From traffic congestion problems increasing as the northern parts of our city evolves to accommodate more residents, including the recently announced Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics Hub at Bomen Industrial Estate, to the youth crime issue that doesn’t seem to go away.

Car accidents are another fact of life for a maturing regional centre.

And Wagga’s drivers need to grow up with the change.

Drivers in this city have taken a relaxed approach to the road rules for far too long.

Our increasingly busy roads leave no room for this country-bumpkin approach to navigating our roads.

This includes the sporadic use of indicators – especially on intersections with roundabouts. 

The key here is to treat the roundabout like any other intersection on the road – indicate where you intend to drive your vehicle before you enter the intersection. Do not flick the blinker on as you begin to turn on the roundabout.

There is also such a thing as driving too slowly, much to many Wagga drivers’ dismay. You can even be fined if you are determined to be obstructing traffic. People giving way at intersections can and will judge whether it is safe to cross by the distance a car is from the intersection. This also applies to those who drive faster than the speed limit, so don’t think you’re any better, speed demons.

Inconsistent driving throughout this city leads to a minefield of drivers that don’t know if they are coming or going, which will only cause more chaos on our roads.

Our road demographic is quite varied – from busy go-getters, inexperienced university students, laid-back retirees and everyone in between.

As revealed in the story in today’s The Daily Advertiser, accident hot spots are becoming more widespread, so a conscious decision to avoid problem areas – due to lacking confidence or otherwise – is becoming more difficult.

Respect for other drivers as well as sound knowledge of current road rules – which will instill confidence in timid drivers – are the keys to a safe and free-flowing network of roads. 

This will lead to more patience – a necessity as traffic will only continue to become a bigger issue in years to come.