Integrated planning for safer roads
Improving road safety starts with integrating safety into all aspects of planning.
Integrated planning takes account of and connects the planning of transport, urban development and land use to encourage coordination and make the best use of resources. Making safety a focus of integrated planning ensures that:
- safety is addressed as land is developed
- urban design incorporates safety
- unnecessary travel is discouraged through appropriate land-use planning, urban design and travel planning
- modes that are particularly unsafe together, eg pedestrians and heavy vehicles, are adequately separated
- travel demand management initiatives are aligned with safety interventions
- safety is incorporated into regional land transport strategies, plans and processes more effectively.
Road safety and local authority planning
Local and regional authorities are responsible for integrating road safety in their planning processes.
Regional responsibilities
Regional authorities must include road safety in regional land transport strategies and plans, and programmes. All regional transport committees must include a dedicated road safety representative. Regional road safety activities include:
- setting regional road safety targets
- encouraging dynamic regional and local strategies that integrate safety into day-to-day transport management
- describing tools regional government can use to help in achieving both national and regional road safety goals through their regional land transport programmes.
Local responsibilities
Safety management systems
Local authorities are responsible for promoting the adoption of safety management systems by road controlling authorities. This ensures decisions about construction, maintenance and management of the road networks consider safety and help achieve targets and goals identified in national and local road safety strategies.
Find out more about safety management systems.
Road Safety Action Planning
Local authorities are also responsible for co-ordinating road safety planning. Road Safety Action Planning is a world-best-practice process for planning and implementing safety interventions by road safety partners – local authorities, New Zealand Police, ACC, community representative and us. It uses a collaborative approach to ensure partners:
- agree on risks
- identify objectives
- direct tasks
- set targets
- develop plans
- monitor and review progress.
Local safety performance information reports underpin and inform this planning.
Neighbourhood Accessibility Planning
This planning initiative helps councils improve walking and cycling access and safety. Find out more.
Related links
- Road Policing Programme
- ACC (external link)
