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| Home | Collaborate | PHocus | |||||||||||||||||
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The only route serving the South Coast is the Princes Highway, there is no rail access South of Bomaderry, and for this reason alone it is essential that the route be of a standard that can give good serviceability to the communities along its length. The route is important for our residents, our visitors and tourists, many from overseas, and our businesses.
For this reason, PHocus was formed. It is a taskforce working together to expedite improvements of the Highway. It represents all the coastal councils, the NRMA Motoring and Services,Illawarra Business Chamber, representing Australia Business Limited, and the NSW Road Transport Association, whose members are involved in freight movements in the state. They are well aware of the importance of a free flowing and safe route for the economic development of the area, SEATS, the South East Australian Transport Strategy Inc., are also part of the taskforce. Their concerns are much broader than the Highway, and the wealth of knowledge of transport systems, their development and usage is vital to the group. The tourism industry is rapidly developing in our stunningly beautiful region, and in order to serve this development, it is essential that access to the region be on a suitable road for the volumes of traffic. This will involve commitment to more funding in a shorter time scale. It will involve improvements to different sections, provision of a divided four-lane highway beyond Nowra to the Jervis Bay turnoff, and ensuring all sections are upgraded to current standards, with provision for overtaking opportunities every 5kms, local rest areas and parking to allow for those whose journey is long. There are also specific areas of concern, such as the Pambula Bridge that is impassable in adverse conditions that on average occur every other year, leaving a community divided and no easy alternative for road users. Overall, the aim of the PHocus taskforce is to highlight these issues, and to lobby, with others, for the much needed immediate improvements of the Highway. The crashes have been appalling, and the reaction of some that driver error is the cause, not the state of the Highway, is still not a solution. A better constructed Highway will allow for some driver error. It is a fact that people make mistakes, on average one in 500 decisions made is a mistake. A good road infrastructure has the potential to minimise the results of driver error. The investment in the Princes Highway will have a significant effect on reducing crash potential. We are all working to this aim, and through our car sticker and postcard campaign, which was distributed throughout the region prior to the Easter break, and for which we thank numerous businesses and individuals for their support, and the vigorous campaign in the Mercury. These two parallel campaigns give the opportunity for everyone to express to politicians that we, either residents or visitors, implore them to work together to face this need, and address it immediately. We are also actively lobbying politicians to raise awareness of the concerns felt by all. The car stickers are available from all councils in the region. |
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