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Canberra commits $20.8m to fix Queensland’s most dangerous roads

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The Australian Government’s Black Spot Program has committed $20.8 million in a bid to improve 67 dangerous crash sites on Queensland roads over the next year.

“This major investment is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to building safer roads right across the nation,” said Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.

“The Black Spot Program funds safety measures such as traffic signals and roundabouts at locations where a number of serious crashes are known to have occurred.

“That is why the Australian Government has committed $1.1 billion to the Black Spot Program from 2013-14 to 2023-24 to improve road safety across Australia.”

Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said the 67 Black Spot projects across Queensland would make an important contribution towards reducing serious injuries and deaths on Queensland roads and built on previous investments in the state.

“This Government is investing in road safety right across the nation to ensure Australians get home sooner and safer,” Assistant Minister Buchholz said.

“This new funding will see total investment through the Black Spot Program in Queensland rise to $189.2 million, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to improving road safety.”

Federal Member for Wide Bay and Chair of the Queensland Black Spot Consultative Panel Llew O’Brien said this investment would deliver safer roads in local government areas throughout the state.

“The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics has found that Black Spot projects reduce the number of crashes causing death and injury by 30 per cent on average,” O’Brien said.

“The high-priority locations we are funding have seen a total of nine fatal and 245 crashes causing injuries recorded over the past five years.

“The panel that reviews priorities for the program includes representatives from the Queensland Police Service, Royal Automobile Club of Queensland, Queensland Trucking Association, Bicycle Queensland, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety (Queensland University of Technology), Traffic Management Association of Australia and State and Local Government.”

For more information on the Australian Government’s Black Spot Program, or to nominate a black spot, visit investment.infrastructure.gov.au/funding/blackspots.

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