Upgrade for THE BRUCE highway ... should act now.

JayDee · Guru

Upgrade for THE BRUCE highway ... should act now.

tiger5 · Senior Member

I agree with JayDee. Now that the pacific is just about complete the state & feds should continue to up grade the Bruce form Gympie all the way to Cairns as it is part of our National Hwy. 1

Gundog · Guru

JayDee wrote:
The following is an extract from the latest Grey Nomad newsletter.
The Bruce Highway claims another unfortunate victim.
This road is in need of an urgent upgrade.
And the Government will never get a greater opportunity to fund the same.
Interest is so low, they should be borrowing to the Max. This in turn will generate more employment and therefore improve the State economy.
Not to mention of course the lives it will save.

Jay&Dee

Most grey nomads are hopeful that the worst of Covid-19 pandemic will be over by the end of the year but few are as optimistic about the scourge of road accident deaths.
2021 has already had a tragic start with three separate fatal crashes involving caravans. On Wednesday, a man was killed after his 4WD towing a caravan crashed into a tree after coming off the Bruce Highway in Queensland.

Sorry JayDee but I find your remarks a little disconcerning, you blame a road for the fatality, I am yet to read any reasons for the accident.

I have no major complaints about the Bruce Highway, as long as you drive to the conditions and follow the speed limits, but for every one driver who follows the rules there are 5 who dont, I would suggest a majority of accidents along the Bruce Highway would be a result of speeding, between Mackay and Proserpine last thursday afternoon in the space of an hour I had eight vehicles overtake me and dissappear out of sight in next to no time and I was travelling at the speed limit.

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

Hi JayDee,
As a North Qlder I share your concern as we have lost a lot of people around Townsville in the past 12 months. Some were quite innocent being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some were passengers in cars being driven by friends who were driving under the influence of drugs, fatigued.

BUT my experience shows there are too many people in too much of a hurry, being totally inconsiderate to fellow travellers. Some drivers of cars take risks in overtaking trucks, caravans then see that someone is coming head on so they cut in - I feel sorry for the truckies as they have to make allowances for these idiots!

They could spend billions upgrading the highway but they won't stop the accidents - better & more exposed policing is one answer. More overtaking lanes is another & while these are being done here in the north, we lack the number of these lanes that Sthn Qld has. A better road only enables drivers to go faster!

Dougwe · Chief one feather

I agree Warren. Way too many people driving too fast and dangerously. Some just don't think or care.

Me personally. I don't find the Bruce all that bad as drive to conditions and never do the 110kmh limit in many places. In fact, I like to see the sign saying 100kmh ahead. I usually sit on around 93kmh as I feel safe and it shows up better on Tacho.

Keep Safe in the roads and out there.

Greg 1 · Guru

Having travelled the Bruce Hwy from beginning to end not long before Covid, personally I didn't think it too bad at all. But if you asked me why then accidents were occurring I would have to say that this particular highway, like our coastal road north of Perth, is infested with some of the largest numbers of complete Muppet drivers I have ever experienced. Passing on blind crest, double white lines, where there is insufficient room and travelling at well over the speed limit. And that was just the first ten ks. The shear stupidity was breathtaking and that wasn't just limited to cars on their own.

Nevd · Senior Member

I'd be happy if they just put an overtaking lane in every 5km. It would at least be a step in the right direction. One state MP was trumpeting last year how he'd gotten a new overtaking lane put in south of Bowen. So that makes two in 60km for thousands of vehicles using the road every day. Sure there are quite a few pieces of straight road, but there's almost always traffic coming at you.

Also I can't understand the lack of logic or foresight. Cases in point -

Gladstone turnoff (south) to Calliope has just been upgraded. !5 km of mostly curves & hills. Took about 2 years. Not one new overtaking lane on a very busy piece of road.

New Tiaro bypass in the next couple of years. Only about 40 km from where the dual lane Gympie bypass will end. (2 lanes each way to Brisbane). Local MP wanted two lanes each way so it's logical to join the next stage (Curra to Tiaro) when it happens. Was told no by the state government. Not to worry - probably won't happen in my lifetime. Still waiting for the Gympie bypass. Took over an hour to get through last time because of a minor accident.

-- Edited by Nevd on Sunday 24th of January 2021 06:16:23 PM

JayDee · Guru

All I was referring to in my original post was the fact that the Bruce is in urgent need of having $$$ spent on the same to reduce the future accident rate.

It is a pleasure to drive from The Gold Coast to Gympie on the dual motorway. ( Well after you get past the car park on the highway around Brisbane during peak hours.)

What a great benefit it would be for all concerned if the dual road was say to Rocky.

Jay&Dee

Bruce Highway

Bruce Highway is one of the world's most dangerous highways. Located in Queensland, Australia, the road is 1.652km (1,027mi) long. The most dangerous elements for road are illegal and dangerous overtaking, and the road's length. It's one of the Australian longest roads.

Bruce Highway, the 'Highway of Shame' with 761 crashes over ...

Here is another example.

https://www.dangerousroads.org/australia-and-oceania/australia/5247-bruce-highway.html