They'll Take The Slow Road

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday August 24, 2005

LEADER

HOW long does it take to replace a dangerous section of road in NSW? That question, it seems, is harder to answer than the one about the length of a piece of string.

In early October 2003, four members of a family died in a road accident on a section of the New England Highway near Aberdeen that had long been a cause of concern for the local community.

Indeed, the then Scone Council had written to the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) several times in the previous four years asking for improvements to be made to the section's bends. The most recent letter pleading for work to be done under the black spot program was sent just weeks before the quadruple fatality.

A reduced speed limit was put in force immediately, the RTA submitted a report on the site to the Federal Government, which was responsible for funding the roadworks under the National Highways program, and in February 2004 just five months after the fatal crash then Federal Transport Minister John Anderson announced that $16.3 million would be provided for the needed improvements.

In the $1.3 million first stage, the existing alignment would be improved and a concrete barrier put down the middle of the 400 metre road section. The second stage, costing $15 million, would see a 1.2 kilometre deviation and a new bridge across a railway line eliminate the curves. The whole project was expected to be completed by mid-2006.

With that target just 10 months away, it could have been expected that the work would be well advanced. Instead, the RTA finished the temporary upgrade in June this year and is still doing the detailed planning for the deviation. It is now talking about calling tenders late this year, with "a view to completion in 2007".

In the meantime, another person died on that 400 metre section yesterday when the concrete barrier proved to be no barrier at all. If the permanent works had made substantial progress, that death might not have occurred.

The RTA said yesterday that it had to go through a formal approval process to get funding from the Federal Government. While it is right that such funding should be subjected to checks and balances, it seems remarkable that it has taken so long for this project, one that both tiers of government agreed needed to be accelerated, to get to the detailed planning stage.

A more streamlined process needs to be applied to road funding and construction, especially where black spots are concerned. As well as saving lives, streamlining probably would save money.

Rural changes

THE Hunter experience is reflected in an Australian Farm Institute study that shows a trend away from broad-acre farming, including large-scale dairying. Wine grapes and organic foods are being grown in the region with an eye to export markets.

The study notes that a key problem facing farming is its inability to compete for labour. The institute's call for a more skilled and innovative workforce needs to be heeded by institutions training rural workers. Workers with a more professional attitude should warrant better payment.

© 2005 Newcastle Herald

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