Tuesday 19th September 2017
Mr WALSH (Murray Plains) – (13 075) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Police and the action I seek from the minister is: fix country roads and save country lives and do not bring in a 70-kilometre-per-hour speed limit on country gravel roads. I have had a lot of feedback on this issue since it became public and I would just like to put a small sample of that on the record tonight. J. Emeny of Warrnambool said:
Stay the same – you cap council rates but then expect them to fix the roads with reduced funding. Help fix the roads not lower speed limits!
Jamie Bell from Warracknabeal said:
Absolutely not lower. Why should we accept lower speed limits simply because the government will not spend the money to repair them? We pay our taxes and have little public transport options so we have to use our cars.
Tori Ficarra from Woorinen said:
No it’s not the speed as much as the roads need more maintenance. Bit like our sealed roads they are becoming more dangerous every year. All VicRoads do is put up slow down signs.
Tony Foster from Ballarat said:
Another typical kneejerk reaction to fool Melburnians into thinking that they are actually doing something.
Barb Hockley said:
How about just fixing the country roads? Victoria does not start and finish in Melbourne.
Russell Butler from Shepparton said:
No! Fix the damn roads! Reducing speed limits in place of repairing roads is just lazy and incompetent management.
One of the classics is Toby Johnstone from Longwood who said:
Don’t be so bloody ridiculous Grandma! Imbecile – join the Greens if you think that way!
Tannum Foley from Strathallan said:
Why change them? They’re fine. The only thing that needs change is maintenance on the roads.
A similar comment from Calvin Gleeson from Rushworth who said:
I am guessing Mr Andrews doesn’t commute to and from work each day on country roads.
There is a very strong feeling in country Victoria that we do not want a 70-kilometre speed limit on gravel roads. We actually just want the roads fixed.
Jack Daniel from Warracknabeal has the last word:
Bloody terrible! I drive 90 000 to 100 000 kilometres in three states and the roads around my area are the worst I drive on.
Country people actually want their roads fixed. They would like the country roads and bridges program to be brought back in to help shires fix those country gravel roads and maintain their road infrastructure rather than having a speed limit of 70 kilometres put on those roads. I think this will actually force people to break the speed limit because I know a lot of people are going to actively go against that rule and do more than 70 kilometres on those roads. I cannot see how it is going to be a good use of police resources to put a policeman on a road that might have five cars a day to see if someone speeds out there. I urge the minister not to bring in the 70-kilometre speed limit but to actually put some money into fixing those roads instead.