Impacts of shared spaces in NSW: Speed and safety evaluation

Speed and safety evaluation of shared spaces in NSW, a research project undertaken by The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Transport for NSW has been completed and its final report is available for download below.

Road networks serve the needs of both movement and place, but over time many cities have become vehicle-centric, prioritising motor vehicles over other transport modes and civic street use. In-practice there is limited guidance for other shared-space typologies despite modern streetscapes being utilised by a diverse range of transport modes, including cyclists, pedestrians, micromobility and motor vehicles.

Objectives and outcomes

The overall aim of the research project was to establish definition and understanding of shared space designs.

To date, UTS researchers have completed a comprehensive review of literature and defined spaces in an Australian context and provided practitioner perspectives concerning shared space applications as well as developing a database of shared space sites.

This project evaluates empirical data and offers additional tool options for practitioners in their endeavours to make streets into safe, equitable community-friendly environments.

The objectives for this work were to:

• Explore currently available data in combination with field surveys to gather objective and subjective speed and safety data.
• Conduct statistical and spatial analysis to understand opportunities for changes in speed zoning and potential for development or enhancement of shared spaces

Data: Collection and collation

Understanding shared environment user behaviours involves evaluating key indicators, including speed data and crash statistics and gaining insight into how design, speed, and safety influence perceptions and behaviours.

In order to assess performance of streets and roads the researchers mapped data to project core objectives and included evaluating both objective and subjective data.

Researchers used multi-scale methodology to gain a full understanding of the performance and safety of shared spaces for statewide and location specific sites.

Survey

To address knowledge gaps for indicators in the objective data available to researchers, two questionnaires (intercept field surveys and online surveys) were developed and employed.

The intercept surveys, designed to identify the broad factors that influence perceptions of safety were delivered in person at 12 specific case study locations. In an effort to increase participant, reach and inclusivity, an online survey was also offered, designed to show how road user interactions affected or changed safety concerns.

Macroscopic collation and analysis

The researchers developed a Shared Spaces Data Platform which integrated three key datasets from NSW detailing crash, speed, and near miss data, providing a consolidated evidence-based foundation to examine the safety and efficiency of NSW road environments. With a focus on shared and pedestrian environments, the combination of datasets permitted practitioners to drill into safety outcomes around vehicle speeds and driver behavior across the state.

With analysis, researchers gained a comprehensive understanding of safety conditions across the network which allowed them to identify several recurring safety patterns useful for future design and policy interventions.

Case study evaluation

Twelve shared space case study evaluations were undertaken with studies grouped by street typology as defined by the Design of Roads and Streets (DORAS) Manual. Objective and subjective data was included for evaluation to provide a holistic view of how streets functioned in terms of movement, safety, and design suitability.

The research spells out patterns and behaviours in detail, however findings across case studies suggest some consistency across key patterns in movement, safety and perception. Other metrics like pedestrian activity and dwell behaviour (amongst others) were more reflective of the unique form and function of various streets, proving there is not a one size fits all framework for shared spaces.

Practitioner guidance for enhanced Shared Space development

This project revealed several findings relevant to the DORAS manual, speed zoning standards and pathways for translating research into practice. It enables practitioner interventions that are informed by evaluation of relevant data coupled with community/user consultation in order to negotiate spaces that balance safety and inclusion.

As one example for practitioner guidance from this data researchers were able to make several recommendations based on compliance data for various speed zones and user attitudes to existing limits.

Implications for NSW Design of Roads and Streets Manual

From this work researchers were able to identify several key benefits to integration of additional data sources for the DORAS Manual frameworks. General refinements include:

Incorporation of safety in the identification of issues, opportunities and options

 Expanding understanding around the issues and opportunities from currently used data sources by including broader indicators of risk – specific to shared or multi-modal environments.

 Integration of community insights into issue identification

The research performed here highlights how community consultation can provide powerful insight to help not only pinpoint issues where they exist but further, to provide important information regarding user perceptions and behaviours.

Use of case study references

The researchers posit that including case study references will illustrate how theoretical principles translate into successful applications. For practitioners, this inclusion could provide a practical and adaptable toolkit to help ensure performance requirements and community expectations are met.

Translating research into practice

Through their work and outlined in more detail within the report, researchers have provided practical pathways for integrating evidence-based safety evaluation into everyday planning and design. The researchers also provide several ‘what-if’ applications for practitioners to illustrate how products could be used to inform decision making.

These include:

• Safety mapping
• Crash risk assessment
• Case study evaluation – community survey tools
• Ordered Logistics Regression (OLR) model application

Concluding remarks

The outcomes for this project have direct policy relevance. The empirical evidence from this work confirms the development, design and implementation of efficient and safe shared street space is possible when supported by strategic design.

Shared spaces are a particular type of local area traffic management with unique and complex considerations. Successful shared spaces do more than simply calm traffic, and rather, make street use more equitable for users while enhancing place quality.

Download final report