Black Spot Program Explained

Black Spot Program
Producttype:Road safety program
Currentowner:Australian Government
Country:Australia
Introduced:1990–91

The Black Spot Program is a road safety program run by the Australian Government to fix dangerous roads by treating road locations where a large number of motor vehicle collisions have occurred. The program was first introduced for a three-year period starting in 1990. Funding was stopped in 1993, but the program was re-started in 1996. Several audits and evaluations of the program have been conducted over the years. Program expenditure in 2016–17 was .

Program aims and funding

The Black Spot Program is aimed at reducing road crash injuries and fatalities through targeting the locations where crashes have occurred for treatments.[1] [2] Treatments include introducing roundabouts to black spot intersections, altering traffic flow directions, realigning intersections, and introducing new traffic signals.[3]

History of the program

The Black Spot program was initially established under the Hawke government as a three-year initiative to run from 1990–91. The Government had plans to spend $110 million on improving safety at more than 1,000 sites, including intersections and bridges, over the three-year period to 30 June 1993.[4] [5] [6] At the time, the program was administered by the Department of Transport and Communications.[7]

The Keating government did not renew the program in their 1993 Budget,[8] prompting criticism from then Shadow Minister for Transport John Sharp.[9]

The program was reintroduced in 1996, following the election of the Howard government, and a 1995 evaluation of the program by the Bureau of Transport Economics.[7] [10] [11] Administration of the program from 1996 to 1998 was the responsibility of the Department of Transport and Regional Development,[10] which was succeeded by the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS) in October 1998, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in December 2007, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport in September 2010, the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development in September 2013, and the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities in December 2017.

Audits and evaluations

The first evaluation of the Black Spot program was in 1995, by the Bureau of Transport Economics. The evaluation was based on a sample of 254 projects and found that the program had generated returns of around $4 to the Australian economy for every dollar spent.[7]

In 2001, the Bureau released its second evaluation of the program, which found that overall the Black Spot Program had been highly effective in reducing casualty crashes—calculating an urban benefit-cost ratio of over 18, and a regional benefit-cost ratio of around 10.[12]

When the Australian National Audit Office audited DOTARS' administration of the program in 2006–07, it made nine recommendations, including three addressing governance arrangements and six focused on addressing shortcomings it had identified in program administration.[11]

A third evaluation by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics in 2012 covered 1599 black spot projects, and found that on average each project was estimated to be saving 1.7 reported crashes.[3]

Annual program expenditure

Annual program expenditure has historically been reported in the administering department's annual report:

Year Expenditure
 million 		Notes
2000–01 $41.182 [13]
2001–02 $48.8 [14]
2002–03 $44.5 [15]
2003–04 $44.5 [16]
2004–05 $44.5 [17]
2005–06 $44.5 [18]
2006–07 $41.6 [19]
2007–08 $37.3 [20]
2008–09 $145 [21]
2009–10 $113.6 [22]
2010–11 $50.4 [23]
2011–12 $65.2 [24]
2012–13 $63.8 [25]
2013–14 $64.5 [26]
2014–15 $53.5 [27]
2015–16 $126.5 [28]
2016–17 $125 [29]

