Main Roads launches 90km/h speed trial on deadly stretch of Albany Highway in Narrikup, but locals want more

A 90km/h speed limit trial has been introduced along a deadly stretch of Albany Highway in response to an impassioned road safety campaign by the Narrikup community. Four road deaths in the five years to December 2020 were recorded along the stretch of highway near the turn-off to the Narrikup townsite. More than 50 people gathered at the Narrikup Hall in October for a special electors’ meeting triggered by a petition for upgrades to the intersection of Albany Highway and Hannan Way, and safe access from the town centre to the sporting grounds. That meeting led to the formation of a working group, comprising Shire of Plantagenet representatives and community members, which requested Main Roads conduct a safety audit. In October, a Main Roads spokeswoman said the agency was aware of community concerns but there were other areas on the State’s road network that took priority. O’Connor MP Rick Wilson threw his support behind the working group earlier this year, arguing that evidence of serious crashes and near-misses showed the road should be considered an “extremely high priority”. An independent safety audit was completed by Edge Transport Solutions in March, a decade after the previous audit in 2012. The most urgent recommendation in the audit was the reduction of the speed limit to 90km/h from Spencer to Jackson roads. Last week, a 90km/h speed limit trial was launched along a 1.76km stretch of the highway through Narrikup. The trial will run for six months, according to a spokeswoman for Transport Minister Rita Saffioti. The spokeswoman said other safety improvements, including a slip lane at the turn-off to Narrikup, were still under investigation. Narrikup Road Safety Working Group member Jeff Schneider said he was pleased the Transport Minister had listened to their concerns. He said the 90km/h speed trial was a good start but he wanted work to continue on long-term engineering solutions. The 2022 safety audit also recommended that school bus stops be moved away from Albany Highway to a safer road, a change supported by the community. Main Roads this week indicated that the relocation of the bus bays would go ahead. “We’re also looking to get access to the cricket grounds from Narrikup itself,” Mr Schneider said. “At the moment, any kids looking to get to the cricket ground are obliged to ride their bikes along Albany Highway. I’d still like them to do the engineering works on long-term solutions like slip lanes or turning pockets. “If those solutions are in place, there’s probably no reason why the speed limit can’t go back to 100km/h.” Rather than calling for the creation of new slip lanes at Hannan Way, the audit recommended that Spencer Road become the main vehicle access point for the Narrikup townsite because it had left and right turning pockets. “Newman Road between Spencer Road and Hannan Way is a desirable route, which connects Spencer Road to the Narrikup townsite, however, as this road is currently unsealed and inaccessible during certain times of the year due to weather, this road would need to be upgraded to a sealed road incorporating drainage infrastructure,” it said. “While Spencer Road and Newman Road route may not be the most direct route for northbound traffic on Albany Highway travelling into Narrikup townsite, it is a comparatively safer intersection for both visitors of the townsite and any safety minded resident of the town.” In total, the audit made seven recommendations — including vegetation pruning and hazard marker installation — with Main Roads confirming this week it had agreed to work on all seven. Responding to the introduction of a 90km/h speed trial, Shadow transport minister Shane Love said the trial was a positive step but it ignored the underlying design flaws. He said engineering safety improvements were still badly needed and the State Government had “no excuse to penny-pinch” after another big State Budget surplus. “The Narrikup section has become infamous, with local residents and Albany Highway motorists aware of the danger posed by a section of road in dire need of upgrades,” Mr Love said.