News

Roads | December 11, 2019

Fix the roads, don’t lower the speed limits

Roads Minister Jaala Pulford has confirmed the Andrews Government will pursue its policy to slash speed limits on country roads, instead of listening to community calls to fix them.

Media reports confirm the Government will not rule out cutting speed limits on rural roads, despite regional Victorians making it clear the priority should be proper maintenance to fix dangerous roads.

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy said lower speed limits wouldn’t fix potholes and road hazards on country roads.

“Country people want their roads fixed – they don’t want to be slowed down,” Ms Kealy said.

“Not only does lowering speed limits increase the amount of time people are away from home it also has huge implications on the productivity of our regional businesses.

“This is band-aid policy which fails to address the underlying safety issues on our country roads including potholed surfaces, narrow roads and steep drop offs on roadside edges.

“We have already seen Labor reduce speed limits along various sections of a number of roads in our electorate rather than making the investment to maintain them to a safe standard, with the Dunkeld-Cavendish Road a perfect example.

“Improved road surfaces, increasing safety features on high-risk sections of roads where accidents are happening and increased driver education is required to address our rising road toll, not simply slowing people down.”

The Minister’s confirmation comes as rural councils struggle to keep up with the high cost of roads maintenance as a result of Labor’s decision to axe the $160 million Country Roads and Bridges Program.

Despite this, Daniel Andrews has found billions to put into cost blowouts on level crossings in Melbourne.

“Slowing down country motorists not only hurts local economies, it also affects the state’s economy, including the productivity of our local industries,” Ms Kealy said.

“Once again, Daniel Andrews is showing he just doesn’t care about country Victorians.”