Queenslanders will be able to turn left on a red light at up to 50 more intersections across Brisbane by July next year, with council moving ahead with plans to expand its trial of the congestion-busting road rule.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk yesterday announced about $1.1 million would be spent over the next 12 months on the initiative after a trial at five intersections this year found it shaved an average of up to 30 seconds off waiting times.
“This improvement hasn’t come at the cost of road safety and to date the Queensland Police Service has not reported any incidents due to the introduction of this project,” he said.
The 50 intersections to be included in the expansion have yet to be revealed.
“We have done a desktop study at this stage only around those intersections,” Cr Quirk said as the Brisbane City Council budget was brought down yesterday.
“We have to do more technical, detailed work to make sure that those left turn at reds will work.”
RACQ safety spokesman Steve Spalding warned that the council must ensure it selected the right sites and ran an education and awareness campaign so drivers were not caught out.
“To some extent the jury is still out on just how effective or safe left turn on red intersections are,” he said.
Mr Spalding said use of the road rule was being rolled back in other states rather than expanded.
Cr Quirk said a customer feedback survey conducted at the trial sites found that 95 per cent of residents understood how the initiative worked and 85 per cent wanted the trial expanded.
He said peak hours delays were reduced by 20 to 30 seconds during a trial of left turn on red at the intersection of Hellawell Road into Gowan Road, Sunnybank Hills and by about 15 seconds at the intersection of Bowen Street and Lutwyche Road, Windsor.
Anyone outside of Queensland should still always abide by the traffic lights.
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