Pedestrian safety treatments

Treatments and devices to improve safety for people with visual and physical disabilities

Audio tactile or walk push buttons

Audio tactile unitThese are designed to assist pedestrians with impaired vision or hearing in locating the push button and using the crossing safely. The WALK signal is an initial squeak followed by a rapid pulsing noise. The DON’T WALK signal is a beep sounding every two seconds.
Kerb ramps
Standard kerb ramp

Conforming to the Australian Standards for length and gradient, kerb ramps assist pedestrians by orienting the ramp grade in the direction of travel and aligning the ramps, with push button signals, on both sides of the road.

Microwave motion detectors
Microwave pedestrian detector

The detectors are mounted on the tops of poles at intersections to detect slow moving pedestrians and allow them to cross the road safely by delaying the change of traffic signals.

Painted medians
Walk through

These are wider sections painted on the centre of the road. They guide traffic in lanes and create a safe place for pedestrians or cyclists, to enable them to concentrate on crossing one direction of traffic at a time.

Tactile ground surface indicators
Tactile ground surface

The indicators are essentially differing ground surfaces, used to provide information about footpaths to vision impaired people through their sense of touch. They are detected either underfoot or via a walking cane. Changes in ground surface indicate the approach to a hazardous area such as a road or signal crossing and show the correct direction in which to proceed.

Pedestrian refuges

Pedestrian refugee

Pedestrian refuges are wider sections of the median strip where pedestrians or cyclists can stand, with relative safety, in the middle of the road. These refuges are installed where it is difficult for people to cross the full width of a busy road and make it possible to cross one stream of traffic at a time.

Pedestrian refuges:

  • may be walkthroughs, having a walkway cut through them and handrails constructed to further ensure the safety of people crossing roads
  • can be either a solid raised median, a small traffic island or a painted median
  • may have ramps at the kerbs on both sides of the road
  • may have white handrails with red reflective strips in the cut-out section of the solid
  • may have kerb ramps if they are raised medians.

Latest news

64x64

National Road Safety Week 2022

15 May 2022

National Road Safety Week is being held across Australia from 15 - 22 May 2022.


64x64

Travellers through Port Wakefield asked to plan ahead this Easter long weekend

13 Apr 2022

Holidaymakers travelling through Port Wakefield over the coming long weekends are being asked to be patient and plan ahead for their journeys, as major project works continue.


News archive

Road safety works

64x64

National Road Safety Week 2022

15 May 2022

National Road Safety Week is being held across Australia from 15 - 22 May 2022.


64x64

Travellers through Port Wakefield asked to plan ahead this Easter long weekend

13 Apr 2022

Holidaymakers travelling through Port Wakefield over the coming long weekends are being asked to be patient and plan ahead for their journeys, as major project works continue.


Road safety works archive