The Federal Government has committed over $12 million to improve 44 crash sites identified across Queensland as part of its Black Spots Program.
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Michael McCormack, and Chair of the Queensland Black Spot Consultative Panel and Member for Wide Bay, Llew O’Brien, announced $12.562 million for the State under the Black Spot Program’s 2019–20 funding round.
Mr McCormack said the Black Spot Program aims to provide funding for safety measures such as traffic signals and roundabouts at road locations where a number of serious crashes have occurred.
“The 44 Black Spot projects being funded across Queensland will therefore make an important contribution towards reducing the total annual number of serious injuries and deaths caused by road crashes,” he said.
The list of funded projects includes:
Mr O’Brien said this investment in Black Spot projects will deliver safer roads in 18 local government areas throughout the state.
“The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics has found that, on average, Black Spot projects reduce the number of crashes causing death and injury by 30 per cent,” Mr O’Brien said.
Funding has been allocated to these 44 crash sites in Queensland after they were identified as requiring safety improvements as a matter of high priority following a total of one fatal and 241 crashes causing injuries recorded over the past five years.
The Queensland panel responsible for prioritising projects under the program includes representatives from the Queensland Police Service, Royal Automobile Club of Queensland, Queensland Trucking Association, Bicycle Queensland, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety (Queensland University of Technology) and state and local government.
The Federal Government has committed $744.5 million to the Black Spot Program from 2013–14 to 2021–22 to improve road safety across the nation.
View more information on the Black Spot Program here.
