Dangerous Goodwood Road black spot removed

A deadly ‘optical illusion’ on a busy road near Bundaberg led to multiple near misses, including one involving a truck caught on dash cam. Watch the video.

Two lines could make all the difference after a resident petitioned for changes to a notorious blackspot on a busy road outside Bundaberg.

Redridge resident of four years Murray Smith called for changes to Goodwood Rd, which connects Childers and Bundaberg, after experiencing the dangers of the “optical illusion” blackspot first hand.

He first noticed the problem while travelling from his Redridge home towards Childers, when he approached a steep valley in the road, marked with double broken lines.

Travelling behind a caravan struggling with making its way up the hill, Mr Smith checked the road ahead down into the valley, saw it was clear and made the move to overtake the caravan.

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“All of a sudden there is a car coming from the other way,” he said.

Through quick thinking and safe driving, Mr Smith was able to avoid an accident.

He said the area was known for many close calls.

“The dip creates an optical illusion that hides oncoming cars,” he said.

Photos show changes to the road markings which now prevent overtaking in the black spot. The second photo shows the “optical illusion” dip which can hide oncoming cars.

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Because of the concerns Mr Smith raised, that section of the state-owned road has had a safety upgrade, with the centre line going from from broken to solid double white lines to prevent overtaking.

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Dash-cam footage also showed trucks attempting overtaking in the same area and Mr Smith continued to hear stories of near misses.

Mr Smith reached out to Department of Transport and Main Roads in late 2022 with his concerns.

“I could see the potential for a serious accident, and there has been a considerable increase in traffic on that road,” Mr Smith said.

He said a department engineer visited the site and within three weeks the broken lines had been painted into double lines.

A DTMR spokesperson said they were called to the site following a number of community concerns, and had previously made changes to the road, including reducing the speed limit i parts from 100km/h to 80km/h.

“We regularly monitor the performance of the road network to identify and respond to potential safety issues,” the spokesperson said.

“We also regularly review and respond to feedback from the community, which can help identify emerging trends or hot spots for investigation.”