A HORROR crash that claimed the lives of two people in Wagga on Tuesday has triggered calls to upgrade the dangerous Gregadoo Road.
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Police have released one of two names of those who died in the head-on collision on Gregadoo Road, near Elizabeth Avenue, about 12.40pm.
Bruce Robertson was the 88-year-old passenger who died at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle he was travelling in, a 72-year-old man, was trapped for a period and later retrieved.
He was taken to Wagga Rural Referral Hospital in a critical condition and later transferred to St George Hospital in Sydney in a serious but stable condition.
The driver of the second vehicle, believed to have been incinerated after his car burst into flames on impact, is yet to be formally identified due to the nature of the burns.
Veteran emergency service worker, Ambulance NSW district manager Eamonn Purcell, described it as one of the most horrific crashes had had encountered.
But the tragic accident was no surprise to commuters who regularly use the “dangerous” road.
Wagga Airport Shuttle owner Peter Rex, who travels along the nearby Elizabeth Avenue and surrounding roads on daily trips to the airport, is among those calling for it to be upgraded.
“It’s no surprise to me at all,” Mr Rex said of Tuesday’s tragedy.
He said Gregadoo Road was a busy thoroughfare because of its proximity to the airport and nearby highway, while acting as a gateway to the city’s rubbish tip and the outlying Ladysmith.
Mr Rex believed realigning the road and increasing street lighting and signage could help eliminate danger.
“There’s so many forms of transport merging into one area,” he said. “The whole road needs to be looked at.”
Cyclists were also at risk until Gregadoo Road was upgraded, he added.
Advertiser readers also shared his concern. Katrina Hesketh believed it “was only a matter of time”, while Gerri Duncombe said she had “so many near misses” along the perilous stretch.
Police Inspector Peter Robertson praised the efforts of officers and passers-by in separating the cars while one was one fire.