Central Coast highway tops list of deadliest roads
The roads across NSW with the highest rate of deadly crashes have been revealed, prompting calls for the government to do more to improve the safety of dangerous black spots.
NSW
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Urgent upgrades are needed on Sydney’s “death trap” roads as new data exposes the state’s deadliest stretches of bitumen.
The notorious Central Coast Highway and The Bells Line of Road are the worst in the area, prompting the NRMA and a victim’s mother to call on the government to improve safety on the deadly roads.
The 50-kilometre highway in the Central Coast had the highest rate of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2020 with 12 lives lost in 11 accidents, according to data from the Centre for Road Safety.
The Bells Line of Road stretching along Windsor Rd, the Hawkesbury Valley Way and Kurrajong Rd in the Hawkesbury comes in with the second-highest fatality rate, with 10 fatalities in seven crashes.
It is followed closely by the New Illawarra Rd to Alfords Point Rd in Sutherland and The Northern Rd in Penrith which have had six fatalities.
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the Central Coast Highway is dangerous because it carries high-volume traffic, with almost 26,000 commuters each day.
“There are sections of it that need to be upgraded. There are a lot of sections that have one-lane traffic in each direction.
“Whenever you’ve got traffic in each direction without barrier, there’s always going to be a risk.”
A 3.8 kilometre section of the highway between Ocean View Drive and Wamberal and Bateau Bay Rd is set for an upgrade to two lanes per direction with a dividing median - but Mr Khoury says more work is needed.
“Continuing and fast-tracking this upgrade is critical,” he said.
The Bells Line of Road is notoriously dangerous because of its steep and winding road, particularly around Bellbird Hill, where the road rises around 450 metres.
Dee Why resident Georgina Sawyer’s life changed forever when 19-year-old son Ben and two of his mates were killed when their 18-year-old friend, Jordan Brown, fell asleep at the wheel of his mum’s Mitsubishi while driving on the Bells Line of Road.
Ms Sawyer described the road as a “death trap,” saying she wasn’t surprised it fared among the deadliest roads.
“I can’t see why they can’t put something up, it’s dangerous, especially because of the head-on traffic. It looks innocuous, you wouldn’t think it’s a death trap.
“My son got into a coffin when he got in the back of that car and on that road.”
She is calling for the state government to introduce more road barriers at high risk intersections to save lives, saying one death is one too many.
While the government in 2017 finalised a $48 million “road traffic efficiency” program on the stretch with seven new overtaking lanes and the widening of roads, she says this is not enough.
There have been six deaths since the government finalised safety improvement works.
“They’ve done nothing since then, it’s clearly not enough,” Ms Sawyer said.
Mr Khoury said the road is a high-risk crash black spot that needs more attention from the government because it is “very windy and steep” with a lot of truck users.
Road death toll statistics show a dip in deaths since the pandemic but there are concerns this could change as the state emerges from lockdown. There have been 313 deaths in the 12 months to date compared to 344 in 2019.
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said various factors including traffic volume and travel speeds influence fatality rates.
They also said the NSW Government is working on a $3.4 million upgrade to the Central Coast Highway including the installation of a safety barrier at Kariong.
An investigation is also underway into the Bells Line of Road, including the identification of crash locations although road safety treatments have yet to be identified.
NSW’s top 12 deadliest roads
Number of fatalities, roads* by LGA in Greater Sydney (state region)
1. Central Coast Highway, Central Coast - 12
2. B59 Bells Line of Road - Windsor Rd- Hawkesbury Valley Way - Kurrajong Rd, Hawkesbury - 10
3. A6 New Illawarra Rd - Alfords Point Road, Sutherland - 6
4. The Northern Rd, Penrith- 6
5. B88 Picton Rd, Wollondilly - 6
6. M4, Parramatta - 5
7. Cumberland Highway, Parramatta - 5
8. M2 Motorway, The Hills - 5
9. Sir Betram Stevens Drive-Farrell Ave-Audley Rd-McKell Ave, Sutherland - 5
10. Blacktown Rd-Sunnyholt Rd-Burns Rd-Memorial Ave, Blacktown - 5
*Some roads have several names because the Centre for Road Safety classifies crash data via route numbers.
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