F3 Debacle

With the huge outcry over the debacle on the F3 last Monday night it seems that there could be little more to say.  The incident was blamed on an accident between a truck and a petrol tanker but the reality is the issue is really about the RTA response to that accident.  The incident left thousands of people stranded for hours in gridlock and was not just a major system failure; it was an indication of the contempt, arrogance and incompetence of the Roads and Traffic Authority in dealing with people. 

The accident that caused the problem needed to be dealt with in the most appropriate way by the emergency services however the management of the resulting problems also needed to be considered equally as seriously.  The risk of another medical emergency amongst people including many families was high, and I consider it only good luck that such an event didn’t occur.  It certainly wasn’t thanks to any action by the RTA! 

The standing aside of RTA CEO Michael Bushby is only part of the appropriate response and is no doubt in part an attempt to apportion blame neatly to one person.  The reality is that in this instance the Minister does share blame but steadfastly refuses to acknowledge it.  It is a farce for the Minister and the Premier to distance themselves from responsibility by stating that it would have been inappropriate to intervene in RTA operational matters.  Just when would interference be warranted? How many hours? How much distress or how many people? 

The reality is that Ministers and the Premier frequently involve themselves in operational matters and an example of being able to act quickly occurred only hours before when the Premier directed the Health Department to investigate claims of a cancer cluster in the Upper Hunter.  What were they thinking? Why when it came to the F3 was the Minister not on the phone to Mr Bushby ensuring that he was getting regular situation reports and stressing the urgency of implementing the contra-flow system? 

Residents of the Central Coast and Hunter or others needing to travel this road are rightly furious with the Government.  The impact on business in dollar terms would be huge but nobody should discount the value of the time lost to commuters returning home or other travellers needing to get somewhere as well.  

Ken Moroney has been appointed to head an inquiry into what occurred. I don’t know where he lives but I think it would be preferable if whoever was carrying out the inquiry regularly needed to commute on the F3. 

One outcome that must come from the inquiry is a change in culture of the RTA.  They are notorious for being difficult to deal with and even members of Parliament report that they are treated with disdain.  I feel a certain irony in that only two months ago in a speech to parliament I specifically referenced the contra-flow system and said “I compliment the Roads and Traffic Authority on its implementation of that strategy.”  I sure got that wrong!

F3 Freeway

I was "bumped" from being able to make a Private Member's Statement on the last day of Parliament sitting - a few of us missed out due to the quaint, if not disingenuous custom of Christmas Felicitations. This is where a few from Government and Opposition make kind comments about each other and staff of the Parliament - that part I agree with, member's staff and staff of the Parliament are generally very good.

Anyhow, below is the speech I was going to make.

The 127-kilometre long F3 Freeway is one of the most important components of the eastern seaboard road network. The Lake Macquarie electorate has the greatest share of this road, with 59 kilometres either within or forming part of its boundary. It is one of the two most important roads in the electorate - the other being main road 217, which I have raised in this House on numerous occasions and for which I still seek urgent improvements.

The F3 typically carries over 80,000 vehicles daily with this exceeding 100,000 on weekends and holidays. It provides Sydney’s main connection to Queensland and the New England area.

On 27 February last year I spoke in this house about unsatisfactory hold-ups caused by traffic incidents on the F3, probably the worst of which was a seven hour delay caused by a truck crash and resulting fire. Incidents such as these may be beyond the RTA’s control, but the response to them isn’t. At that time I mentioned the importance of diverting traffic onto at least one lane of the opposite carriageway.

It was a great relief for many Lake Macquarie Residents when the F3 Emergency Traffic Management Plan of March last year included numerous contra-flow crossovers to allow the bypassing of accident scenes. According to the RTA’s website, fifteen crossovers are now available for use and others will be introduced progressively.

The completion of roadwork to widen a 12.5 km section of the F3 between Mt Colah and Cowan to six lanes has also been well received. This section is of great importance in meeting the combined needs of the Central Coast and the Lower Hunter. As a regular user of this road, I can attest to the quality of the construction. The project was a long time in the delivery, but it appears to be an excellent piece of engineering.

The wet weather speed zone between Mooney Mooney and Mt White, however, remains a significant discrepancy between the planned and actual quality of road. I don’t question the data showing this as a problem area, but I believe that there should be an engineering solution that will deliver the standard of road originally planned. I acknowledge, however, that it would be unfair to blame the road for the actions of drivers and that the driving behaviour of many motorists leaves a great deal to be desired. I can’t speak for all roads but it is my guess that some of the silliest and most dangerous driving in the state can regularly be observed on the F3 – this is something that needs to be addressed through a greater visible presence of Highway Patrol vehicles on the road.

The recent improvements in southern sections of the F3 now bring into sharp focus the need to improve capacity and travel times to the north and northwest of the end of the F3, particularly via the proposed Hunter Expressway. Residents of Lake Macquarie have often expressed their concerns for this project and I support their views that it should be expedited. The 40 km link from Seahampton to Branxton will greatly reduce travel times from Newcastle and Lake Macquarie to the Upper Hunter and New England. A joint media release by the Federal Member for Hunter and the Minister for Roads pointed to a tender being selected this year for a first stage of the project, with the second stage to be confirmed in 2010. People throughout the region are waiting for signs of progress.

Concerns have also been raised over the capacity of Lower Hunter roads to cope with increased traffic volumes related to the Hunter Expressway and these concerns need to be addressed.

There is also another significant step that needs to be taken to improve traffic on the F3 and that is to reduce the number of commuters choosing road in preference to rail. I spoke in this House last week about the inadequacy of existing rail services, particularly journey times. If the improvements in road travel times were at all paralleled by improvements in rail journey times there would be an entirely different level of patronage of rail services. In an era where we are increasingly conscious of the finite nature of our traditional energy sources more resources need to be allocated to public transport.

The RTA is not perfect and is frequently criticised by politicians and by the public but it should be acknowledged that the vast majority of their projects are completed to a very high standard and the recent improvements to the F3 are an example of this.