Tag Archives: sydney roads

NSW’s worst road spots revealed – Red Flag survey results

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The NRMA’s Seeing Red on Roads campaign kicks off today with the results of our red flag survey.

Back in December we asked you what you thought were the worst sections of roads in NSW. The feedback from our Members and the community was impressive, with more than 9000 community members taking the time to tell us about the most frustrating road spots in their local area.

The five worst road spots in NSW were:

1.         Pacific Highway between Coffs Harbour and Macksville
2.         Princes Highway between Berry and Bateman’s Bay
3.         M5 Motorway at the King Georges Road intersection
4.         Pennant Hills Road between the M2 and F3
5.         M4 Motorway where the toll gates used to be at Auburn

See the full Red Flag survey results.

The campaign will run over the next seven weeks fighting to make roads a central theme in the NSW state election.

This campaign is designed to make politicians accountable for roads, ensuring they deliver better and safer roads for NSW. However we can’t do it alone – we need your help.

If you want to get involved come along to one of our events being held across NSW and sign our red flag petition. These flags will be handed over to the next government after the election. Events are taking place at the following dates and locations:

Friday 4 February 2011 – Port Macquarie
Tuesday 8 February 2011 – Wagga
Wednesday 9 February 2011 – Dubbo
Tuesday 15 February 2011 – Bateman’s Bay

If you want to talk about the campaign or the results of the survey here is your chance to be heard.  What frustrates you most on NSW roads?

Update 11:45am 03 Feb 2011

#Redflag survey has been reopened due to community requests

Stuck on the F3

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On Monday April 12, motorists were stuck in gridlock on the F3 Freeway after a crash involving a B-double fuel tanker at Mount White.

The crash occurred just before lunch time, however, a contra-flow emergency plan was not put in place until late in the evening. Traffic was backed up for a significant distance during the evening peak hour.

NRMA Motoring & Services President Wendy Machin said the RTA’s traffic management plan for dealing with incidents on the F3 needs a major overhaul.

The NRMA’s analysis of the F3 traffic management plan has found:

•  Two years after the $28 million plan was announced, it appears that five of the proposed cross-overs still have not been installed.
•  The cross-over located south of the crash site could have been used to divert northbound traffic onto the F3′s southbound lanes. The two cross-overs just north of the crash could then have been used to re-divert traffic back on to northbound lanes. None of these three cross-overs are finished.
•  Purpose-built sheds to store traffic cones and water supplies may be situated away from the cross-over sites, making it harder for contra-flow to be quickly put into place.
•  After the incident was contained, the priority should have shifted to managing its traffic impact. This does not appear to have happened.
•  Insufficient information was given to motorists approaching the F3 or those already caught in the congestion. 

The RTA’s traffic management plan was also supposed to enable the RTA and State emergency services to quickly distribute bottled water to stranded motorists.

“Instead, NRMA patrols on the freeway encountered many distressed motorists and provided bottled water of their own accord,” Ms Machin said.

According to the RTA website, the F3 Freeway is the main link between the Central Coast and Hunter regions and Sydney, with more than 75,000 motorists and 7000 freight vehicles using it each day.

What needs to be done to avoid extended delays on our roads? Were you stuck on the F3?

The lost art of indicating

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Indicating is the act of using your blinker to show other motorists that you intend to change your course of direction. It is not a courtesy, it is the law. Despite this, road users are being surprised by the movements of motorists who did not indicate.

The Road Rules 2008 states that before changing directions, a driver must give a change of direction signal for long enough to give sufficient warning to other drivers and pedestrians.

Rule 45, ‘What is changing direction’, of the Road Rules 2008 reads:

(1) A driver changes direction if the driver changes direction to the left or the driver changes direction to the right.

A driver changes direction by doing any of the following:

(a) turning
(b) changing marked lanes
(c) diverging
(d) entering a marked lane, or a line of traffic
(e) moving to the right or left from a stationary position
(f) turning into a marked lane, or a line of traffic, from a median strip parking area
(g) making a U-turn
(h) at a T-intersection where the continuing road curves—leaving the continuing road to proceed straight ahead onto the terminating road.

Read the full rule here.

Failing to indicate can result in a maximum $2,200 fine at court and the loss of two demerit points. The severity of the fine is indicative of the seriousness of not using your blinker to warn other road users of your movements. Not indicating is dangerous not only at high speeds on motorways but at all times on all roads.

Have you encountered the problem of motorists not indicating? Do you think it is becoming more of an issue on our roads?

E-tags and cashless motorways

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After more than six months of a cashless Harbour crossing, we want to know what you think of toll roads becoming cashless and having to use e-tags.

In January this year, we reported the news that the Sydney Harbour Bridge was going cashless. As of mid-January, an e-tag or similar is needed to use either the Harbour Bridge or the Harbour Tunnel.

They are not the only motorways in Sydney that are cashless. According to the RTA-run website, Sydney Motorways, cash can still be used on the Eastern Distributor, M4, M5 and M2 – less than half of Sydney’s Motorways. With the RTA’s plans to eventually make all motorways cashless, the number of roads you can use cash on will continue to shrink.

It is clear that to drive in Sydney motorists must have an e-tag – or carefully choose their routes if they don’t. This also presents a challenge for visitors to Sydney or people who do not regularly use cashless toll roads.

Is the e-tag a help or a hindrance? Does making roads cashless speed things up and ease congestion?

For anybody who does not have an e-tag but wants to make the journey south across the Harbour Bridge, you will need to arrange a temporary pass within 48 hours of your trip by visiting myE-Toll or by phoning the RTA on 131 865.

Will raising the toll to cross Sydney Harbour reduce congestion?

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Just over a fortnight after the Sydney Harbour Bridge went cashless, tolls for vehicles crossing Sydney Harbour by either the Harbour Bridge or the Harbour Tunnel have changed to time-of-day tolling, with the amount charged dependent on the time of day.

The NSW Government has raised the toll to help reduce congestion in the city during peak times and to create enough revenue – $12 million – to supply 300 new buses.

From Tuesday 27 January 2009 the fee for crossing the Harbour from north to south will be $4 during peak periods – between 6.30-9.30am and 4.00-7.30pm Monday to Friday.

It will stay at $3 during the period of 9.30am-4.00pm Monday to Friday. In off-peak periods – midnight-6.30am and 7pm-midnight Monday to Friday, and 8.00am-8.00pm on weekends and public holidays – the toll will decrease to $2.50. Visit the RTA website for more information

The plan sounds good in theory but…

Experts are saying the congestion forecasts won’t change – unsurprising given that turning the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel cashless is also supposed to ease congestion and make the trip easier and quicker.

It has also been revealed that no extra bus or train services have been put in place to cater for the increase in the number of commuters expected to use public transport to avoid paying the increased toll price.

Will a higher toll encourage you to take public transport during peak times when crossing the Harbour? We’d especially like to hear from those who regularly make the trip.