Transport Sustainability Plan

To achieve our sustainability vision of a NSW where every journey is people and planet positive, we needed to create a uniform approach to sustainability across all our modes of transport.

Watch the video for our plan

In 2020, Transport developed eight focus areas which address the most important sustainability aspects associated with the activities of Transport, each supported by sustainability goals, where we will concentrate our attention and resources.

Respond to climate change

Net zero emissions by 2050
Achieve net zero emissions from our operations and fleet by 2035
Consider climate change risks in all key decisions

Protect and enhance biodiversity

No net loss of biodiversity as a result of our infrastructure development program

Improve environmental outcomes

Develop a circular economy for Transport by designing waste and pollution out and keeping products and materials in use
Reduce environmental impacts of projects and operations

Procure responsibly

Social and environmental outcomes included in all procurement decisions
Go beyond minimum compliance targets and Aboriginal Procurement Policy

Partner with communities

Always leave a positive legacy for communities as a result of projects
Enable, apply and report on community engagement

Respect culture and heritage

Aboriginal culture is acknowledged, integrated and preserved
Acknowledge and incorporate culture through stories, examples, and best practice

Align spend and impact

All decisions consider value created from sustainability alongside financial analysis
Reduce whole of life costs for the transport network

Empower customers to make sustainable choices

Use customer journeys to inform, engage and inspire more sustainable practices and demonstrate Transport's progress

Read about our eight sustainability focus areas

Our Sustainability Plan will ensure we are being environmentally and socially responsible in the way we work, embedding economic sustainability in decision making and building a transport system that is resilient to future shocks and stresses.

Cover of the Transport for NSW Sustainability Plan document

Download our Sustainability Plan

Transport Sustainability Plan 2021

Our Transport Sustainability Plan 2021 has been designed to make sustainability simple, consistent, transparent, tangible and accessible to all.

The plan identifies four key sustainability initiatives and an accompanying set of actions:

Pathway to net zero and green transport

Implementing a circular economy

Sustainability reporting and data

Engaging and empowering our people

The Plan addresses a range of legislative requirements and is informed by key strategic and regulatory drivers:

Sustainability vision

Every journey is people and planet positive

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change 2015

Environmental Planning and Assessment Act
1979 (NSW)

Transport Administration Act 1988 (NSW)

Protection of the Environment
Operations Act 1997 (NSW)

NSW Climate
Change Policy Framework

NSW Waste and
Sustainable Materials
Strategy

NSW Electric Vehicle
Strategy 2021

NSW Government
Resource Efficiency
Policy 2019

NSW Circular
Economy Policy
Statement 2019

Transport
Environment and
Sustainability Policy

Transport Environment and
Sustainability
Management Framework

Future
Transport
Strategy

Future
Energy
Strategy

Future
Energy
Action Plan

Other plans, policies
and legislation

Key focus areas

Keep learning how we're actioning change

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Global goals

NSW is home to seven native freshwater turtle species, two of which are found nowhere else in the world. However, these native turtle populations are declining due to several challenges such as introduced predators, habitat loss and road mortalities.

Following the opening of the Northern Road Upgrade Project in Western Sydney several community members raised concerns about turtle fatalities. Conventional road fauna mortality surveys are an important tool in developing mitigation measures. However, they are time consuming and require a two-person ecologist team to drive sections of the road. These teams can either travel at the posted speed limits, potentially compromise data accuracy, or choose slower speeds for precision, which can disrupt traffic flow and compromise safety.

An artificial intelligence (AI) solution was developed and trialled in response to the communities’ concerns. The idea uses video data from dash-mounted cameras to detect turtles and then use AI to differentiate between turtles and other objects such as potholes. Leveraging this mapping ability, the initiative aims to find an innovative way to inform effective mitigation measures and is a collaborative effort between Transport’s site personnel and ecologists from Western Sydney University.

Figure 1: An example of AI technology being used to analyse video data for turtle identification on roads

Figure 2: A further example of AI technology applied to analyse video data in identifying turtles on roads

Overcoming the challenges of traditional surveys, AI analysis of dash-mounted camera video provides a simple and a more effective solution for identifying and mapping turtles on the roads. The AI model developed by the dash cams team has been successfully tested on three different camera formats including iPhones. These dash cams easily attach to most vehicles and capture high-quality video footage. They have an accuracy rate of over 90 per cent in detecting turtles on roads, even at speeds of 80 km/h – a significant achievement given the challenges of identifying turtles on roads. The enhanced accuracy also minimises the need for ecologists to review all footage, saving both time and effort.

Figure 3: Side-by-side comparison of a turtle and a pothole

Aligning with the start of turtles’ breeding season, November is celebrated as National Turtle Month. This national citizen science event, co managed by Western Sydney University, is dedicated to raising awareness about threatened freshwater turtle species. In support of our commitment to protecting and enhancing biodiversity, our M12 Motorway team had joined with Western Sydney University in the 1 Million Turtles program. This collaborative effort strengthens our commitment to fauna protection and deepens our understanding of conservation requirements across our projects.

The impact of this innovation extends beyond protecting the local freshwater turtles. With this ongoing collaboration with the university, we are continuing to develop AI technology, to eventually identify various other species on our roadways. This enhancement is expected to advance our biodiversity monitoring and increase our knowledge of roadkill hotspots.

By identifying and understanding any fauna mortality hotspots more effectively, we can implement targeted mitigation and connectivity measures during or even after road projects. The mitigation strategies will help protect our unique fauna and enhance road safety for our road users.

Figure 4: A native freshwater turtle spotted on an NSW road