Comparisons of Emergent Road Safety Strategies in Queensland

Acknowledging the short fall in Queensland road safety action, in May 2007 a coordinated approach to road safety commenced between Moreton Bay Regional Council (MBRC), the Roads Alliance Team (Queensland Transport and Main Roads and LGAQ), Queensland Police Service and the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (Queensland Division). This multi-agency approach, based on the safe system framework methodology led to the development of the Road Safety Partnership Project (RSPP) to reduce road trauma at the local government ‘grass roots’ level through infrastructure and behaviour changes initiatives. It subsequently won the 2008 Queensland Road Safety Award for Local Government. In April 2009, the Roads Alliance announced that the RSPP would be introduced across Queensland through the Regional Road Groups in the form of the Queensland Road Safety Partnership Program (QRSPP).

A number of Councils in Queensland have now begun their own road safety strategy journey utilising the documented learning’s arising from the RSPP. As these Road Safety Strategies are slowly introduced throughout Queensland it is interesting to compare their similarities and differences. Are they influenced by population density, is exposure an issue or perhaps their asset condition is the primary consideration? This paper explores these issues with the authors experience at the Queensland Councils of Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.