Heading west this long weekend? Making your journey home faster and safer
1 October 2020
With large numbers of travellers expected to head to the Central West this long weekend, a new traffic system will be implemented for eastbound traffic at Victoria Pass to ensure motorists get home faster and safely.
Acting Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said traffic data from the June long weekend had revealed more than 30 vehicles had broken down or overheated on Victoria Pass which led to significant delays and interrupted traffic flow along the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains.
"To make sure travellers get home faster and safely we will be trialling a new system on Monday of the long weekend so that east bound motorists can negotiate the steep slope of Victoria Pass between Hartley and Mount Victoria more easily," Mr Toole said.
A Transport for NSW crew will stop vehicles at the bottom of Victoria Pass and hold traffic to prevent active queueing on the 2.2 kilometre Mount Victoria incline.
"Getting a tow truck up and through queued traffic to assist broken down motorists presents an even greater disruption to traffic which is already bumper to bumper and we hope this trial will alleviate this," Mr Toole said.
Mr Toole said the NSW Government was powering ahead with its plans to upgrade the Great Western Highway between Lithgow and Katoomba.
"We know there is congestion and safety issues on this section of highway and that's why we're investing $2.5 billion to improve congestion and provide safer, more efficient and reliable journeys for all road users travelling in, around and through the Blue Mountains," Mr Toole said.
Mr Toole also encouraged people to plan their trips so that thousands of people were not returning to Greater Sydney at the same time.
"We want everyone to get out and explore the regions but we ask people to slow down, be patient and to stagger their trips to avoid pinch points."
Transport for NSW will be monitoring traffic flow, providing real time live traffic information. Plan your trip and stay informed via the Live Traffic NSW website.