LOWER SPEED LIMIT AND HAVE CAUTION HORSE RIDER SIGNS INSTALLED.

There is a ‘Horse agistment facility’ on Knobels Road and Trevaskis Road in Farleigh just North of Mackay called ‘Farleigh Saddle club’ where children of all ages ride their horses socially. The speed limit is 100km/hr through the area even though there’s a major Caine train crossing and a QR freight train crossing in this short stretch of rural roadway which is surrounded by Caine fields year round. My children and many others attend the property to ride their horses and we have our horses there on Agistment.
There’s been a large number of occasions where motorists have driven recklessly without any consideration to not just the train crossings signs but the children riding 500kg animals that have the potential to spook and react in a way that could come with the most catastrophic outcome. But what made this concern so much more serious is following a car crash on the 2 August which went through the fences and landed in a horse paddock where children interact with their horses and socialise with other riding school students. The drive was speeding and when the she realised that the speed she was doing and how quickly she was approaching the T intersection, she panicked and ended up sending the vehicle into the paddocks with horses of Horse riding school. The QR Freight train crossing has only a ‘STOP’ sign on each side 5m before the crossing and with the 100km/hr speed limit through that area, it’s usually to late to stop by the time you are aware of it and with the Caine fields limits the ability to see if a train is coming so a few kids on horses would be even harder to spot.

We need the speed limit lowered to a speed that’s safe for all using the road, taking the train crossings without boom gates and the long term established Riding School in that area as the primary consideration. We also need to install caution horse rider signs to let the drivers be aware of the possibility of children on horses and to slow down giving a wide birth if possible. 

I am hoping that the Mackay City Council and Main Roads will act on this but with the community supporting this petition by signing it they can’t ignore it. This needs to happen sooner rather then later or before it’s too late and something unthinkable happens to one or more of children enjoying their hobbies. Be Proactive and not Reactive, the hazards are there and the most effective way to control a hazard is to Eliminate it, slow the speed limit and put up signs to help these children safe.