Goulburn intersection, Marulan and Southern Highlands score road safety funds

The Hume Street/Finlay Road intersection has received $527,977 under the Towards Zero Safer Roads Program. A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said this would allow planning in year one, with construction in the second year.

The Hume Highway at Marulan will also receive safety improvements to the tune of $561,678. This is additional to current resurfacing work. The may include safety barriers, 'rumble strips,' which send noise and vibratory warnings if a driver drifts from their lane, and widened shoulders.

Goulburn Mulwaree Council deputy mayor Steve Ruddell, a driving instructor, said the money was welcome. The council has been lobbying for a roundabout at the Finlay Rd/Hume Street intersection for several years.

"It's a particular area of concern with a high accident rate. This will be well received and from my perspective, it can't happen soon enough."

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Cr Ruddell said the presence of car yards and other businesses along Hume Street had increased traffic.

Elsewhere in the Goulburn electorate, the Illawarra Highway between Sutton Forest and and the Hume Highway has received $190,970 for safety improvements. In Moss Vale the Waite Street/Argyle Street intersection has scored $348,240 for a safety upgrade.

Roads and regional transport minister, Jenny Aitchison announced the funding at the Kirby Rest Area, off the Federal Highway near Goulburn on Thursday.

The money is part of a $41 million kitty to improve road safety across the state. The Towards Zero Roads program has prioritised 27 new projects and continued 11, commenced under the previous government.

"Regional drivers make up one-third of our road users, yet nearly 70 percent of fatalities occur on country roads," Ms Aitchison said.

"In our country towns everyone knows everyone - any death or serious injury echoes through the entire community. They are not just numbers, they are people we know and love.

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"Road safety infrastructure, such as wide centre lines are estimated to reduce head-on crashes by 50 per cent and run-off road crashes by up to 25 per cent. Additionally, safety barriers can reduce the severity of a crash by up to 95 per cent, minimising the chances of a death or a serious injury."

The Minister said the 27 new projects were decided by her government, based on a Centre for Road Safety expert committee's recommendations.

She said in future she wanted all road managers, including councils, to put forward upgrade proposals but successful projects would be based on evidence, such as crash data.

On Thursday, Regional Cities NSW called for better planning on the local road network to free up "freight choke points."

Chair, Cr Matthew Dickerson said regional freight was forecast to grow from 255 million to 286 million tonnes in the next five years. RCNSW is undertaking a business case to demonstrate the significance of local road freight choke points and identify viable solutions to such constraints.

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Ms Aitchison said she shared these concerns and understood the pressure on councils when trucks were diverted through townships. She told journalists she'd await the business case but the state government wanted a "strategic direction for freight corridors," which considered all the data.

In the Southern Tablelands, quarry trucks are traversing Marulan township. Cr Ruddell said both Goulburn and Marulan were growing and solutions were needed. This included a southern access for Marulan and a northern Hume Highway access at Goulburn. The council has advocated a connection that serviced the north Goulburn industrial area, under development, and connected near Windellama Road.

Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman joined Ms Aitchison for Thursday's announcement.

She said the funding was welcome, given the high road toll, and it would go some way to reducing fatalities.

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