Providing shade

Image credit: State of Queensland

Overview of action

Action 1.12, Action Plan for Walking 2019–2021
Status: Complete

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has conducted research and consultation with subject matter experts about providing shade along paths. A new Technical Note has been published and TMR technical training has been updated to incorporate the new advice.  

Achievements

Around a third of Queenslanders (29%) report the climate as being a personal barrier to walking. Heatwaves and prolonged periods of very hot weather pose serious threats to the health and wellbeing of many Queensland communities.

TMR established a technical advisory group consisting of relevant Queensland Government experts to oversee the development of a new Technical Note on providing shade. 

The new Technical Note – Provision of Shade Along Paths – will provide transport professionals with a one stop shop of information about how to apply the requirements for installing shade (either natural or built) in a road corridor. The note identifies the shade provision rates that should be applied to walking infrastructure projects and additional considerations for vegetation selection and road safety issues.

The research and consultation identified no critical barriers to implementing shade along roads with paths except for the cost to install vegetation or structures and competition for verge space, particularly in urban areas. 

Next steps

The content of the technical note will be incorporated into the next update of the TMR Road Landscaping Manual and the TMR Road Planning and Design Manual. Once this is complete, the standalone technical note will be withdrawn. 

More information

You can view the Provision of Shade Along Paths technical note on the TMR technical website. It is also available on TMR's Pedestrian and Walking Guidance and Resources directory.