Qld budget must address soaring road deaths and gridlock

RACQ18/06/2026
News

RACQ has warned Queensland is heading in the wrong direction on road deaths and risks not keeping up with a rapidly growing population, outlining key recommendations from its 2026-27 Queensland budget submission.

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RACQ General Manager of Advocacy Joshua Cooney said Queensland is in the grip of a road safety crisis that demanded urgent investment and a road safety delivery plan.
 
“Year on year we are seeing a disturbing trend of growing road deaths in Queensland. Last year we recorded over 300 lives lost, this year we’re on track to surpass that,” Mr Cooney said.
 
“Recent commitments to fix the Bruce Highway with historic funding and increase on-road police and roadside testing are crucial, welcomed and will save lives, but we are still more than double the national target – we're supposed to reduce annual road deaths to 138 by 2030.
 
“The last State Government road safety plan expired in 2024 – Queensland needs an updated plan to address road trauma and save lives.”
 
RACQ is calling for a minimum $500 million per year for the Targeted Road Safety Program to fund low-cost, high-benefit safety treatments such as safety barriers, shoulder widening, intersection upgrades and overtaking lanes.
 
"Smart investment in safer roads, particularly in our regions, pays for itself by reducing the enormous recurring costs of deaths, serious injuries, and hospital expenses,” Mr Cooney said.
 
"We also need more visible police on our roads, a major ramp-up in drug and alcohol testing to at least 4 million tests annually or one test per driver per year, and five new point-to-point speed camera sites per year to target and reduce the deadly habit of speeding.”
 
Mr Cooney said increased investment in roads and public and active transport was also crucial to futureproof our State’s liveability under pressure from a growing population.
 
"Many regional Queensland roads are in a poor condition – we need an extra $1 billion invested over the next four years just to start closing that maintenance gap,” he said.
 
When it comes to South East Queensland, Mr Cooney said buses did the heavy lifting in public transport, but bus infrastructure is drastically underfunded.
 
“Buses carried 33.5 million passengers in the first quarter of 2025-26 compared to 15.1 million for rail, yet bus infrastructure currently has just $227 million allocated over the next five years, the lowest of any transport mode,” he said.
 
"We want to see governments working together to accelerate the expansion of the Brisbane Metro network across SEQ and into other regions.”
RACQ also called for a boost to active transport funding to take advantage of surging demand.
 
“Census data shows only 3.3% of Queenslanders walk or cycle to work compared to 64% who drive - despite nearly 20% of Queenslanders cycling at least once a week,” Mr Cooney said.
 
"The demand is there, but the infrastructure is not – local governments, especially smaller councils, are struggling to turn plans into pathways because of a disconnect between planning funding and construction funding.
 
“We need to fix that pipeline and give councils the resources and capability they need to deliver connected, safe cycling and walking networks.
 
“We also must fix, finish and extend our motorway network now to keep through traffic out of Brisbane and our major centres.”
 
RACQ will continue to advocate on behalf of its 1.7 million members to ensure strong outcomes to protect and enhance Queensland’s liveability.

RACQ's key recommendations to the 2026-27 Queensland Budget include:
  • A minimum $500 million per year for the Targeted Road Safety Program, focused on 105 identified high-risk road sections
  • Scaling random drug and alcohol testing to more than 4 million tests annually – one test per motorist per year
  • At least 5 new point-to-point speed camera sites per year
  • An extra $1 billion over four years to reduce the road maintenance backlog focusing on regional Queensland
  • Accelerating Brisbane Metro and bus rapid transit expansion along key corridors across SEQ regions
  • Increased funding for local governments to deliver cycling and walking infrastructure in both metro and regional areas
  • Fast-tracking upgrades to SEQ's motorway network, including the Coomera Connector, Pacific Motorway, Ipswich Motorway and Mount Lindesay Highway

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