Too many "avoidable" crashes are happening on the Tuggeranong Parkway.
ACT police attended more than seven crashes on the parkway in the last two weeks of May, almost all of them rear-endings.
Several of the crashes happened within minutes of each other, and involved up to seven vehicles.
There were 20 reported crashes on the parkway in the first three and a half months of 2024.
ACT police have had enough. Acting Inspector Travis Mills said they're "constantly frustrated" about having to attend these collisions, which are taking away resources from other areas.
"These collisions quite honestly can be avoided," he said.
"These collisions, it affects everybody, it affects our insurance, it affects people arriving at their destinations on time and it actually affects the entire road network of the ACT."
Human error the main cause of crashes
Inattention is the main cause of the crashes, Inspector Millis said, with vehicles driving too close together. He said he often pulls vehicles over for tailgating on Canberra's roads.
Road data also points to human error being the main cause of crashes on the parkway.
Rear-end collisions are more than 15 per cent higher on the Tuggeranong Parkway compared to the ACT average.
Peak periods are also more likely to lead to crashes on the road compared to the rest of the ACT.
Rear-end crashes make up the bulk of collisions on the parkway. ACT is the king of rear-end crashes, accounting for more than 40 per cent of collisions of the territory's total between 2012 and 2022.
Rear-end crashes only accounted for 20 per cent of NSW crashes in the latest data, and just 18 per cent in Victoria.
Most crashes in the ACT happen in daylight, on dry roads, in sunny weather.
More than 77 per cent of accidents on ACT roads happen in broad daylight, and more than 80 per cent take place in clear weather conditions.
You can be fined $407 for driving "behind other vehicle too closely to stop safely" in the ACT, and lose one demerit point.
Inspector Mills also said some crashes on the parkway have been caused by people "rubber-necking".
ACT police attended a recent six-car collision that was followed by another multi-vehicle accident further down the road.
"Other motorists that decided to pay an elevated amount of attention to that collision failed to observe cars in front of them slowing down and as a result, a number of other multi vehicle collisions resulted," he said.
'Severe' traffic on highway
Tuggeranong Parkway is used by more than 40,000 vehicles a day, with the highway providing a north-south corridor for more than 200,000 people living in Belconnen, Tuggeranong, and Weston Creek.
The highway experiences some of the worst delays in the ACT, according to the latest report, with vehicles delayed for around 12 minutes in peak-hour traffic.
Infrastructure Australia expect the road to experience 18,000 hours of delays in a year by 2031, and a daily cost of $18,000.
The parkway was forecast to exceed traffic capacity going into the 2020s, with "severe" morning traffic.
The installation of chevrons - white v shapes on the road - in 2019 was a big moment for the parkway, with ACT Roads assuring road users that the white lines would help vehicles keep a safe distance.
A post-evaluation crash study of the effectiveness of chevron markings is planned for 2025.
New roads in the works
The ACT government has also announced new funding for the Molonglo Parkway-Drive Connector, which will provide access between the future Molonglo Town Centre and the Tuggeranong Parkway.
Transport Minister Chris Steel said the arterial road would run east-west between John Gorton Drive and the Tuggeranong Parkway, providing a third major road link into the fast-growing district.
"Importantly the road will provide access to the Molonglo Town Centre and provide another bridge over the Molonglo River and access to the Tuggeranong Parkway just south of the National Arboretum," he said.
In the meantime, ACT Roads said it was continuing to "review road safety" on the parkway, with a series of projects in the pipeline, including new technology such as CCTV and Bluetooth sensors.
Crash barriers have been installed between Sulwood Drive and the Glenloch Interchange, and a new electronic travel time board has been set up northbound between the Hindmarsh Drive and Cotter Road exits.
The ACT government said they were undertaking studies to improve safety.
