Having lost a few mates to the roads I do understand that irresponsible speed and stupid other road users can kill us but surely the target group should be irresponsible road users instead of lowering the speed limit to the point of boredom.
Some years ago I saw first hand a head on car to car smash when a goose got sick of following a cautious driver for 10 mins and pulled out at the wrong time; some "fixes" just don't work as they are intended and for sure when 80k limits do not work as intended they will go to 60k or to speed humps and so on and without doubt will not go back up to 100k's.
Read on......
Just read about how Vic Roads are going to put blanket 80k speed limit on most of the main bitumen roads that lead into the Victorian high country.
All a good idea according to TIM BULL the Nationals East Gippsland Member of Parliament
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BAIRNSDALE ADVERTISER ARTICLE "Targeted speed limit reductions" Thursday, 27 December 2012
Road safety improvements have been scheduled for the Bonang Road, Omeo Highway, Licola Road and Great Alpine Road.
The following East Gippsland roads will have speed limits reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h at targeted locations:
* Omeo Highway - a 9km section between Benambra Road and Bingo Munjie Creek.
* Great Alpine Road - an 11km section west of Omeo to Jim and Jack Creek; and a 40 kilometre section south of Ensay to Bruthen Goat Farm.
* Licola Road – a 9km section between Basin Flat and Hickeys Creek Track, and a 11km section between 20 Acre Creek and Chesterfield Road.
* Bonang Road - the full 108 kilometres from Orbost Tip to the New South Wales border.
State Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull said the identified roads have very high crash rates at particular locations and that it is vital that action is taken to address the issue.
“These crashes are usually run off road crashes involving all types of vehicles, particularly through the winding locations,” he said.
“From the start of 2007 to the end of last year, there were a total of 93 casualty crashes at these locations with seven fatal and 49 serious injury crashes.”
Mr Bull said that close analysis of these crashes and their causes found that reducing the speed limit at key locations where the crashes are occurring is expected to significantly improve road safety.
“The most winding sections of these roads where the crashes are occurring will be reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h,” Mr Bull said.
“One of the bigger lengths of reduced speed limits will be on the Great Alpine Road between Ensay and Bruthen, which is a 40 kilometre stretch. This reduction will only add minimal travel time for most road users.
“On the other sections of road there is expected to be little or no impact on travel times,” Mr Bull said.
To further increase road safety, the new speed zone reductions will be supported by other improvements such as curve warning signs and some sealing works near driveways to keep gravel off the road, generally near bends.
The new speed zones are expected to be installed early next year, with additional road safety measures to follow at a later date.
The funding for four East Gippsland roads is part of a $751,000 package for safety improvements along eight key Gippsland roads, as part of the $55 million state-wide Transport Accident Commissions (TAC) Safer Roads Infrastructure Program.
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I called Tim Bull and he said he had received a few calls and was going to question Vic roads.
So, we need to SPREAD THE WORD to send Tim Bull (and Peter Ryan the Nationals Polly for the area that covers the Licola Road) a short note telling them we are sick and tired of living in a Nanny State and that speed limits should be going up with all of the safer vehicles, safer roads, better driver/rider training and the tougher drink/speed driving laws.
The emails are
[email protected][email protected]