Active travel is any mode of travel that relies on human powered mobility. Austroads guidance focuses on cycling and walking.
The benefits of more people walking or riding a bicycle for everyday transport include improved health outcomes and reduced road congestion. At a national level, planning and health authorities and institutions have addressed the need to plan for more sustainable communities, with a particular emphasis on the benefits to people’s physical and mental health from active living.
Pedestrian paths provide an important part of the transport network either for trips undertaken entirely by walking, or as the first or last link in a trip that uses other types of transport.
Cycling currently fulfils an important transport role within communities. It is a sustainable, reliable, effective and efficient form of transport. It allows people to travel large distances at low cost and is very reliable.
Active travel offers significant environmental and health benefits for communities and must be considered in all planning activities ranging from the development of cities and new towns to relatively small infrastructure developments.
Cycling Aspects of Austroads Guides contains an overview of the information related to the planning, design and traffic management of cycling facilities in the Austroads Guides, primarily the Guide to Road Design, the Guide to Traffic Management and the Guide to Road Safety.