SA Government announces $39m in black spot funding as pedestrian road toll rises
NINE Adelaide black spots will be fixed, regional routes will receive long overdue upgrades and new safety campaigns launched, as the State Government spends $39 million on the state’s crumbling road network.
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NINE Adelaide black spots will be fixed, regional routes will receive long-overdue upgrades and new safety campaigns launched, as the State Government spends $39 million on the state’s crumbling road network.
It comes as the Council on the Ageing urges immediate action to address the increase in deaths of elderly pedestrians, which almost doubled in South Australia last year.
The Advertiser can reveal that safety upgrades are proposed for notorious intersections in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, as well as improved pedestrian crossings and signal lights around the city.
Civil Contractors Federation SA chief executive Phil Sutherland has previously warned that at least $500 million needs to be immediately spent on road maintenance across the state.
“By and large, our road network in SA is nearly 50 years out of date and it needs a lot of investment and attention,” Mr Sutherland said.
Council on the Ageing SA chief executive Jane Mussared said improved pedestrian safety improvements were needed after 17 people — nine aged more than 60 — were killed on the state’s roads last year.
“COTA SA urges a focus on both better pedestrian design and on-road safety messaging that includes older people,” Ms Mussared said.
“The data shows that fatalities are far less likely to occur where there are pedestrian lights or other signals. We can also improve the safety of pedestrians by making sure that footpaths are suitable for mobility scooters, walkers and wheelchair and that there is enough time at traffic lights to enable people of all speeds to cross safely.”
Ms Mussared said current road safety messages needed to be refocused on older road users who make up an increasingly large percentage of the population.
Road Safety Minister Chris Picton said new safety campaigns would be launched in 2018, some targeting pedestrian safety, but he did not reveal their cost.
“One hundred and one lives were lost on our roads last year — and tragically, a pedestrian fatality was the first road death recorded this year,” Mr Picton said.
“In 2018, you can expect some hard-hitting education campaigns, including a campaign dedicated to pedestrians, as we all work together to drive home the message to save lives on our roads.”
The Motor Accident Commission also said it would run campaigns targeting both pedestrians and drivers in an effort to lower pedestrian deaths.
Mr Picton said that despite a horror year on the state’s roads, the number of crashes across the state was falling.
“Fatal and serious injury crashes decreased in rural areas in 2017 compared to the previous year. Rural fatal crashes decreased from 45 in 2016 to 39 in 2017 — well below the five-year average of 50.”
About $17 million will be invested in improving the safety and condition of rural roads, with a particular focus on motorcycle safety on roads with a high number of fatalities.
The majority of the new infrastructure funding, about $22 million, will go to metropolitan areas, creating extra turning lanes and moving traffic lights.
Almost $4 million will be spent on installing traffic lights at the intersection of Dalkeith Rd and Main North Rd in Kudla which has been the site of numerous serious accidents.
A new roundabout will be built at the intersection of Yorktown Road and Blair Park Drive in Craigmore with aim of improving the safety of school students.
The funding comes as the government announced on Tuesday that the Torrens to Torrens upgrade of South Rd will be finished by the end of September, three months ahead of schedule and $95 million under budget.
The project will create a 4km non-stop section of South Rd between Torrens Rd and the River Torrens and includes a 3km lowered motorway running under the intersections of Hawker St and Torrens Rd, and Port and Grange roads, and a rail overpass for Outer Harbor line train services, cyclists and pedestrians.
The Liberal Party last year announced a “Royalties for the Regions” policy, which includes quarantining 30 per cent of mining royalty revenue for a Regional Roads and Infrastructure Fund.