The latest tragic deaths on the Pacific Highway have once again brought about pledges of significant spending and speedy action from politicians at all levels of government.
Any grey nomad who has travelled the road up or down the east coast of Australia will know that, in parts, the road richly deserves its unwanted tag as the ‘goat track’.
It is obvious to all that the state of the road as a key link between Australia’s major cities, and one which is heavily used by both freight and tourism traffic, is simply unacceptable.
While much work is being carried out on the road and, in parts, the dualled highway is excellent, the contrast with the yet-to-be-upgraded stretches, is ridiculous … and dangerous. One such stretch is, of course, around Urunga, 20 minutes or so south of Coffs Harbour, where an 11-year-old boy was killed after a B-double truck smashed into the house where he was sleeping last week. The truck had collided with a Ute – whose driver was also killed – before it hit the house.
Around Urunga, the Pacific Highway twists and turns and the death toll over recent years in this short stretch has been horrendous. Local anger at the delays in bypassing the town have now reached fever pitch.
It is certainly not the only stretch which is in urgent need of upgrading. According to the Road Traffic Authority’s progress report late last year, some 51% of the Pacific Highway’s 664-kilometre length is now dual carriageway. As at November 31 last year, 341 kilometres are completed dual carriageway, 61 kilometres are under construction, and about 128 kilometres are being prepared for construction. The RTA also says planning is also being progressed on the remaining single carriageway sections of highway.
The question is how long does it take to move from planning to construction … and now many lives will be lost in the meantime?
All travellers who have been along the narrow and winding stretches of the highway driving a motorhome or towing a van know it can be frightening and intimidating experience, especially when there are so many big trucks plying the route.
Is this the tragedy that will finally get the road brought up to the standards that locals and visitors have every right to expect from such a major route? Only time will tell.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott has backed the Gillard Government’s call to spend an extra $6 billion on an upgrade of the deadly Pacific Highway. And Transport Minister Anthony Albanese called for both Federal and State governments to join together and improve the roads between Queensland and Sydney by 2016.
“What we’ve said is both governments need to do more,” Mr Albanese said.
Hopefully, the words will now become action.
While an improved road will countless save many lives in the years to come, another accident just a couple of days ago has underlined the fact that a dualled Pacific Highways is no silver bullet.
The two people killed when their car left the road and hit a tree.south of Kew were actually travelling on a section of new Pacific Highway,
