Speed limit audit to ask NSW drivers their opinion on speed zones

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By Brett Davis | June 22nd, 2011

As part of the NSW Government’s plan to revise confusing speed zones on short strips of road, a speed limit audit will take place next month to ask motorists what they think the speed limits should be.

The audit will include the top 100 most annoying roads that have confusing and changeable speed limits. Drivers will be able to give their opinion on a website that will be set up, giving them a chance to have a say on what speed zones should be applied to particular areas.

Specific speed zones include 70km/h and 90km/h zones that, in some areas, change from 60km/h to 70km/h and back down again along short strips of road. Roads Minister Duncan Gay said in a recent News Limited report,

“This is about getting the balance right between ensuring we have the right speed zone for the road condition and not having an excessive number of speed changes.”

“This will make it simpler for motorists to stick to the speed limit. We don’t want motorists to get caught out, we want them to have a say in prioritising speed zone changes across this state.”

Speed zones have the potential to decrease and increase in certain areas. Specific streets in the spotlight include some of Sydney’s main roads, like the Great Western Highway and King Georges Road, as well as stretches of the New England Highway out west.

The plans also hope to introduce a new rule for minimum speed zone distances which will get rid of the confusing manner in which some speed zone areas are laid out.

A review of the effectiveness of speed cameras is also scheduled to be finalised next month, which could prove cameras are just revenue raisers, and measures that can make driving more confusing.

What do you think? Should we all be able to have our say on what we think the speed limits should be? Or should someone with some sort of credentials, such as the government that we elect in the first place, do a better job of deciding for us?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

http://Frosty Hicks

110, 80 and 60 should be the only changes in speed limits.

Everything else in-between is just a reason for fixed ‘safety cameras’.

vti07

A while back in NSW, they only had speed limits of 60, 80, 100 and 110. 40, 50, 70, 90 were introduced later.
Technofreak

Totally agree.
Steve

I disagree. 40 should stay for school zones, 50 for built up residential areas. But maybe properly built 110 freeways should become 130. 60 are ok for main city roads and dare I say it single lane country roads that often have 100 should become 60 too! (given the real risk of head on collisions).

Jester

Then it will take forever to get anywhere. People have head-ons when they fall asleep – I doubt almost doubling the travel time will reduce fatigue.
100 on country roads is perfectly fine, some could be even higher – and I base this on expereince of travelling more than 200,000kms on mostly country, single lane 100 roads.

Eddie

I can’t believe it, some proper government thinking!!!

We need these sorts of ideas in Victoria!!!

macca

yes, Eastlink (the best road in Australia) still has 100kph limits – with two cash registers (sorry, speed cameras) in operation in both directions. 110 kph please!

Monty

As always a controversial topic, perhaps there should be a permanent site to advise of this type of thing with periodic reviews?

Speed traps have long been seen as revenue raising, instead of causing accidents and congestion which is what happens when people brake suddenly on spotting ANY white Vito…

My opinion is that more weight should be given to training and safety available in vehicles…. Take active and passive safety improvements and you get better survivability… better skills mean better coping mechanisms.

Slower speed just creates more time to respond Badly to Bad driving, and a false confidence that they are being ‘safe’ by driving slowly… wouldnt it make more sense to prepare people better for errors both caused by themselves and others?
CRS200

They know our answer already!

School zones yes, and real black spots.

All the rest rip them out!
Mark

About bloody time. Agree that they should scrape everything else and keep 110, 80 and 60.

Hey, while we are it, get rid of stupid 40 school zone. Teach kids to respect traffic instead of other way around.

PB

Your’re a f*cken idiot
Young kids act without thinking sometimes, its human nature. You have far more chance of stopping or making an avoidance manoeuvre when driving at 40kph. Kids are kids, stop being so selfish. I agree completely with raised speed limits on suitable roads and highways and simplify the system so that speed zones are consistant. In fact there are many roads out there which could have upto 130Km/h limits but driver education will be the key.
Just leave the school zones alone, they are there to protect our kids.

nifty

School zone speed limits should be kept but should have it flashing when it is enabled so that we know when it is to be enforced. As I drive with my lights on I can not see the time on the digital clock in my car and I don’t wear a watch, I have to fiddle around and turn my lights off and take my eyes off the road to check the time. It would be much better to know whether it was the right time by the lights flashing.

