Toowoomba drivers see red over congested roads

RACQ received almost 2,000 nominations for locations where drivers experienced frustrating gridlock as part of the Club’s annual Red Spot Congestion survey.

RACQ Head of Public Policy Rebecca Michael said Alderley Street, Holberton Street and Victoria Street were the most troublesome locations identified by Toowoomba locals.

“We put the call out to drivers, who are in the best position to identify problem spots, to help us locate the roads which were constantly causing them headaches behind the wheel,” Dr Michael said.

“Alderley Street was the biggest gripe for drivers who complained about lengthy delays at the intersections with Anzac Avenue, Drayton Street and West Street, especially during school pick up and drop off. 

“Traffic queuing at the Victoria Street intersection with Margaret Street and difficulties accessing Campbell Street from Holberton Street were also flagged as major chokepoints.

“These inner-city streets have been a long-running problem for locals, and we’d encourage Toowoomba Regional Council to investigate if improvements can be made to reduce delays.”

Dr Michael said the survey results would be made available to all levels of government and would be used by the Club to lobby for road funding and improvements. 

“It’s clear congestion is an issue that really grinds our gears and costs us time and lost productivity, especially now that we’re returning to more frequent travel following last year’s COVID-19 lockdown,” she said.

“We’ll use this information to guide our policy and to lobby all tiers of government for solutions to bottlenecked areas.”