BLACK SPOT PROGRAM FUNDS SET TO SAVE LIVES IN WIDE BAY

Federal Member for Wide Bay and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Llew O’Brien today announced a $1 million road safety boost to fix three black spots in Maryborough and Gympie.

Mr O’Brien said the Morrison Government’s 2021–22 Black Spot Program will provide a total of $20.8 million to fix 67 black spots across Queensland, including: 

• $401,000 for a roundabout, traffic islands and new surfacing at the intersection of Albert Street and Tooley Street at Maryborough.
• $108,500 for new kerb ramps, footpaths and road markings at the intersection of Ann Street and Adelaide Lane, Maryborough.
• $513,000 to widen and reseal Sandy Creek Road, east of Laurel Road at Veteran, and install a shoulder, guardrails and markers.

“Road crashes place major emotional strain on the families and friends of victims, and they also place an economic strain on all affected communities,” Mr O’Brien said.

“To make black spot roads safer, the Coalition Government’s Black Spot Program funds road safety treatments such as traffic signals and roundabouts at locations where a number of serious crashes are known to have occurred,” Mr O’Brien said.

“The Queensland Government, local councils, community groups and associations, road user groups, industry and individuals are all able to nominate a black spot location. Once nominated, the Queensland Government Department of Transport and Main Roads examines the site’s eligibility and may undertake assessments of any proposed treatments.

“The Black Spot Program can also fund remedial works to road locations identified as ‘accidents waiting to happen’, so remedial road work can be done before casualties occur.

“The great thing about this federally-funded program is that it is driven by the community to make local roads safer.  It’s designed to enable communities to identify roads where there has been a history of crashes and recurrent problems and provides funding to target repairs and upgrades.

“Community input is vital to help identify trouble spots throughout the region, and I encourage all local residents and motorists to nominate black spot projects for future funding rounds.”

The Australian Government has committed $1.1 billion to the Black Spot Program from 2013-14 to 2023-24 to improve road safety across Australia.

Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said the 67 Black Spot projects across Queensland would make an important contribution towards reducing serious injuries and deaths on Queensland roads and built on previous investments in the state.

“This Government is investing in road safety right across the nation to ensure Australians get home sooner and safer, as even one death or one serious injury crash on our roads is one too many,” Assistant Minister Buchholz said.

“This new funding will see total investment through the Black Spot Program in Queensland rise to $189.2 million, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to improving road safety.”

The Australian Government has committed $1.1 billion to the Black Spot Program from 2013–14 to 2023–24 to improve road safety across the nation.

For more information on the Australian Government’s Black Spot Program, or to nominate a black spot, visit investment.infrastructure.gov.au/funding/blackspots.