This paper summarises sources of data available in Melbourne to assist in furthering road safety objectives. A range of databases and surveys are reviewed, including household activity and travel information, census data and several of the more traditional sources of data used for road safety research. The key variables related to road safety that may be extracted from each of these sources are identified. Importantly, gaps (or needed but missing items) are also identified. The paper draws on examples of past work that demonstrate ways in which complementary data may be combined to provide useful perspectives on road safety. One approach which holds considerable promise is the use of geographic information systems (GIS). While blanket road safety measures may be prescribed at a state or citywide level, the use of GIS to link data on travel patterns with other data possessing spatial attributes may enable specific preventative measures to be undertaken at a local level to reduce the road toll. The databases reviewed in the paper are from various government and private agencies. Special reference is made to the Victorian Activity and Travel Survey (VATS) conducted by the Transport Research Centre at RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) University. VATS provides an understanding of where, when, how and why people are travelling; and includes information on modes of transport other than the motor vehicle. It is also available in summary data pack form for each of the 31 local government areas of Melbourne. The conclusions reached in this paper have wider applicability to other states that have household travel and activity databases. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E205861.
Abstract