Insurer RACQ has “named and shamed” 11 high-risk and medium-high-risk roads on the Gold Coast, after looking at 15,000km of major highways and roads across the state, using the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) ratings system.
“Disturbingly, we’ve found some of the region’s busiest roads are potentially deadly,” said Lucinda Ross, RACQ spokesperson. “Drivers deserve better, and we need to see roads like Beaudesert Beenleigh Road between Tabragalba and Tamborine prioritised for safety upgrades. We know safer roads lead to fewer crashes and fewer deaths and injuries, so we can’t afford for roads on the Gold Coast to be forgotten.”
The high-risk roads on the Gold Coast are Pacific Motorway (Gateway Mwy to Logan River), Beaudesert Beenleigh Road (Tabragalba to Tamborine), Camp Cable Road (Mt Lindesay Hwy to Yarrabilba), and Waterford Tamborine Road (Waterford to Tamborine), according to RACQ data.
Also on the list are Pacific Motorway (Smith St Motorway to NSW Border), Pacific Motorway (Logan River to Smith St Mwy), Mt Lindesay Highway (Park Ridge to Jimboomba), Beaudesert Beenleigh Road (Tamborine to Bahrs Scrub), Mt Lindesay Highway (Beaudesert to Rathdowney), and Mt Lindesay Highway (Jimboomba to Beaudesert).
Meanwhile, Ipswich Boonah Road between Yamanto and Boonah was the lone medium-high risk road identified by the insurer.
Ross urged state and federal governments to take the politics out of road upgrades to ensure the safety of road users.
“By looking objectively at the crash statistics we’re able to highlight the riskiest sections of our highways on the Gold Coast which need attention first,” she said. “This isn’t just about major road upgrades; we need the Queensland government to further commit to a targeted program of low-cost, high-impact works such as wide centre lines, safety barriers, cleared roadsides, and intersection upgrades. These can be delivered fairly quickly and have a big impact in reducing the number of crashes and injuries.”
