10 learnings from 10 years working in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Safe System Solutions has been providing specialist road safety advice in New Zealand for 10 years. Here are some of our key learnings:

1. Speed management – it’s the right thing to do

In 2019, Safe System Solutions was appointed as an independent reviewer of the Auckland Transport Speed Management By-Law. This was another example of the many practitioners in Aotearoa pushing to bring speed limits closer to Safe System speeds. Our review identified sound principles from the AT team and there was solid evidence that the changes would improve road safety. This is just one example of where the wider rollout of Safe System speeds on the Aotearoa road network can improve road safety. In 2020, during our appointed Peer Review of the Road to Zero Infrastructure and Speed Management Programme, we also found a robust methodology and a strong return on investment. The ongoing efforts to transform the national network continues to face challenges, however the principles align very well with the Safe System. Members of the Australasian College of Road Safety New Zealand recently ranked speed management as the highest priority for road safety in New Zealand.

2.?Safe System principles – more than just words

Road safety practitioners in Aotearoa that understand Safe System principles are highly committed to the approach. They do more than just speak the words, they put it on the ground. We see human mistake making as a fundamental consideration of many road and street designs, we see the biomechanics of injury as a genuine design parameter, and we see strong pushback on any acceptance of death and serious injury within the design. We see this commitment spreading, however recognise there is still much work to be done on segments of the industry.

?3.?Going beyond Road Safety Audits

Safe System Solutions completed our first Road Safety Audit in New Zealand in 2013. While we pushed Safe System principles into that RSA, there was more and more desire to re-shape the RSA process to be better, to be more of a creator of positive change than a tick box exercise. And to the credit of our industry, we didn’t just grumble about it, we did something. Wonderful work by Waka Kotahi and many others created change to the process and the production of Safe System Audits which are now mandated within New Zealand.

4.?The power of a Safe System Assessment/Audit

We’ve trained over 800 New Zealanders in the process of Safe System Assessment and/or Safe System Audit. We’ve also undertaken Safe System Assessments and Safe System Audits on some of New Zealand’s most complex and high-profile projects. These assessment methodologies are powerful in operationalising the Safe System, and we’re seeing projects and project teams adopting and embracing the Safe System approach facilitated through (in part) Safe System Assessments/Audits.

5.?Road safety doesn’t work alone

We’ve been at each of the Australasian Road Safety Conferences for the last 10 years, and through this we’re always reminded of the multi-disciplinary approach to road safety. But it goes wider than this. Getting road safety into the minds, culture and operation of other industries is critical to our road safety success. This is beautifully articulated in the Road to Zero - New Zealand Road Safety Strategy 2020 – 2030 in the key focus area of work-related road safety: “ensure that businesses and other organisations treat road safety as a critical health and safety issue”.

6.?Don’t forget the motorcyclists

While motorcycle safety in New Zealand has been a big part of our work, with Motorcycle Safety Audits, Making Roads Motorcycle Friendly training courses and work with the Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council, motorcyclists are still overrepresented in road trauma. Motorcyclists are 21 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than a car occupant travelling the same distance (Source: MOT ). We think more can, and needs to be, done in Aotearoa to improve motorcycle safety.

7.?Random sampling over a call for comments

While this learning has been established through our work around the world, we’re seeing it raise its head again in New Zealand with some of the national speed management policy changes. When we put out road safety plans for public comment, we know there are many critics that emerge. They have specific agendas, and can be very vocal. But do they represent the Aotearoa community? No. They are a small sub-set of those impacted by the road safety initiative. What we find when we do random sampling is that the bulk of the community support efforts to improve road safety, and understand that sometimes it comes with changes to the way we use roads.

8.?Proper Vision Zero Planning makes the vision real

We’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Waka Kotahi and Hamilton City Council, through our Vision Zero Planning arm L?sningar, on some world leading Vision Zero planning initiatives. This sort of detailed and evidence-based planning work is so important to ensuring that our road safety efforts are directed in the right places. Vision Zero isn’t just a throw-away line to make people feel good, we believe we can do it! It is not going to happen going about our usual business. We need to plan properly, invest heavily, put our plan into action, monitor and track progress and adjust as needed. It’s great to see parts of New Zealand putting the head down and getting on with it.

9.?Raising the intersection is raising the bar

In a workshop in Hamilton in 2018 we had in depth discussions with some of industry’s best on how to actually apply raised intersections on higher order roads. It was wonderful to see the progress from so many committed individuals and organisations to progress the Thomas/Gordonton raised signalised intersection in Hamilton, and the Lincoln Rd raised intersection in Christchurch. Congratulations to Hamilton City Council, Christchurch City Council and Waka Kotahi (amongst many others) for progressing these, and we’re excited about those in planning and design. Raised intersections are proven to reduce death and serious injury at large signalised intersections, and we want to see more in New Zealand.

10.?An industry of passionate people

The New Zealand road safety community are fantastic. Passionate, intelligent, committed, ethically driven and fun. This fits with our company culture, and we’re grateful to our many NZ clients over our first 10-years. We’ve provided specialist road safety services and technical training for Waka Kotahi, Auckland Transport and 32 other local governments across New Zealand. We’re looking forward to the next 10 years and assisting in putting the Safe System on the ground.