Speed limits reduced on some shire roads

THE Surf Coast Shire has dropped the speed limits of several major roads in Aireys Inlet, Bellbrae and Torquay.

The shire says the changes – which are effective as of this month – were in response to requests from residents and to keep the municipality’s roads safer for everyone.

The affected roads are:

• The lighthouse tourist precinct in Aireys Inlet, in the area between the Great Ocean Road and the lighthouse, will be reduced from 50kmh to 40kmh
• Gundrys Road, Bellbrae, between Great Ocean Road and Elkington Road, will be reduced from 100kmh to 80kmh
• Vickerys Road, Bellbrae, between Gundrys Road and Portreath Road, will be reduced from 80kmh to 60kmh
• Blackgate Road, Torquay, between Surf Coast Highway and 300 metres east of Horseshoe Bend Road, will be reduced from 100kmh to 80kmh, and
• South Beach Road, Torquay, between the Surf Coast Highway and Horseshoe Bend Road, will be reduced from 80kmh to 60kmh, but the existing 40kmh school zone on a section of South Beach Road will be retained.

In related works, an unsealed section of Gundrys Road just west of Eagle Point Road will be upgraded this year, with the works to include sealing a short section of the road on the bend and some minor drainage improvements.

The shire says the changes align with the regional speed limit policy developed with the Department of Transport and Victoria Police.

Safer speeds were a major focus of the state government’s Towards Zero 2016-2020 Road Safety Strategy, and the Victorian Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 lists safer speeds as one of its levers of change.

According to the new strategy, developed by the Department of Transport, speeding contributes to at least 30 per cent of fatalities each year and a quarter of serious injuries sustained by light vehicle occupants.

“Travel speeds that match road design and road use are an effective, sustainable and long-term road safety risk mitigation approach,” the strategy document states.

“A critical component to effective speed management is to ensure the community understand what speed is safest for the particular environment they are driving in.

“This understanding contributes to the way speeds are set and also assists in compliance, as community appreciate and adhere to the given limit with safety in mind.”