The NSW Government have released the findings of a massive safety report into the Kings Highway today, reports ABC News.
The report recommends upgrades worth millions of dollars, which could be funded through the NSW black spots program.
Member for Monaro John Barilaro says road surfaces will be upgraded as well as improvements to signage and safety barriers.
He says they will also look at current speed limits and initiatives to address driver fatigue.
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Every Thursday afternoon, we package up the most-read and trending RiotACT stories of the past seven days and deliver straight to your inbox..“The report recommends that 100km per hour speed limits on either side of Braidwood, where recent fatalities took place, be reduced to 80km per hour,” he said.
“It’s hoped this will occur by the middle of the year.”
38 people have died on Kings Highway since 2000, so it’s nice to see the road being looked at. Nobody likes going slower, particularly on a highway, but if it works it’ll be worth it right?
What do you think Rioters?

What’s Your opinion?
NSW government wants to slow down Kings Highway [with poll]
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hotwaterservice said :
Are you at odds with yourself here? You say slower drivers are dangerous & then everybody must be responsible for their actions?
If a driver is not confident on a country road it is better for them to go slower, that is being responsible for their actions.
If someone else wants to go faster, then it is their responsibility to give the slower driver space and overtake when they can. If that is 100km then so be it. If there is a congo line, then you have to wait your turn.
Its a fact of life.
What we should not see is what we see regularly & that is impatient people who cannot control themselves passing on blind corners in areas where there is not enough room.
Dont worry, it annoys me when someone does 80, then 95, then 80 & then 100 in an overtaking lane. the difference is, I will sit and wait until it is safe to pass.
Annoying it is, dangerous it is not.
KB1971 said :
KB1971 said :
bundah said :
That’s actually the plan – the 80 zone is recommended as a temporary measure. From the report:
Lower the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h
either side of Braidwood for the full length of both
avenues of trees (2.8 km east of the existing
60 km/h zone and approximately 1.5 km on the
Canberra side of Braidwood. This can be a
temporary treatment until a suitable strategy can
be implemented to provide a wider clear zone.
Having travelled that stretch of road somewhere around 500 times in 38 years i would suggest the following:
The stretch approaching Braidwood from the Bungendore end after the overtaking lanes should remain 100 km/h however due to the convex nature of that stretch which limits visibility double yellow lines should be installed.
As for the stretch coming into Braidwood from the coast side my view is that that should remain unchanged.If the council is so concerned about drivers losing control and running into the poplars well let go of the romanticism and remove them.
EvanJames said :
Nope.
caf said :
Looking at the link, I think education and information applies more to information being supplied, it doesn’t seem to suggest any actual skills development or testing.
For all the dialect regarding driver’s, roads, government fault and so forth, think about the TV series “IRT: Deadliest Roads.”On the most dangerous roads of the world there are no speed limits, no safety barriers, no speed cameras or even tar surface. The drivers don’t take the same risks just to get somewhere on time. Maybe we can take lessons from those that may be considered some of our worst culprits on the roads? A little personal responsibility can go an awful long way – as can a nagging wife in the passenger seat.
Pork Hunt said :
Hmm the double-edged sword of red wine.I seem to recall,although it’s somewhat hazy due to some other drug of choice,that they were keen but a bit like the VFT needed the gubmint to help out. Ah well seemed like a good idea at the time.The 22nd century is looking good!
bundah said :
I don’t. Red wine has fried my brain to the point I can barely walk and chew gum at the same time.
That would be quite an impressive undertaking considering the terrain east of Braidwood and the fact the road would have to go through the Deua National Park.
To borrow a phrase from Little Britain, “the computer says no”…
gazket said :
Really are a halfwit arnt you?
Who remembers the pipe dream from a private enterprise consortium(i think) to build a dual two lane tollway from Canberra to Moruya a couple of decades ago or so?
gazket said :
I think you have a blown gazket…
gazket said :
Hahaha, good one. You’re very clever!!
Juliar Gillard has just promised a 4 lane hwy with self guiding lanes to Batemans Bay.
thebrownstreak69 said :
Other than the box pointing into that labelled Education and information supporting road users, you mean?
c_c™ said :
That’s not recouping the capital cost at all – it’s based purely on a 5% internal rate of return for the capital. There simply aren’t that many cars using the road.
Consider the Westlink M7, which is considerably shorter and has more than 50 times the traffic – it still has to charge a $7.16 toll.
thebrownstreak69 said :
A good point. Surely the wider crash data collected points to driver skill being an issue?
thebrownstreak69 said :
I dont think driver skill is within the control of the safety review. Its a bit of a cop out anyway – ‘the road will be safer if drivers are better’. Of course it will; but even drivers with 18 months of drivers education will still make mistakes.
As to the poplar removal, this debate (removal of trees along roads) has been going on for a long time in Europe – many many of their roads were surrounded by trees and you can read up on it if you wish by simply googling. The philosphy is based on the idea of “the right to error” ie the seriousness of an accident should not be exacerbated by the way road verges are configured (or, in other words, should not be exacerbated by a factor that is within the control of the authorities).
The cheapest, although not that cheap, method to prevent very serious accidents is a fence down the middle of the road, plus wider verges plus increased overtaking lanes (see: Tarago road). But it does require wider roads than currently exist.
It is true that the King’s Highway is much better than it used to be, much better than even 15 years ago. But Canberra is much bigger now and I suspect the road use is much greater. Indeed, as the road gets better more people use it.
The other option is to upgrade the Bungendore to Tarago section and Brown Mountain and spread the traffic around.
All that money to be spent on yet another motorway/rail line in sydney should be spent in regional areas…
caf said :
Interesting that the Safe System Approach diagram on page 10 refers to safer speeds, safer roads and safer vehicles but makes no mention of driver skill (beyond referring to drivers as ‘alert and compliant’).
caf said :
What on earth are you talking about?
What time period is the capital being recouped in your estimate?