Arabic version: كوينزلاند ترفض دعوة لاستبدال إشارات التوقف

According to ABC News, the Queensland government has rejected a petition seeking to replace every stop sign in the state with a give-way sign. The petition, tabled to the government in late August, was signed by 391 Queensland residents.

The petitioner argued that requiring vehicles to stop completely was “almost always of no safety significance” and collectively wasted significant fuel or electrical energy. The petition also said petrol, diesel and LPG vehicles use more fuel when coming to a complete stop, and claimed stop signs could contribute to rear-end crashes.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Brent Mickelberg confirmed the Crisafulli government would not make the proposed change. He said stop and give-way signs were not interchangeable traffic controls because they had different road-safety and traffic-management functions.

Mr Mickelberg said the signs are installed under nationally recognised engineering standards and traffic-control guidelines. Stop signs are more commonly used at intersections with restricted visibility, with the aim of limiting crashes, he wrote.

While acknowledging that stopping may use more fuel or energy than giving way, the minister said the safety benefits outweighed the operational impacts. He said stop-sign installation is based on site-specific factors including sight distance, intersection geometry, traffic volumes and safety performance, rather than being routine. Queenslanders who believe an intersection is incorrectly signed were advised to contact the relevant council.