By Jeremy Rochow
Published: Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Since the 2019 Risky Roads survey about $300 million has been invested in repairing risky South Australian roads and intersections identified by RAA members. But there’s still a lot of work to do, so we want to hear from you!
A pothole, bumpy road or crumbling footpath might not sound like a big deal, but they can have serious safety implications for road users. And RAA members agree, with about 1300 people reporting a road or intersection they believed to be unsafe in the 2019 Risky Roads survey
This helped RAA identify the roads we should lobby the State and Federal governments to repair or upgrade – and over the past couple of years we’ve had some big wins.
Following its inclusion in the 2019 Risky Roads survey’s top 10, Main North Rd has been allocated $13 million for several upgrades near Parafield.
Works, costing about $54 million for the Crafers to Stirling managed motorway and major pavement reconstruction between Glen Osmond and Crafers, have also started along the South Eastern Fwy, which ranked third in 2019.
The Augusta Hwy was one of the top regional roads nominated in the last survey, with members raising concerns about the uneven surfaces, lack of overtaking opportunities and absence of a median strip to separate traffic.
Risky Roads: the numbers
Casualty crashes that occurred between 2014 and 2018 on the 2019 Risky Roads’ top 10
At the time, $64 million was already earmarked to start duplicating the Augusta Hwy.
However after members raised concerns about the road in the 2019 Risky Roads survey, RAA campaigned for more funding and a further $121 million was allocated to duplicate the highway between Port Wakefield and Lochiel.
On top of that, the State Government announced a planning study for future work between Port Pirie and Crystal Brook.
RAA Senior Manager of Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain said the Augusta Hwy was just one of the roads that members helped RAA identify.
“The Risky Roads survey helps us put our finger on the pulse and understand the issues with South Australian roads and intersections from the perspective of the road user,” Mr Mountain said.
“This feedback is vital to our work advocating for improvements to be made along several metropolitan and country roads.
“Now, RAA’s launching its 2021 Risky Roads survey, giving you the chance to have your say.”
Maybe there’s an intersection near your house you find confusing or there’s a road that needs more overtaking lanes. It doesn’t matter what concerns you have, RAA wants to hear them.
“We want everyone – whether they’re a motorist, cyclist or pedestrian – to name anything they think is unsafe on South Australian roads,” Mr Mountain said.