Local roads not in limit push

Ring Road, Princes Highway excluded from speed increase initiative

GEELONG Ring Road and the Princes Highway between Waurn Ponds and Winchelsea have not yet been included in a Coalition push to raise the speed limit to 110km/h.

Shadow Roads Minister David Hodgett confirmed that only the Princes Freeway between Werribee and the Corio intersection would be subject to the 110km/h increase.

Coalition MPs Andrew Katos and Simon Ramsay have campaigned for more than a year to raise the limit between Winchelsea and Werribee, not just the freeway stretch north of Geelong. State Roads Minister Luke Donnellan has announced a review into the speed limit along Princes Freeway and Geelong Ring Rd, although a date to confirm Labor’s policy position has yet to be confirmed.

“The Liberals are commit- ted to a commonsense approach to speed limits across Victoria and will consult widely with members of the community to see if there other stretches of roads that can be increased,” Mr Hodgett said.

South Barwon MP Andrew Katos said raising the limit along the Geelong Ring Rd and the highway out to Winchelsea was still a possibility but not yet opposition policy.

“It’s a logical extension to have the speed limit raised to 110km/h along the Geelong Ring Rd and along the highway to Winchelsea,” he said.

“There needs to be some work on intersections along the highway between Geelong and Winchelsea, particularly the Cape Otway Rd crossing, where there’s been several crashes.

“Labor have used delay tactics by constantly referring to barriers instead of saying whether they support a speed increase or not.”

Mr Donnellan declined to nominate a date when the State Government would either support or oppose a speed limit increase when asked by the Geelong Advertiser.

“As I’ve previously indicated, once work is complete on the massive safety upgrade we’re currently delivering on the Princes Highway, VicRoads will conduct another safety assessment,” the State Roads Minister said.

“Previous crash risk model- ling has shown that a speed limit increase on the Princes Freeway between Werribee and Corio from 100km/h to 110km/h would result in a 30 per cent increase in deaths and serious injuries — that’s simply unacceptable.

“We’ll raise the speed if it’s safe to do so — but if Andrew Katos wants to improve travel times between Werribee and Corio he and the Liberals should stop trying to block the West Gate Tunnel.”