Resilient communities

Planning for emergency responses and network recovery

Resilient transport networks contribute to the overall resilience of the places and communities they serve. We’re planning for climate change, natural disasters and other uncertainties so we’re equipped to face the future.

Events such as heat waves, storms, bushfires, and flooding will become more frequent and intense. As these events unfold, we must keep people safe, informed and moving.

Transport infrastructure is vitally important for local communities during an emergency to provide safe evacuation and passage and relocate disaster-affected communities.

Recovering transport services and infrastructure is equally important so communities can receive critical supplies, provide access to emergency services organisations and minimise the impact on businesses, schools and the economy.

Transport for NSW will actively work with local communities and councils to plan and build early warning systems, clear evacuation routes, ensure resilient transport infrastructure and well-resourced emergency management transport response teams.

We will use technology to improve risk forecasting, planning, and monitoring. Technology will help us communicate rapidly with our customers during emergencies so they can make safe and informed decisions as events unfold.

Building back better

Ensuring customer journey resilience will require targeted maintenance to improve assets with a focus on ‘building back better.’

Emergency events, such as floods and bush fires will impact our infrastructure. Information and insights from monitoring the network will be crucial to assessing risk and prioritising maintenance to improve assets with a focus on ‘building back better.’

‘Building back better’ can reduce the whole-of-life cost of infrastructure and strengthen the resilience of communities.

Considering climate change in all our decisions

NSW is already feeling the effects of climate change. Mapping transport networks for vulnerability to climate change can inform our design and planning of new infrastructure and services.

Business cases for long-life infrastructure projects must address resilience risks at 20, 50 and 100 years, and will consider climate-induced trends in population distribution, the make-up of industry, and the flow of commodities.

Our planning will continue to focus on proactive approaches to meet increasing risks. In collaboration with government, industry, and community partners, we will incorporate climate resilience mitigation measures into the planning and design of all transport assets and services.

Embedding climate risk and resilience in our work provides leadership to the transport industry and strengthens our organisational capability and skills, so the NSW transport system and networks are sufficiently robust. This includes working with Aboriginal communities to incorporate traditional knowledge to assist climate adaptation.

Resilient freight networks

We’re working with the freight industry to build its resilience and meet the growing needs of our communities.

Last-mile deliveries from freight micro hubs to customers can be serviced by smaller, clean and quiet vehicles. E-cargo bikes and similar micro freight vehicles can replace larger vans in densely populated areas. New freight methods will reduce the number of large freight vehicles travelling into urban centres, reduce emissions and relieve the pressure on kerbside delivery.

In the coming decades, connected, automated and electric vehicles are expected to transform freight. These smaller, cleaner and quieter vehicles will be more suited to urban environments and 24/7 commercial operations. Trials of connected and automated vehicles will explore how to transform freight with safer travel, lower costs, increased choice, reliable delivery times and reduced congestion.