Free lunches don’t mean much when people are dying on Qld roads

While Labor is spruiking free bolognese pasta, burgers and chow mein for our schoolchildren, people are dying on roads built more than 30 years ago which are painfully inadequate to deal with the traffic volumes of 2024, writes Mark Furler

While Labor is spruiking free bolognese pasta, burgers and chow mein for our schoolchildren, people are dying on roads built more than 30 years ago which are painfully inadequate to deal with the traffic volumes of 2024.

Over the weekend, four people were killed on our roads in a day and another three were left fighting for survival after a crash on a stretch of road where a devoted mother and doctor had died just a week earlier.

 At the Courier Mail’s Bush Summit the upgrade of the Bruce Highway was identified as the number one issue for regional Queenslanders.

Yet we’ve barely heard boo out of the Premier on his plan to fix that mess.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has vowed there will be serious action on the Bruce Highway north of Gympie when the LNP takes government, but has given little detail or a funding plan. But at least he was on a bus rather than a jet around the time of making the pledge.

An aerial photo shows the devastating scene where three people died in a five vehicle crash on the Bruce Highway near Maryborough. Photo: Michael O'connor

In recent weeks both Mr Miles and Mr Crisafulli have spent so much time getting in and out of planes for well choreographed media opportunities than actually stopping and talking to real people.

Too often they don’t drive on the unforgiving highway stretch north of Gympie to Cairns, instead flying to meet and greet opportunities that sometimes last minutes rather than providing for any meaningful dialogue.

On the Sunshine Coast, Labor’s candidate is now promising to ‘fast track’ upgrades to the Sunshine Motorway just hours after a crash which left three people fighting for life on Saturday.

The promise is too late for devoted mother, successful doctor Ramman Preet Oberoi-Gutteridge.

Dr Ramman Preet Oberoi-Gutteridge died on Monday, October 7, in a crash at Coolum Beach.

Dr Ramman Preet Oberoi-Gutteridge died on Monday, October 7, driving a Tesla that collided with a Toyota HiLux.

Her death has sparked outrage on the Coast over the level of traffic on the so-called motorway.

While a largely straight stretch of road, it is one lane either side with no concrete barrier between.

It carries far more traffic than a road of that width given it has no proper shoulders.

If a driver coming the other way veers on the wrong side of the road, it can be a death sentence.

The road, of course, is not the only thing to blame.

The scene of a crash on the Sunshine Motorway near Coolum on Saturday, October 19.

Heavy traffic and overly slow drivers means there is too much tailgating and overtaking by impatient drivers, despite much of the stretch having a solid white down the middle.

It is a scenario replicated across the state where politicians celebrate population growth without adequately providing the services to cater for the growth.

DUPLICATION PLANS RELEASED IN 2008

Like many regions, the Sunshine Coast, particularly post Covid, has seen a huge surge in population.

A business case for the duplication of the Sunshine Motorway, between Coolum Yandina Rd and David Low Way, to widen the two-lane road to four lanes, was allocated $3m by the state government in early 2023.

However, as it stands the future of the project remains uncertain with the preliminary evaluation ongoing.

LNP MP for Ninderry Dan Purdie said the motorway was declared past its use-by date more than a decade ago, but stopped short of confirming whether the opposition would deliver the duplication.

The Beattie and Bligh governments released plans to duplicate it in 2008, making the same commitment again in 2020, Mr Purdie said.

Little wonder there’s great cynicism about the latest promise from Labor, as Gary reflected in our comments.

“Labor promises to do this in the past elections have resulted in? I know delays have been caused by trying to fit the free coffee drive through!”

WHAT OUR READERS HAVE SAID

Yvonne Mitchell

I’ve been saying it needed to be two lanes each way since the 90s when it was a toll road … there are a lot of crashes along the Sunshine Motorway especially over the past 4/5 years.

Rodney James Ginn

Ha! All those years in power and NOW after an accident and one week to an election they make a promise – that’s like Kamala saying she’ll fix the Border crisis

Jody Stanfield

Far worse since Covid with the population swell but every day you see drivers going through red lights, speeding, looking at phones and still see people texting while driving and swerving in their lanes even clipping the edge of the median on Nicklin Way. So many rear enders too due to speed and inattention. Many aggressive drivers out there now too

Lisbeth Brone’e Nichols

Something has to be done about this stretch – it’s becoming so dangerous. Whether it’s because of mobile phones or other distractions- we do need an upgrade a wider road … feel for all the families who have lost a loved family member on this stretch – and of course other roads.

Rima Martin

So scary. So many accidents.

I drive to Coolum for work 4-5 days a week and so many people are speeding. I get tail gated all the bloody time. It’s so scary. Some people don’t care at all.

Mario Camerlengo

Driving north of Pacific Paradise is like playing Russian roulette. Sorry to all the families losing loved ones.

Tracey Lee

Roads too narrow for that speed. Should have a middle barrier with maybe 2 lanes each way? Or lower the speed plus barrier?

Nicole Vaughan

It’s a straight piece of road! I’ve lived here for 30 years drive the stretch daily, and I just don’t get how there are so many accidents! The state government need to upgrade this to 2 lanes both ways! Not sure how many people have to die to have this happen!

Chris Miskell

I won’t use it. David Low Way may be slower but live another day

Sara Myla Harper Raider

Seriously someone change that busy single lane 90km stretch to a double lane safer road before more people die because of how dangerous and congested it is 24/7! How is it the main way to Noosa. It’s 2024 not 1991 population

Originally published as Free lunches don’t mean much when people are dying on Qld roads