Friday, 27 September 2024
Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, has delivered a speech in New South Wales Parliament, highlighting the urgent need for targeted investment on rural roads, as Rural Road Safety Month comes to an end in September.
The speech follows a multi-vehicle accident near the William Bradford Bridge on Friday, 20 September. Ms Cooke told the Legislative Assembly that this accident was one of many, on a dangerous stretch of road along the Burley Griffin Way, marked by the narrow bridge over Demondrille Creek.
“This bridge has been a point of concern for years. Despite incremental improvements—upgraded barriers, signage, and delineation—the fundamental issue remains: the bridge is dangerously narrow for the heavy vehicle traffic it supports. In 2019, a bus accident near the bridge injured 28 people. And just last week, yet another serious accident involving multiple vehicles occurred, closing this vital arterial road for hours,” Ms Cooke told Parliament.
“Every life lost travelling to school, work or for recreation is one too many, for the families, friends and loved ones of the over 244 people who have already died on our roads this year.
Speaking from personal experience, my parents have been family funeral directors for almost 45 years, servicing small rural towns and villages. It is a special, special vocation, an unenviable one in the eyes of many. Mum and Dad have helped farewell too many young people, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and grandparents, members of the community who have died too soon, on our roads.
By extension, I have lost friends and seen firsthand the devastation that road fatalities bring to families and small communities. Every person lost on our roads leaves a lasting impact.”
Ms Cooke reminded those in the assembly that rural road safety is a year-round commitment, with Rural Road Safety Month being an important opportunity to encourage safer driving behaviours, particularly on unfamiliar roads and known crash zones. Following the accident at William Bradford Bridge, Ms Cooke has also requested an urgent meeting with the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, MP.
“We need comprehensive measures that combine technology, enforcement, and—most crucially—investment in safer roads to protect lives in both urban and rural New South Wales,” Ms Cooke told Parliament.
“In doing so, we can move closer to achieving the bipartisan goal of Towards Zero—zero trauma on New South Wales roads by 2050 and 50% fewer deaths by 2030.”
Ms Cooke’s speech can be viewed in full at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NSSuNv-XUVz2DcXtzYsu-fWhBk-d2IaG/view?usp=sharing
Image: Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, with a letter presented to Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison