City of Launceston Alderman Robin McKendrick will push for Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding and the general manager of state roads to hold an urgent meeting with council to discuss the “disastrous” Newnham and Mowbray link connectors.
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Alderman McKendrick said both intersections had been the location of several serious crashes, and had the potential to be fatal.
“If you look at what the statistics say for Wellington Street, I look at Elphin Road, I look at the Southern Outlet, I look at those areas, those statistics are nowhere near the statistics that we’re getting for this section of the highway,” he said.
“It needs to be urgent.”
The motion comes after an 18-year-old man was left in a critical condition after a four-car collision at the intersection of the Newnham link and the East Tamar Highway on April 29.
The man had been turning right from the Newnham link at the time of the crash.
Alderman McKendrick’s notice of motion cites statistics showing that 23 crashes occurred on the two link connectors in the 10 years to 2014, with 27 instances of property damage.
Three of the crashes were listed as serious, 15 as minor and five as requiring first aid.
Alderman McKendrick said he believed roundabouts should be installed at the link sites.
Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said the two intersections were unsafe, particularly under inclement conditions.
“It is dangerous, especially when there's fog and bad weather because it’s difficult to see, and cars are coming along here at an extremely fast pace,” he said.
“I think we need to have a good discussion to see what the alternatives are, one of those may be a roundabout, it may be just slowing the traffic down.”
Mayor van Zetten said some work was done on the intersection in 2013 after the council made an urgent request to the state government, but said more needed to be done.
The motion has been submitted, and will be discussed at the City of Launceston council meeting on May 23.