Seeing red at Coast drivers
THE Gold Coast is home to the worst red light runners in Queensland, according to new data.
Motorists are committing more than 82 light camera offences each day statewide, racking up more than $5 million in fines annually.
The RACQ describes the data, to be released today, as “mind boggling” with three Coast intersections in the top 10 red light camera locations.
A camera at the intersection of Gold Coast Highway-Margaret Ave, Broadbeach, recorded the highest number of infringement notices in 2016, with 1644 tickets.
The second-worst location was Main St, at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane’s city heart, with 1214 infringement notices, followed by Kessels Rd, Macgregor, with 993.
Two other Coast locations in the top 10 were the Musgrave St-Coolangatta Rd junction (933 tickets) and the Smith St-Kumbari Ave intersection (844).
“Smith St is a notorious crash zone,” RACQ’s Lauren Ritchie said. “It’s heavily congested. What we are seeing here is a combination effect.
“That is 844 times that someone could have been killed or injured on that street. At Broadbeach, that’s a high traffic zone. It’s concerning that we’re seeing this conduct higher than anywhere else in the state.”
The Musgrave St-Coolangatta Rd intersection takes traffic either south to the Tweed or north past the Gold Coast Airport.
“Sometimes it’s the infrastructure at the intersection itself. It also comes down to congestion as well. People wait
a long time to get through the lights, they get frustrated and put the foot down,” Ms Ritchie said.
Coast motorists could provide input to the RACQ and its traffic experts would inspect the intersections and advocate for reforms, Ms Ritchie added.
“We’re keen to hear from our members about any intersections around the state so we can work with DTMR to make further improvements,” she said.
“Running a red light is simply inexcusable and can have serious consequences for all road users at an intersection.
“Too many motorists are choosing to run a yellow light to gain a few extra seconds, and with more than 150 lives already lost on Queensland roads this year, motorists need to change this behaviour.”