OutBack Wanderers

Get a watch from Big W, K-Mart, Target, $10

Leave on dashboard or seat or wrist or listen to radio

Come on, are you that stupid or just having a whinge

If you really need a watch to tell you your driving abilities to the surrounding logistics, its about time you handed your licence in

Mark

Yeah, and how did we ever lived before 40 school zone?

ClioRS200

What about removing 40 zones and putting Hight Fences to avoid completely Kids from crossing/falling onto Major roads with heavy traffic and keep the 40 zones on light traffic roads?

After all High fencing will protect kids better than a 40 zone that some idiot doesn’t respect, right?

Isn’t it all about safety?

LN

Some major roads in Sydney have that…

OutBack Wanderers

You gotta laugh at some ppls ranting, I take it PB has never driven down Pennant Hills Road through the “school zones” where the school has 3.0 mtr fences around it and two bridges over the road for students walking, there is no reason for a slow down, in all my years of driving down this road, I’ve never seen one kid with-in an inch of the road.Oh yeh, just remembered, the road has an 2mtr high fence running down the middle to stop non-existant children crossing the road, why would you when above are two “pedestrian bridges”

Another road is the Lakes way at Tuncurry, a school zone, actually Tuncurry Tafe College whom the students are literally quite stupid because the authorities deem them children, the college is 300 mtrs away down a side street

Out the front on road is no different to the same road 500 mts away, bus stops, no footpaths, a cemetary, but its a good spot for revenue raising as the cops sit in a side street just past the end of school zone, again, never see any “children” because the school buses are pulled up outside the front gates, down the side street.

So PB, not all school zones are sensible, there are many others, but at least we don’t have stupid politicians like those in ACT who wanted school zones reduced speed 24/7, yes, thats right,every hour of every day including week-ends, I’ve yet to see any school kids going to school at 2.00am on a winters night

ClioRS200

Completely agree with the Fencing if they have no chance to get on a major road why insist on a 40 zone, the Kids are protected and the traffic can flow properly especially in those morning peak hours.

Jester

40 zone is a political stunt to appease the family people – I’ve grown up near roads with 60 and 130kmh zones, and guess what, we knew if you get hit you will die, and all of us kids behaved accordingly. Giving kids a false sense of security just turns them into idiots, that have no respect for traffic, or the laws of nature, then they get run over when they are 18+, drunk and running on the roads without looking – 40 zones are dumb, 60 should be a minimum.

Brendon

Obviously you don’t have children and don’t care about or look at the big picture.

Joker

Attention Colin Barnett in Perth…Evaluate Multinovas and their effectiveness to reduce accidents rather than ambush us and cause mass panic and hard braking amongst the local populace.
Dennis

Some highways (where suitable) should be at minimum 120
Harry

Increase highway speed limits to 130 on roads with a dedicated overtaking lane and a divider between traffic going in different directions.

Make practical driver training compulsory when getting a licence instead of the silly “touch the screen when you would brake” $80 test.

Use the luxury car tax to pay for this as well as giving substancial rebates to people who get rid of/trade up from old cars which don’t have basic safety features.

Ban cars that don’t achieve at least a 2/5 star ANCAP safety rating and make ESC compulsory, especially for new drivers instead of banning most turbocharged cars that are safe and modestly powered like the Golf.

Basically please use your brains for once, thanks.

Homer

Agree, with a small change. Mandatory driver evaluation should be brought in for every driver, say, every 3 years.
I’ve been driving for more than 40 years and never been tested for competency. How many mature drivers have no idea about the right hand lane rule, about merging onto freeways and roundabouts? This will never happen because people might not have their license renewed and there’s not a politician in the country who would put lives before votes. The other suggestion I’d have is banning retread tyres (on cars). These things are deadly yet the RTA shows no interest. Put a set on a S class Benz and the thing is as dangerous as a clapped out clunker in any emergency maneuver.

