By Melissa Coleman
An outcry from volunteers forced Queensland’s Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey, to allow Driver Reviver to remain operational after he announced the immediate closure of 18 sites across Queensland.
In the absence of intervention, the TMR Driver Reviver sites, including Gladfield, will close on Monday, 2 January 2022.
MP Mark Bailey made the decision to close all of TMRs Driver Reviver sites with no consultation with the general public or the hundreds of volunteers who run them.
Coordinator for Gladfield Driver Reviver John Newley said more than 35 volunteers attended a meeting in Warwick on Monday night.
“They were unanimously upset with the closure and couldn’t understand why the Minister would want to do this.”
“These rest areas are available for drivers to stop and recover. It’s all about road safety,” Mr Newley said.
According to 2022 RACQ’s annual road safety report, a staggering 41 per cent of drivers admitted to driving fatigued.
“Fatigue is a major contributor to the road toll,” Mr Newley said.
“If you have ever driven long distances on Queensland roads, you will realise the regionalisation of the State.”
The Gladfield Driver Reviver is accessible from both the New England Highway and the Cunningham Highway and offers rest areas for weary travellers, toilets, shelters and a fenced play area for children.
The dedicated group of Gladfield volunteers recommend friendly advice and tourism information to travellers in the region.
“If the Gladfield Driver Reviver were to close there would be a couple of major ramifications,” Mr Newley said.
“Firstly, not offering the service to the public during peak times like school holidays, Christmas and Easter would be a major failure in road safety and secondly the loss of our volunteer network who would move on to other projects,” Mr Newley said.
TMR are yet to comment.
