Latest news with #motorists
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Millions of drivers warned over two week 'cold snap' blitz as fines jump to $1250
Millions of motorists are being warned to stick to the road rules as families head out to enjoy the school holidays and authorities seek to crack down on dangerous and tired driving. Queensland police are warning they'll be out in force for the next two weeks in a "highly visible and proactive" operation dubbed X-Ray Cold Snap. The statewide road safety campaign will run until Sunday 13 July when the school holidays comes to an end in the state with police particularly keen to ensure drivers embarking on long trips take precautions. "Fatigue is a really considerable factor across holiday periods, usually where families travel long distances across unusual roadways and destinations," Acting Chief Superintendent Garrath Channells said. "The state of Queensland is obviously quite large, and you can travel for extended periods of time. I would just ask anyone that is traveling long distance, particularly on unusual roadways, to drive to the conditions always and take time to stop and rest if you're exceeding two hours of driving, so that you're managing fatigue, and if possible, swap drivers and share the load." So far this year, there has been 136 road fatalities on the state's roads, that's 7.8 per cent higher than the previous five-year average for the same period. "And we've had thousands of serious injuries that could be lifelong, traumatic events like a spinal cord injury that that person then has to live with for the rest of their lives, and the family have to provide support for the rest of that time," Superintendent Channells said. "Poor decision making in a split second can have tragic and traumatic outcomes." Drivers warned of road rule change with $961 fines just days away Controversial road rule change to impact a million Aussies from July Drivers erupt at council's 'embarrassing' new roundabout The winter school holidays are traditionally one of the busiest periods on Queensland roads with police ramping up their presence from today. The blitz will also coincide with a planned jump in the price of fines for drivers caught doing the wrong thing. From Tuesday, July 1, motorists caught using their phone behind the wheel or not wearing a seatbelt will cop a whopping $1,250 fine. A similarly expensive hit to the hip pocket will come for drivers exceeding the speed limit by 30km/h. The fine hikes are the result of a scheduled increase in the value of a penalty unit. While Queensland has by far the toughest financial penalties for drivers, other states also enforce yearly increases in the cost of road fines. The situation in Queensland reflects a larger, alarming trend. Last year, 1,300 people died on Australian roads — the highest toll since 2012. It's part of a four-year rise in deaths not seen since before seatbelts became mandatory in the 1960s. The final three months of 2024 alone saw 359 lives lost — the deadliest quarter in more than a decade. Road safety advocate Peter Frazer OAM, whose daughter was killed by a distracted driver, said the problem goes beyond driver error and argues we have a cultural issue when it comes to not taking road safety seriously enough. "The very first thing that we need to do is to flip everything on its head and start dealing with the reality of risk on our roads," he told Yahoo News Australia recently. "We've got to have our governments start doing much more active enforcement, both police enforcement and also automated enforcement, which we can do immediately." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Khaleej Times
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
Abu Dhabi: Dh500 fine for illegally stopping before Darb toll gates, blocking traffic
Abu Dhabi Police reminded motorists against the dangerous behaviour of stopping before approaching Darb gates to avoid paying toll fees. They noted that such illegal stopping and blocking the flow of traffic carries a fine of Dh500. In a video shared by Abu Dhabi Police 's Directorate of Traffic and Security Patrols on Friday, several drivers were caught on camera stopping few minutes before crossing Darb toll gates. They only moved when the toll gate was free of charge. The Darb toll gate system was put in place back in January 2021 to reduce traffic congestion in the Capital and to promote the use of public transport. Vehicles passing any of the toll gates are charged Dh4 for each transaction between 7am and 9am, and 5pm and 7pm only. Toll is fee for the rest of the day and on Sundays and official holidays. #أخبارÙ�ا | #شرطة_أبÙ�ظبÙ� Ø°ØØ°Ù�ر Ù�Ù� اÙ�سÙ�Ù�Ù�Ù�اذ اÙ�خطرة عÙ�د بÙ�ابة "درب" Ù�Ù�ذعرÙ�Ø© اÙ�Ù�رÙ�رÙ�Ø©. اÙ�Ø°Ù�اصÙ�Ù�: #بÙ�ابة_درب — شرطة أبÙ�ظبÙ� (@ADPoliceHQ) June 27, 2025 Authorities noted they caught some drivers 'unjustifiably stopping on the road shoulder while waiting for the toll-free period to begin — a practice that endangers road users and disrupts the flow of traffic.' Abu Dhabi Police also noted a number of hazardous behaviours, including sudden swerving, obstructing traffic, and unauthorised entry into public bus parking areas. Drivers were reminded to comply with traffic laws and avoid violations such as illegal stopping and blocking traffic that carries a fine of Dh500. Sudden swerving is classified as a serious traffic offence, punishable by a fine of Dh1,000 and four black points. Using designated bus lanes or parking areas incurs a fine of Dh400.
BBC News
a day ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
What could solve Ipswich Orwell Bridge traffic chaos?
