The Andrews Labor Government will boost safety for the Strathmerton community by introducing a new 60 kilometres per hour speed limit through the town ahead of Easter.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Jaala Pulford announced in Parliament today that the Labor Government will introduce a safer speed limit following a comprehensive speed review and community feedback.
The 60 kilometres per hour speed zone will be introduced on a 1.5 kilometre stretch of highway through the town.
Speed reviews are undertaken on a case-by-case basis and consider community feedback, traffic volumes and pedestrian movements.
In Strathmerton, Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) consulted key stakeholders including Moira Shire Council, Victoria Police and members of Strathmerton community groups, as well as the broader community through an online survey and community information session.
More than 90 per cent of the 200 survey respondents felt there was a need for safety improvements, with the most common suggestion to lower the speed limit from 80 to 60 kilometres per hour.
Reasons included that the existing speed zone was too fast, vehicles travelling over the speed limit, difficulty for pedestrians and cyclists crossing, and conflict with heavy vehicles.
Up to 4,700 vehicles travel through Strathmerton township each day, including 40 per cent heavy vehicles, taking in traffic from the Goulburn Valley and Murray Valley Highways.
The 60 kilometres per hour speed zone will be introduced from the service road on the town's east to just west of Fourth Street, with the 80 kilometres per hour speed zone remaining in place from the service road to just before Mywee Road.
As stated by Minister for Roads and Road Safety Jaala Pulford
"The new speed limit will make it safer and easier for pedestrians to get across the busy highway and signal to drivers that they need to slow down and be aware that they're driving through the town."
As stated by Member for Northern Victoria Region Mark Gepp
"We've heard the Strathmerton community's calls for safer speeds through their town and considered the advice of experts – and we're now taking action."
