Medal Winning Performance Needed for Safer Roads

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Former Olympian Tanya Harding is used to high-pressure situations after competing for Australia at four Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) as a softballer. But these days she’s traded in the pitch to be part of another winning team – Transurban‘s traffic control room, keeping motorists moving safely on Brisbane’s Linkt motorways and tunnels.

Last week was Queensland Road Safety Week, and this year Queenslanders were asked to sign up and share their road safety message – something Tanya, Network Operations Lead at Transurban, says is so important.

“When you have a goal you always need support, whether it’s competing in an Olympic sport, or achieving safer roads for our communities – it’s not something any one person can do on their own,” Tanya said.

And when it comes to teamwork, there’s no question Tanya has experience, winning a medal at each Olympic Games she competed in, she still holds the record for the most consecutive scoreless innings in women’s softball at an Olympic games (33.1)

While travelling on a Linkt road means the chances are you’re already on one of the safest roads in the country – with 93% of travel on Linkt roads in Brisbane rated as 4 star or higher by an independent assessment by the Australian Road Research Board – the team at Transurban is committed to making them even safer.

“Our teams provide 24×7 eyes on the road, as well as complimentary incident response, supported by a comprehensive maintenance program to provide a smooth journey for our customers. In the event of an incident the team can lower speeds, utilise electronic message signs and even get a message out through car radios from inside our tunnels,” she said.

Tanya went on to say the team respond to close to 1000 incidents a month.

“Our incident response team is there to help around the clock, whether you break down, get lost, run out of petrol or lose your load – we’ll make sure we get you back on the road quick and safely,” she said.

“But everyone has a role to play in preventing incidents and keeping our roads safe – and so for Queensland Road Safety Week we’re asking motorists to join us and be part of the winning team that signs up for road safety.

“Whenever you’re on the road think about your loved ones, and drive in a manner that will help keep others safe. Please don’t drive distracted, be aware of your surroundings and adhere to speeds. These three things alone will help keep you and others safer on the roads, and ensure that you get home to your loved ones.”

The Transurban incident response team is also in training for this year’s Sunday Mail Transurban Bridge to Brisbane – dusting off their joggers ready to conquer the Gateway Bridge climb.

“We can’t wait to be part of this year’s event, and it’s even more exciting that the route is coming back to the iconic Gateway Bridge,” Tanya said.

“Our team will be working hard to make sure the bridge is ready to welcome back up to 30,000 participants on race day.”

For this year’s Bridge to Brisbane, Team Transurban are supporting their long-term charity partner Ronald McDonald House Charities South East Queensland (RMH) by raising much needed funds. Click here to help them reach their fundraising goal!