Road Design
- Publication no: AP-T395-26
- ISBN: 978-1-923617-69-8
- Published: 19 August 2026
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Design, traffic management and road safety are critical to achieving safe, efficient and context-responsive transport. This report promotes a unified approach to transport facility planning, design, implementation and operation.
The purpose of this report is to improve integration between traditionally separate professional domains. This will ensure that safety and mobility outcomes are addressed concurrently in the design process rather than sequentially.
This report outlines a staged framework linking strategic network planning to design. The framework is supported by core concepts including Movement and Place, Level of Service, the Safe System approach, safe mobility, Context-sensitive design and design domains. Understanding of each of these concepts is required when using each of the 3 Austroads Guides (the Guide to Road Design, Guide to Traffic Management and Guide to Road Safety), and when designing, operating and managing the transport system for the various user types and capabilities.
- 1. Introduction
- 1.1 Purpose
- 1.2 Scope
- 1.3 Methodology
- 1.4 Key terms and acronyms
- 2. General Requirements of the Transport System
- 3. A Unified Approach for Transport Facility Design and Operation
- 4. Key Concepts Used in the Guides
- 4.1 Transport facility’s context and objectives
- 4.2 Movement and Place
- 4.3 Level of Service
- 4.4 The Safe System approach and Safe System End States
- 4.5 Safe mobility
- 4.6 Context-sensitive design
- 4.7 Design domains
- 4.8 The role of speed
- 4.9 Other concepts
- References