Safer Roads And Waterways

Deliver safer roads and waters and change risky behaviour

Following a fatal crash involving a truck at the intersection of the South Eastern Freeway with Cross and Portrush Roads, the department initiated a project to improve safety and reduce the risk of further crashes on the Freeway, particularly on the descent into Adelaide.

Consultation with government, industry and the local community led to the identification of 22 options for investigation. Signage on the freeway was amended to remind truck and bus drivers of the legal requirement to use low gear for the full descent. Other priority measures being investigated and delivered, include driver education and training, heavy vehicle maintenance and operation, and road safety infrastructure improvements. Safety infrastructure in recent years includes cameras at Crafers and near the Mount Osmond Overpass and extra signage advising truck drivers about safety ramps and use of low gear.

On the Right Track Remote, a program to help Aboriginal people living in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) and Maralinga Tjarutja (MT) Lands gain and retain their drivers licence, had a successful start-up, with about 400 people coming on board as clients within the first six months of operation. The program delivers practical resources, driving lessons, practice sessions and testing to remote communities where it can be difficult to access such services. Online support for the program includes a website with practical information about driving and road safety and a facebook page to advise communities about upcoming visits by the program team.

The department completed a major upgrade of Greenhill Road to minimise right-angled crashes and improve cycling and pedestrian access and safety. Between 2007 and 2011, 105 crashes occurred at minor junctions along Greenhill Road, resulting in 30 injuries and 75 reports of property damage.

The upgrade focused on new U-turn facilities, improvements to right hand turns and modification of medians for safer pedestrian and bicycle crossing.

The department also started a major upgrade of the intersection of North East and Sudholz Roads, one of the State’s worst performing intersections in terms of road safety. This project will remove all filtered right turns at the intersection to reduce the number and severity of crashes.

Road safety compliance and education was the focus of the annual national truck inspection blitz Operation Austrans that saw the department, SAPOL and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator work together to educate the industry through roadside compliance checks. The collaborative operation targeted fatigue, accreditation, roadworthiness, load restraint, dimension and mass limits, all known to contribute to accidents on the State’s roads.

Other road safety initiatives included:

• further roll-out of the program to improve the safe use and understanding of vehicle child restraints among APY Lands residents, including online delivery of local language videos
• opening of the Residents Win grants program, which makes $500 000 available per year in the form of grants to communities to help create people-friendly streets and safer roads; more than 80 expressions of interest were submitted by communities across the State shortly after it opened
• increased participation in the Way2Go Bike Education program to 5230 students in 57 primary schools, up from 4 000 students in 45 schools the previous year—the first stage of doubling participation to more than 8000 students in 90 primary schools annually by June 2018
• continued enhancement of cycling safety though development of greenways, improved arterial road crossings and bicycle boulevards, and provision of grants totalling $0.75m from the State Bicycle Fund and State Black Spot Program
• a review of speed limits in the Adelaide Hills in consultation with the Councils and the community, which resulted in a trial of improved signage and pavement marking along Onkaparinga Valley Road near the entrance to townships
• support for the Citizens’ Jury on Sharing the Road Safely and proposed changes to South Australian cycling laws to better protect riders
• transition to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, which brings together the national regulatory reforms for all heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonne, and provides safety benefits through a consistent, national approach.

Actions put into effect by the department from the Road Safety Action Plan 2013–2016 are:

• passenger and night time driving restrictions to protect young drivers under the Graduated Licensing Scheme
• continued investment in motorcycle safety infrastructure, including improvements on Gorge and Cudlee Creek Roads and motorcycle safety rails on 14 Adelaide Hills roads, and a campaign to encourage the take-up of advanced motorcycle safety systems
• the Elmo Stays Safe program to help kindergartens and child care centres undertake best-practice road safety education
• a raised intersection platform—the first to be installed on a State arterial road—at the junction of The Parade West and Rundle Street in Kent Town to slow vehicles down and improve safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians
• a reduction in the speed limit from 40 km/h to 25 km/h in the vicinity of emergency service vehicles
• activation of Point to Point Safety Cameras on the Sturt Highway, Dukes Highway, Victor Harbor Road and Port Wakefield Road, as well installation of cameras on the South Eastern Freeway and Northern Expressway.

Marine safety actions undertaken by the department:

• distributed a waterproof Personal Watercraft (PWC) Safety Reference Guide to help operators comply with the law and ensure safety on the water
• released a Diver Below brochure and sticker to inform operators about the rules that apply to vessels in the vicinity of divers in the water, in response to a request by the diving industry following near misses with recreational boats
• facilitated an exemption to support a trial of motorised kayaks and canoes (fitted with small electric motors up to 34lbs thrust) to assess the trend in motorised paddling
• led development of a waterproof, writeable Don’t Expire Sticker for operators to record expiry dates of vessel registration, fire extinguishers, inflatable personal flotation devices/lifejackets, distress flares and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons(EPIRB)/Personal Locator Beacons(PLB), in response to demand from the boating public for help maintaining up-to-date safety equipment.