CITY AT BRAKING POINT
SAFETY SLOWDOWN: Council bid to slash speed limits on 20 roads
GEELONG’S council has moved to slash speed limits by up to 40km/h on about 20 local roads, as the region wrestles with its worst road toll in almost a decade.
The City of Greater Geelong has applied to Road Safety Victoria to reduce speed limits on about 20 roads in a bid to drive down the rate and severity of crashes.
The move comes as the city’s 2019 road toll sits at 12, tripling the four fatalities recorded up to the same point in 2018 and the worst since 2011 (13).
GEELONG’S council has moved to slash speed limits by up to 40km/h on about 20 local roads, as the region wrestles with its worst road toll in almost a decade.
The City of Greater Geelong has applied to Road Safety Victoria to reduce speed limits on about 20 roads in a bid to drive down the rate and severity of crashes in the municipality.
The move comes as the city’s current road toll sits at 12, tripling the four fatalities recorded up to the same point in 2018 and the worst road death count since 2011 (13).
Council chief executive Martin Cutter yesterday revealed a list of 13 proposed speed limit changes that had been publicly advertised, while it is understood about seven more roads are yet to reach the consultation stage.
Mr Cutter said the city was applying “traffic calming measures” across the region to increase road safety – including speed limit reductions.
“Outside of our CBD, the Corio/Norlane area has the highest number of fatalities and serious injury crashes in our municipality,” Mr Cutter said. “Most streets with serious crashes also have identified speed issues and high volumes of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
“Speed limit reductions have been identified as a pivotal step in reducing the frequency and severity of road accidents in this area.
“We continue to work closely with all levels of government to achieve the Towards Zero vision for zero fatalities and serious injuries.”
Traffic calming devices typically include speed bumps, rumble bars and separation kerbs.
Speed limits on four roads in Corio and Norlane have been proposed to drop from 60km/h to 50km/h, including Purnell Rd, Princess Rd, Donnybrook Rd and Sparks Rd.
A pair of 100km/h roads are also in council’s sights, with Arrigo Rd in Wallington proposed to be almost halved to 60km/h, and Mill Rd in Lara earmarked for a revised limit of 80km/h.
On the other side of the bay, Mornington Peninsula Shire on Monday announced the State Government had approved a two-year trial of 80km/h limits on 38 shiremanaged roads that were previously 100km/h or 90km/h.