Picton Road: Ty Delaney’s tragic death sparks calls for urgent safety upgrades
The tragic death of a surfer and artist has sparked a renewed campaign to urgently upgrade a notorious stretch of road. The popular Illawarra man is the latest of eight people to die on the dangerous strip in just five years.
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An Illawarra surfer’s tragic death on a notorious stretch of road last week has renewed calls for urgent upgrades to the thoroughfare.
Shadow Minister for the Illawarra and Keira state Labor MP Ryan Park used the floor of parliament to call on the government to prioritise Picton Road on Tueday night during an address to NSW Legislative Assembly.
Following the tragic accident that killed 27-year-old artist and surfer Ty Delaney on October 17, Mr Park said Picton Road needed priority funding to improve safety and prepare the region for the forecast population growth in greater southwestern Sydney.
“The road improvements that have been made to Picton Road are welcomed, but clearly it is just not enough,” he said.
“We have seen in the last few days with the horrific accident that led to the death of local man Ty Delaney, that there is still a lot more needed to reduce serious accidents and fatalities on the road,” he said.
According to Infrastructure Australia Picton Road safety and capacity reports, there were six fatal crashes and 25 serious injury crashes which resulted in eight fatalities and 33 serious injuries in the five years up to September 2018. Which is more than double the New South Wales average for the number of fatal and serious crashes per kilometre for similar type roads.
Mr Park said there was an “urgent” need to bring forward the duplication works for Picton Road, noting it would not only create construction jobs, but would also improve safety and travel times.
“This project is critical and I will work with any Government at every level to try and accelerate these works that will save lives and improve travel times between two large economic centres,” he said.
“Investing in this road will support employment and provide local contractors with a pipeline of work to grow local jobs as we begin the long journey out of the economic crisis that has hit the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Mr Delaney, who has been remembered as a “legend of a bloke” died on Picton Road near the intersection of Picton Road and Macarthur Drive, a notorious site for fatal crashes.
Following Mr Delaney’s death, Transport for NSW confirmed that stretch of Picton Road has been approved for upcoming safety upgrades, including line marking to increase the space between travel directions.