Keeping People Safe When Walking is a long‑term Austroads research project focused on reducing pedestrian deaths and serious injuries across Australia and New Zealand. The project supports transport agencies and practitioners to plan, design and operate road and street networks that place pedestrian safety at the centre of decision‑making.
Walking is fundamental to a safe, sustainable transport system – yet pedestrians remain among the most vulnerable road users. This project is part of Austroads' Road Safety and Design Program, and it brings together data, evidence and contemporary practice to strengthen how pedestrian safety is considered across policy, planning, design and delivery.
Project’s vision
The Keeping People Safe When Walking project envisions a road and street network that places pedestrian safety at its core – regardless of age, race, gender, socioeconomic background, or physical ability. The project supports both national and local efforts to achieve Vision Zero targets: a 50% reduction in pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries by 2030, and their complete elimination by 2050.
To realise this vision, the project draws on data-driven insights to better understand pedestrian trauma and inform impactful interventions across the Safe System.
- Review travel and trauma data to better understand and prioritise key pedestrian safety risks.
- Identify gaps and priorities in data collection to support informed investment in pedestrian safety.
- Assess strategies and interventions aligned with Vision Zero targets.
- Strengthen practitioner guidance to support consistent and effective implementation of safety measures.
- Support jurisdictions in planning and delivering initiatives to eliminate pedestrian deaths and serious injuries.
Current progress and latest updates
New research released: strengthening the evidence base for pedestrian safety
As part of Streem 2, Austroads has released new research that sharpens the evidence used to inform decisions affecting people’s safety when walking. The research brings together economic analysis, equity perspectives and a review of current practitioner guidance, particularly in urban environments where the majority of pedestrian deaths and serious injuries occur.
The newly released publications will help transport agencies and practitioners better understand patterns of risk, and reflect on how existing approaches to pedestrian safety could evolve.
Economic Assessment of Safer Speeds
This report examines how changes to speed limits – particularly in urban environments – can improve pedestrian safety, mobility and amenity. Using a cost–benefit analysis framework that considers all road users, the research explores a range of speed reduction scenarios and demonstrates their safety and economic value. It is intended to support road and transport agencies and local governments in making informed decisions about safer speeds.
Understanding Inequity in Pedestrian Safety Outcomes
This report explores how pedestrian safety outcomes vary across different population groups and locations. It examines factors such as age, ability, Indigenous identity and socioeconomic context, and how these may influence risk when walking. The findings support more inclusive transport system planning and investment.
Strengthening Key Practitioner Guidance and Methodologies
This report reviews existing pedestrian safety guidance and methodologies used across Australia and New Zealand, identifying areas of alignment, gaps and opportunities for improvement. The findings will inform future enhancements to the guidance and frameworks practitioners rely on.
Minimum Data Requirements for Pedestrian Safety Guideline
This Guideline provides practical advice for Austroads members about what data is available for measuring pedestrian safety and how best to collect and use it. This Guideline is accompanied by the report Determining the Minimum Data Requirements to Progress Pedestrian Safety and the Data Framework Spreadsheet.
Watch the expert interview videos
Stream 3 is already underway and focuses on the development of a forward‑looking framework to support more systemic approaches to pedestrian safety. To inform this work, Austroads has recorded a series of videos featuring candid interviews with experts from government, academia and consulting. The interviews capture ideas, insights and professional reflections on what can be done to improve pedestrian safety and how the sector could progress over the next 5–10 years.
These conversations provide valuable insight into current thinking and future directions, and are shared to inspire and support practitioners in their ongoing efforts to keep people safe when walking. The views expressed in the interviews are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of Austroads, and the content may not be reflected in the final project outputs.
Watch the expert interview videos.
Project structure and streams
We have now concluded the project's Stream 1 "Data, Evidence and Interventions".
Several themes have emerged from Stream 1, providing evidence that implementing known interventions could reduce pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in Australia and New Zealand by 70-90 per cent.
Stream 1 outputs are included in the four research reports listed below:
- Pedestrian Safety Problem and Project Methodology—Introduces the Pedestrian Safe System Model and Pedestrian Safety Data Needs Framework, articulating the current state of pedestrian safety and outlining core concepts to support consistent system-level planning and evaluation.
- Literature Review—Synthesises international evidence on effective interventions, identifies local barriers, and highlights the economic burden of pedestrian trauma. It also outlines data gaps, strategic blockers, and systemic weaknesses impeding progress.
- Pedestrian Data Improvement Recommendations—Provides practical recommendations to improve pedestrian exposure data, link crash and hospital datasets, and develop robust safety performance indicators—foundational to better prioritisation and intervention design.
- Recommended Pedestrian Safety Interventions—Sets out a suite of 54 actionable interventions, backed by in-depth trauma and Vision Zero modelling. Emphasis is placed on integration across infrastructure, speed and vehicle technology, supported by governance and community engagement.
Stream 2 builds on the work of Stream 1 to focus on areas of greatest value to Austroads members in delivering pedestrian safety outcomes. It will strengthen guidance and include an assessment of current practice by Austroads members, a gap analysis against best practice, and showcase examples of best practice from Australia and New Zealand.
Stream 2 outputs include the four research reports and the Guideline listed below:
- Economic Assessment of Safer Speeds—evaluates the economic impacts of implementing safer speed limits in urban areas, considering effects on pedestrian safety, road trauma, community health, and mobility. The findings will guide decisions on appropriate road typologies for safer speeds.
- Understanding Inequity in Pedestrian Safety Outcomes—explores disparities in pedestrian safety outcomes, analyses trends, and provides recommendations to address inequities. It includes case studies, priority data gaps, and snapshots for key at-risk demographics.
- Strengthening Key Practitioner Guidance and Methodologies—identifies ways that existing national practitioner guidance can be strengthened to improve pedestrian safety, incorporating recent developments and best practices from Australia and New Zealand.
- Determining the Minimum Data Requirements to Progress Pedestrian Safety—outlines the research and process for determining the minimum data requirements to measure and improve pedestrian safety strategies and plans.
- Minimum Data Requirements for Pedestrian Safety Guideline—provides practical advice for Austroads members about what data is available for measuring pedestrian safety and how best to collect and use it.
Stream 2 will be progressed through the remaining work package listed below:
- Systemic Predictive Tools for Pedestrian Safety
This work package focuses on developing methods and prototyping a tool for estimating pedestrian crash risk and exposure and calculating pedestrian safety performance indicators for reporting and monitoring.
Stream 3 is focused on the development of the Pedestrian Safety Blueprint Guideline, a forward‑looking framework to support more systemic approaches to pedestrian safety.
Expert interview videos
As part of this stream, Austroads has published a series of expert interview videos featuring practitioners and researchers from government and academia. These conversations capture current thinking, challenges and future directions in pedestrian safety and have informed the development of the Pedestrian Safety Blueprint.
The videos are shared to support sector reflection and discussion ahead of project completion. Insights from the interviews will inform future project outputs.
The views expressed in the videos are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of Austroads, and may not be reflected in final project outputs.
