Newsroom

September 3, 2024

Hinchinbrook MP and Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Deputy Leader, Nick Dametto, has condemned the Hervey Range Developmental Road (Townsville – Battery) Safety Upgrade project, calling it a "disaster waiting to happen" as residents in Rangewood voice serious concerns about the safety of the turning lane into their community.

“This $30 million project, jointly funded by the state and federal governments, was supposed to enhance safety, but it appears to be doing the exact opposite,” said Mr. Dametto.

"It's ironic that a project labelled as a 'safety upgrade' is actually not addressing the main risk point in the area that is putting lives at stake.”

Construction on the Hervey Range Road project began in late April 2024 and is expected to be completed by mid-October. The project includes the reconfiguration of dedicated turning lanes, with a channelized left turn lane into and out of Rangewood Drive, including additional chevrons and concrete medians. However the project fails to rectify the number one issue, the inadequate and unsafe right turning lane into Rangewood.

“As soon as Rangewood residents learned of the project, they immediately raised the alarm with Transport and Main Roads (TMR) who are responsible for delivering the project. Their concerns were clear: the current plans are unsafe and inadequate, mainly due to the turning lane, located within a 100 kilometre per hour zone, being far too narrow for cars, let alone larger vehicles,” Mr. Dametto said.

“Unfortunately, these legitimate safety concerns have been ignored by TMR, who claim the project is too far along to make any changes.

“Rangewood is home to nearly 1,000 residents and many have spoken of the close calls they have due to the dangerous turning lane, yet the urgent calls to revise the project’s scope have been dismissed.

“The people of Rangewood deserve to be heard, and their safety must be a priority. I am calling on TMR and the State Government to revisit the project and make the necessary changes before it’s too late.”

Rangewood resident Mr. Lisha Kayrooz said nothing focused your mind more than a heavy vehicle moving out of its lane, suddenly coming straight at you less than 100 metres away.

“Your world changes fast when it’s coming at you at 100 kilometre per hour,” Mr Kayrooz said.

“A stationary vehicle sitting little more than a metre from oncoming heavy vehicles is called a Sitting Duck. There’s no such thing as ‘evasive action’ when you’re standing still.

“TMR is upgrading two lanes – the new merging lane will be good but the money for the left-turn lane into here should have been used on the death-trap waiting lane instead.

“It’s almost like a TV comedy – someone drops the plans and the wrong lane gets the upgrade. Pity that it’s real-life with real lives at great risk.

“It shouldn’t take a fatality to get a safety upgrade. Which one of us will it be? We were told that it would cost too much to change it now. Tell that to the Coroner when there’s a fatality.

“A simple pin-on concrete median strip would make the world of difference – oncoming vehicles would get a small jolt if they wandered out of their lane and the jolt wouldn’t be the front of my car.”

Another Rangewood resident Mr. Bob Hickey said that it would make sense to provide a central concrete median at the intersection in order to provide for a protected right turn into Rangewood.

“I would suggest a 1.2 metre wide median. These medians can be pinned to the new asphalt seal. It would require an additional 1.2 metre width for the through traffic lanes on the southern side of the intersection, but the space for this is obviously available,” Mr Hickey said.

“Don’t forget this is a 100 kilometre per hour road, so I would think it should be a ‘must do’ thing for safety reasons. There is no reason why the intersection couldn’t be redesigned at this stage of construction to accommodate this.

“The current proposal is high risk with speeds of 100 kilometres per hour plus the road centre line being along a curve. Traffic from Rupertswood heading to the city could easily drift into the path of a vehicle waiting to turn right into Rangewood.

“I have done a lot of road design in my time and a central concrete median would in my opinion be a ‘must do’ for safety reasons.”

Photo: Hinchinbrook MP and KAP Deputy Leader Nick Dametto with Lisha Kayrooz and other Rangewood residents.