TBS260z

Definately agree that speed limits on some highways should be atleast 130. Also agree get rid of 90 and 70 and 50 either 40 for school zones 60 for high density areas 80 for low density areas, 100 for highways and 130 for long highways that can support it. Speed is also dependant on the surface with better raod infastructure you would reduce the road toll.
Leslie

Introduce 120 and 130kmh limits
Shak

Keep 40 School zones, they may make u drive slower and get late going to and from work, but they are there to save kids. keep residential limits where they are genuinely in residential areas. other than that, long roads should be 80, and highways and free ways should be 110 minimum.

Matt M

When I grew up around my school was a 60 zone, but my parents taught me NOT to run onto a road, look both ways and cross at the crossing. We would all catch the bus or walk home too. And 20 years later im still alive!
Today people are too busy dodging the poorly driven SUV’s dropping kids off, checking the speedo, and swerving to avoid kids that haven’t learnt that cars kill.

Shak

True there is no replacement for common sense, but in our new nanny state parents simply don’t seem to realise that its THEIR duty, to teach their kids common sense. And as long as that’s the case, we need to ensure the innocent ones are protected.

Mark

Nahh. Let natural selection do its work.

Frenchie

20 years ago there was half the amount of cars on the road back then what there is now and the drivers now have half the IQ of drivers back then.

Rubes

I reckon we should have 40,60,80,100,120 speed limits. 40 for the schools (and maybe streets???). 60 for main roads with houses and shops around. 80 for main roads without residential areas. And 100,120 for highways based on how sharp the bends are.

Tom

Yeah but how are the RTA going to make speed camera revenue with logical speed limits like that?

whatthe

The Government may ask, but the results will be ignored. But at least they can say thet consulted with people.
Moe

Derestricted speed zones like the early 90s imagine driving up to Qld only doing 120kph
mcl334

Put all 50k zones back to 60k as we all shill drive at 60 anyway.
120k on roads like driving down the Hume
Glen

Let the people set the speed limits. Measure the median (average) speed of the traffic and set the speed limit to the nearest 10 kph above that. It is better than having someone in an office set the limits. Most people drive at a safe speed most of the time.

Daniel

Glen,
I Totally agree. The driver is the best judge of the road conditions including its quality(pot holes), how straight it is, how narrow the lanes are, how wet it is how dark it is.
An arbitrary speed limit can never combine all of the above to determine a safe and effecient speed limit.

wayne

Keep the school zones but some of you need to think a little harder, most people aren’t capable of driving at 130kph and I’d suggest most of you come into that category!! Sorry but thats the truth.

charlie

You’re kidding right?
Homer

Any evidence to support your assumption Wayne? I think the suggested 130kph is on multi lane freeways with division between the other side of the road. If people would keep out of the right hand lane unless overtaking (people don’t get this, it’s illegal to be in this lane even at 2.00am without another car on the road)then we would be able to do the suggested 130kph and I just shot myself in the foot, yes, you’re right. Until Australian’s understand the rules of the freeway and take a more mature approach to driving it won’t work.
ClioRS200

You serious?

With the cars we how now days 130 is still too slow, but the required speed.

If you can’t drive as 130kph stick to 100kph.

Daniel

Roughly 450 people die on NSW roads every year, sorry to say this but i don’t think that is a massive number considering the amount of time we spend in our cars. RTA states that the number is 1 death per 200,000,000 KM’s traveled. We need to have some kind of SET target in mind for road fatalities, they will never be reduced to nil and trying to achieve a nil road toll is a fools game.

We also need to have a ballance between safety and traffic flow, we need a way to measure the two and if there is a significant reduction in traffic flow for a small safety benefit a speed limit reduction should not occur. I know that sounds cold, but it seems safety is in itself a goal of the government which is odd.

Steve

Daniel yes stats are all well and good but what if the stat was your loved one? If all Australians kept this attitude seat belt wearing still might not be mandatory. The point is the Government has conceded that a lot of it’s safety measures are revenue raising. However we should all work towards improving the stats. This doesn’t mean only looking at speed limits but also things like improving roads, driver skills, keeping bad drivers off the road (not just speeding drivers but drivers who are in a lot of at fault accidents for example) mandating safer cars, getting unroadworthy cars off the road and (gasp) a system that doesn’t just punish but actually rewards safe drivers.

