Friday, 6 November 2026
New pedestrian safety indicators and risk models developed by Austroads will help road and transport agencies measure pedestrian safety performance, assess risk across the road network and make more informed decisions about where safety improvements may be needed.
Walking is an important part of a safe, accessible and sustainable transport system, but reducing pedestrian deaths and serious injuries requires a clear understanding of where risk exists and the conditions contributing to it. Crash outcomes provide important evidence, but they are only one part of the picture. Limited pedestrian exposure data can also make it difficult to assess and compare risk consistently.
The new research establishes a practicable minimum baseline for measuring and managing pedestrian safety performance using currently available data, with scope to strengthen the approach as data and analytical capability improve.
“Understanding pedestrian safety means looking at both the outcomes we are seeing and the conditions that influence risk,” said Michael Nieuwesteeg, Austroads’ Road Safety and Design Program Manager. “This work gives agencies a structured way to measure safety performance, understand risk and better target further investigation and action.”
The research introduces two linked sets of indicators. Key Performance Indicators measure the scale, quality and effectiveness of agency actions, while Safety Performance Indicators measure conditions that influence pedestrian risk, including speed compliance, crossing safety and vehicle safety features.
Together, the indicators provide a clear link between agency actions, the safety conditions experienced by people walking, and ultimately pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries and their associated social costs.
The research also describes a feasible approach to proactive pedestrian risk assessment and network screening in Australasian data environments. It evaluates pedestrian exposure and crash risk modelling options, including the use of exposure proxies where pedestrian count data are limited.
The risk modelling combines crash prediction models with observed crash history using Empirical Bayes methods, helping to improve the identification of high-risk locations. Initial modelling was undertaken for the Melbourne CBD.
The report also provides a prototype tool for the Melbourne CBD that demonstrates how the modelling results can be viewed alongside Key Performance Indicators and Safety Performance Indicators to help prioritise high-risk locations and inform treatment decisions.
“The prototype shows how these different sources of information can work together to provide a more complete picture of pedestrian safety risk,” Michael Nieuwesteeg said. “Further testing will help refine the approach and assess its potential for broader use across Australia and New Zealand.”
The report recommends trialling the indicator frameworks with Austroads members, improving pedestrian data collection and sharing, validating the modelling in different network contexts, and further developing the prototype through multi-jurisdiction pilots.
Download Keeping People Safe When Walking: Stream 2 Pedestrian Safety Indicators and Risk Models
This research continues Austroads’ Keeping People Safe When Walking project. Explore earlier research on pedestrian safety, along with webinars, expert videos and other project resources