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Richard , 14-08-11 22:18:

If the speed limit is to remain at 100km/hr on the main stretch between Port Douglas and Mossman, then could the limit be reduced at least until you get to the railway line heading North towards Mossman? Travelling at 100 km/hr pretty much from the Port Douglas turn off to the railway line is ridiculous given the amount of driveways and turnoffs on that stretch don't you think?

The Newsport Editor , 11-08-11 09:41:

Hi All

We've noticed a couple of you using an alias on your comments. We've approved them because we think they're legitimate comments, but we'd much prefer you supply at least your first name because we know they're being read by decision makers at all levels of Government. As the terms of the Have Your Say state, by providing your name the legitimacy of the comment is acknowledged.

Thanks heaps and keep the comments coming!

Editor

Mathew Churchill, 11-08-11 08:55:

Great expression Michael, I haven't heard that one before but I think I'll use it in 16 years time when my daughter gets behind the wheel.

Michael Squire, 11-08-11 08:28:

There are three considerations when it comes to assessing accidents, driver behaviour, vehicle condition and environment i.e. state of the roadway, weather conditions etc. Most so called accidents occur due to driver error so it's this area that needs to be addressed. If the road is bad then slow down, if there is heavy traffic slow down and give way, if it is snowing take extra care, if the sunlight is in your eyes making driving extremely uncomfortable then pull over and have a rest. It's better to arrive 30 minutes late in this life than 30 years too early in the next. I believe the Cairns Traffic Branch can do a lot more to ensure continued safety on our roads than they appear to be doing at present. Some lateral thinking proactive initiatives need to be instigated rather than doing the same thing over and over again. I would look at licensing refresher courses at relevant interim periods for a start and also ensure that visitors to our country are competent to drive here before permits are issued carte blanch.

tony , 11-08-11 07:33:

Most People seem to be concerntrating on speed and blaming that for the number of crash's... But what about the number of very arogant slow driver's , i need to drive between pt douglas and daintree a few times a week and every single time i come across some arrogant person driving along at 60km's per hour in a 100km zone pointing and looking at the tree's and talking to there companion. this style of driving is aragont and dangerous , police should be issuing fines for this type of behaviour not just speeding, i was at the scence of sundays car roll over too , and for the young fellow involved was just a slight miss judgement and into a dangerous ditch on the side of the road. very unlucky , but very lucky he didnt injure him self .. if your gnna drive at half the speed limit have some respect for the others that are DOING the right thing and driving at the speed limit !!! then maybe they wont be forced into dangerous situations ...

Karma Police , 10-08-11 22:32:

Its amazing how uncommen its getting, sense that is.

Every highway out here, in every direction is single lane, so get used to following other people.

Relax and Live a little.

Frank Frikker, 10-08-11 22:19:

I find this all quite amusing. It all comes down to proper driving abilities and behavior. The turn off to Port Douglas is a standard one, seen all over Australia and other parts of the world. People just need to pay attention to signs and traffic. It is not the road, it's the people. We don't need more cameras or police. We need mature drivers. But I agree, a round about would make it safer. Then there are the drivers that drive 80km or less even though this is highway and not a village centre street. These people make others overtake them and thus create dangerous situations. Any car can make at least 100km. Driving faster than 100km on a free, straight highway is not risky. Look at Europe. There you find motorways without any speed limits. People need to learn how to drive properly and not just in the back yard of their farms. They need to learn how a car can be managed even in rain, snow and sand and in heavy traffic as well. Otherwise they should not drive at all. We hardly have any real traffic here, the streets are mainly dry and free. And can pls someone tell these ignorant drivers to switch of their high beam at night.... I had my go and will shut up again.

SARA MCLEOD, 10-08-11 21:03:

A roundabout will solve a great deal of problems. It will be no different to the Northern Beaches and allow a continual flow. I waited for four minutes on Monday night at 7:00pm to turn north toward Mossman. Today turning into Port from Mossman I watched a tourist sail straight through the give way with a car turning in on the north bound. The car who had right of way, gave way in a good defensive driving strategy to avoid an accident. As for the Captain Cook Hwy there is a good presence of Police on it though this could be improved by having Police in the hot danger spots. Remember this road is treacherous when we have a long dry period followed by some light rain, oil and dirt make for greasy conditions that will make the road dangerous even with a reduced speed.

