STILL ON THE CRITICA L

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1 RACV_Jun05_p038to40-safe roads-ll 11/5/05 12:20 PM Page 2 SAFER ROADS SAVE LIVES STILL ON THE CRITICA L Only 18 months ago, RACV highlighted the urgent need to bring Victoria s ailing rural road network up to a modern safety standard. This need has been made only too clear subsequently, with an 8% rise in the rural road toll in Peter Daly and Thanuja Gunatillake report on the progress so far on improving our rural roads and explain why it must be carried on across the entire network, as it is clear that building safety into the road network saves lives LIFELINE UPDATE These are some of the major improvements that have been funded since RACV called for an urgent upgrade of Victoria s rural system in its Lifeline report in late Murray Valley Hwy, $0.7m: safety barriers, rumble strips and relocation of utility poles. Northern Hwy, $5.5m: overtaking lanes and safety works. M roads A roads B roads C network not shown Midland Hwy, $6.8m: improvements on Mooroopna Causeway. Hume Fwy, $106m: new river crossing at Wodonga. Nhill Calder Hwy, $265m: duplication Kyneton to Ravenswood. Melba Hwy, $2.5m: roadside safety and shoulder sealing. Hamilton Hwy, $0.7m: surface improvements/strengthening. Pakenham Bypass, $221m: work about to start Great Ocean Road, $12m: general safety improvements. Bass Hwy, $15m: duplication & safety works. South Gippsland Hwy $33.6m upgrade, including Bena bypass. 38 JUNE 2005 ROYALAUTO

2 RACV_Jun05_p038to40-safe roads-ll 11/5/05 12:21 PM Page 3 AL LIST Motorists have an implicit contract with governments: they pay taxes and expect to be able to travel in safety across the transport network Great Alpine Road, $8m: general safety works Princes Hwy East, $8.2m: shoulder sealing, linemarking and safer roadsides Bruthen-Nowa Nowa Rd, $18.3m: overtaking lanes and safety works. Crumbling shoulders, narrow road surfaces, unsafe roadsides and uneven pavements. They re all symptoms of an ailing Victorian rural road network which is costing lives. But it doesn t have to be this way. Building safety into our roads is a guaranteed way of reducing road trauma. Road safety research has shown that crashes are rarely (if ever) the result of a unique single cause. Rather, a crash is the outcome of a chain of events which involve humans, vehicles and roads all interacting in one system. Crashes can be prevented, or their severity reduced, through interventions aimed at breaking this causal chain. The result of this is a road toll which has come down dramatically from a high of 1061 in 1970 to 343 in 2004, even though Victorians are, in total, travelling much more than in the past. But there are still a few blips on the radar screen, and one is that while the overall road toll is falling, on country roads it is rising. Last year 186 people were killed on rural roads, an increase of 8% over These crashes represent over half of last year s road toll and don t include crashes in rural towns and cities. So while we need to continue campaigns to target unwise and illegal behaviour, and to use our power as consumers to insist on the safest possible vehicles, the largest safety gains will be through community insistence that governments bring our road network up to a modern safety standard. The bottom line is that a law-abiding motorist, driving to the prevailing conditions in a safe modern car, should not die as a consequence of an unsafe road. The need for a specific focus on rural roads was highlighted in RACV s Lifeline report, published in RoyalAuto in December 2003 (available online at racv.com.au click About RACV/Corporate/News & Views/Reports). In this report we called on the Victorian Government to build safety into the rural highway network system, recognising that many rural roads were built in the 1950s and 1960s when safety was not the primary focus. Lifeline highlighted specific road projects that needed addressing as a matter of priority, as well as setting out a detailed vision for Victoria s rural highways, and we advocated this vision to state, federal and local governments. They have heeded RACV s call with a number of significant funding announcements over the past two years, and we look forward to a continued focus on bringing the rural network up to a modern safety standard. While it s hard to be exact about how much has been allocated, because some funds are still contingent on federal/state agreements (Auslink), and investment in the road network comes from different sources, there has been good progress to date. Lifeline estimated that the backlog of critical projects required an investment of of $3.6 billion. While this might seem a lot of money, it s important to remember that motorists have an implicit contract with governments: they pay taxes and expect to be able to travel in safety across the transport