Drivers across southern New South Wales fear they are at risk of encountering flood waters due to a traffic app failing to list local road closures.
Live Traffic NSW tracks road closures across the state, but only shows data on state owned or managed roads.
The app also shows 22 local government areas (LGAs) where local councils can input road information through a new system called OneRoad.
For flood-impacted communities in the other 106 LGAs, it means dozens of closed local roads are only listed on council websites, creating confusion among drivers.
Country Women's Association chief executive officer Danica Ley said people were being told to check Live Traffic as part of emergency messaging.
"That is an issue because people are relying on the advice they hear, and then they're going and confidently using Live Traffic which is putting them at risk and others at risk," she said.
Local roads omitted
Nearly 50 roads were closed in Wagga Wagga due to major flooding of the Murrumbidgee River last week, but motorists checking Live Traffic only saw a handful of closures marked along the state highways.
Sue Swann was travelling into Wagga Wagga from Tumut on Friday for a medical appointment and found planning her trip all but impossible.
"We had tried to do the responsible thing and ring up the previous evening," she said.
"I spoke to a number of the agencies involved in managing floods and found a very confusing situation."
Ms Swann said "thousands" of cars were banked up with drivers unsure what roads were safe, and she was delayed for her appointment.
She said it was especially dangerous for travellers unfamiliar with local roads.
"I think there needs to be a bit of a rethink," Ms Swann said.
Including council roads 'critical'
The state government has plans to include all 128 LGAs on Live Traffic by 2024 but regional advocates say that is too late.
"That really just needs to happen immediately to be honest," Ms Ley said.
"We've had such a year and we're going to continue to have issues over the summer."
NSW Regional Transport Minister Sam Farraway said LGAs most at risk of natural disaster had been prioritised for the OneRoad rollout, but it needed to be staggered because of onboarding requirements.
"Councils who do wish to utilise the technology are required to be trained in the system to be able to use it effectively," he said.
Mr Farraway said councils could ask for a link to their website to be included on the Live Traffic app in the interim.
A 'nightmare' for drivers
Alan Brown from NSW Farmers said timing was "critical" and the lack of information had created a "nightmare" for farmers.
"Now's the time when we're having the most problems, and two years is a long way away," he said.
In Wagga, where council information is not used by Live Traffic, local councillor Dan Hayes said having information spread across multiple websites made it "complicated" for local drivers.
"Comparing and contrasting state roads and local roads, that's not ideal," he said.
Mr Hayes did not want the rollout of local road information on Live Traffic to be "rushed", however, and was happy to wait for a working system.
