By Jeremy Rochow
Published: Thursday, December 16, 2021
Main South Rd between Aldinga and Sellicks beach has been voted by you as the riskiest road in South Australia.
More than 2100 road users completed RAA’s Risky Roads survey, nominating roads or intersections they believe need repairs or upgrades.
Along with South Rd, the Horrocks Hwy, Main Rd at Coromandel Valley and Main North Rd made the Risky Roads’ top 10.
Poor road maintenance was the major concern for almost all the nominated roads, with uneven surfaces, crumbling road edges, potholes and lack of overtaking opportunities raised as key safety issues.
Risky Road top 10
| Road | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Main South Rd (Aldinga to Sellicks Beach) |
| 2 | Southern Ports Hwy (Beachport to Millicent) |
| 3 | Horrocks Hwy (Gawler to Rhynie) |
| 4 | Main Rd (Coromandel Valley to Chandlers Hill) |
| 5 | Upper Yorke Rd (Arthurton to Kulpara) |
| 6 | Main North Rd (Gepps Cross to Gawler) |
| 7 | Victor Harbor Rd (Old Noarlunga to Victor Harbor) |
| 8 | Princes Hwy (Tailem Bend to Mount Gambier) |
| 9 | Glynburn Rd (Payneham Rd to Magill Rd) |
| 10 | Owen Rd, (Templers to Hoskin Corner) |
While this funding has now been committed to, 2021 survey respondents were most concerned about the poor surface, especially between Aldinga and Sellicks Beach. Thankfully, much needed maintenance works were undertaken in late November to address some of the worst sections.
RAA Senior Manager Safety Infrastructure Charles Mountain said the Risky Roads survey helped RAA understand the issues associated with SA’s roads and intersections from a user perspective.
Potholes, crumbling edges and rough surfaces were the top three complaints about Main South Rd between Aldinga and Sellicks Beach.
This section of Main South Rd was also rated the second riskiest in the 2019 survey due to a lack of government funding commitments for stage two of the upgrade.
“There have been 1171 casualty crashes resulting in 27 deaths and 1564 injuries on the ten riskiest roads nominated last month between 2016 and 2020,” Mr Mountain said.
“This highlights that upgrades and repairs are needed to reduce the overall level of risk to all road users.
“Capturing feedback from people using the roads is critical to helping RAA understand issues with the regional and metropolitan road network and work with authorities to improve road performance and safety for all road users.”
SA’s top five riskiest Intersections
| Intersections | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Curtis Rd and Heaslip Rd, Angle Vale |
| 2 | Dequetteville Tce and Fullarton Rd (Britannia Roundabout), Adelaide |
| 3 | Hindmarsh Tiers Rd and Victor Harbor Rd, Hindmarsh Valley |
| 4 | Aldinga Beach Rd and Main South Rd, Aldinga |
| 5 | Main Rd and Shepherds Hill Rd (Blackwood Roundabout), Blackwood |
The intersection that received the most nominations was Curtis and Heaslip Roads at Angle Vale with criticisms of inadequate turning opportunities and lack of traffic signals.
The intersection with Victor Harbor Rd and Hindmarsh Tiers Rd was also raised frequently, following a tragic fatal crash earlier in 2021. RAA have reviewed this intersection as part of our 2021 Victor Harbor Road Highway Assessment and recommended a roundabout be installed to improve safety at this location.