Daniel

Steve,
Dont get me wrong if it was my loved one I would be distraught. My point was that safety can not be looked at in isolation if it has negative factors elsewhere (like increased traffic and travel times)those negative factors need to be taken into account.
For your suggestions about improving roads increasing driver skills ( The Green P Plate test is a joke) and removing bad drivers i couldnt agree more, as I see no negative side to those points.
But reducing the speed limit does have a negative impact and a large one too, in increased travel times for millions of people who drive.
Anyway we will have to wait and see what this review comes up with.

goodjjp

Speed Limit 70 and it goes down to 60 and
all you see its safety camera….sign…
always ..!!!
Rumps

- 50kph for streets
- 70kph for normal roads
- 100kph for multi-lane major roads
- 130kph for freeways and motorways (110kph mimimum)

Four zones and simply put with good tyres and everyone concentrating on the road, there shouldn’t be any crashes.

As for school zones – they should be at primary schools but not at high schools. Put it simply if you crash because you can’t handle a car on a straight road or prepare yourself for a bend or additionally you’re a high school student and make risks such as crossing a major road whilst a car at 100kph is coming towards you and you get run over – you and your gene pool deserves to die.
save it for the track

The RTA has been undertaking a speed review for about a year already, and has been delayed by Local Councils dragging their heels. It has long been tabled that 70 & 90 zones will go, as will ‘buffer’ speed zones. I would hazard a guess therefore that many roads that currently have 70 will drop to 60 and not be raised, and in some cases even go to 50. 50km/h is the ‘default’ urban speed limit and has been now for some years. 50 is also common in Europe(built up areas), including Germany. Someones suggestion of having the limit based on some sort of averaging, would seem to actually INCREASE the number of speed limits, rather than simplify them. Over a distance where speeds currently fluctuate, most likely then the lower speed will apply for the whole length. 50, 60, 80, 100, 130 are my preferences, with school zones to stay at 40.

ClioRS200

I just don’t agree with the 70kph zone to drop to 60kph, simply because the majority of the 70kph should be in my opinion 80kph.

Can’t imagine doing King Georges Road (majority of it is 70kph) from Hurstville all the way to Ryde or further at 60kph, maybe on some sections, not entirely.

What should be changed is the M5 tunnel that speed camera and 80kph is causing traffic to slow down too much. Especially on the Exit from City to West people just let their cars slow down due to the inclination. On the entrance West to City majority of drivers are just too scared of the speed camera and respect the 80kph a little too much and the declination doesn’t help either.

Biker

Could someone explain to me how this works?
Almost everyone is asking for a moderate speed increase, yet this collective notion is not present in those who have been elected to represent the people?

No-one I came across ever liked a speed camera, yet they keep popping up everywhere. At which point is the majority going to have a say?
If only those revenues raised by speed cameras are used to teach young people good road manners/skills and not for enriching state coffers.
Gibbo

While the idea of less speed limit changes is good, I dont like the idea of lowering the speed limit in some places (which is what the RTA will do accross the board – raising them and allowing the traffic to flow quicker is not in their policy) fair enough if it is a built up area but if it isnt the limit – be that 70 or 90 should be raised to 80/100. Ive seen roads in my local area- which have no buildings near them, gradually go from 100 down to 60 over the past 20 years, every thing else in this world keeps getting faster and better, cars are faster, they hold the road better and are safer, yet are forced to travel at speeds that are slower than ever before.
OutBack Wanderers

Last year on the Thunderbolts Way (between Gloucester and Walcha)the speed limit was 100kph, now some nincompoop got it changed to 80kph below the mountain range. Now its a chugga chugga trying to go uphill at 80, constantly changing down gears to keep revs up, and the poor bloody coaches an buses are restricted to 40 kph, how STUPIDS that, all up hill for christs sake

Pumping out more toxic gases and pollution in doing a stupid 80kph. The mind boggles on idiots who hav’nt even seen the road and yet at a stroke of the pen has caused more pollution than doing 100kph

Note the F3 freeway, going south, its 90kph, but going north its 100kph unless its raining then reverts back to 90kph, but only on one side, northbound, it doesn’t rain on the southbound lanes for some strange reason

