Level Crossings Upgrade
Page: 4584
Mr PRICE: Mr Speaker-
\Mr-SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Maitland is attempting to ask a question. Members should behave in such a way that everyone in the House is able to hear the question. If the Leader of the Opposition continues his present behaviour, the House will not be able to follow the normal procedure. I ask him to show some leadership in terms of decorum.
Mr PRICE: My question without notice is to the Minister for Roads. What is the latest information on level crossing upgrades across the State?
Mr SCULLY: The question by the honourable member for Maitland shows his considerable interest in level crossings. In January last year five young men were killed at a level crossing at Gerogery. That was a particularly tragic accident. I again take this opportunity to thank the honourable member for Wagga Wagga for his constructive and bipartisan role following that incident. He deserves all the credit due to him for his support to the victim's families and for his work in the community to upgrade level crossings. In March last year the Government announced a doubling of funding for level crossing upgrades to the tune of $12 million over three years. The level crossing strategy committee has been particularly active under the chair of the Director-General of the Department of Transport, working with all the relevant agencies-police, the Roads and Traffic Authority [RTA], rail operators and local government.
I am pleased to advise the House today that there has been considerable progress in upgrading and improving level crossing across New South Wales. The Rail Infrastructure Corporation [RIC] has given me some information about the improvements in the numbers of fatalities, injuries and accidents. From 1990 to 1995 there were on average five fatalities per year at level crossings, 24 injuries and 33 collisions. Over the seven years from 1995 to July 2002 fatalities have fallen to approximately three, injuries nine and collisions 17. In the past financial year alone, the first full year of increased funding, those numbers fell to two fatalities, eight injuries and 14 collisions.
One fatality is one too many anywhere on our road and rail network and one fatality is one too many at any level crossing. I do not know how many honourable members realise how many level crossings we have in New South Wales. We have approximately 3,800 level crossings. That is a reflection of our history, starting with horse-drawn carts and steam trains. The difficulty is that communities continue to expect to have access across railway lines. We have moved from an age of steam trains and horse-drawn carts to XPTs and trains that travel up to 160 kilometres an hour. People travel at reasonably high speeds in motor vehicles with air-conditioning and stereos operating, and it is often difficult to see or hear and from time to time there are tragic consequences.
The only way to completely eliminate it is often impractical. That is, to close the level crossings completely from access. Over the past 12 months we have done that at 258 level crossings. They have been taken out of the equation. That cannot be done on anywhere near the number that require it. We have introduced a sophisticated computerised assessment process to look at the risk profile of each site and determine what its priority is for funding to make the site safer. In 2001-02, 31 upgrades occurred at level crossings. Examples are the Buninyong Road crossing and the Eulomogo Road crossing in Dubbo, the Orange Road crossing near Spring Hill, the McKay Street crossing in Macksville and the Angus Avenue crossing in Kandos. This year we are increasing the number. There were 31 last year and that will be increased to at least 48 crossings. This will occur at places like Old Bangalow Road and Bayshore Drive near Byron Bay and at crossings on Upper Burringbar Road, Young Road in Bribbaree, Portland Avenue, Marulan and Public Road, Henty.
That is in addition to the Gerogery upgrade that the Government has announced. Most of the funding for these rail crossings comes out of the rail budget but the RTA is increasingly taking a hands-on approach. The Gerogery money, which is in the order of about $10 million for a grade-separated intersection, will be coming out of the roads budget. There will also be a grade separation at Metford Road, Metford, of which I know the honourable member for Maitland has been a keen supporter. The honourable member for Dubbo and his community will be pleased that for the Fitzroy Street crossing additional funding is coming out of the Rail Infrastructure Corporation. The community at Geurie put a strong case and it is getting some lights and boom gates.
Our upgrade program is generating both community support and sensible solutions for high-risk sites. For example, Fountaindale Road, Robertson, an area prone to fog, had a level crossing in a cutting, around a bend and through a forest. It was very difficult to see. The line is used by heavily laden freight trains that are difficult to stop at short notice. Last year we spent $428,000 installing bells, lights and boom gates. I am advised that while the work was going on at the site motorists stopped their cars, got out and personally thanked the Rail Infrastructure Corporation staff and council staff for the work they were doing to make their community safer. The staff on site really appreciated that community feedback. I thank Wingecarribee Shire Council for what it provided in complementary roadworks and assisting RIC crews to do that work. More work always needs to be done on these things.
Mr Hazzard: It will take 60 years to cover 3,800 of them.
Mr SCULLY: I am happy to go to the bush with the honourable member for Wakehurst in about seven months time. I am happy to show him some of these sites.
[Interruption]
As well as the honourable member for Wagga Wagga, other members on his side of the House have been supportive and co-operative. I suggest the honourable member for Wakehurst refrain from making the sort of inane comments he has just made. This inane idiot opposite thinks that a site like Gerogery has the same status as any of the 3,800 sites. All of us other than the honourable member for Wakehurst who have an interest in this issue would realise that drivers have to take extra special care. I have witnessed some silly acts by drivers who, seeing a train is coming, take the risk of jumping over a level crossing. More often than not they make it, but I have asked the RTA to commence an increased awareness program so that motorists will take that extra special care near level crossings.
There is a role here for the Federal Government. We are making a difference but colleagues may not be aware that $111 million is parked in a Federal Treasury bank account earmarked for New South Wales railway upgrades. It is just sitting there. I propose to write to the Federal Minister for Transport. I will be seeing him in about two weeks on a number of matters. I will be putting to him that those funds should be used for interstate track level crossings and certainly should be used where the national highway intersects with rail tracks at level crossings. There are 13 crossings where the national highway intersects with our rail track.
There are about 350 level crossings on the interstate track. Not even all that money would fix it and I do not think that the Federal Government would propose that all of it is earmarked for level crossings, but the Federal Government cannot park all that money in an account earmarked for rail expenditure and not put in its contribution. I will be telling the Federal Minister that the Federal Government has a role to play. We are doing what we can, and local government is working with us. To some extent, I have bipartisan support on this issue, but more work needs to be done and there is a role for the Federal Government to commit some of those funds for level crossing upgrades.