Improving Road Worker Safety on the M1

The M1 Pacific Motorway connects northern Sydney with the regional city of Newcastle on Australia’s east coast, carrying up to three lanes of traffic in each direction over a length of approximately 129km.

The M1 is subject to a range of activities that place workers at risk in a live traffic environment, including, maintenance, repairs, incident response, and road and roadside inspections.

To improve worker safety, Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) sought to investigate crash and injury reduction measures, including alternative and innovative methods for the M1 section. In partnerships with TfNSW and iMOVE, Deakin University undertook research activities aimed at achieving the objectives of TfNSW.