network. The State Government is expected to raise more than $1.3 billion in 2004/05 financial year in motoring taxes and charges, plus another $324 million in speeding and red light fines. The Federal Government, which has responsibility for some rural highways under the Auslink program, is expected to collect another $2.7 billion in fuel excise from Victorian motorists in In this context, the $3.6 billion investment needed is quite reasonable over, say, a 10-year period. So the funds for safer roads are available, and to its credit the Victorian and Federal Governments have made a good start with the promise of funds to upgrade the safety of a number of roads in the Lifeline report. The Victorian Government has also answered RACV s call to dedicate proceeds from traffic camera and speeding fines to road improvements. While some of the major projects are contingent on state and federal governments reaching agreement such as the Geelong and Deer Park bypasses around $440 million of state funding has been announced for A, B and C roads in Victoria since Lifeline was published 18 months ago. If you add the State Government s promised share for roads jointly funded with the Federal Government, this increases to around $620 million, but this is not yet a done deal. Over the page we detail progress made on some Lifeline projects so far, as well as publishing your views on other roads which require urgent attention. ROYALAUTO JUNE

3 RACV_Jun05_p038to40-safe roads-ll 11/5/05 12:21 PM Page 4 M roads: $2.6b A roads: $470m B roads: $320m C roads: $240m These figures are what RACV estimates needs to be spent to bring each facet of Victoria s rural road network up to the minimum safety standard. M ROADS These are freeways that serve the most heavily trafficked rural routes in Victoria. Duplicated roads are needed between Melbourne and major regional centres: Colac (Princes Hwy West), Sale (Princes Hwy East), Horsham (Western Hwy), Bendigo (Calder Hwy), Shepparton (Goulburn Valley Hwy) and Albury (Hume Fwy). estimates $2.4 billion is required for key bypass and duplication projects, and around $210 million to bring older freeway sections up to modern safety standards. Princes Hwy East: Pakenham bypass ($221m) has begun but completion is subject to Victoria signing AusLink. Hume Hwy: Second river crossing at Albury/Wodonga ($106m federal funds). Calder Hwy: Duplication from Kyneton to Ravenswood (federal/state funds, $290m). State/federal agreement on funding of major projects like the Geelong and Deer Park bypasses, and the Hume Fwy (Donnybrook interchange) has not yet been reached. A ROADS These are major highways, taking over where freeways finish, and are the backbone of the highway system. Most are only two lanes. All A roads should have sealed shoulders, regular overtaking lanes and the best achievable level of roadside safety through removal or protection of hazards such as poles, trees and steep slopes. estimates $470 million is needed to bring A roads up to a safe, modern standard. Shoulder sealing, pavement improvements, safety barrier installations and other general safety works have been announced, totalling an investment of about $73 million on A roads. Some specific projects include: South Gippsland Hwy: Safety upgrade between Loch and Bena, including the Bena bypass. Midland Hwy: Overtaking lanes, bridge and pavement improvements on the Mooroopna Causeway. Bass Hwy: Upgrade and duplication between The Gurdies and Grantville. B ROADS These are two-lane roads connecting major towns/ cities. B roads must be wide enough for two lanes, with sealed shoulders and highly visible line marking and guideposts. Regular overtaking lanes should be provided. estimates around $320 million is needed to bring the B road network up to modern safety standards. Around $37 million of improvements have been announced, including overtaking lanes, pavement widening, bridge strengthening, relocation of hazards and the installation of safety barriers. Specific projects include: Great Ocean Road: General safety improvements. Strzelecki Hwy: Bridge strengthening. Murray Valley Hwy: Installation of safety barriers, rumble strips and relocation of some utility poles. Northern Hwy: Overtaking lanes and general safety improvements. Melba Hwy: Shoulder sealing and general roadside safety improvements. C ROADS These roads serve regional needs by linking local communities. Spanning some 12,000km, the existing C network has highly variable safety features. Ultimately RACV believes C roads should have two sealed lanes with shoulders. Appropriate linemarking and guideposts should be provided, and roadsides should be safe. s estimate to bring the C network to the above standard would require $240 million. The Victorian Government has announced investment of about $30 million across the C road network. Most of this investment is in surface and roadside safety improvements, and widening. RACV continues to advocate for the ongoing improvement of Victoria s rural roads, as part of its Safer Roads Save Lives program. To help, we need your input on identifying unsafe roads. Turn the page for details. Peter Daly is RACV s chief engineer (traffic and roads), and Thanuja Gunatillake is RACV s senior transport policy analyst 40 JUNE 2005 ROYALAUTO

