Road Safety Concerns
I’m unsure of the best subreddit for this topic, so if anyone has suggestions, I’d appreciate it!
I live in regional NSW, and there’s an intersection near the Hume Highway that has long been a cause for concern. It’s particularly hazardous during winter due to fog and overgrown grass that blocks visibility of oncoming traffic.
Recently, there was a meeting involving our local member of the legislative assembly, a local MP, and a representative from the roads authority, along with some consultants. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend, but I’ve heard from several people that the outcome was disappointing: there’s still been no decision on a solution like an overpass, despite discussions that should have started back in 2005 or 2006 when major highway renovations were happening.
What really frustrates me is this: attendees were told that it requires five fatalities at this intersection before any action will be taken. Even more absurd, for a death to count, the individual must be blameless. For instance, there was a fatality last year that didn’t count because, technically, the person was deemed at fault.
This leads me to my question: Is there a publicly accessible metric or an official guideline that states this requirement? Surely bureaucrats don’t just make up a rule about needing five deaths based on arbitrary data? Has anyone else encountered such a bizarre situation before?
It sounds incredibly frustrating to hear that it takes such a high threshold of fatalities for action to be taken, especially given the dangerous conditions you’ve described. This practice of waiting for a certain number of deaths before making changes can definitely feel like a bureaucratic approach that prioritizes statistics over human lives.
In terms of your question about whether there’s a publicly available metric or an official trigger for this, it’s quite possible that transport authorities do use historical data and statistical models to determine risk levels at intersections. They often look at accident rates, severity, and contributing factors to decide on safety improvements. However, the specific requirement of a set number of fatalities seems more like a flawed policy approach than a data-driven decision.
There are definitely subs like r/AskAnAustralian or r/nsw that might provide more insight into the state of road safety policies in Australia, especially if others have faced similar situations. You might also want to consider reaching out to local advocacy groups or road safety organizations—they might have more information on the criteria used for road safety improvements and could help amplify your concerns.
It’s disheartening to think that lives could potentially be lost due to inaction while waiting for bureaucratic protocols to be met. Taking collective action, whether through petitions, community meetings, or raising awareness on social media, could potentially pressure local authorities to prioritize safety over statistics.