Black Spot Program

The Black Spot Program is an Australian Government road safety program to fix dangerous roads by treating road locations where crashes 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 $125 million.

Black Spot Program
Product typeRoad safety program
OwnerAustralian Government
CountryAustralia
Introduced1990–91

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 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,[12] 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 ration of around 10.[13]

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:

YearExpenditure
A$ million		Notes
2000–01$41.182[14]
2001–02$48.8[15]
2002–03$44.5[16]
2003–04$44.5[17]
2004–05$44.5[18]
2005–06$44.5[19]
2006–07$41.6[20]
2007–08$37.3[21]
2008–09$145[22]
2009–10$113.6[23]
2010–11$50.4[24]
2011–12$65.2[25]
2012–13$63.8[26]
2013–14$64.5[27]
2014–15$53.5[28]
2015–16$126.5[29]
2016–17$125[30]
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References
  1. Hasham, Nicole (4 January 2018). "Black spot program 'fatally flawed and federal governments complacent' on road safety: expert". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  2. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (11 December 2013), Black Spot Program site, Australian Government, retrieved 21 December 2013
  3. Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (Australian Government) (May 2012). Evaluation of the National Black Spot Program. Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (Australian Government). ISBN 978-1-921769-49-8.
  4. "Govt road gang gets in first". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 February 1990. p. 8.
  5. Wright, Tony (6 December 1989). "$110m plan to reduce road toll". The Canberra Times. p. 3. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  6. "Black spot abolition 'absurd'". The Canberra Times. 29 July 1993. p. 5. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  7. Bureau of Transport Economics (Australian Government) (1995). "Evaluation of the Black Spot Program" (PDF). Bureau of Transport Economics (Australian Government). ISBN 0 644 45238 2.
  8. Riley, Mark (12 May 1994). "Road funding cuts attacked". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9.
  9. Sharp, John (18 August 1993). "Labor abandons Black Spot funding — and with it its faith in safety and job creation" (Press release). Parliament House, Canberra. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  10. Sharp, John (20 August 1996). "Transport and regional development summary of major budget measures" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 18 December 1996. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  11. The National Black Spot Programme: ANAO Audit Report No. 45 2006–07 (PDF). Australian National Audit Office. 2007. ISBN 0 642 80965 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  12. CA 8618: Department of Transport and Regional Services, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 28 June 2013
  13. Bureau of Transport Economics (Australian Government) (2001). "The Black Spot Program 1996–2002: An evaluation of the first three years" (PDF). Bureau of Transport Economics (Australian Government). ISBN 0 642 45693 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 February 2014.
  14. Department of Transport and Regional Services (2001). "Annual Report 2000–01" (PDF). Australian Government. p. 98. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  15. Department of Transport and Regional Services (2002). "Annual Report 2001–02" (PDF). Australian Government. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  16. Department of Transport and Regional Services (2003). "Annual Report 2002–03". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  17. Department of Transport and Regional Services (2004). "Annual Report 2003–04". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  18. Department of Transport and Regional Services (2005). "Annual Report 2004–05". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  19. Department of Transport and Regional Services (2006). "Annual Report 2005–06". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  20. Department of Transport and Regional Services (2007). "Annual Report 2006–07". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  21. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (2008). "Annual Report 2007–08". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (2009). "Annual Report 2008–09". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (2010). "Annual Report 2009–10". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. Department of Infrastructure and Transport (2011). "Annual Report 2010–11". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  25. Department of Infrastructure and Transport (2012). "Annual Report 2011–12". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  26. Department of Infrastructure and Transport (2013). "Annual Report 2012–13". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  27. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (2014). "Annual Report 2013–14". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  28. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (2015). "Annual Report 2014–15". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  29. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (2016). "Annual Report 2015–16". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  30. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (2017). "Annual Report 2016–17". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
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