RACQ Unroadworthy Roads Survey 2016

Author Public Policy Date March 2016

Title: RACQ Unroadworthy Roads Survey Issued Date: March 2016 Page: 1 of 7

Introduction

To raise awareness about the condition of Queensland’s roads, the RACQ conducts the Unroadworthy Roads survey asking respondents to nominate those roads they consider to be in a poor or inadequate condition, unfit for the function they are designed to perform and not providing an acceptable level of service to the road user. This 2016 survey adds to the growing database of respondent views gathered in previous surveys conducted in 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2011.

The views expressed by respondents to the abovementioned surveys provide road user feedback on road features which complement other RACQ studies of crash statistics and technical road design information analysed and discussed in the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP).

The main aims of the survey were to:

 identify the worst roads in Queensland according to members’ perceptions for the purpose of lobbying government authorities for increased levels of road funding;  establish the major deficiencies and problems associated with Queensland’s road infrastructure; and  compare results with previous Unroadworthy Roads surveys

Results from the survey will be provided to road authorities to help identify and support improvements on their road network.

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Results

RACQ received:

 896 total responses; highlighting  427 different unroadworthy roads throughout the state

Additional comments provided by respondents, by road name and suburb, can be found in the Unroadworthy Roads Technical Appendix.

Image 1 – Heat map showing nominated Unroadworthy Road locations

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Table 1 – ‘Top 10’ roads with summary description of nominated problems

# Rank Road Name Responses Summary description of nominated problems Respondents nominated that the was rough, narrow, lacked overtaking opportunities 1 Bruce Highway 67 and was prone to flooding. Congestion issues were also raised between Brisbane and Sunshine Coast and the southern corridor into .

Most responses highlighted the significant congestion issues to the south of Brisbane, and southern 2 Pacific Motorway 32 Gold Coast area.

A lack of overtaking opportunities dominated, with some nominations for a rough, narrow surface. Mount Lindesay Respondents indicated that the right turn from Mt Lindesay Hwy to Logan Mwy is unsafe and indicated 3 21 Highway that the traffic volume has increased markedly, especially between Park Ridge and Jimboomba, creating congestion and difficulty in overtaking, while the highway condition has deteriorated. A rough surface from Yorkeys Knob, through Barron to Machans Beach. Most respondents highlighted Captain Cook 4 19 congestion and crashes at the Smithfield and Caravonica roundabout. Bicycle safety concerns and some Highway flooding / drainage problems were also nominated. Respondents nominated a rough road with poor shoulders and flooding issues. The very poor condition 4 Rickertt Road 19 of the road was highlighted throughout the responses, with safety concerns at Chelsea Rd intersection, and for cyclists along the corridor. Rough and narrow with poor shoulders and a lack of overtaking opportunities. Respondents identified 6 D'Aguilar Highway 16 that the road is in poor condition and not up to standard. It is a very busy corridor carrying a lot of heavy vehicles with very few overtaking opportunities. A lack of overtaking opportunity on a narrow road with winding alignment from Cairns to Atherton, 7 15 especialy the Kuranda / Macalister Range. Respondents said that these issues, combined with the significant number of heavy vehicles makes this road unsafe.

Poor road surface and narrow shoulders are concerns, particularly around Oakey and from Macalister to 8 14 Brigalow. Respondents identified safety concerns with turning movements at Hatton Vale and Minden.

Narrow, rough and bumpy sections both north and south of Toowoomba. Overtaking is difficult on busy New England 9 11 sections south of Toowoomba to the Queensland border, with a high volume of heavy vehicles. Roadside Highway hazards and intersection turn lane safety issues were also raised.

Respondents indicated that the road foundation has failed through Bracken Ridge, leading to the road 9 Telegraph Road 11 subsiding. It is very uneven and bouncy, making it difficult to drive on safely.

The Bruce Highway again attracted the most nominations (67) for a single road in Queensland, similar to previous surveys (see Table 1). However as a proportion of total responses received, the Bruce Highway has dropped substantially, indicating that Federal and State Government investment over the past 3 years has improved the quality and standard of the road.

This was replicated for the Warrego Highway, dropping from 2nd highest number of responses in 2011 to 8th in 2016. There has been significant investment in road widening and resurfacing in the past years, raising the standard of the corridor.

The Pacific Motorway jumped up to 2nd in the survey, mainly due to significant congestion issues to the south of Brisbane (Eight Mile Plains to Loganholme) and the southern section at the Gold Coast. Motorists feel the road is not fit for purpose as part of Queensland’s major north-south corridor.

The Mt Lindesay Highway, Captain Cook Highway, D’Aguilar Highway, Kennedy Highway and all attracted similar complaints, being generally rough and narrow with a lack of overtaking opportunities.

Rickertt Road at Ransome in Brisbane’s east did not feature in the 2011 survey, however it received equal 4th highest number of nominations in this year’s survey. The Brisbane City Council owned section of this road has not been upgraded and remains as single lane each way,

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narrow and rough with congestion at Green Camp Road intersection and safety concerns for cyclists using the road, as well as motorists using the unsignalised Chelsea Road intersection.

Telegraph Road at Bracken Ridge to the north of Brisbane featured prominently in the 2011 survey, and in 2016 appeared in equal 9th position. Road condition is still an issue, with road foundation problems leading to an uneven surface and motorist discomfort, although the grade separated rail crossing has removed a major bottleneck.

