By SONJA KOREMANS
BALLANDEAN winemaker Tony Hassall says more lives will to be lost at one of the region’s worst road crash zones unless the speed limit is reduced and distracting signs removed.
Mr Hassall has spent the past 20 years on the Southern Downs, travels on the New England Highway daily and has not seen improvements made to one of its worst black spots – the southern Stanthorpe bypass intersection – in more than ten years.
Mr Hassall is better qualified than most road’s users to speak with authority on the subject as his daughter Nikki and her friend Paul were killed in a car accident at the intersection 12 years ago, when a driver failed to give way, ploughing into their vehicle. Mr Hassall’s son Michael, who was a passenger in Nikki’s car, was critically injured in the crash.”The intersection hasn’t been changed to make is safer since Nikki and Paul’s deaths and I would like to see a 60km/h zone here as most people drive through at 100km/h and it’s all too quick for them to react when they get to the intersection,” Mr Hassall said.
“You can see people racing through without even realising they are leaving the highway and need to give way.”
Mr Hassall said a red flashing sign placed near the intersection this week was a major distraction for drivers making it even more of a risk zone.
“In Nikki’s accident, the driver in the other car was at fault and had bad sight, but it’s a hazardous road regardless and we don’t want to make it even more confusing for drivers with distracting signs.”
“The man claimed he didn’t realise he was leaving the highway,” Mr Hassall said.
“So if the same situation arose again this same man would also have the added distraction of a flashing sign.
“If the the Transport and Main Roads Department has money to put up such an expensive sign why didn’t it spend that money on making the intersection safer, not more dangerous?
Nikki, who was 20 at the time, was on her way to visit her parents winery and help pick grapes for their first vintage.
She had been an outstanding student at Warwick State High School, receiving the Mayor’s medal for student of the year in 2000 before going on to study education at the University of Queensland.
“I drive past this intersection every day and think about Nikki’s accident. If we can raise awareness on how dangerous this stretch of road still is and seek to have the speed limit reduced and it made safer in any way, then other drivers will have a better chance than my daughter and son and their friend did,” Mr Hassall said.
A Transport and Main Roads Department spokesperson the current speed limit of 80km/hr on the section of the New England Highway is appropriate and not currently suject to change.
She said the location of the flashing speed sign in front of the intersection was determined following consultation with Southern Downs Regional Council and the Queensland Police Service.
Crash figures aren’t available for the southern Stanthorpe bypass intersection, but Darling Downs roads are among the most dangerous in the state.
Figures from the Transport and Main Roads Department showed 42 people died on Downs and south western roads last year.
The region has the second highest road toll in Queensland.
