ROAD SAFETY AUDIT — INDIAN OCEAN DRIVE
373. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the recent road safety
audit undertaken on the Indian Ocean Drive–Cervantes Road intersection
and correspondence I received from the minister today confirming that the audit
recommended safety improvements. Will the minister keep motorists safe by
agreeing to lower the speed limit while we wait for these upgrades to be
commenced, as has been implemented in similar cases recently in Narrikup and
Capel?
Ms R.
SAFFIOTI replied:
I thank the member for that
question.
Of
course, road safety is a key priority of this government. That is why we
approached the former federal government and asked for a partnership in
delivering road safety improvements across the state. So far, we have spent
over $450 million on road safety improvements across the state, with the safety
of over 9 000 kilometres of road having been improved through widening
shoulders and installing audible edge lining and audible centre-lines.
I refer to Indian Ocean Drive. Since
coming to government, we have undertaken an initial audit and spent tens of
millions of dollars on improving safety on Indian Ocean Drive, and we will
continue to work to improve safety along that area. I refer to speed limits.
This is obviously a very contentious issue across the state. We often have
communities calling for reduced speed limits. More recently, we have acted in
both the great southern region and, of course, the south west to reduce speed
limits in areas that have been identified as having safety issues. In relation
to the area that the member is talking about, I will have a look at that issue,
but it is a continuing task. I and the Minister for Road Safety are working
together to do what we can to reduce deaths and serious injury across the state. I think that if the member looks at the
expenditure and the effort being made by the Road Safety Commission, no
government in the state's history has done more or spent more on road
safety in Western Australia than this government.
The SPEAKER: Members, that
concludes question time.