27 November 2019
After a unanimous vote at its Council Meeting on 26 November 2019, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council is calling on the state government to approve a two-year trial reducing 38 Shire-managed, high risk sealed rural roads to 80kmph on the Peninsula.
These roads are typically rural roads where outdated 100km/h and 90km/h speed limits currently apply.
Many of these roads have a significant crash history and high crash risk profile, including: narrow lanes, large trees close to the road, table drains, and poor sight lines.
The proposed trial is only for Shire-managed high risk sealed rural roads and does not affect any Peninsula arterial corridors, such as: Peninsula Link, Moorooduc Highway and Westernport Highway.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor Councillor Sam Hearn said Mornington Peninsula Shire is Victoria's worst municipality for road trauma in 2019.
"We are in a crisis. Over the past five years, there have been 165 casualty crashes on our local rural sealed roads.
"This year alone, we have had 14 deaths and over 100 serious injuries – 7 of these deaths were on high risk sealed rural roads. This is in comparison to last year where there were two deaths. Any death is far too many.
"While speed is not always the cause of a crash, the speed of a vehicle at impact will always determine how severely people are hurt as a result.
"Shire-managed roads on the Peninsula are typically in very good condition, however even with perfect roads, drivers will make mistakes. Reducing the speed limit will reduce the severity of crashes and ultimately contribute to saving lives," concluded Mayor Hearn.
In recent history, there has been a high instance of single vehicle crashes on Peninsula roads. By travelling 10kmph slower, you reduce your risk of being in a casualty crash (one where you are either injured or killed) by 20 – 30%.
To obtain a similar outcome by improving road infrastructure through widening roads and installing safety barriers would require the removal of thousands of trees - devastating the natural environment where these roads are situated.
The impact on travel times is minimal. The longest stretch of road in the proposed trial is Browns Road (12km) – the suggested speed limit of 80kmph would add less than a minute to a journey (according to field tests).
The majority of the roads under the proposed trial are less than a quarter of the length of Browns Road, therefore the impact on travel times along these roads will be insignificant.
To learn more about Council's call for reduced speeds limits visit mornpen.vic.gov.au/saferspeeds.
To join the conversation and have your say about how we can build a safer road system, visit mornpen.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay
