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F3 Traffic Plan Needs Overhaul


F3 Traffic Plan Needs Overhaul

Author: NRMA MediaDate: 06 April 2010

The Roads and Traffic Authority's traffic management plan for dealing with incidents on the F3 freeway needs a major overhaul, NRMA Motoring & Services President Wendy Machin said today.

Ms Machin said the NRMA yesterday asked the NSW Government for a copy of the RTA's report into the F3 incident but had not received a response.

"In the absence of a report detailing what went so wrong on the F3, NRMA has instead focused on the overall F3 traffic management plan and we believe many improvements need to be made for it to function properly," Ms Machin said.

The NRMA's analysis of the F3 traffic management plan has found:

  • Two years after the $28 million plan was announced, it appears from the RTA's own website that five of the proposed cross-overs still have not been installed.
  • The cross-over located south of the crash site could have been used to divert northbound traffic onto the F3's southbound lanes. The two cross-overs just north of the crash could then have been used to re-divert traffic back on to northbound lanes. None of these three cross-overs are finished, according to the RTA's website.
  • Purpose-built sheds to store traffic cones and water supplies may be situated away from the cross-over sites, making it harder for contra-flow to be quickly put into place.
  • After the incident was contained, the priority should have shifted to managing its traffic impact. This does not appear to have happened and motorists paid the price.
  • Insufficient information was given to those motorists who were approaching the F3 or already caught in the congestion.

Ms Machin said the RTA's traffic management plan was also supposed to enable the RTA and State emergency services to quickly distribute bottled water to stranded motorists.

"Instead, NRMA patrols on the freeway encountered many distressed motorists and provided bottled water of their own accord," Ms Machin said.

"The NRMA has previously offered our services to the Government as a back-up during emergency incidents on the F3. We can deploy our patrols and our vehicles to provide food and water and to assist the elderly and those in need of safe passage to toilets."

The NRMA understands that the RTA has the power under the Transport Administration Act to direct all other agencies but since the Olympics these powers have not been used.

"Protocols were put in place during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games to manage the relationships between the RTA and the emergency services and we believe further consideration should be given to using such protocols," Ms Machin said.

"The NRMA will ask to be part of the independent investigation team announced today by the NSW Premier. We will also recommend the team include the former General Manager of the Transport Management Centre who was responsible during the Olympics.

"Motorists should not have to tolerate major closures in Sydney of more than a few hours. Just what will it take to make sure traffic keeps flowing on our motorways?"

View the RTA's F3 Traffic management plan

F3 CROSS-OVER POINTS

 

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