Pedestrians must give way

The roundabout at the corner of Guy and Fitzroy Streets near the Courthouse.

By Jeremy Sollars

New ‘speed humps’ at a number of intersections in Warwick are said to be causing confusion for both motorists and pedestrians.

The Southern Downs Regional Council has moved to clarify that the new measures are not formal pedestrian crossings and are in place to slow vehicles down and “improve the reaction time” of drivers.

The council has said pedestrians must give way to vehicles but has stopped short of saying it will install signage to reinforce that rule.

“Five raised medians – ‘speed humps’ – were recently installed on streets in Warwick’s CBD,” a council spokeswoman told the Free Times.

“Four were constructed at the intersection of Guy and Grafton Streets, while one was installed in Guy St near the intersection with Fitzroy Street, with $76,780 allocated to the works from the Federal Government’s Black Spot Program.

“Black Spot projects target those road locations where crashes are occurring.

“By funding measures such as traffic signals and roundabouts at dangerous locations, the program reduces the risk of crashes.

“The raised medians are intended to slow down traffic which significantly improves the reaction time of drivers and as a result reduces the rate of accidents and the severity of injuries incurred as a result of traffic incidences.

“The project qualified for Black Spot funding as there were previously three traffic accidents resulting in hospitalisation at these locations and one traffic incident resulting in a fatality, highlighting a need to improve road safety in these areas.

“The crossings have been installed to enhance the pre-existing physical pedestrian facilities by addition of pedestrian refuges, coloured asphalt, traffic calming (road hump) and associated line markings and signage.

“These measures are designed to reduce the entry speed of vehicles to crossings which naturally creates more reaction time to motorists should a pedestrian enter the crossing without caution.

“The measures greatly improve local road safety for both motorists and pedestrians and have produced a positive outcome for the community.”