Fix the roads!

ROADS are a constant point of concern — an issue raised repeatedly across our communities.

The condition and safety of regional and rural roads have deteriorated significantly over time. 

After proposing drastic changes to the default speed limits on unsigned, unsealed and sealed roads, the news has broken that the Australian Government has abandoned plans to do so. 

Instead of looking at how they could fix the terrible roads, they wanted to reduce speed limits with the hope this would lower the number of lives lost on regional roads. 

According to a Department of Infrastructure and Transport Regulatory Impact Analysis document, 65 per cent of road deaths in the past decade occurred outside major centres, with 85 per cent on roads signposted at 80km/h or above.

It also found that speed is one of the most significant factors in road accidents. 

The proposal received backlash from regional MPs and communities, with a clear message: “Fix the roads”.

Lowering speed limits could do more harm than good.

It would affect the daily commute for regional and rural people, increasing travel times and potentially contributing to driver fatigue and loss of concentration.

For farmers, longer transit times could extend the harvest season by limiting the number of truck trips to delivery sites.

If the government was to follow through with the plan, would regional people have stopped driving long distances to avoid the extra time on the road? 

Through its Worst Grain Roads campaign in 2022, Grain Producers SA identified Upper Yorke Road as the worst road on YP; the 36-kilometre stretch also ranked fifth in RAA’s annual Risky Roads Survey that same year. 

While DIT has recently completed maintenance on the road — pavement rehabilitation, shoulder widening and sealing — it came after five crashes between 2019 and 2023, including one fatality and two serious injuries. 

Accidents and fatalities shouldn’t be needed before action is taken on road safety.

Slashing speed limits will never be the answer — fixing the roads is.

Caitlin Menadue, journalist