General News
12 August, 2026
Crash after confusion
LESS than a week after a new signalised pedestrian crossing was switched on at Babinda’s Bruce Highway-Munro Street intersection, a storm of controversy has erupted over its design and functionality following a crash at the site.
The collision just after 11.30 am last Thursday involved a vehicle exiting Munro Street – attempting to cross the highway into Howard Kennedy Drive – being struck by a southbound 4WD towing a caravan.
Emergency services attended the scene and, fortunately, no injuries were reported.
As part of the new light set-up – amber and red (but not green) signals, mounted on the left-hand side of Munro Street facing northbound exiting traffic – only activate when a pedestrian or cyclist triggers the new crosswalk lights on the north side of the intersection.
The infrastructure project – jointly funded by the federal and state governments under the Bruce Highway upgrade program – was activated on Friday 31 July.
However, local drivers and others using the highway were quick to vent their frustration online, warning that the non-standard configuration was bound to cause confusion.
Outrage and near misses
Public reaction on social media was immediate following the incident.
One local noted: “Traffic lights are for the pedestrian crossing only, not related to the intersection. Very silly.”
Another added: “It didn’t take long for there to be an accident.”
Other motorists reported near-misses during the crossing’s first week of operation.
One driver described having to slam on the brakes to avoid a school bus entering the intersection and nearly being rear-ended by a heavy semi-trailer while attempting to read new road markings on the fly.
“It took six days,” said resident Crystal Roberts, while others speculated whether the collision would force the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) to install a standard four-way traffic light system.
Layout causes confusion
Traffic engineering experts point out that part-time or two-aspect (amber/red) signal lights frequently trigger human error when introduced to rural highway corridors.
Under Queensland road rules, an unlit or dark signal head does not indicate a green light or a right-of-way. Drivers on side streets are legally required to obey standard ‘give way’ controls.
But because the Munro Street lights stay dark during normal traffic flows, drivers unfamiliar with pedestrian-actuated signals often assume an unlit display means an all-clear.
When drivers move across highway lanes believing they have priority, they might cut directly across high-speed Bruce Highway traffic running under a green light.
Without positive visual signals – such as a green turn arrow or green go light – the Babinda intersection set-up relies entirely on driver familiarity with part-time signal rules.
TMR responds
Prior to the crash, TMR confirmed to The Observer that the pedestrian signals were activated to provide safe passage across the busy highway.
“Once activated by a pedestrian or bike rider, the pedestrian signals will stop Bruce Highway traffic to provide a safe crossing for vulnerable road users,” a TMR spokeswoman said.
Side-street traffic entering from Munro Street must continue to rely on give way and stop controls when signals are inactive.
TMR has since installed a traffic monitoring camera at the intersection to evaluate driver behaviour and monitor performance at the new lights.
In the meantime, local motorists and other regular users of the intersection are continuing to push for updated static signage or signal modifications to prevent further collisions.
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