Queensland citizens draws to the attention of the House the dangerous design for Yeppoon Road Intersection Upgrade with Dairy Inn and Artillery Roads. The design is complex, confusing and dangerous to all road users. The Department of Transport and Main Road’s announced priority to have the free flow of highway traffic uninterrupted at 100 km/hr will have the opposite effect because of this design. Insufficient consideration has been given to the large volume of through traffic between Artillery and Dairy Inn Roads, which acts as a thoroughfare for communities, heavy vehicles, primary producers and tourists. The middle island design forces some vehicles to travel an additional 600 metres and 830 metres further on Yeppoon Road before they ‘park’ in the island/u-turn, banked up by others behind them, before proceeding from a stop position back into two lanes of 100 km/hr traffic, when they find a gap to enter. Emergency services would be delayed. All cross-over traffic would be at risk at various locations.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to do all in its power to ensure the current design is discarded and ensure the construction of either an over/underpass at this intersection or alternatively a roundabout. This would simplify the heavy traffic movement; provide maximum safety; prevent backtracking hundreds of metres; prevent multiple ‘banking’ of vehicles; and prevent merging into 100 km/hr traffic from a stop position. Community consultation is required to address the glaring deficiencies.