Major Concerns Raised Over South Australia’s Draft Residential Street Design Standards

  • Media Release
Posted on by Walking SA

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The Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) and Walking SA have joined forces to raise urgent concerns over the State Planning Commission’s recently released “Draft Design Standard 1 – Engineering Requirements for Land Division” and the accompanying “Draft South Australian Growth Areas Technical Manual”, as both documents fail to meet contemporary standards for safe, healthy, and sustainable residential street design.

The current draft standards, if adopted, would guide the design of future major residential developments across South Australia. However, we are deeply alarmed by several omissions and provisions that run counter to contemporary urban planning, health, and road safety practice. These include:

  • No requirement to consider public transport infrastructure in new residential
  • A disregard for leading design guidance, including the South Australian Government’s own Active Travel Design Guide.
  • Provisions for residential streets to be designed for vehicle speeds of 60 – 70 km/h, a setting known to drastically increase the risk of road trauma.

“This draft takes us backwards,” said Dr Ingrid Johnston, CEO of the Australasian College of Road Safety. “It entrenches car dependency, overlooks decades of best practice, and sets up new communities to face long-term safety, health and environmental consequences.”

The evidence is clear: higher speeds in residential streets sharply increase the likelihood of death and serious injury. At 60 – 70 km/h, a pedestrian hit by a vehicle has a near 100% chance of being killed or seriously injured. Designing residential areas with these speeds in mind directly undermines the South Australian Government’s commitment to Vision Zero and its Road Safety Strategy to 2031.

“We need walkable, connected, safe communities,” added Rod Quintrell, Executive Director of

Walking SA. “These draft standards fail to deliver that vision. They risk locking in unsafe, inactive, and inequitable neighbourhoods for decades.”

The proposed design standards are also at odds with the South Australian Government’s Net Zero Strategy and its active bid to co-host COP31, which both emphasise walkable neighbourhoods and reducing car dependency.

Our organisations urge the South Australian Government to halt the adoption of the current drafts and undertake immediate revisions to:

South Australia has the expertise and ambition to lead in safe and sustainable urban development. We cannot afford to compromise the safety, health, and wellbeing of future generations through outdated and dangerous planning standards.

Contacts:

  • Brett Williams, Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) SA Chapter Committee member, Deputy Chair of the ACRS Local Government Network: bwtraffictransport@gmail.com; Phone: 0407 204 305
  • Rod Quintrell, Executive Director, Walking SA: office@walkingsa.org.au; Phone: 0457 006 620

About the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS)

The Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) is the region’s peak membership association for road safety professionals, advocates, and members of the public who are focused on saving lives and serious injuries on our roads. The College provides an inclusive, collaborative environment promoting communication, networking, professionalism, and advocacy across all spheres of road safety including policy, advocacy, research, innovation, technologies, and management. ACRS membership includes experts from all areas of road safety including policy makers, academics, community organisations, researchers, federal, state, and local government agencies, private companies, and members of the public. More Information: www.acrs.org.au

About Walking SA

Walking SA is the peak non-government body for all forms of walking in South Australia, including recreation, transport, health and education. Our vision is for a world-class, walkable South Australia, where cities and communities are designed to encourage more people to walk more often. This vision is supported by the four pillars outlined in our Walking SA Strategic Plan (2023–2025): walkability, walk experiences, socially responsive and sustainable growth. As an advocacy organisation dedicated to promoting walking as a primary mode of transport and a cornerstone of healthy, sustainable, and accessible communities, Walking SA is committed to ensuring that walking remains central to the state’s future transport planning. More Information: www.walkingsa.org.au