PONY CLUB SAYS NEIGH TO HWY
Bruce Highway upgrade has horseriders worried about access
ANGRY Black River Pony Club members say a “ludicrous” design for a $100m Bruce Highway upgrade will have cars towing horse floats having to cross four lanes of 100km/h traffic to access their grounds.
But the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads says the design “can safely accommodate expected pony club traffic” and that suggestions for traffic lights will “significantly compromise capacity, travel time and freight efficiency”.
Pony club president Deanne Lawrence appealed to the Bulletin for support after the club, which has operated at the site for 45 years and last month hosted 140 horses and riders in a two-day event, was ignored in project planning.
“I am very disappointed by the Department of Transport Townsville region’s lack of awareness of our existence and that we have not been included in any consultation, safety and design plan or notified of any TMR Bruce Highway road developments,” Ms Lawrence said.
“We are a youth organisation with the largest equestrian club in Townsville. We also work closely with and host events for a number of equestrian clubs in the region.”
The club recently completed a $200,000 upgrade.
The highway design has just been released showing a new 5.2km separate southbound section of dual lane road between Veales Road and Pope Road.
For the club, it means cars towing horse floats up to 14m long have to negotiate highway U-turn facilities and cross four lanes of 100km/h traffic within a 100m section of highway to access the club.
After the plan was posted on Facebook, club members said it was “ludicrous”.
The carrying of horses in floats requires special care by drivers not to undertake sudden or erratic moves.
As well as traffic lights, the club also wants an underpass for horse riders to access both sides of the highway, and screened safety and sound barriers for the club’s grounds, which were previously protected by bushland and distance from the highway.
Ms Lawrence said she attended a meeting with department representatives last week and was fobbed off when she asked for the project’s safety and design report.
She believes no account has been taken of the club and its activities.
Queensland Transport and Main Roads was asked why there had been no consultation with the club and a spokesman said they had started meetings with “directly affected landholders” after securing federal funding approval this year and doing a business case in 2019.
On the club’s request for traffic lights at Black River Road, the spokesman said lights would mean the approaches would need to have speed limits reduced to 80km/h.
“Traffic signals would also significantly compromise the capacity, travel time and freight efficiency objectives which the project aims to achieve, without providing significant safety benefits,” the spokesman said.
“The use of traffic lights at the Black River Road intersection also increases the chances of risk-taking behaviours, when light vehicles may accelerate to overtake slow-moving vehicles as the four-lane carriageway becomes two lanes.
“Traffic signals also introduce new safety issues to the through movement, such as high-speed, rear end crashes.”
The spokesman said the project footprint had been designed to meet all current Australian standards, including heavy vehicles up to B-doubles, and could “safely accommodate expected pony club traffic”.
Work on the project is due to start mid next year.