Arabic version: NRMA تحث إقليم العاصمة على إزالة حدود السرعة في مواقع أعمال الطرق عند عدم وجود عمال
The NRMA has urged the ACT to follow New South Wales in removing reduced speed limits for roadworks when no workers are present. According to ABC News, NSW now requires speed limit signs to be removed “when it is safe to do so” and no one is working on the road. The change took effect this month and the NRMA is encouraging other states and territories to adopt the same approach.
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury told ABC News there was “no reason” the ACT should not do the same. He said work on regional roads and highways is often periodic or paused over the weekend, causing frustration for drivers, and described the NSW approach as “Assuming it doesn’t jeopardise anyone’s safety, it’s a sensible, common-sense approach, particularly when you’ve got extensive roadworks over a long period of time.”
In the ACT, reduced speed limits around roadworks are currently in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Work is underway to duplicate 4.5 kilometres of William Hovell Drive between Drake-Brockman Drive and John Gorton Drive; the speed limit on that stretch has been lowered from 90 kilometres an hour to 60 for the entire 4.5 kilometre work zone and the project is expected to be completed in 2029.
The ACT government has said enforcement action will be stepped up to target speeding drivers, with Access Canberra’s Christopher Seddon noting “Over the 4.5 km stretch, you’re only losing 90 seconds of your day reducing from 90 to 60 kilometres an hour.” Mr Seddon also said authorities would watch how the new speed limit rules played out across the border: “The ACT government is just looking at how the approach goes in New South Wales and we may look at changing our processes.”
ACT Policing has warned that risks remain even outside construction hours. Detective Sergeant Jonathan Turkich from the Major Collision Team said “there’s construction equipment on the roads, there can be construction vehicles on the side of the road, the road might not be quite finished to the standard you’d usually expect.” He acknowledged reduced speed limits could be “frustrating” but called the pain “short term,” adding, “No one’s going to care if you’re a minute and a half late to something. They’re absolutely going to care if you don’t make it to your destination because you’ve caused someone to have a collision.”
What’s next: The ACT government will monitor the changes in NSW before deciding whether to reconsider its own rules.
Related sections: Australia/استراليا | New South Wales | Australian Capital Territory
