Aidan Knight & Blake Metcalf-Holt
By AIDAN KNIGHT AND BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
SPEED limit reductions have become commonplace across roads in the Latrobe Valley.
Frustration has been felt from locals, who experience these prolonged commutes on a daily basis on equally deficient road surfaces, which has led to further vandalism in certain towns.
Hazelwood Road, connecting Churchill and Traralgon, has been dropped 30kms at some sections to much dismay.
Both Hazelwood Rd and Boldings Rd have been permanently reduced to 80km/h since March, and recently, four of the new speed limit signs on Hazelwood Rd were found to be sawed off.
Churchill resident Blake Dyson says frustration is palpable across the town, which has “significantly increased travel times to and from work.”
“As a result, many drivers are now avoiding that road and instead using the route through Morwell, leading to ongoing congestion,” he told the Express.
“The current roadworks along the Morwell route have only added further delays and frustrations for commuters.”
Mr Dyson works at Tyers Primary School, requiring him to travel through Traralgon.
“Working in the education sector is already mentally demanding, and the added stress caused by traffic conditions and ongoing road issues is having a noticeable impact before the workday even begins,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the continued lack of effective action regarding our local roads is making it increasingly difficult for workers like myself to arrive at work in the right mindset to best support and guide future generations.”
To go along with trying to avoid frequent potholes along rural roads, other Churchill locals have pointed out that many don’t even follow the new 80km/h speed limit, and fly past to overtake others.
The Department of Transport reported 16 incidents along Hazelwood Rd and Boldings Rd between August 2020 and August last year, which resulted in one death, seven serious injuries and eight minor injuries.
A petition seeking to put the speed limit back up to 100km/h along Hazelwood Rd and Boldings Rd had close to 600 signatures when it closed on Sunday, May 31.
It was endorsed by Nationals MPs Martin Cameron (Morwell) and Melina Bath (Eastern Victoria Region), and was tabled in state parliament.
Mr Cameron also pointed out that at the Church Rd intersection on Hazelwood Rd, electronic signs have been set up to indicate that it’s now 70km/h in that area.
The Member for Morwell said that road repairs should be at the forefront instead of simply dropping the speed limit.
“The kicker here is the signs are telling us the speed limit reduction is going to make the road safer,” he said.
“If the Allan Labor government was serious about road safety, it would scrap the band-aid solutions and fix the bloody roads.
“Billions are being spent on mega projects in the city, but when it comes to repairing dangerous roads in regional Victoria, Labor goes missing every time.”
Mr Cameron recently wrote to Roads Minister, Ros Spence, receiving the response that “the condition of (Hazelwood Rd) is generally considered comparable to other similar roads within the Gippsland region.”
“Given Gippsland is home to some of the worst roads in the state, the assertion that Hazelwood Rd is on par with others in the region is of very little comfort,” Mr Cameron added.
“Instead of telling motorists to drive to the conditions on a rapidly deteriorating network of roads, the Minister needs to get serious about ensuring the safety of regional Victorians.
“I’m again asking the Allan Labor government to scrap the plans to reduce the speed limit on Hazelwood Road and get on with fixing the road itself.”
Other areas in the Latrobe Valley have experienced vandalism in response to these speed limit reductions, including in Tyers.
Back in January, locals noticed that the 80km/h speed limit sign both ways of Tyers Rd were spray painted to signal 100km/h.
According to residents, this caused some dangerous traffic issues, especially for drivers entering the town, including large quarry trucks coming through.
A 60km/h sign along John Field Drive, Newborough was also spray painted over recently.
Thompsons Rd, Newborough is another to experience an extreme drop, going from 100km/h to 60km/h across a short period of time in recent years.
Accompanying road works in Yallourn North, speed limits have also recently changed around the town.
Yallourn North resident Gary Mitchell brought this to the attention of Mr Cameron, but received a different response to that of the situation in Churchill.
“His reply was they reduced those two areas due to road upgrades, which is fair enough,” Mr Mitchell said in a letter to the Express.
Yet, even in works being complete, including new safety barriers heading out of town towards the power station, new speed limits still remain.
“So, why if the road is now safer with the barriers, do we still have a reduced speed limit in those areas?” Mr Mitchell added.
“It seems to me that there are some hypocrites within the government, as why do they need to put the barriers in to make the road safer, but not bring the speed limit back to what it was?”
Drastic: Thompsons Road, Newborough is another that has seen its speed limit drop from 100km/h down to 60km/h in a short period of time. Photograph: Blake Metcalf-Holt