Most nominated problems

As shown in Table 2 below, the top five problems were ‘Rough surface’ (55% of responses), followed by ‘Narrow road / lanes’ (41% of responses), ‘Poor shoulders’ (34% of responses), ‘Lack of overtaking opportunities’ (28% of responses) and ‘Flood prone’ (23%). Respondents were able to nominate more than one problem on a road.

Table 2 – Most nominated problems

Problems # Responses Rough Surface 495 Narrow road/lanes 363 Poor shoulders 308 Lack of overtaking opportunities 246 Flood prone 202 Tight curves/blind crests 187 Poor road markings 178 Poor drainage 177 Slippery / Loose surface 154 Narrow bridge/culvert 134 Poor or inadequate road lighting 128 Hazardous roadside objects 123 Poor signing 106 Poor or no guard rails 99 Vegetation or objects block visibility 97 Steep grade 40

Historical ranking of problems

The top four problem responses in 2016 (‘rough surface’, ‘poor road shoulders’ and ‘narrow road surface’) were the same for all previous surveys (2001, 2005, 2008 and 2011), as shown in Table 3 below.

‘Rough surface’ has topped the list in all surveys while ‘poor road shoulders’ dropped to third in 2016 with ‘narrow road/lanes’ taking second.

A lack of overtaking opportunities was not included as a road problem option in the 2001 survey but was suggested by respondents within the ‘problem description’ area of the survey form. Hence it was added into all surveys since 2001 and has received the fourth highest number of nominations since 2005.

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A lack of overtaking opportunities is a frustration for motorists and becomes more prevalent as traffic volumes rise.

Table 3 - Ranking of problems for 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2011

RANK Problem 2001 2005 2008 2011 2016 Rough surface 1 1 1 1 1 Poor road shoulders 3 2 2 2 3 Narrow road/lanes 2 3 3 3 2 Lack of overtaking opportunities N/A 4 4 4 4

‘Top 30’ List of roads with number of responses to identified problems

Table 4 below lists the top 30 nominated roads and the number of responses to each individual problem listed on the survey form. The full list of nominated roads are provided in the Unroadworthy Roads Technical Appendix.

Respondents also had the opportunity to provide specific comments about the problem with each road they nominated. These additional comments are provided in the Unroadworthy Roads Technical Appendix.

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Table 4 - ‘Top 30’ List of roads with number of responses to identified problems

IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS Tight Vegetation Poor or Slippery / curves / Narrow Narrow Poor Hazardous Poor or or objects Lack of inadequate Rough Loose blind road / bridge / road Poor Poor roadside no guard block overtaking Flood Poor road Steep Rank Road Name # Responses Surface surface crests lanes culvert markings signing shoulders objects rails visibility opportunities prone drainage lighting grade 1 Bruce Highway 67 38 9 10 27 17 14 8 27 8 11 8 30 22 15 11 1 2 Pacific Motorway 32 8 1 1 6 1 3 - 4 - - 1 4 - 2 - - 3 21 5 - - 5 - 1 2 4 1 1 - 14 4 2 3 1 4 Captain Cook Highway 19 5 2 2 2 1 2 - 2 2 1 1 1 4 5 - - 4 Rickertt Road 19 18 3 - 8 3 6 1 13 3 2 - 6 16 9 10 - 6 D'Aguilar Highway 16 12 5 4 6 1 4 1 6 2 1 3 12 2 5 1 1 7 Kennedy Highway 15 2 5 7 6 1 - - 6 1 5 2 13 1 - 1 1 8 Warrego Highway 14 11 3 3 5 2 3 2 6 2 - 2 3 3 3 2 - 9 New England Highway 11 9 2 2 4 2 1 1 4 2 2 1 5 2 1 - - 9 Telegraph Road 11 4 ------2 - - - - 1 1 - - 11 Kingsford Smith Drive 10 8 2 - 4 - 3 - 2 - - - - - 1 - - 11 Maleny-Kenilworth Road 10 10 2 4 10 4 2 1 8 4 - 1 5 - 2 - - 13 9 8 1 - 5 - - - 5 1 2 - 2 2 - - - 13 Samford Road 9 7 2 3 6 - 1 1 1 2 - - 2 - 2 - - 13 Tinaburra Drive 9 7 3 5 9 2 4 2 6 2 - 1 3 - - 4 - 16 8 8 - 3 4 4 2 2 7 2 1 2 5 3 4 1 - 17 Beachmere Road 7 6 1 2 7 6 1 2 7 - 1 2 2 6 3 3 - 17 Beechmont Road 7 1 2 7 7 - 2 1 7 2 7 3 6 2 2 4 3 17 Flinders Highway 7 3 1 - 5 3 1 1 3 1 1 - 5 2 1 1 1 17 South Pine Road 7 5 1 - 1 - - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 17 Strathpine Rd / Hoyland St 7 - - - 6 2 1 3 ------22 6 4 1 3 3 1 2 1 3 1 - - 4 2 - - 1 22 6 - - - 3 ------22 Gympie Road 6 1 - - 2 - 3 2 - - - - 2 1 1 - - 22 Herveys Range Road 6 5 - - 6 4 3 - 5 - 3 2 3 3 1 1 - 22 Linkfield Road 6 - - - 5 4 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 - - - - 27 Bermuda Street 5 4 1 ------27 5 - - 2 3 - 2 2 2 1 1 - 1 - - - - 27 Green Camp Road 5 1 1 - 5 1 2 1 3 - - - 3 - 1 1 - 27 5 1 - 1 3 - - 1 1 1 - - 1 1 1 - 1

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