New campaign launched as Tasmanian road workers face rise in abuse, speeding at construction sites

A day on the job for a Tasmanian road worker can be a death-defying experience, dodging speeding cars, copping abuse, and watching on helplessly as motorists ignore stop signs.

President of the Traffic Management Association of Australia Nicole Willing, roadside worker Mel Sutton, and Civil Contractors Federation CEO Andrew Winch at the launch of a new road safety campaign, Your Speed is Our Safety. Picture: Linda Higginson

Leaping from the path of speeding cars, enduring relentless abuse, and watching on as motorists brazenly ignore stop signs – these are just some of the things Tasmania’s vulnerable roadside workers are forced to cop on a regular basis.

As the civil construction industry observes a rise in road rage across the state, a new campaign has been launched to remind people of the importance of driving to speed limits and treating road workers with respect.

The Your Speed is Our Safety campaign, a partnership between the Civil Contractors Federation, the Traffic Management Association of Australia, and the Road Safety Advisory Council, will feature advertisements and highlight the emotional toll that abuse can take on people who are just trying to do their job.

Mel Sutton, a traffic controller, said motorists could be “very rude and aggressive” and she didn’t always feel safe at work.

Roadside worker Mel Sutton has faced abuse from drivers. Picture: Linda Higginson

“It can be very scary at times when people speed past you, people ignore your stop [sign] and keep going and you’ve got to jump out of the way,” she said.

“This is my job … We don’t come to your work and disobey your rules, why are you doing it to us?”

Civil Contractors Federation CEO Andrew Winch said reckless driving and abuse put not only workers at risk but also motorists themselves.

“To be blunt, speed limit signs at roadworks aren’t there to irritate people – they are there to make our roads safer and abusing roadside workers won’t fix a thing,” he said.

“As the warmer months approach there will be more and more people working on our roads. Our aim is to make sure that everyone who goes to work on our roads comes home alive and safe.”

Mr Winch said there were “daily near misses” at roadside work sites across the state and abuse directed at workers was on the rise.

Transport Minister Eric Abetz.

Transport Minister Eric Abetz said the state government was supporting the campaign and everyone should “consider how they would feel if their safety was put at risk where they work and if they had to put up with abuse for simply doing their job”.

“I know the vast majority of people do the right thing but we need everyone to do that. One death or injury is one too many,” he said.

Originally published as New campaign launched as Tasmanian road workers face rise in abuse, speeding at construction sites