Coast junction a 'death trap'
A BOOROOBIN woman has called for urgent action to improve safety at an intersection where a motorcyclist died last weekend.
Annie Barrett says the t-junction intersection of the Kilcoy-Beerwah and Maleny-Stanley River roads near Peachester should be better signposted.
The Maleny-Stanley River Rd is popular with motorcyclists. A 41-year-old rider died when he failed to take the turned and ploughed into an embankment.
Mrs Barrett said she and her husband John had almost come to grief at the intersection twice in the past two years and she feared drivers with less experience would not have survived.
"Just three days prior to the man's death, my husband and I also could have been statistics at that intersection," she said.
"We were driving towards it in very thick fog and only going at 30kmh, but we couldn't see the intersection and almost drove straight across the Kilcoy-Beerwah Rd into the same embankment.
"On the return journey, we checked for signs warning of an intersection. There are none. It's a death trap."
There has been no cause determined for the motorcycle crash and Transport and Main Roads have denied the man's death was a result of the road or lack of signage.
"In addition to linemarking and signage at the intersection, there are advance intersection directional signs on Kilcoy-Beerwah Rd and an intersection warning sign on Maleny-Stanley River Rd on approach to the intersection," a spokesman said.
A skid mark left by the crashed bike was still obvious when the Daily visited the scene on Friday.
It appeared to indicate the rider had braked heavily almost immediately after the warning sign but skidded a considerable distance into the intersection.
Mrs Barrett said it was almost impossible to see the warning sign when approaching the intersection.
"There at least needs to be a give way or stop sign to warn people before it is too late and they have entered the road or slammed into the embankment," she said.
"It comes at you very quick and if you were travelling at 80kmh you would have no hope of seeing it."
The Transport and Main Roads spokesman said they would continue to work with police to determine the cause of the fatal crash, while also carrying out an independent investigation.
