SIR, – As Horsham Community and Police Consultative Committee chair I fully support your editorial, September 15, 2021, drawing attention to the ‘ever-present danger we face on our roads’.
The dreadful crash on the Western Highway at the rest stop near Dadswells Bridge again focuses attention on the risk and road-safety concerns, especially of vehicles undertaking a right-hand turn from the through-traffic lane, especially on the highly trafficked and national Western Highway.
The HCPCC has previously drawn the attention of VicRoads, Regional Roads Victoria and Horsham Rural City Council to a similarly considerably dangerous location in Horsham on the Western Highway-Stawell Road between Osborne Road and Henty Highway. Here, where in a commercial-industrial zone, local traffic, including heavy vehicles, have to commit to a right-hand turn from the through-traffic lane with the risk of rear-end crashes as occurred at Dadswells Bridge.
This location has further risk factors with pedestrians and cyclists using the parking lane or road shoulder as their only alternative carriageway, no lighting and parked vehicles usually in the outer lanes.