DDA / Accessibility

What Is DDA Compliance for Public Infrastructure?

DDA compliance means that your infrastructure does not unlawfully discriminate against people with disability by failing to provide equivalent access. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, it is unlawful for an organisation to discriminate against a person with disability in the provision of goods, services, or facilities — and that includes access to public roads, footpaths, and transport infrastructure.

For infrastructure owners, DDA compliance is assessed against a set of Disability Standards that have legal force under the Act. The two most relevant to road and transport infrastructure are:

Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (DSAPT) — Sets minimum performance standards for public transport infrastructure including bus stops, tram stops, train stations, and the pedestrian paths that connect them. These standards apply to operators and providers of public transport services and their infrastructure.

Disability (Access to Premises — Buildings) Standards 2010 (DAPS) — Governs access requirements in buildings and facilities, relevant where infrastructure projects include built structures such as shelters, amenity buildings, and multi-storey car parks.

Compliance with the relevant Disability Standard provides a defence against a DDA complaint. Failure to meet the standards — or to have a structured program for achieving compliance — leaves infrastructure owners exposed to formal complaints with the Australian Human Rights Commission and potential civil liability.

DDA Requirements for Roads, Footpaths and Pedestrian Facilities

The DDA’s practical application to road infrastructure centres on the concept of the Continuous Accessible Path of Travel (CAPT) — an unobstructed route that a person using a wheelchair, mobility aid, or white cane can navigate safely and independently between key destinations.

For councils and road authorities, this means assessing and maintaining:

Footpaths and shared paths — Surface condition, crossfall, gradient, width, and freedom from obstacles. A footpath that is technically present may still constitute a barrier to access if it is too steep, too narrow, poorly surfaced, or blocked by street furniture, signage, or vegetation.

Kerb ramps and crossings — Kerb ramps must meet dimensional requirements for gradient and width, and must be correctly positioned relative to the pedestrian crossing. Misaligned kerb ramps — a common finding — direct pedestrians into the path of traffic rather than across it safely.

Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSIs) — Detectable warning surfaces that alert people with vision impairment to hazards (hazard TGSIs) or guide them along a path (directional TGSIs). Incorrect placement, wrong colour contrast, incorrect dimensions, or deteriorated surface condition are among the most frequently identified DDA non-compliance issues in transport infrastructure.

Accessible pedestrian crossings — Including pedestrian signal timing, audible and tactile signals, and the geometry of the crossing itself.

Bus stops and public transport access points — Boarding platforms, shelter access, path connections, and TGSI placement relative to the boarding zone.

Car parks — Accessible parking space dimensions, location relative to building or facility entrances, path of travel from parking to destination, and signage.

The Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport (DSAPT) and Road Infrastructure

The DSAPT is often associated with vehicles and stations, but its reach extends to the full journey chain — including the road and footpath infrastructure that connects people to public transport. For councils and road authorities, this means that bus stop upgrades, intersection treatments near train stations, and pedestrian path works near public transport hubs all fall within the DSAPT’s scope.

The DSAPT established a phased compliance schedule. The final phase deadline for most infrastructure elements has now passed, meaning providers are expected to have achieved compliance — not to still be working toward it. Councils and transport authorities that have not yet audited their public transport infrastructure against DSAPT are at significant risk of non-compliance.

RSA’s team has direct experience with DSAPT compliance audits across bus networks, tram stop programs, and rail station precincts, including our involvement in Melbourne’s $250 million Accessible Tram Stop Program covering 350 stops.

What Does a DDA Accessibility Audit Involve?

A DDA accessibility audit conducted by RSA involves a systematic, on-site assessment of infrastructure against the relevant Disability Standards and Austroads guidelines. Our process covers:

Scoping and desktop review — Before site inspection, we review available plans, condition data, and any previous audit findings to establish the scope of the assessment and prioritise areas of highest risk.

On-site inspection — Our auditors assess each element of the pedestrian environment and transport infrastructure against the applicable standards. We measure kerb ramp gradients, TGSI placement and dimensions, path widths and crossfalls, crossing geometry, and parking compliance — using calibrated equipment where precise measurements are required.

Photographic and GPS documentation — Every finding is documented with photographs and, where required, GPS coordinates — enabling asset owners to locate and prioritise defects efficiently.

Findings report — We produce a structured report that identifies each non-compliance, references the applicable standard, and provides a recommended treatment. Reports are formatted to support asset management planning, with findings categorised by severity to allow prioritisation.

Prioritised treatment schedule — For council clients managing large asset portfolios, we can produce a prioritised schedule of works that allows compliance improvements to be staged across budget cycles.

Common DDA Non-Compliance Issues We Find

Across our audit work, the following non-compliance issues appear consistently in road and transport infrastructure:

TGSI deficiencies — Missing, incorrectly placed, wrong colour contrast, or deteriorated tactile indicators at pedestrian crossings, bus stops, and hazard locations. This is the single most common category of finding in public transport and pedestrian infrastructure audits.

Kerb ramp misalignment — Kerb ramps that are offset from the pedestrian crossing, directing users into the road at an angle or into the path of turning vehicles.

Inadequate kerb ramp gradient — Ramps that exceed the maximum 1:8 gradient requirement, or that have landings at the top or bottom that are too short or too steep.

Path width and obstruction — Footpaths that are too narrow to accommodate a wheelchair or mobility scooter, or that are narrowed by poles, street furniture, vegetation, or temporary works without adequate diversion.

Missing or incomplete CAPTs — Gaps in the accessible path of travel between a bus stop and the nearest pedestrian crossing, or between a car park and a building entrance, that require a person with disability to travel in the roadway.

Accessible parking deficiencies — Spaces that are the wrong dimensions, incorrectly signed, or located too far from the destination they are intended to serve.

Surface condition — Cracked, uneven, or slippery surfaces that create trip hazards or impede wheelchair travel, even where the original design was compliant.