RACQ Motoring Matters

CONTENTS WHAT WILL DRIVE YOUR GOVERNMENT? Advocacy Charter 2 ✓ Saving Queensland lives Foreword 3 ✓ Easing financial stress on families RACQ’s priorities for the ✓ Growing the economy next Queensland Government 4 ✓ Promoting sustainability Safe Mobility 5 ✓ Building safer, better roads Affordable Mobility 11 ✓ Developing flood-resistant infrastructure Sustainable Mobility 15 Cutting congestion and emissions Final thoughts… 17 ✓ Appendix 1 – Project maps 18 Supporting RACQ’s priorities for safe, affordable and sustainable mobility can achieve this. Our cover: A section of Queensland’s Bruce Highway, Australia’s deadliest according to the AusRAP report released January 2012. Just south of Maryborough, the national highway is an undivided carriageway with significant heavy vehicle volumes. Its poor safety record is compounded by narrow lanes, narrow sealed Insert caption here shoulders, dangerous unprotected roadsides with many hazards, and a lack of overtaking lanes. Photograph: Mark Crocker. RACQ • Motoring Matters 1 ADVOCACY CHARTER FOREWORD RACQ is the independent advocate for Queensland motorists. With 1.2 Million MeMbers, This means we will: • Understand our current and future members’ needs and priorities through regular engagement with them on RACQ REPRESENTS MORE motoring issues and through utilisation of the best available research; THAN 50 PERCENT OF ALL • Advocate on behalf of our membership to all levels of government, the suppliers of motoring-related products and services, and other organisations with an interest in land transport; QUEENSLAND HOUSEHOLDS • Communicate our policies and other significant advocacy initiatives to our members and other stakeholders; • Educate our members on motoring issues; and • Measure and report on our advocacy activities to our members annually. The RACQ views elections as an opportunity for political cannot happen again. RACQ operations were tested during parties to commit to improved transport outcomes the floods early in 2011, as we responded to a surge of and safe, affordable and sustainable mobility. road service calls, road condition reporting requests, and This document outlines the key issues for Queensland insurance claims. t he Queensland government, whose Advocacy Priorities motorists and RACQ’s project priorities for any sitting or resources were also stretched during this time, did well to potential government. deliver an emergency response of unprecedented scale. seventy-five percent of all passenger travel is in cars, The RACQ welcomes the road construction works now Safety so how well governments cater for motorists and occurring to fix the flood damage. We also want to see the their passengers is a key driver of economic, social and planning, design and construction of better roads that are up Safer drivers in safer cars on safer roads environmental performance. It is also a measure of their to the task. in cases where funding is a federal responsibility, We will advocate for: commitment to the on-going health of the Queensland it is the Queensland Government’s job to demonstrate • Education and enforcement programs that • Vehicles that provide the best technology to help community. Road crashes and fatalities cost the State that our transport projects are ready to proceed and are support safe and responsible road use; drivers avoid collisions and protect occupants an estimated $4 billion annually, and many of these are progressed to the front of the queue. • Roads that are designed and built to be more and other road users in the event of a crash. preventable. as a community, Queensland would be much forgiving of user error; and Motorists deserve a fair go and relief from rising motoring better off if even a portion of this money could be saved costs. affordable motoring is important, particularly for each year and diverted to more productive use. those living in rural and regional areas, and in outer south- every life lost on our roads, and every traumatic injury east Queensland suburbs, where there is limited access to Affordability incurred, is a tragedy that has a very significant impact on public transport alternatives. For many trips, there is no Value for money for motorists many levels of our society. investing in better, safer roads pays credible substitute for the car. Our government should ease for itself many times over, in terms of limiting the recurring the financial burden of owning a car. We will advocate for: cost of deaths and traumatic injuries, hospital and health • Fair and justifiable motoring costs, whether • Adequate funding to build and maintain an over the past five years, the Queenslandg overnment has care expenses, and welfare payments for those left unable to imposed by industry or government; efficient road and public transport network. invested more on roads than other states to catch up on a work in the wake of a road crash. For more than 100 years • Informed choices by motorists as consumers; and growing backlog of infrastructure needs. Well done! But over the RACQ has been promoting road safety and we know the next decade, the government