New $202m investment to deliver road safety upgrades across regional NSW

Regional roads across New South Wales will soon receive vital safety upgrades as the State Government invests $202 million towards these works. 

Delivered as part of the New South Wales Government’s $2.8 billion road safety budget, the second round of the Towards Zero-Safer Roads Program will support 72 separate road safety projects across regional, rural and remote areas of the State. 

Tragically, deaths on regional roads make up about two-thirds of all road deaths in New South Wales despite regional communities only accounting for one-third of the State’s population. 

“Any life lost on our roads is a tragedy. 

“We ask drivers to take every precaution they can to be safe on our roads. 

“It’s important the government also does everything we can to make our roads as safe as possible for those travelling on them. 

“Regional New South Wales is a beautiful place, whether someone is visiting for a weekend, or is an engrained member of the community, we want to ensure when they are in their car, they know they are safe on our state’s roads,” Premier Chris Minns said. 

The Towards Zero-Safer Roads Program will deliver road safety infrastructure upgrades as well as a speed management program that will deliver sustainable and long-term reducation in road trauma across the local road network by addressing high-risk locations. 

The vital upgrades delivered through this program are expected to prevent up to 2,000 fatal or serious injuries caused by crashes over the program's life. 

The upgrades may include installing safety barriers and shoulder widening to help reduce the risk of crashes on higher speed country roads. 

“With $202 million to target and improve safety on roads in our regional areas, lives will be saved. 

“These upgrades will make our roads safer for all road users, locals and visitors, and this investment will go a long way towards achieving the goal of ensuring everyone gets home safely every time to their loved ones,” Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said. 

The State Government is continuing to work to deliver on the 2026 Road Safety Action Plan, targeting to halve the number of deaths and reduce serious injuries on local roads by 30 per cent from 2018-2020 levels by 2030. 

This work has included: 

• Hosting the State’s first Road Safety Forum; bringing international and Australian road safety experts, advocates for motorists and road traffic victims, academics as well as federal and state stakeholders together with a focus on reducing road trauma in New South Wales 

• Delivering $41 million under round one of the Towards Zero-Safer Roads Program, allowing prioritised planning of 27 projects, and the completion of further 11 safety projects in regional New South Wales 

• Using cameras to enforce seatbelt laws 

• Commencing the doubling of roadside enforcement sites used for mobile speed cameras, with the addition of 2,700 new sites where a camera can be deployed 

• Delivering the demerit return trial that rewarded more than 1.2 million drivers for maintaining a spotless driving record during the initial 12-month period up to 16 January 2024 

For more information and a full list of regional road safety upgrades to be delivered under the Towards Zero-Safer Roads Program, you can visit the website here. 

Source: NSW Government – Media Releases; Transport for NSW; Infrastructure Magazine