Nearly half of regional WA’s most dangerous intersections have no plans to be upgraded, according to RAC’s Risky Roads campaign scorecard.
The 2022 RAC Risky Roads campaign identified 20 of regional WA’s most dangerous roads and intersections, based on thousands of community nominations – with the aim of encouraging further government investment in road safety.
RAC General Manager External Relations Will Golsby said while many areas have seen major improvements, there are still places in desperate need of safety upgrades.
“We’re pleased to see works underway on some of the state’s busiest roads, including South Western Highway, Great Eastern Highway and Indian Ocean Drive – which were named in the top five riskiest roads,” Mr Golsby said.
“We have also just seen the much-anticipated opening of Albany Ring Road, which is expected to help alleviate safety issues at the Chester Pass roundabout – which had been repeatedly named regional WA’s riskiest intersection.”
“But it is worrying that many areas of concern remain unfunded, including several risky regional intersections the community have nominated. In some cases, it appears works are not even planned.”
Of the 10 roads and 10 intersections identified, almost half – in areas such as Cowaramup, Chapman Valley and Yallingup – have still not had funding allocated.
“WA consistently has one of the worst road fatality rates in the country and we continue to fall short of road trauma reduction targets,” Mr Golsby said.
“RAC strongly welcomes the continued rollout of the WA Government’s Regional Road Safety Program, which is improving the safety of roads throughout our regional areas, but more work needs to be done.”
“It’s crucial governments continue to prioritise investment to save lives and prevent serious injuries on our roads, especially when the recent WA Budget outlined expenditure through the Asset Investment Program is forecast to drop from $2 billion in 2024/25 to $646 million in 2027/28.”
So far this year, 75 people have lost their lives on WA roads, including 44 in our regional areas, putting our state on track for the worst year for road deaths since 2016.
“In WA, three people are killed and more than 30 hospitalised every week due to road trauma – costing the state economy $2.4 billion a year,” Mr Golsby said.
“That’s why this campaign continues to be so important – it amplifies our calls for safer roads across our state.”
ENDS
RAC Media Contact: Laura Gardiner, 0401 703 719 or media@rac.com.au
