Ben Franklin, Nationals Parliamentary Secretary for Northern NSW, has announced a range of initiatives to deal with the intersection at the corner of Bruxner Highway and Ballina Road.

“After the tragic crash a fortnight ago which took the life of an extraordinary young man, Jeremy Plooy, I spoke to the Roads Minister Melinda Pavey immediately, insisted that she come and see the crash site personally and demanded that actual action was taken to address it,” Mr Franklin said.

“I am pleased that she did that yesterday morning,” he said.

Minister Pavey inspected the site yesterday, alongside Mr Franklin, Ballina Mayor David Wright and RMS Northern Region Manager John Alexander.

“The Minister and the RMS have agreed to a three stage process for this intersection,” Mr Franklin said.

“First, flashing warning signs will be erected next week on the approaches to the intersection to raise the awareness of motorists of the potential danger,” he said.

“Second, a new lane for traffic turning left into Ballina Road will be constructed, to separate it from the traffic heading toward Ballina. Construction should be complete by early November,” Mr Franklin said.

“Third, a rigourous assessment and analysis of the site will be made to consider what further improvements are needed, possibly traffic lights, a roundabout or grade separation,” he said.

“Nothing can bring back the lives that have been tragically cut short here. But we can do all we can to ensure that the chances of it happening again are substantially reduced,” Mr Franklin said.

I will work every day inside government to do just that,” he said.