Tony Woodall, 10-08-11 17:41:

Drivers are at fault, not the roads. More police on the roads giving more tickets is one way of fixing most driving faults. I stopped speeding many years ago after my second fine. It worked.

Sue McKenney, 10-08-11 15:28:

I agree with a roundabout at the Port/highway turnoff. Only regular drivers know to stop and look behind buses and trucks to ensure nothing is coming behind the vehicles or signs. I drive the Captain Cook road between Port Douglas and Cairns at least three times every week. This road is well signposted, but there needs to be more CAUTIONARY SIGNAGE about cars STOPPING when leaving the h/w to allow cars to pass. Slow drivers make the impatient locals and tradies take risks getting past them - if only they pulled over, allowed the traffic to pass, there would be less near misses and less major incidents. If the police had more time, it would be good if they travelled the road often enough to tap a few tailgaters on the shouldler and remind them of the rule (and their patience). It is a winding unpredictable road to the unwary, but taken mindfully, pulling over to allow others to pass would improve it's safety.

Dave Joyce, 10-08-11 15:02:

Increase the penalty for speeding / reckless / dangerous driving. Give the impatient, risktakers a jail term, that'll slow em down..

Angie Whitburn, 10-08-11 14:31:

Round-a-bouts are not the answer either. Ther are so many vehicles that do not know the rules of a round-a-bout and almost create a caos when deciding what they are supposed to do, especially if they are foreign and can't read the "GIVE WAY" signs, which i have seen many times. Can you imagine if there was an accident on a round-a-bout at the proposed site and how many vehicles would be involved? I don't even want to think about it.

Robyn , 10-08-11 14:29:

Speed
Discourtesy
Impatience
and simple stupidity are the main problems on the roads around here.

The Captain Cook Highway is a high risk road, between tourists who are unfamiliar with the road and are taking precautions and impatient drivers it can be a very scary drive between Mossman and Port.
Added to which we also have the hazards of the cane season with movement of heavy vehicles between cane fields.
In the three years i have lived in the region I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have seen a police presence on that stretch of the road. And I do that trip at least 5 times a week!

Travelling along that stretch at night is no fun either with utes bristling spotlights that do not drop their lights until the last possible second and various weaving drivers (what have they been up to?) to dodge!
Get out there and book the people. It might make them slow down and think!

Angie Whitburn, 10-08-11 14:24:

I agree with Sgt Meadows, that there has to be more police intervention from Port Turnoff onwards, especially going North. I travel the road from mossman/port/mossman every day. I was pulled up for going over the speed limit not long ago and I now use my cruise control and abide by the speed limit. But I see so many vehicles speeding every day and also seeing people on mobile phones constantly-so dangerous. Unfortunately we have so many vehicles travelling this road now that everyone is so much in a hurry to get to their destination and not concentrating. So Jason O'Brien, YES, we do need more police to ensure the safety of our roads between Port Douglas and Mossman. Maybe you should sit there (even for one day) and see how many close calls there are.

My 2 Cents , 10-08-11 14:23:

The Port Douglas turn off seems to be very dangerous and I don't understand why they don't put a set of lights with a slow down flash sign 1 km away when the light turns red, forcing people to slow down and gain control when coming into Port Douglas. Also the speed limit could be lowered or widen the highway or take away all passing lanes. If passing is too dangerous then, don't have it. I'd rather go slow and be frustrated then someone loose their life.

Delwyn Moss, 10-08-11 14:16:

Fixed speed cameras aren't the answer, correcting bad driving and poor judgement is the answer. Introducing black box type devices in cars, that's another thing. For example, I'd love to know how that poor kid in the 4WD finished up inverted like that...

jaymie brown, 10-08-11 09:58:

im going to agree with all that has been said, I travel this road twice a day, i see tail gateing, i see people taking on mobile phones, i see dangerous over taking, people need to be educated about controling a tonne of metal travelling at 26m/sec.. it only takes a split second for lives to be changed forever.. wakey wakey folks, this is not ps3, or wii, this is real life.. accidents cause real pain and suffering, as we have all seen. it has to stop.. just slow down, ignore your phone, and make sure you cant read the car no.plate in front..and if you have to travel way below the speed limit, pull over and let the other cars past.. think the idea of over taking lanes is a far better one compared to the roundabout idea..