Motorists have faced severe delays this week due to repair work on the Orwell Bridge near businesses have reported losses due to the long delays, calling it "chaos", while others have criticised the timing of the works over the busy summer Highways said the work was essential, but appreciated disruption had been at least seven weeks' worth of work still to go, will disruption worsen, and what solutions could there be? What is happening on the Orwell Bridge and why? National Highways began work, which is costing £6m, on 16 June to replace two expansion joints on the westbound carriageway over the Orwell work is expected to finish in mid to late current joints date back to 1988 and are crucial for providing a flexible connection between bridge replaced, they are expected to last for 50 years. Why has the Orwell Bridge traffic been so bad? National Highways has a series of lane closures, full closures and contraflow systems it is putting in place during the Monday, there has been a lane closure on the eastbound carriageway over the bridge, which has caused severe have gone back as far as Sproughton and caused delays on the A12 at the Copdock have also been making use of local roads in an attempt to divert away from the traffic, which has caused other knock-on delays. Is Orwell Bridge traffic expected to get worse? National Highways warned traffic was expected to worsen from Thursday, when a lane closure would also be implemented on the westbound it said on Wednesday night it had delayed this to overnight on Friday and would be fully operational from 06:00 BST Saturday. Martin Fellows, regional director for the East Region at National Highways, thanked drivers for their patience."We remain confident that all works will be completed by mid to late August, as originally planned," he said. "The A14 will still be your best route whilst we are doing this work, so please stay on the A14, but allow extra time for your journey." Will we see this again? While no date has yet been given, National Highways has said it would need to replace the eastbound carriageway's expansion joints as well at some would be expected that similar closures would be needed for this. What are the solutions? The travel issues have sparked conversations around what mitigations could be put in place to counteract the delays drivers are of the solutions spoken about was the Northern plan has been discussed for a number of years, but confidence in it grew when Suffolk County Council seriously considered it several years 2019, the county council launched a public consultation to gauge public interest in a relief road that would mitigate traffic issues seen in and around possible routes were proposed that would link the A14/A140 and the in order to gain government funding, 15,000 new homes would need to be built - something people protested against due to environmental plans were then abandoned when the local authorities failed to agree on well as another route, people have called for the speed limit over the bridge to be reduced to help lower the number of came after an economic report said the road was "not fit for purpose" due to repeated incidents caused by collisions and Mr Fellows from National Highways said this could not happen without evidence to suggest it was given to the BBC earlier this year showed there had been a significant closure caused by collisions about every four days, on average, between 2021 and 2024. What do people think about the Northern Bypass? Labour MP for Ipswich, Jack Abbott, has been vocal about his support for a Northern Bypass, or any solution that positively tackles the claimed Conservative-led Suffolk County Council had adopted a "do-nothing approach", something he found "deeply frustrating"."If Suffolk County Council and the Conservatives want to come to me and come forward with a different set of proposals, I'm all ears, I think we absolutely need to see progress," he said."It's deeply frustrating that five years since they canned the Northern Bypass, we've seen such little action here." Businesses also caught up in this week's delays have called for the Northern Bypass to be considered Trent, owner of Dan's Coach Travel based in Stowmarket, said it was "needed"."Whether I'm going to see it or not, who knows?" he continued. "If we had that Northern Bypass now, we wouldn't have half of this trouble."Let's face it, it's not just the roadworks, there's quite often problems on the bridge, and that would take so much pressure off." What have the authorities said on the Northern Bypass? Suffolk County Council said it was committed to working to relieve the traffic issues around the A14 and Orwell Bridge."The council's cabinet voted in 2020 not to proceed with a bypass proposal because the business case required the building of 15,000 homes, which the district councils were not prepared to add above their local plans," a spokesperson said."This remains the position, and without that, and without substantial new government funding, it is simply not a viable proposal."National Highways has been approached for comment, but has said previously it would "work hard to keep the strategic road network moving" and it supported "economic growth". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Jackknifed tanker truck leads to Hwy 401 closure in Lakeshore
Ontario Provincial Police say they've closed Highway 401 at the County Road 31 overpass in Stoney Point in the municipality of Lakeshore due to a collision investigation. A photograph posted to the West Region OPP Facebook page shows a jackknifed tanker truck crashed through the guard rail at the edge of the road. As of 3:20 p.m. the highway was closed in both directions. OPP are warning motorists to expect delays.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
UAE traffic update: Closures, diversions to begin this weekend in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi
From complete closures to traffic diversions, motorists across Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain are being alerted to infrastructure improvement works. These closures and diversions are scheduled to begin this weekend. The Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority (SRTA) has announced a full road closure stretching from Al Intifada Street to Al Corniche Street, effective Friday, June 27, through Sunday, July 27. This closure marks the first phase of infrastructure development works planned for the area. Motorists are encouraged to use alternative routes and strictly follow traffic safety guidelines. SRTA has also provided a QR code for residents to scan, allowing them to obtain more details about the project and detour plans. In Abu Dhabi, a partial road closure will take place on Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street from Friday, June 27, to Monday, June 30. Additionally, the free right turn from Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street to Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Street will be closed from 12am on June 27 until 5am on June 30. Authorities urge drivers to plan and allow extra travel time during this period to avoid delays. Meanwhile, in Al Ain, a traffic diversion will be implemented on Zayed The First Street from Saturday, June 28, 2025 (12am) to Saturday, July 19, 2025 (5am). The diversion is part of ongoing road enhancement efforts aimed at improving traffic flow and infrastructure in the city. Residents and commuters are advised to stay informed about traffic changes by monitoring official announcements from local transport authorities. Drivers are also reminded to adhere to posted detour signs and follow traffic safety measures to ensure a smooth and safe travel experience during these roadworks.