4 RACV_Jun05_p042/43-safe road letters-ll 15/1/70 5:52 PM Page 2 Book a Group X car (e.g. Hyundai Getz) on-line at budget.com.au for a minimum three consecutive days and pay only $33* per day, including 100 free kms per day. Rentals must commence between 1 May 31 July Visit budget.com.au for details. BUDGET DRIVES YOUR DOLLAR FURTHER * Vehicles subject to availability. Offer valid at Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Coolangatta, Canberra, Rockhampton airports and city locations (downtown). Excess kms charged at $0.27 per km. Airport Concession Fee (if applicable), optional excess reduction and miscellaneous charges not included. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, coupon or promotion. BUDG287 * YOUR SAY ON OUR UNSAFE ROADS BLIND BENDS Last month you asked members: Do you know another Kelletts Rd? Yes! David Hill Rd, Monbulk is very dangerous. There are two sharp blind bends near Monbulk Secondary College that have power poles within 60cm of the road edge, and larger vehicles have to cross the double white lines to miss hitting them. The road shoulders and footpath are in poor condition. There are no pedestrian facilities in front of the school and cars often park on the side of the road where there are double lines. G.M., Monbulk NO SIGNALS Is there a reason that the intersection of Park Rd and Reserve Rd in Cheltenham does not have signals? It is a great danger during the week (but not at weekends). Does someone have to die before a dangerous situation is fixed? B.P., Cheltenham LIVES AT RISK Winners Circle in Aspendale Gardens is the entrance to an estate on a main road (Wells Rd) with a tight curve and 80km/h speed zone. Myself and my three children risk our lives every day about 4.30pm just to get into out street. I m sure a member of our community will have to die before lights are put in. C.P., Aspendale Gardens TREE BLOCKS ROAD Wellington Rd, Wheelers Hill was recently widened in front of the new Waverley Park estate but widening has stopped just before the Brandon Park Dve intersection. The result is there is a tree sitting just inside the road line in the direct path of the lane. Apart from the totally unnecessary lane change and slowing of traffic, it has the potential to catch a driver off guard,particularly at night. It has thrown numerous cars off course in my observation already. G.M., Mulgrave THIRD WORLD ROAD For years I have used Thompsons Rd, Lower Templestowe between Foote St and the Eastern Fwy. While Thompsons Rd is dual-lane between the freeway and Manningham Rd, the continuation to Foote St can best be described as third world. Why has VicRoads or Manningham Council done nothing about widening it? Single-lane roads all over Templestowe are trying to cope with unbelievable congestion during peak hours. R.H., Templestowe RUBBLE CAN KILL The quantity of small rocks, broken bricks and oddments of timber littering the road and verges on Old Dandenong Rd, Heatherton, between Clarinda and Kingston Rds, presents a serious hazard to motorists. This rubble must fall from, or be ejected by the dual tyres of, all the trucks entering and leaving the tip accessed via Henry St. The lethal missiles this type of rubble can become is as potentially lethal as any matter relating to road safety. M.C., Frankston South SIGN BLOCKS VIEW When you are in the right-turn lane of Pound Rd, Dandenong South, ready to enter South Gippsland Fwy, it is difficult to see oncoming traffic because a street sign blocks the view. G.C., Hampton Park LOWEST GRADE Jacksons Creek Rd in Ararat would have to be one of the worst grading efforts I have experienced. Each time it is graded, the driver piles loose gravel thickly along the length of the road. Many drivers fishtail along this road. Add mud from the rains and it s only a matter of time before disaster strikes. Please educate the grader drivers to make the roads safer by their works, not worse. Name supplied, Ararat 42 JUNE 2005 ROYALAUTO

