No change to speed limit on busy Browns Plains Rd despite child critically injured
The speed limit on a busy southside road where a child was critically hit by a truck last week will remain at 70km/h, despite calls from local businesses for it to be lowered.
THE speed limit on a busy southside road where a child was critically hit by a truck last week will remain at 70km/h, despite calls from local businesses for it to be lowered.
TRAFFIC DOWN, SPEEDING UP IN QUEENSLAND
Businesses also called for a speed camera to be installed at the intersection of Browns Plains Rd and Wembley Rd where the incident occurred leaving the two-year-old boy fighting for his life.
The request for the camera came after police spent time last week analysing data from a red-light camera at the intersection and dashcam footage from a Hino truck which hit the child on Tuesday, April 21 just after 5.45pm.
But Logan City Council ruled out lowering the speed limit from 70km/h to 60km/h.
The child, who has not been named, was walking with four adults on Browns Plains Rd towards a bus stop when he ran on to the road and was hit by the oncoming Hino truck.
The tragedy occurred near the intersection of Wembley Rd, about 150m from Harcourts Local Browns Plains real estate office.
Harcourts business development manager Jed Cresswell was at the scene minutes after the incident.
He said the feeling of helplessness prompted him to push for the lowering of the speed limit to 60km/h and better patrols of law breakers on the notorious stretch of road.
Mr Cresswell said he was concerned the speed limit would not be reduced.
“There was nothing I could do at the time but I can do something now and I want to slow down trucks on this stretch of the road,” he said
“I also want to help the family who I have been told are struggling with transport issues.
“Every day I see trucks on this road speeding and there are near misses all the time because large B-doubles come barrelling through the intersection and are going downhill towards the Crestmead Industrial Estate.
“I am not the only business to complain about the speeding trucks on this road.”
His request went to police and the state’s Transport and Main Roads Department, which were to refer the requests on to Logan City Council which manages Browns Plains Rd.
Other businesses in the area including a discount chemist, a child care centre and a grocery store owner, said they too were concerned about trucks and traffic on the road.
A sign on one side of the Browns Plains and Wembley road intersection bars large trucks from entering the mainly residential area.
The boy was taken to the Queensland Children’s Hospital with critical head injuries where he was to undergo lifesaving surgery.
His status at the time of publication was unknown and his family unavailable for comment as was the hospital.
Police have also called for witnesses and said the 27-year-old male truck driver has been assisting them and provided the dashcam footage.
No charges have been laid.
The truck was travelling east on Browns Plains Rd towards the Crestmead Industrial Estate and police said it locked the brakes to avoid the child, but clipped the boy and then hit a tree.
The truck driver was uninjured and treated by paramedics for shock.
Roads were closed for around two hours.
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