Over the next decade Australia will undergo an unprecedented $55 billion major city infrastructure build with potential for $20 billion in additional funding projected. The logistics activities associated with these major projects will generate a significant increase in the number of heavy vehicles transporting construction materials through metropolitan areas.
What this infrastructure building boom represents is more than just an opportunity for better mobility but a chance to increase the safety and efficiency of the related logistics activities for industry, government and the community. The National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) recognised this opportunity back in 2015 when it explored and identified what is recognised as best practice which was Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS).
NRSPP went on to establish a strong relationship with TfL which was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding to share and help Australia adapt CLOCS locally. NRSPP will be holding a free webinar on the 3 December exploring the steps being undertaken to adapt CLOCS locally.
The webinar will explore:
• The major infrastructure projects underway in Australia, the opportunity and associated risks,
• How TfL used their major infrastructure projects to establish CLOCS, the benefits to industry, govt and the community by TfL’s Peter Binham
• The VRU risk in Australia by Amy Gillett Foundation (AGF) by Dr Marilyn Johnson
• How Sydney Metro has adapted CLOCS into its safety standards and contracts by Jon Lamonte, Chief Executive, Sydney Metro
• What safety standards in project contracts represent to Hanson, by Scott Tipping
• The adaption of CLOCS Sharing the Safely education program for truck drivers to Melbourne for Victorian Government by AGF
• Work done to date – Draft Guide released 7 October
• Next steps, short- and long-term objectives
The NRSPP, when housed at ARRB, was successful in securing a grant through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s Safety Initiative Program to develop a Draft Guide which was released on 7 October along with a CLOCS-A website to house supporting resources. Stage 2 funding was unsuccessful and occurred during the transition of NRSPP from ARRB to Monash University Accident Research Centre.
NRSPP has since convened a guiding working group which includes Amy Gillett Foundation, Australian Trucking Association, Major Transport Infrastructure Authority, Monash University Accident Research Centre, NSW Department of Transport, Sydney Metro, Truck Industry Council and the Victorian Department of Transport.
The goal of the webinar is to build industry, government, interest groups and community support for adapting CLOCS to Australia.
Background
CLOCS is an industry-led programme, sponsored by Transport for London (TfL), with the aim of fundamentally changing the way the construction industry manages road safety. It was developed following a number of recommendations from an independent report by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) highlighting the overrepresentation of construction heavy vehicles involved in fatal collisions with cyclists during London’s construction boom and has since become its own standalone standard across the United Kingdom. CLOCS has saved lives, improved efficiency and provided consistency and certainty for the construction and transport sector.
As an example, Australia’s two major rail infrastructure projects, Melbourne and Sydney Metro, both foresaw the potential risk that their projects posed to vulnerable road users (VRUs) due to the increase in truck movements through urban areas within which their building. To reduce the risk to VRUs and potential impacts to the community and productivity, the projects looked internationally and adapted CLOCS.