Page 1553 - Week 05 - Thursday, 18 April 1991
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In developing my proposals I had to take account of the Commonwealth Government's rules concerning the expenditure of these funds. These are quite specific and limit the choice of projects to those which satisfy criteria which include the following: That projects should desirably be of low cost - that is, less than $200,000; that the physical condition of locations with a history of serious injuries, in addition to deaths, should be treated; that funds should be spent where the highest benefits can be achieved - this, of course, is not necessarily where most fatalities occur; that, in addition to road improvements works, funds can also be allocated to road safety enhancement projects such as pedestrian safety measures and the purchase of breathalyser units. There was an additional requirement that all funds allocated this year had to be spent before 30 June 1991.
In framing our work program my department took all these criteria into consideration. Each project was carefully evaluated against guidelines laid down by the Commonwealth and which are applied nationally to ensure that maximum benefits to the community would be realised by reduction of all accidents, not just fatalities.
I am keen, of course, to reduce the death toll in the Australian Capital Territory; but the majority of fatalities which occur on our roads can be addressed only by other than physical improvement to roads, such as driver education and enforcement. This was recognised in the provision of $150,000 of black spot funds for the purchase of additional breathalyser units. In fact, Mr Speaker, it needs to be remembered that this funding is only one part of the Commonwealth's 10-point road safety program. Other elements deal with issues such as the introduction of graduated licences, the use of bicycle helmets, increased levels of random breath testing and adoption of the 0.05 blood alcohol level across Australia. This package demonstrates the wide range of issues which all impact on road safety.
The black spot program is of three years' duration and our works projects have been selected to reflect this. For example, four locations that have been the scene of fatal accidents in the past four years will be considered for black spot funding in later years. These include improvements to intersections - the Barton Highway and Gold Creek Road, the Monaro Highway and Mugga Lane, and Ainslie Avenue and Doonkuna Street - and the Tuggeranong Parkway between Sulwood Drive and Hindmarsh Drive. Two other locations that have been the scene of fatal accidents have already been upgraded or will be upgraded this year as part of my department's capital works program. These include Athllon Drive and Marconi Circuit. Both locations were referred to in today's article in the Canberra Times.
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