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Targeted speed limit reductions

Road safety improvements have been scheduled for the Bonang Road, Omeo Highway, Licola Road and Great Alpine Road.

The following East Gippsland roads will have speed limits reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h at targeted locations:

* Omeo Highway - a 9km section between Benambra Road and Bingo Munjie Creek.

* Great Alpine Road - an 11km section west of Omeo to Jim and Jack Creek; and a 40 kilometre section south of Ensay to Bruthen Goat Farm.

* Licola Road – a 9km section between Basin Flat and Hickeys Creek Track, and a 11km section between 20 Acre Creek and Chesterfield Road.

* Bonang Road - the full 108 kilometres from Orbost Tip to the New South Wales border.

State Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull said the identified roads have very high crash rates at particular locations and that it is vital that action is taken to address the issue.

“These crashes are usually run off road crashes involving all types of vehicles, particularly through the winding locations,” he said.

“From the start of 2007 to the end of last year, there were a total of 93 casualty crashes at these locations with seven fatal and 49 serious injury crashes.”

Mr Bull said that close analysis of these crashes and their causes found that reducing the speed limit at key locations where the crashes are occurring is expected to significantly improve road safety.

“The most winding sections of these roads where the crashes are occurring will be reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h,” Mr Bull said.

“One of the bigger lengths of reduced speed limits will be on the Great Alpine Road between Ensay and Bruthen, which is a 40 kilometre stretch. This reduction will only add minimal travel time for most road users.

“On the other sections of road there is expected to be little or no impact on travel times,” Mr Bull said.

To further increase road safety, the new speed zone reductions will be supported by other improvements such as curve warning signs and some sealing works near driveways to keep gravel off the road, generally near bends.

The new speed zones are expected to be installed early next year, with additional road safety measures to follow at a later date.

The funding for four East Gippsland roads is part of a $751,000 package for safety improvements along eight key Gippsland roads, as part of the $55 million state-wide Transport Accident Commissions (TAC) Safer Roads Infrastructure Program.

Blurr wrote:.....I dont think it will bother the CDT but bloody hell it was good to know that with a 100km speedlimit through the twisties you had to be on to be going fast enough to make the copper bothered to turn around.

Although I did get caught +50kms over on the Great Alpine way a couple of years ago, thankfully he was a local sargent and a generally good bloke with a good sense of compasion ......

Six Addict wrote:I'm fairly sure road captain also did a wheelie right behind him, not on purpose either haha

Wattie wrote:I blame Mike-s.
we were given strict instructions to catch him before we got to Omeo.

Gosling1 wrote:

Blurr wrote:.....I dont think it will bother the CDT but bloody hell it was good to know that with a 100km speedlimit through the twisties you had to be on to be going fast enough to make the copper bothered to turn around.

Although I did get caught +50kms over on the Great Alpine way a couple of years ago, thankfully he was a local sargent and a generally good bloke with a good sense of compasion ......

still a great memory watching that big old Landie doing a smoking U-turn right ahead of us to give merry chase to the fiendish law-breakers out the front !!

Didn't you also do a big wheelie as you went past him ? I think that may have contributed to the whole episode

Wattie wrote:......I blame Mike-s.
we were given strict instructions to catch him before we got to Omeo......

Blurr wrote:

Wattie wrote:I blame Mike-s.
we were given strict instructions to catch him before we got to Omeo.

I whole heartily second that

Gosling1 wrote:

Wattie wrote:......I blame Mike-s.
we were given strict instructions to catch him before we got to Omeo......

I call bullshit - when did he ever get in front of us ??