The release of a new road safety rating system has confirmed what many locals in the Alpine Shire may have already feared.
The Victorian government has released the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) road safety star ratings, which provide an evidence-based assessment on the health of the state’s road network.
AusRAP is a globally recognised risk-rating system designed by the International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) and its ratings show where the risk of fatal or serious injury is greatest across the road network, with five being the safest and zero the riskiest.
Alarmingly, key roads in the Alpine Shire never exceeded 2.5 stars, with some as low as one star.
The entire Great Alpine Road received a below two-star rating, with the road at its least safe from Bright to Bairnsdale.
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In the 76.4km stretch of the road from Wangaratta to Bright, the road was rated at 2.4 stars, which carries approximately 101.1 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year.
Other roads like Happy Valley Road (1.6 Stars), Kiewa Valley Highway (2.5 Stars), Myrtleford-Yackandandah Road (1.7 Stars), Buffalo River Road (1.6 Stars), Mount Buffalo Road (1 Star) and Bogong High Plains Road (1.2 Stars) received ratings in red.
Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy said the ratings confirmed what the community had been saying for years.
“With the Great Alpine Road sitting at just 1.8 stars, it is not a matter of if, but when another tragedy will occur," he said.
"Country people should not be treated as second-class citizens when it comes to road safety.
“The state government cannot ignore figures like this, one and two-star roads are death traps.
“When families in the Ovens Valley get behind the wheel, they deserve to know they are safe.
“These ratings are a wake-up call, the government must look at the data and act before more lives are lost on our roads.”
Ratings are calculated using a range of risk factors and information, such as: average daily traffic; speed limit; number of lanes in each direction; lane width; shoulder width; presence or absence of roadside barriers and audio tactile line markings (rumble strips); gradient and curvature; quality of line-markings; skid resistance; and provisions for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.
This information can be overlaid with crash data to understand how infrastructure contributes to crashes and crash outcomes, enabling road authorities to identify potential road works that will reduce risk of crashes and prioritise corrective investment.
For each improvement in the star rating, the risk of fatal or serious injury is roughly halved.
RACV head of policy, James Williams, said the release of AusRAP ratings was an important step towards improving road safety and reducing the risk of serious injury and fatalities on Victorian roads.
RACV supports upgrading all major roads to a minimum three-star AusRAP safety rating, with all new roads designed and built to at least four stars.
“If we can lift the safety rating of our road network, we can make a real difference to the number and severity of crashes,” Mr Williams said.
“While improved driver behaviour and vehicle safety technologies are crucial, we will not reach our Towards Zero targets without investing in safer roads.”
Coinciding with the release of the ratings was the Victorian government launch of a $976 million road maintenance blitz, the largest single-year investment in road maintenance in the state’s history.
The blitz will target the state’s busiest travel and trade routes and key regional Victorian roads, including the Hume Freeway.
Mr McCurdy said it was time to see results.
“People in regional Victoria are tired of spin; they want less talk and more action to make our roads safer," he said.
To view your local road's rating visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/98420a25d82542f1b2a9922925972c28?item=1.
Alpine Shire roads 2.5 stars and below
Great Alpine Road - Wangaratta to Bright: 2.4 Stars
On this 76.1km link which carries approximately 101.1 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year, roughly 24.1% of travel occurs on road rated 3-Star or better.
There have been 52 fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes on this link in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
Great Alpine Road - Bright to Omeo: 1.8 Stars
On this 106.4km link which carries approximately 19.7 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year, roughly 29.4% of travel occurs on road rated 3-Star or better.
There have been 48 fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes on this link in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
Happy Valley Road: 1.6 Stars
On this 23.4km link which carries approximately 8.2 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year, there have been six fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
Kiewa Valley Highway: 2.5 Stars
On this 78.5km link which carries approximately 56 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year, roughly 25.5% of travel occurs on road rated 3-Star or better.
There have been 38 fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes on this link in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
Myrtleford-Yackandandah Road: 1.7 Stars
On this 38.0km link which carries approximately 27.6 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year, roughly 13.2% of travel occurs on road rated 3-Star or better.
There have been 18 fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes on this link in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
Buffalo River Road: 1.6 Stars
On this 21.4km link which carries approximately 17.2 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year, roughly 5.1% of travel occurs on road rated 3-Star or better.
There have been 10 fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes on this link in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
Mount Buffalo Road: 1 Star
On this 33.6km link which carries approximately 9.8 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year, roughly 0.6% of travel occurs on road rated 3-Star or better.
There have been 14 fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes on this link in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
Bogong High Plains Road: 1.2 Stars
On this 30.5km link which carries approximately 6.8 million vehicle kilometres of travel per year, roughly 6.6% of travel occurs on road rated 3-Star or better.
There have been 12 fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes on this link in the five years between 2019 and 2023.
