A secondary connection between cities and towns in regional areas, often complemented by significant green and blue infrastructure.

These corridors form secondary links between towns and cities in regional NSW or link peri-urban settlements within metropolitan areas. While they have a strong movement function, their less-direct nature means people often choose these routes because of another characteristic.

Rural links usually consist of one vehicle lane in each direction, with a shoulder of variable width. The typical road reserve is 20–50 metres, with no car parking provided. They cater for people travelling in private vehicles, school buses, regional bus services and long distance coaches as well as regional freight. These routes may provide pathways for dangerous goods and oversize, overmass (OSOM) vehicles in certain instances.

Common issues

• little to no provision for walking or cycling
• a lack of safety features including access to properties
• poor maintenance
• a lack of resilience to weather events
• a lack of shoulders
• unsuitable speed for the design.

Design solutions

[1] Road shoulders (Austroads Guide to Road Design, Part 3)

[2] Safety barriers (Austroads Guide to Road Design, Part 6)

[3] Narrowed lanes (Austroads Guide to Traffic Management, Part 8)

[4] Lower speed limit (NSW Speed Zoning Standard, TS 03631)

[5] Alignment matched to topography (Beyond the Pavement, TS 01592)

[6] Existing vegetation retained (Beyond the Pavement, TS 01592)

[7] Trees in the verge (Landscape Design Guideline, TS 01595)

The design solutions library includes a full list of appropriate design solutions for rural links.

The Heavy Vehicle Access Policy should be used when determining design and check vehicles.