Rest stop information downloads to help combat driver fatigue

Finding a rest stop will be easier for drivers in Queensland this holiday season, as a result of the latest upgrade of the Main Roads website.

Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt launched the newest features of the website in Cairns today, including details of rest stops which drivers can upload to portable navigation devices.

The website also includes a new, interactive version of the recently released Guide To Queensland Roads, with details of traffic webcams, rest stops and driver reviver sites available at the click of a mouse.

"Main Roads is committed to tackling driver fatigue issues and this new technology will help motorists plan what could be life-saving stops on journeys," Mr Pitt said.

"Whether it's a family on a driving holiday during the busy Christmas period or a truck driver carrying vital freight across the state, making use of the available rest stops and driver reviver facilities is sensible.

"I know myself from driving around the state, particularly North Queensland, the importance of taking the opportunity to pull over, freshen up and re-fuel with something to drink or eat.

"By giving drivers the ability to transfer details from the website onto navigational devices, Main Roads is providing for better-planned journeys.

"And better-planned journeys help ensure safer journeys."

Mr Pitt said the website upgrade would help enable the public to stay up to date with Main Roads' activities around the state, with the incorporation of automated information feeds.

Web users can sign up for feeds of their choice and receive instant on-screen messages on a variety of topics, including traffic webcams and news alerts.

"The inclusion of these feeds on the website adds to the facilities already in place to keep Queenslanders informed on new web cameras, news and events, and even Main Roads-owned properties for sale and rent," Mr Pitt said

"If, for instance, a web user signs up to the news alert feed, they will receive an instant message on their computer every time the alert is updated – whether it's news of a significant announcement, a road closure or an upcoming event."

Other features of the upgrade are the further refinement of the three main homepage menus and the inclusion of nine webcams in Bundaberg-Gladstone region – taking the number of cameras on the site to 64.

"Drivers in Bundaberg and Gladstone can now check out up-to-the-minute traffic conditions without having to leave their homes or offices," Mr Pitt said

“The new webcams are part of the progressive rollout of this technology across the state, with Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Cairns and Toowoomba already online.”

Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3227 8819