5 RACV_Jun05_p042/43-safe road letters-ll 15/1/70 5:53 PM Page 3 RAILWAY CHAOS It would be far safer (and fuelefficient) if Hallam Rd between Princes Hwy, Hallam, and South Gippsland Hwy, Hampton Park were duplicated. The level crossing is extremely dangerous, especially at peak hours, where rail users try to enter Hallam Rd. Often the commuters take extraordinary risks when leaving the carparks on either side of the platform. I frequently see motorists move to the middle of the road, waiting for a minute break in the traffic, which is regularly banked back to Princes Hwy. This is essentially a road that needs to be brought kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. J.E., Hampton Park REST AREA RE-THINK On the south side of Princes Hwy between Bairnsdale and Stratford, caravans come to a complete standstill on the highway to do a sharp left-hand turn into the rest area. This recently nearly caused an accident. I am a country rep and have travelled the highways for 40 years. Each time I see a Powernap sign, there is usually nowhere to pull off the road the rest areas are few and far between. There are a few signs on the Hume Fwy stating the distance to the next rest area. This is fantastic, as I feel nominating the number of kilometres is very important in planning to stop. But there are a number of signs too close to the rest area which do not allow time for the driver to react and indicate to others on the road we are talking about drivers with low concentration levels if they need a nap. I.M., Elsternwick HWY FRUSTRATION Princes Hwy between Colac and Geelong has an extremely poor surface. There are not enough passing lanes, which leads to frustration and unnecessary danger in overtaking slow vehicles. This section is thick with B-double trucks which also leads to problems with surface damage and traffic congestion. G.C., Colac DREADFUL DUST First Ave, Cockatoo is only graded five or six times a year, and there are always potholes and corrugations. And the dust is bad for 5-6 months of the year. I cannot open the front door or windows of my home for any length of times unless it rains. G.E., Cockatoo NOSING OUT Traffic exiting the Princes Fwy at Forsyths Rd, Point Cook has visibility restricted by the curved guardrails of the bridge. Cars must have their nose out on the road for drivers to see oncoming traffic. This is an extremely dangerous intersection and crashes here are extremely frequent. R.M., Point Cook FLOOD HAZARD The Geelong-Barwon Heads Rd is dangerous at all times but when raining or at night it is very dangerous. It floods in six places in heavy rain, there are blind corners without warning and not enough reflectors. C.H., Ocean Grove BE OUR EYES & EARS Tell us what you consider to be dangerous road locations or road sections. You can do so by filling in the form on-line at racv.com.au, or pick up a survey form from any RACV Shop. The form was also printed in the March 2005 edition of RoyalAuto. Members who participate go into a monthly prize draw to win a night for two at your choice of the RACV City Club or RACV Club Healesville, including dinner, breakfast and parking. The total prize is valued at up to $400. One prize will be drawn each month (April, May, June and July), and you need enter only once to be eligible for each prize draw. Tell us about as many roads as you like, but for the prize draw there is a limit of one entry per person. For terms and conditions, visit racv.com.au. The April winner is J. Hewitt of Carlton. We also welcome letters on your views on road safety and try to publish as many as possible. But use the feedback form to tell us about particular roads. FREE Digital Hearing Aids For Eligible Seniors!* FREE hearing test 100% DIGITAL A range of digital hearing aids has been developed for Australian seniors! They are very simple to use and bring improved hearing to virtually everyone. HEAR MUCH MORE No matter what your needs are or the type of hearing loss you experience we have a solution. We only work with the very latest digital technology designed to give you crisp and clear sound. You will be surprised how easily you can hear conversations, the television and radio. More than 130 clinics throughout Australia FREE HEARING AIDS At AudioClinic we believe that good hearing is everybody s right. That s why we offer FREE 100% digital hearing aids through the Australian Government Hearing Services Program (conditions apply). We also provide a full range of solutions for all clients to suit any budget. FREE HEARING TEST Hearing loss has many causes and often there is a simple remedy that can help you enjoy hearing again. A few minutes is all it takes to test your hearing. At AudioClinic it s fast, easy, painless and FREE. FREE CALL Call me today to book an appointment please quote PA1090 I d like to learn more about hearing services and request my FREE copy of the Hearing Review I may be eligible for pensioner or veteran assistance Mr/Mrs/Miss Address Suburb P/code Phone ( ) DOB (optional) Mail Postage Free To: AudioClinic National Hearing Aids Reply Paid 661, Parramatta, NSW 2124 or call Ref: PA1090 *AudioClinic is accredited to provide hearing services to eligible clients of the Australian Government Hearing Services Program. Our clients may be eligible for free services through this program. (Conditions apply) ROYALAUTO JUNE