100+ deaths: FNQ’s most dangerous blackspots exposed

Fatalities tracked over a decade have revealed a notorious stretch south of Cairns as one of the state’s deadliest blackspots.

Peter Carruthers

@petercarruther1

3 min read

July 12, 2022 - 10:07AM

The Cairns Post

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BRUCE Highway fatalities tracked for 10 years have revealed a notorious high-risk section south of Cairns that has claimed 24 lives since 2012 to rank as one of the state’s deadliest black spots.

The Ingham to Innisfail stretch in 2012 claimed six lives in a shocking year for all Bruce Highway deaths that totalled 53 in a 12-month period.

Since 2012 road safety improvement and driver education have curbed Bruce Highway deaths which have been reduced to an annual total of 24 fatalities in 2021.

Flowers have been placed at a crash site 2km north of Babinda to honour the tragic passing of Far North couple Lauren Quabba, 16, and Evan Fielder, 19 who were killed in 2021. Picture: Joshua Davies

However the Ingham to Innisfail section in the past five years has remained as one of the deadliest Bruce Highway stretches behind the Brisbane to Gympie and Townsville to Ingham stretches – the latter of which has recorded more deaths in the past five years to 2022 than in a five-year period to 2017.

Ross Threlfall lives 1km from a notorious Bruce Highway intersection.

Labelled a death trap by locals, where East Feluga Road joins the Bruce Highway falls within the Ingham to Innisfail black spot.

Tully teen Maddison Spyve, 18, was killed in a traffic crash at Feluga in 2018.

Using the road daily to get to work Mr Threlfall has been at the helm of a successful campaign for safety improvements.

“That stretch of road over the years has seen some serious and fatal accidents,” he said.

“If it’s not maintained to a standard then it becomes unsafe or requires major work.

“I am always interested in what safety improvements can be made to the highway.”

Ross Threlfall, Leah Mickleson and Hill MP Shane Knuth inspect the East Feluga intersection. The Federal Government has just fast tracked and approved funding to upgrade the troublesome section of road.

The death of 18-year-old Tully woman Maddison Spyve at the Bruce Highway and Feluga Rd intersection in 2018 amplified ongoing safety concerns amid a spate of accidents and near misses.

“It is a bad stretch of road,” Mr Threlfall said.

“We are seeing major works happening which is good but generally there’s a lot of work to be done, it’s a major route.

“You are relying on old mate doing the right speed. You still need to be vigilant.”

In 2020 federal and state funding was secured for a fast-tracked fix and now the $8.3m Feluga intersection upgrade is expected to be complete later this year.

Vehicles being towed from the scene of a at Mutarnee that claimed the life of Atherton man Daniel Mitchell.

The Liverpool Creek section of the highway at Goolboo is another section known by locals to be a high-risk area.

Most recently 80-year-old Innisfail grandmother Bernice Prats died after a collision with a truck in May.

Family spokesman Ron Todd said a reduced speed limit in the area from 100km/h had not stopped the road being dangerous.

“It’s a 90km/h zone because there has been a lot of accidents there,” he said.

“Generally the roads in North Queensland are pretty basic because there’s not enough access to (overtaking) and in my view people take risks because they get frustrated and try to do something they shouldn’t do.”

Bernice Prats was killed on the Bruce Highway at Liverpool Creek in May. Picture: Kim Agli

According to Department of Transport and Main Roads data 14 motorists have been killed on Far Northern roads to date this year in a shocking 40 per cent increase on the same period last year.

The June 27 figure is the highest fatality rate since 2017.

Twenty-year-old Tully man Aden Lawlor was found dead by the side of the Bruce Highway after what was thought to be a hit and run but later was revealed as a bicycle crash with no other vehicle involved.

RACQ traffic and safety engineering manager Greg Miszkowycz acknowledged the danger of high speed lanes separated by only a white line in the middle of the road.

“The rural high-speed section of the Bruce Highway between Innisfail and Cairns is a high-risk section for fatal and serious crashes,” he said.

“We’d like to see continued investment in safety improvements on the Bruce Highway such as road widening, including wide centre-lines with median safety barriers, clearing roadsides or installing safety barriers, installing protected turn lanes at intersections, additional overtaking lanes and more rest stops.”