Notes and References

  1. News: Black spot program 'fatally flawed and federal governments complacent' on road safety: expert. Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 4 January 2018. 25 May 2018. Nicole. Hasham.
  2. [Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development]
  3. Book: Bureau of Infrastructure & Transport Research Economics. May 2012. Evaluation of the National Black Spot Program. 978-1-921769-49-8.
  4. News: The Sydney Morning Herald. Govt road gang gets in first. 27 February 1990. 8.
  5. News: $110m plan to reduce road toll. The Canberra Times. 3. 6 December 1989. 25 May 2018. Tony. Wright.
  6. News: Black spot abolition 'absurd'. The Canberra Times. 5. 29 July 1993. 25 May 2018.
  7. Book: Evaluation of the Black Spot Program. Bureau of Transport Economics. 1995. 0-644-45238-2.
  8. News: The Sydney Morning Herald. 9. Mark. Riley. Road funding cuts attacked. 12 May 1994.
  9. John. Sharp. John Sharp (Australian politician). 18 August 1993. Labor abandons Black Spot funding — and with it its faith in safety and job creation. Parliament House, Canberra. 1 July 2018.
  10. Transport and regional development summary of major budget measures. https://web.archive.org/web/19961218182706/http://www.dot.gov.au/budget/trb1.htm. 18 December 1996. Australian Government. John. Sharp. John Sharp (Australian politician). 20 August 1996. 7 November 2018. dead. dmy-all.
  11. Book: The National Black Spot Programme: ANAO Audit Report No. 45 2006–07. Australian National Audit Office. 2007. 978-0-642-80965-0. 1 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180701045822/https://www.anao.gov.au/sites/g/files/net616/f/ANAO_Report_2006-2007_45.pdf. 1 July 2018. live.
  12. Book: The Black Spot Program 1996–2002: An evaluation of the first three years. Bureau of Transport Economics (Australian Government). 0-642-45693-3. 2001. Bureau of Transport Economics (Australian Government). 12 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140212030814/https://bitre.gov.au/publications/2001/files/report_104.pdf. live.
  13. Web site: live. Australian Government. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Annual Report 2000–01. 2001. 31 August 2018. 98. https://web.archive.org/web/20160319144843/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2000_2001/pdf/dotrsannrpt0001.pdf. 19 March 2016.
  14. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Annual Report 2001–02. 2002. 31 August 2018. 85. https://web.archive.org/web/20150610212844/http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2001_2002/pdf/trs01-02.pdf. 10 June 2015.
  15. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Annual Report 2002–03. 2003. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180401192648/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2002_2003/P5-3.aspx#_3. 1 April 2018.
  16. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Annual Report 2003–04. 2004. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405224337/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2003_2004/C4-x.aspx#_6. 5 April 2018.
  17. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Annual Report 2004–05. 2005. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405230246/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2004_2005/part_c.aspx#_5. 5 April 2018.
  18. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Annual Report 2005–06. 2006. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405230958/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2005_2006/c-4.aspx. 5 April 2018.
  19. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Department of Transport and Regional Services. Annual Report 2006–07. 2007. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405232057/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2006_2007/c-4.aspx. 5 April 2018.
  20. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Annual Report 2007–08. 2008. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405225154/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2007_2008/d-2.aspx. 5 April 2018.
  21. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Annual Report 2008–09. 2009. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180401193327/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2008_2009/d-2.aspx. 1 April 2018.
  22. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Annual Report 2009–10. 2010. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180401195040/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2009_2010/infrastructure_1.1.aspx. 1 April 2018.
  23. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure and Transport. Department of Infrastructure and Transport. Annual Report 2010–11. 2011. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180401200433/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2010_2011/infrastructure.aspx. 1 April 2018.
  24. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure and Transport. Department of Infrastructure and Transport. Annual Report 2011–12. 2012. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405010101/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2011_2012/Infra%2DChapter3%2D01.aspx. 5 April 2018.
  25. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure and Transport. Department of Infrastructure and Transport. Annual Report 2012–13. 2013. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405234551/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2012_2013/Infra-Chapter3.aspx. 5 April 2018.
  26. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Annual Report 2013–14. 2014. 3 July 2018. 1 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180401201044/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2013_2014/Infra-Chapter3.aspx.
  27. Web site: dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Annual Report 2014–15. 2015. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405221746/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2014_2015/Infra-Chapter3.aspx. 5 April 2018.
  28. Web site: Annual Report 2015–16. https://web.archive.org/web/20180405225623/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2015_2016/Infra-Chapter3.aspx. 5 April 2018. dead. Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. 2016. 3 July 2018.
  29. Web site: Annual Report 2016–17. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. 2017. 3 July 2018. 6 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180406000644/https://infrastructure.gov.au/department/annual_report/2016_2017/Infra-Part3.aspx. live. Australian Government.

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