Big budget boost for safer roads in Queensland

Forty-two projects across Queensland will receive over $30 million of funding next financial year under the Palaszczuk Government’s Safer Roads Sooner initiative.

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey said the long-running initiative continued to provide lifesaving road safety upgrades for Queenslanders.

“Safer Roads Sooner is a key road safety improvement program focusing on high benefit, cost effective road engineering treatments addressing known and potential crash locations,” Mr Bailey said.

“Any death on our roads is one too many, so initiatives like this are vital to ensure we have a safe road network for road users.”

In 2017 there were 247 fatalities on Queensland roads and 4,207 serious and hospitalised injuries up to 31 August 2017. 

“The human and economic costs of road trauma are largely avoidable,” Mr Bailey said.

“As part of the Palaszczuk Government’s continued commitment to the long-term vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on Queensland roads, initiatives such as Safer Roads Sooner ensure that valuable funding is allocated where it is needed the most.”

The Safer Roads Sooner initiative is funded through the Targeted Road Safety Program which is primarily sourced from revenue collected from the Camera Detected Offence Program. Projects include:

• $9.79 million on three road safety projects on the Warrego Highway near Ipswich
• $3.23 million for upgrades to the intersection on Toowoomba-Cecil Plains Road and Oakey-Pittsworth Road
• $1.14 million for shoulder widening, line marking and guardrail installation at a section of the New England Highway near Cooyar
• $1.15 million for traffic signal installation at the intersection of Brighton-Redcliffe Road (Oxley Avenue) and Irene Street
• $1.82 million for lane and shoulder widening on curves on the Tamborine-Oxenford Road near Wongawallan
• $2.25 million for intersection improvements at the intersection of Proserpine-Shute Harbour Road and Gregory Cannon Valley Road

“The Palaszczuk Government is investing in building safe, caring and connected communities, ensuring that Queensland has an integrated, safe and reliable transport system,” Mr Bailey said.

“We remain committed to ensuring Queensland roads are fit-for-purpose, future-proof, and built to standards which meet the needs of all road users and the wider community.”

For more information about the 2018-19 State Budget, go to https://budget.qld.gov.au/

Media contact: Dominic Geiger 0447 355 565