Westernport road repairs & speed limits ..wtf ?

[OwnTheRoad]

G'day is this happening in your area , many of our roads have been poorly maintained for years , and some intersections have had more than their fair share of vehicle collisions for many reasons.
So recently our roads were repaired and some new roundabouts built , however the previously acceptable (by Vic roads engineers for decades ) limit that existed before the roads were repaired was 90 kph and 100 kph , now that they have fixed these problem areas the posted limit has been lowered to 80 kph .
This then raises a serious question , are the Vic roads engineers confident in the work carried out by contractors that repair our roads ?
To me it appears not as they now determine that a repaired road is only safe at 80 not the previous 90/100 limit that applied to a road that wasn't maintained.
This to me should be looked into further because if their justification for the posted limit being 80 kph isn't due to the roads poor current condition after recent repair then what is their justification for dropping the limit to 80 kph.
I can only think of one other reason and that's to raise revenue through speeding fines given that most folks on the Peninsula must commute for work and travel to the city regions often driving more than an hour I'm certain others like myself will feel the same frustration at the decisions made by Vic roads.

Please feel free to vent your frustration here..........FIRE AWAY......

[MAD]

Like the duplicated section of Clyde Road leading in to Berwick, that went from 80 before works to 60/40 during, to 50 after it was completed.

[Pinkbits]

Urban sprawl.
It's happening in most municipalities.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by OwnTheRoad

and some intersections have had more than their fair share of vehicle collisions for many reasons.

this would be their justification if you bothered to ask them. just don't ask them to prove it.

[2011G6E]

Speed limits only ever go down, not up. Come on, get with the program.

From Bundaberg the road to Bargara used to be 100kph. Then there was an accident where three drunk girls early in the morning missed a corner and hit a power pole. I think two were killed, maybe all three. The investigation was launched, not the road, nothing wrong with the car, drunks were to blame. Solution?
Lower the limit to 80kph.

On Elliot Heads road near Bundy it too was 100kph, until an accident on a corner near a school. A woman dropped off her kids on a side road beside the school, pulled straight out in front of oncoming traffic, and was killed. There was an investigation...they again said nothing wrong with the road, speed in the area is suitable for the road, good visibility, woman stuffed up.
However, after an emotive campaign (headlines like "Don't let our mummy die in vain"), the speed limit was lowered to 80.


It's a common philosophy these days...lowest common denominator road rules, speed limits continually lowered as cars get better and better, and increased policing to catch people who drift a little faster on what is a perfectly good road capable of much higher speed limits.

[Itsme]

Usually road congestion dictates speed in most cases, I think post 3 says it well.

[MAD]

That always annoys me.
Not enough people use it so the people that do are not important and don't require a safe road because they don't have enough effect on the stats.

[Vesper Martini]

What about the new Dandenong bypass joining Westal road 3 lanes with barriers each side. speed limit 80kph, cross the intersection to Westal road 2 lanes no barriers 100kph.

they are building a new 3 lane road between south road and westal road, it will be 80kph.

my bet is they will change the section of Westal road to 80kph.

I recon they must have brought bulk in 80kph signs.

[Vesper Martini]

Another one out of town is the most frustration in between Yea and Molesworth now 80kph all the way.
there's a long straight road with a passing lane, you feel like you're crawling ridiculous
explanation here:
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/news...and-molesworth

[Trevor 57]

they are now 'risk assessing' some high risk roads and where there is a history of accidents they are reducing the speed limit permanently

[Falcojimmy]

I find it particularly interesting with roads on the Westernport side of the Peninsula that they look at the number of accidents but not the cause. In particular Coolart road which is known for impatient,speeding drivers overtaking and hitting oncoming or turning traffic. I doubt very much there are many accidents occurring because someone was travelling safely at the 90 speed limit.
Backroad hoons doing 120+ and spearing off into a pine tree are your main problem!

[nuthin' fancy]

The posted speed limits in Vic are the result of a range of things, traffic density (i.e. country freeays will not be posted to 100km/h if traffic volumes are more than 15,000 vehiles per day), accident history and road condition.

I agree that too often the speed limit is reduced to save the cost of upgrading the road to cover changed or increased use.

I think nearly all country level crossings were placed into 80km/h zones as a result of the Kerang crash.

[OwnTheRoad]

Originally Posted by Falcojimmy

I find it particularly interesting with roads on the Westernport side of the Peninsula that they look at the number of accidents but not the cause. In particular Coolart road which is known for impatient,speeding drivers overtaking and hitting oncoming or turning traffic. I doubt very much there are many accidents occurring because someone was travelling safely at the 90 speed limit.
Backroad hoons doing 120+ and spearing off into a pine tree are your main problem!

Often with a combination of Alcohol or illegal drugs involved , however these other major contributors are often left out when it's so much easier to simply blame speed and then lower the speed limit, although the Police are trying to address the drug and alcohol issue it's simply too hard to regulate when lowering the speed limit is easier so that the drug and alcohol affected can then crash at lower speeds thus probably causing critical injuries to others and themselves , thus they aren't a headline statistic of the road toll. Conveniently the severly injured are never listed.
Another road that's been subjected to significant repairs and a limit decrease is Fisheries rd Devon Meadows once upon a time it was 100 kph now just another Sunday doddle at 80 kph........
Can anyone remember the posted speed limit of Stotts Lane in Baxter some 20 years ago and the condition of the road ?