needs to do even better. that building safer roads and roadsides is fundamental to addressing this. With the recent launch of the international RACQ wants a government committed to affordable Sustainability Decade of Action for Road Safety, Queenslanders now, more and sustainable mobility, along with better, safer roads and than ever, need a government prepared to slash the number improved public transport and cycling facilities. We therefore Mobility now and for the future of crashes, injuries and fatalities. ask you to support the transport policies and priorities in We will advocate for: this document and welcome your feedback. as if further evidence was needed, the 2011 floods • Minimal negative impacts of motoring on the • Integration of land use and transport planning; and natural and built environments; • Further research and support for alternative highlighted that roads across Queensland are in desperate • Economically efficient and equitable ways of fuels and automotive technologies that reduce need of upgrading. as an example, the city of rockhampton reducing traffic congestion in our cities; dependence on fossil fuels and enhance Australia’s was totally isolated for days from the north, south and energy security. west. As it is on our national highway and has a population Ian Gillespie in excess of 100,000, our planning needs to ensure this Group Chief Executive Officer – RACQ Limited 2 RACQ • Motoring Matters 3 RACQ’S PRiORitiES SAFE MOBILITY FOR THE NEXT QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT RACQ TARGET TEN POliCiES FOR SAFE, affordablE AnD SuStAinABlE MOBility through engineering, education and enforcement, the state RACQ asks the next Queensland Government to reduce Government plays a vital role in ensuring our roads and road deaths and injuries by: Expand Queensland’s on-road police Maintain the ethanol mandate freeze until drivers meet acceptable safety standards. presence and invest all traffic-fine revenue in 6 at least 2015. By this time the percentage Expanding Queensland’s on-road police safety-related road improvements, including of Queensland cars incompatible with a total of 269 lives were lost on Queensland roads in 2011. presence and investing all traffic-fine a doubling of funding for the Safer Roads ethanol blend fuel will have fallen to around this is an increase on 2010’s record low of almost 250 revenue in safety-related road improvements, Sooner program. 10 percent. Should a mandate be introduced lives lost. Each crash or fatality has enormous impact on including a doubling of funding for the before 2015, restrict the initial ethanol families and loved ones and collectively they cost the State Safer Roads Sooner program. Upgrade National Highways to improve flood requirement to two percent of total petrol an estimated $4 billion annually, so more must be done to 2 immunity and achieve a minimum AusRAP volumes to ensure a smoother transition. raCQ members support visible on-road police patrols, four-star standard by 2020. All other state- reduce the road toll. targeting high-risk groups and locations. In addition to controlled highways with a high crash risk Establish a fully integrated traffic and investing in better, safer roads pays for itself many times speeding, police patrols can enforce a range of traffic should be upgraded to a minimum of three incident management system, including 7 over, in terms of limiting the recurring cost of deaths and violations. RACQ believes that many dangerous road stars by 2020. real-time traffic information, to improve traumatic injuries, hospital and health care expenses, and behaviours can be addressed through a greater on- efficiency and reduce congestion. Provide more timely and useful road crash welfare payments for those left unable to work in the wake road police presence. the number of dedicated officers 3 statistics by upgrading Department of Take ownership of the Clem7 toll tunnel of a road crash. With the recent launch of the international patrolling Queensland roads should be increased, with Transport and Main Road’s database and 8 to enable future policy and pricing flexibility Decade of Action for Road Safety, Queenslanders now, more all traffic-fine revenue put back into road safety. using a ‘willingness to pay’ valuation model. that makes better use of this asset for than ever, need a government prepared to reduce the Currently only revenue from camera-detected offences Brisbane. number of crashes, injuries and fatalities. Freeze Queensland vehicle registration goes to making roads safer, all other traffic offence revenue 4 charges (already the highest in Australia), Remove stamp duty on vehicles rated five- australia, through the national road safety strategy (nrss), goes to consolidated revenue. T his is not good enough. until 2015 and introduce monthly or 9 star for safety and emissions, to encourage has set a target of a 30 percent reduction in road fatalities all traffic offence revenue should be used to make roads quarterly payment options. the purchase of safe, low-emission new cars.

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