Dubbed the worst in the state, a roundabout in Western Australia has been the scene of so many accidents that locals now receive instructions by mail on how to navigate.
Residents of the port city of Albany, at the southern tip of Western Australia, have recently started receiving instructions in their mailboxes on how to use the Chester Pass roundabout.
The roundabout is the main entrance to the Albany CBD and connects traffic from five roads, including the Albany and South Coast freeways, making it difficult to get in and out.
It has long been considered the worst roundabout in Western Australia, but authorities say traffic lights won’t fix it.
The instructions issued by Main Roads contain four charts which advise drivers which lane they should use for the turn they wish to take.
Residents of Albany, Western Australia, are being instructed on how to navigate the Chester Pass roundabout (pictured) after it topped a list of the state’s “most dangerous” intersections.
The instructions (pictured) issued by Main Roads contain four graphs advising drivers on which lane they should use for the turn they wish to take
Residents can also access the instructions at the front of the Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s annual Business and Community Directory.
Drivers argued about the complexity of the roundabout after sharing a photo of the instructions on Facebook.
Someone commented, “There are huge, huge green flags with huge arrows, how hard is that?”
Another wrote: ‘I’ve been on a four lane roundabout with a lot of exits in the UK which has a lot more cars and people going faster. The small town syndrome must be left behind.
Others have argued that the roundabout is difficult to navigate, especially when drivers unfamiliar with the intersection pass.
Most of the confusion comes from tourists who have never been to this place before. It’s not like any other crossover you’ve come across in Western Australia before.
Could they make it more complicated? Another commented.
A third joked, “A few trains on the roads, heavy rain and five caravans drawn by shy tourists need to be added for realism.”
Major Roads said the Chester Pass roundabout is one of the busiest in the state, with about 50,000 vehicles passing through the intersection each day.
The roundabout is the main entrance into Albany’s central business district and connects traffic from five routes, including the Albany and South Coast freeways, with more than 50,000 vehicles passing through the roundabout each day (pictured, Chester Pass roundabout)
“It’s dual carriageway and connects a total of five roads, rather than the standard three or four, which makes it a little more complicated to navigate than a standard roundabout,” said Main Roads. Western Australia.
The “How to Use Chester Pass Roundabout” has been publicly available for many years, but locals are still baffled by the multi-lane intersection.
A survey conducted by the RAC in August 2022 ranked Chester Pass as the ‘most dangerous’ in the state for the second time.
The survey, which is issued by the insurance company every three years, surveyed 10,000 drivers at the most dangerous intersections in Western Australia.
Roundabout Chester Pass also topped the list in 2014 and was ranked second in 2017.
The RAC recommended traffic lights for the busy roundabout, but Major Roads said it was not a “viable option.”
“Major Methods investigated other potential treatments at this site, such as installing traffic lights,” Main Roads said.
“However, due to the limited stacking distance for traffic available within the roundabout, this is not considered a viable option.”
There were 180 roundabout accidents within a five-year period, with 91 percent of the crashes involving property only.
