We have invested millions of dollars in property and businesses in the Central West and the major reservation we have about investing more is the state of the road from Sydney.

Australians in the country have a casual acceptance of road fatalities as a fact of life but they don't have to be, and they shouldn't be in this day and age.

More aggressive police enforcement isn't the answer even though it fills the government coffers.

There should be a tender put out for a private operator to develop, finance and implement a plan for a separate underground toll road through the blue mountains, and all the way through to Dubbo, bypassing Bathurst, with a dual carriage way all the way.

The central west would boom as a result, and the state could accommodate many more citizens with greater utilization of the underpopulated (relatively) interior. I appreciate Mr Burke's comments for their honesty and real insight.

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