BUT and its a big BUT, it has a 1000 tonne sandstone barrier between the lanes, no chance of a head-on on this road, and yet, just for an example, the roads around Dungog Shire are two lanes with 100 yo gum trees 300 mm from roadside with a speed limit of 100kph

Now either the drivers around Dungog are very experienced or the drivers on the F3 are all stupid drivers,any Government official out there can explain this absurd scenario
wayne

Yep my point exactly Homer, nothing scares me more than travelling up the F3 at 110 in 3 lanes of traffic with God knows who driving beside me. That road should be 80!!!

capago

I sit on 110 on the f3 (im south of the hawkesbury) and have people overtake me. 110 isnt that fast if you think about it. 110 in a 50 zone, yes it is fast because the road conditions are poorer, corners are sharper and then you have to think about your surroundings to a much greater extent.

why do i sit on the speed limit? i need my licence for work…

chook

We need to take example of european limits and rules . Rules like staying in the slower lane unless overtaking on freeways is treated very seriously and offenders dealt with quickly . Sensible speeds for the conditions such as 130kph on freeways in the struggling economies of eastern europe……what a relief it was to just be anle to focus on the drive without constantly watching the speedo !! . Numerous european countries setting an example to the world that theyre systems work , and the moron politicians here to stubborn to listen for a moment!! . What a frustration would it be to some traffic cops who suddenly wouldnt be able to book us for doing 130 on the hume !!

jackb

Well said chook. After having driven in europe in the the last couple of years I couldn’t agree more! I’d like to see the Police take an interest in the things that clog and frustrate the flow of traffic on our road eg. failing to keep left.

wayne

The one answer to all this is decent drivers education and that should start in schools at year 7, simple.Unfortunately the respective Governments won’t make money from this so so spped cameras multiple speed limits and fine will always prevail regardless of which party governs.Like cigarettes they’ll tell you they are bad for you but will let them be sold because they make money from them.
integrale

id say adopt the system italy has,school zones 40,,but some have to go. eg the one on victoria road heading west off the gladesville bridge,overhead bribge etc anyone who knows it would ageee 60 and 80 for built up areas 110 fore single lane roads.and 130 for multilane freeways,anyone can travel at 100 in the slow lane if they wish,and anyone caught for undertaking or REMAINING in the overtaking lane not overtaking should receive harsh penalties ESPECIALLY undertaking,because these type of people cause accidents led by frustration,flashing head lights to warn the car ahead when overtaking,now wouldnt that make long range driving safe and enjoyable.
integrale

school zones in california are [25mph when children in view,],wouldnt it make more sense to look out for children than your watch? what happens to children that catch the 7.40am bus,? when i was growing up there were policemen at pedestrian crossings,that slows people down. now they hide behind trees with radar guns..is it really for their safety?
http://Google L Browne

Grand Mother drove at 100 mph between Adelaide and the Farm. In the 70′s I drove at 75 mph between Nowra NSW and Adelaide every second weekend, because of the distance and cost ratio. My wife drives her new Suberu at 80kph and get 9, I drive it at 105 to 110kph and get 8.2. When I got booked on that trip I was doing 121kph and the gauge said I was getting 8.2, a very good reading for fuel used. I work 205 k from my home at 110kph I get there in 2 hours, at 80kph I get tired after 2 hours.
I do have a lot of trouble with people who drive at slow speeds and “Unreasonably obstruct drivers” NSW Road Rules 2008, Division 1 General, 125 – but I would like the example rasied to 60 kph in a 100kph length of road.
Damo

80kph on f3 sounds like a great idea Wayne. If the other drivers worry you so much you will find there is a train as an option.
trowe

Driver education is the best way, then increase some speed limits and reduce changes (sure, keep school zones the same).

M2 absolutely sucks right now. 80, 60, 40! I drive it mostly at night when cars are scarce. Roadworks: why do we need to do 60 for a km BEFORE the 40 zone a km BEFORE the roadworks. We don’t need that long to slow down.
Dizzy

If any Driver really believes that some of the Speed Cameras have been turned off they must believe that the Cow can jump over the moon!
The RTA (Revenue Raising Assocciation)if they were Fair Dinkum they would dismantle the Speed Camera.
Anything that can be turned off can be turned on again without notice.
Justice is a Falicy
Dizzy