26: Creating Consistent Speed Terminology in Austroads Guide to Road Design
The research reviewed the existing guidance, identified opportunities to address gaps and inconsistencies, and developed recommendations to improve alignment across the Guide to Road Design suite.
A particular focus was ensuring greater consistency in terminology relating to speed, helping practitioners interpret and apply guidance more effectively across different road design contexts.
Michael said maintaining a consistent and up-to-date body of guidance is critical to supporting the transport sector.
“The result is a stronger foundation for planning and designing roads that meet the needs of communities, road users and transport agencies.”
Practitioners can learn more about the changes through two upcoming webinars:
- 13 August 2026, 1 pm AEST | Update to the Austroads Guide to Road Design: Addressing Identified Gaps and Inconsistencies Part 1 | Register here.
- 24 August 2026, 1 pm AEST | Update to the Austroads Guide to Road Design: Addressing Identified Gaps and Inconsistencies Part 2 | Register here.
Access the updated Guide to Road Design parts
Two additional supporting reports are currently under development and will be released once finalised.