By Luke Voogt
VicRoads has earmarked four of the most dangerous roads around Geelong for safety upgrades with funding from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
The authority has planned improvements for Geelong-Bacchus Marsh, Geelong ring and Anglesea roads and on the Princess Highway between Corio and Little River.
VicRoads will spend $25.9 million to build flexible barriers and a median strip on Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Road late next year to prevent head-on crashes.
The road recorded 19 accidents, including seven fatalities, in 12km near Balliang between 2008 and 2013, said VicRoads’ Mark Koliba.
“Four times as many people die on regional roads than metropolitan roads,” he said.
“Almost one quarter of serious injuries occur on high speed rural roads, mainly due to drivers running off the road or crossing the centre line and hitting other vehicles head-on.”
The TAC has committed $1 billion over 10 years to its Safe System Roads Infrastructure Program (SSRIP) to help reverse the rising road toll.
SSRIP projects had reduced intersection crashes by 35 per cent and run-off’ crashes by 26 per cent, Mr Koliba said.
“Our highest risk roads are being transformed into some of the state’s safest.”
SSRIP had already made Geelong roads safer and more reliable, Mr Koliba said.
The program funded a raised safety platform at an intersection on the Surf Coast Highway and new roundabout at Gheringhap.
Between 2008 and 2012 the highway had numerous crashes at its intersection with Kidman Avenue, including a number involving right-turning traffic.
Safe Roads is one of the four pillars supporting the TAC’s Towards Zero vision. The other pillars are Safe Vehicles, Safe Speeds and Safe People.
The TAC hopes to reduce serious injuries by 15 per cent and the Victorian road toll to less than 200 by 2020.
