Reduced rural speed limits off the radar

A federal government proposal to reduce speed limits on rural roads will not proceed after widespread condemnation across country Australia.

At a meeting of infrastructure and transport ministers, the change was also met with opposition by state representatives.

The abandonment of the concept has been welcomed by parliamentarians representing Narrabri Shire in both state and federal parliaments.
Reduced speed limits on regional roads were slated as part of a national road safety strategy.

State Member for Barwon Roy Butler said such a change would have an unacceptable impact on the daily lives of country people.

“A lower speed limit means longer trips and less time in the day for family, community and work. It would increase the isolation that many country people experience, which has its own negative health impacts,” Mr Butler said.

Mr Butler, who raised the proposal in state parliament in November, asked for signatures in support of the statement that “country people deserve respect for our ability to drive to local conditions, and we reject this nanny-state proposal to remove our freedoms”.

Mr Butler’s petition had amassed nearly 3000 signatures in just two weeks.

Mr Butler shared the strong response to the petition with the NSW Minister for Roads and Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison. Ms Aitchison was one of the voices telling the federal government that this proposal would not fly.

The federal government has since told the road safety agency not to proceed with the plan to lower speed limits.

“I thank Minister Aitchison for paying attention to the results of my petition and listening to country people when we say that lower speed limits would reduce our quality of life,” said Mr Butler.

“I congratulate those who took the time to add their signature to my petition; together, we have shown our strength and managed to block this damaging proposal,” said Mr Butler.

Federally, more than 11,000 submissions were received during public consultation on the matter. As part of the proposal, it suggested reducing speed limits on some sealed roads to 70, 80 or 90 kilometres per hour. Unsealed roads would be between 70 and 80 kmh.

Member for Parkes Jamie Chaffey said the decision to quietly drop the policy is an admission that the federal government has failed to address the real issue of fixing dangerous, crumbling regional roads.

“This plan was a diversion from the fact that road funding has fallen a long way behind what is needed to maintain regional roads,” Mr Chaffey said.

“Safety issues cannot be addressed by asking people to slow down to drive around potholes.

“Cutting speed limits would have been a lazy substitute for real road investment.

“The amount of necessary funding that has been knocked back through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements in the past three to four years is staggering at about $150 million.

“Councils cannot meet these enormous costs, and they should not be expected to.”

Addressing the concept early in November, federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King said the proposal was not a new idea.

“Reviewing these limits has been on the road safety agenda since at least 2018, when the National Party held this portfolio,” Ms King said.

“The 2018-2020 National Road Safety Action Plan identified this as its first priority action: ‘Review speed limits on high risk regional and remote roads, in consultation with the community’.

“Our government remains firmly committed to improving road safety through investment, partnership and informed policy initiatives. We also recognise that maintaining our roads is just as important as building new ones.”