The Minns Labor Government is taking a major step forward in building a safer road network across the state, today releasing an interactive digital map showing the safety star ratings of more than 20,000 km of state and 15,000 km of regional roads.
NSW is performing well compared with other Australian states and territories, with more than 71 per cent of all road travel taken on state roads rated 3 or more stars according to the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) national standard. The data was collected over the past 10 years.
This means NSW is closing on the national target of 80 per cent of all road travel in the state being taken on state roads rated 3 or more stars by 2030 - roads that have the most modern safety features, such as barriers, divided dual carriageways and wide shoulders.
The Minns Government continues to invest more than half a billion dollars into road safety in NSW to upgrade and improve our roads with the rollout of safety measures after Liberal-National neglect.
While this map confirms NSW has some of the safest road corridors, including the Hume and Pacific Highways, it also highlights opportunities to increase road safety measures further:
- By far most state roads in NSW are rated 3 stars, which represents a high-quality road which meets national and regulatory standards.
- Less than 1 per cent of roads are rated 5 stars (such as new and high-speed roads) and represent the newest and busiest roads such as new or upgraded freeways and arterial routes.
- Some 90% of all road travel in NSW takes place on state roads rating 2 stars or more, with room to lift more roads to 3 stars through installing extra safety features.
- A further 23.5 per cent of travel is on state roads are rated 2 stars and 3.8 per cent rated 1 star. A 1-star rating does not mean unsafe. These roads have far less traffic and less installed safety features.
AusRAP targets do not require all roads in NSW to become five-star, rather, they focus on lifting more of the network to three stars or above, focusing on those roads with higher traffic volumes which research shows significantly reduces the risk of serious injury or death.
For example, going from 1 to 3 stars requires roadside barriers to protect road users from impacting with power poles or trees, and increased shoulder width to allow more recovery time for drivers. Over two years, the Commonwealth-NSW Road Safety Program is improving an estimated 450 km of 1 and 2-star roads to at least 3 stars or greater.
Not all roads need to be 5-stars, and not all 1-star roads need to be upgraded to be fit for purpose.
In most cases the biggest impact on road trauma comes from upgrading high-risk roads where people travel the most, resulting in reduced crash risk and trauma.
The release of this data is part of the Minns Government's effort to improve fairness and transparency across the road network, pinpointing locations for further investment.
This map will enable evidence-based decision making about road safety improvement funding, ensuring fairness in distributing safety infrastructure like barriers and wider shoulders.
Other states are expected to release their mapping data in coming months. However, NSW has gone beyond the national requirements by measuring not only State roads but also Regional roads for the first time. All states have committed to work together collaboratively and to share road safety information alongside
Austroads as the peak association of transport agencies.
Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said:
"We are being fair dinkum with the people of NSW.
"While in NSW more than 71 per cent of all road travel taken on roads rated highly under the national standard, we know there is room to roll out more safety features on our roads.
"We're using this information to take a serious look at our road network and then leverage the data to deliver evidence-based upgrades and safety improvements.
"You can't fix what you don't measure. This map shows us what's working and where we can go further. It's a vital step forward in making sure every region gets the safe, high-quality roads it deserves.
"In the recent Budget, we announced we're investing $2.8 billion in road safety projects across the state.
"These are much-needed projects that will greatly reduce the risk of death and serious injury across our road network. For example, over two years, we will improve an estimated 450 km of the 1- and 2-star roads to at least 3 stars or greater.
"We have been hard at work for two years but cannot turn around 12 years of Liberal-National neglect overnight.
"We know some parts of our network have been underfunded and insufficiently maintained. Labor has made historic investments in maintenance, road safety and upgrades, quintupling recovery funding.
"Independent budget costings showed the Liberals and Nationals had budgeted $0 for new regional and rural road commitments for 2022-23 and 2023-2024, and only $85 million set to be delivered in the 2025/25 year. They only committed $230 million over four years, less than the $390 million we put out in our first year on regional road repair.
"The Minns Labor Government is about delivering safer, smarter and fairer roads for everyone across NSW. We want to base investment decisions on data, not guesswork. We're pulling every lever to save lives."
Geoff Allan, Chief Executive, Austroads said:
"Austroads commends Transport for NSW for publishing their AusRAP results. Road safety star ratings are a powerful tool to help road managers prioritise improvements that save the most lives as quickly as possible, while providing transparency for the community.
"As the national manager and coordinator of AusRAP, Austroads is looking forward to sharing results from other jurisdictions in the near future.
"The NSW results show strong progress towards the 2030 target of 80% of travel on 3-star or better roads. But that milestone is just one step on our journey. Achieving our long-term vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on Australian and New Zealand roads by 2050 will require continued commitment and action."
Link to interactive AusRAP map here