Scott , 09-08-11 20:20:

It is not the speed which is causing the carnage on the Captain Cook Highway between the Port Douglas turn-off and Mossman, it is STUPIDITY! I travel this route both ways at least once a day six days a week and virtually every day and drive at just under the 100kph mark and at least one idiot driver every trip overtakes in what I consider a dangerous manner. Red cash collectors will not solve the problem. The drivers concerned are usually young drivers running late for work in the am and it is generally the same drivers every day. These people need to be educated.
Two or three overtaking lanes would proberly go a long way to assist with the solving of the problem, providing everyone knew how th use these, but then again it is a driver education issue

Richard , 09-08-11 13:52:

I travel to and from the Mossman area generally twice a week from Port Douglas. Where the speed limit allows, I set the cruise control to just under 100km/hour and without fail on every trip there is someone who either overtakes or tries to overtake. Their only gain is to put the lives of many at risk to save perhaps under a minute or so on that stretch of the road. Pointless? Yes. Dumb? Even more so. How to fix it? Much harsher penalties than those that currently exist. That stretch of road is a nightmare in the dark as well with less than adequate lighting for a major road. Perhaps we shall need to wait for a major accident to happen so that gets adressed too.

Just a Thought , 09-08-11 10:10:

Driving this stretch of road between Mossman and Port Douglas to and from work, I see a lot of daily "near misses" due to risky overtaking attempts. In my opinion, the 100 km/hr speed limit is appropriate for this stretch, but during busy times there are very limited opportunities for overtaking, and one slow vehicle can result in a long line of cars swerving out looking for opportunities to pass. One suggestion for reducing risk would be to widen some sections of the road and introduce some overtaking lanes.

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Tuesday 9 August 2011

More carnage on the Captain Cook

"Another day, another accident on the Captain Cook Highway." That's how one local described the dire situation after learning of a single-car crash between Port Douglas and Mossman on Sunday night.

Emergency crews attended the accident, which occurred at around 5.00pm, and found the 18 year-old male driver from Mossman hanging upside down in his four wheel drive after leaving the road approximately 1km north of the notorious Port Douglas turn off.

The highway, which is fast becoming known for its dangers as much as for its beauty, was closed while the person was cut free from the vehicle and airlifted to Cairns Base Hospital.

Investigations into the cause are continuing today with the driver being interviewed by police and the Accident Investigation Squad in Cairns.

This latest accident has again sparked debate on how to deal with the issue of road safety on the Captain Cook Highway. Only last Thursday two cars collided head on just south of Oak Beach.

The Newsport asked a number of locals whether they thought the permanent presence of fixed speed cameras would reduce the number of incidents between Cairns and Mossman.

Watch the video to hear what they said, and take part in the poll (left).

Port Douglas Officer-in-Charge Sergeant Damian Meadows said that loss of concentration is the major concern.

"The single biggest contributor to traffic accidents that we're experiencing at present is driver inattention, and that's quite a significant proportion of traffic accidents. People are becoming too complacent.

"One quick mistake could quite easily lead to multiple fatalities."

Sergeant Meadows said that a greater police presence, rather than speed cameras, would be more effective in reducing the number of accidents.

Member for Cook, Jason O'Brien believes there is already a strong police presence on the highway.

"I think the Captain Cook Highway is a heavily policed section of highway," he said.

"We are investing in the roads. We could slow the speed down but I think 100 (kmh) is appropriate for that section (where the latest accident occurred). It opens right up, it has good vision."

Mr O'Brien said he is expecting a response on a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Port Douglas Road and the Captain Cook Highway from Minister for Main Roads, Craig Wallace, in the next fortnight.

How can we stop the carnage? Have your say.