State budget must deliver safer roads
28 April 2010
The RAC says the State government’s ability to deliver the ambitious Towards Zero road safety strategy will be significantly undermined if the $35million Safer Roads program is not renewed in this year’s State Budget.
The RAC has released its submission to the State Government for the 2010/11 State Budget which identifies the Safer Roads program as its top priority.
RAC Head of Member Advocacy Matt Brown said funding for the program expires this year and must be renewed.
“The Towards Zero road safety strategy was designed to build on existing road safety efforts which include the Safer Roads program,” Mr Brown said.
“Road safety took a significant hit in last year’s State Budget despite predictions of increased revenue from new speed cameras over the forward estimates.
“If the Safer Roads program is not renewed, we will be further undermining the base effort. Instead of moving forward on the Towards Zero, we’ll be stuck in reverse.”
Mr Brown said the Safer Roads program, which was introduced four years ago, had delivered significant community benefits through a range of minor remedial works on roads identified as dangerous.
“A good example of the success of the Safer Roads program is the Albany Highway from the metropolitan area through to Williams,” he said.
“Sections of this road have been targeted with treatments such as sealing the road shoulder and installing audible edge lines. The work has resulted in a 60 per cent reduction in crashes on these sections.”
“Safer Roads is a very important program that significantly improves the road design and its safety performance.”
Mr Brown said that with the doubling of speed cameras underway, the government will be receiving significant additional fines revenue.
“The community is sending a strong message that this revenue should be re-invested into efforts to make our roads safer for all road users.”
The RAC submission also calls for modest initial investments in the Towards Zero programs to target dangerous intersections in metropolitan Perth and dangerous road lengths in country regions.
Other key planks of the RAC’s submission include:
- Additional funds to begin work to clear the estimated $800million backlog in road maintenance work identified by the Auditor General;
- Funding to commence work on upgrades to the Reid Highway -Alexander Drive intersection and the Eelup Roundabout in Bunbury;
- The establishment of a Road Trauma Victim Support Unit to provide counselling and other assistance to road accident victims and their families;
- The establishment of a scheme to prevent unsafe vehicles which have been impounded by the Police and not claimed by their owners from being auctioned; and
- Any increase in vehicle registration and licence fees to be maintained at or below inflation.
Summary of measures
| Measure |
Cost |
Revenue/Saving |
| Renew Safer Roads program |
$35m |
|
| Expand Safer Roads program |
$15m |
|
| Expand Black Spots program |
$10m |
|
| Establish Safe System Intersection program |
$5m |
|
| Establish Safe Systems Improvement program |
$5m |
|
| Clear road maintenance backlog |
$20m |
|
| Establish Impounded Vehicles Removal program |
$2m |
|
| Establish Road Trauma Victim Support Unit |
$1m |
|
| Defer Roe Highway Extension project |
|
$66m |
| New speed cameras (operational from June 2010) |
|
$35m |
| TOTAL |
$93m |
101m |
Download the release (pdf)
Download the RAC's 2010/11 State Budget submission (pdf)