Riddle me this.....

[Cruise]

Please enlighten me on a decision by our law makers.

The story goes like this, a road near my house (Curtis Road) is a one lane each way road without sealed shoulders, gutters, no proper bus stops and also suffers from bad undulations.
It has has a 70km/h speed limit.

The government (I believe the local council) have spent a few million on it to get it up to a good standard, gutters, protected turn right lanes, 'indented' bus stops, nice and smooth surface, a protected bike lane and footpath.
It now has a 60km/h speed limit.

So riddle me this,
how can a road that has been upgraded to this standard have a reduced speed limit?

I guess we can say theve have to raise funds for these upgrades somehow....

This makes my head hurt.

[Allen]

I would be watching out for speed cameras there soon... People don't like to slow down after a road has its limit reduced. Habits are hard to break.

E.G. The Hume Highway outside Craigieburn used to be 100, then 90, and now 80...

Speed cameras are a regular sight there now, and people are always speeding there too...

[mcflux]

The standards to which the road was built were based upon a 60kph design speed. 70kph might not have been acceptable under today's standards for your particular stretch of road, or not feasible (cost vs benefit)

The upgrades for your stretch of road may have come to $1m for a design which complies with standards based on a 60kph limit, but in order to make it comply to a 70kph limit extra measures may have been needed (more earthworks for the road base & superelevations, a larger distance between the kerb & the footpath, greater protection measures for the footpath, which may have blown out the budget to $1.5m for example.

It's "OK" to leave an existing piece of infrastructure in substandard conditions, if it was built to the acceptable standards back when it was built. IE your road may have first been constructed in 1970, and its design may have been acceptable back then. When a new road or other asset is built, it must comply with today's standards.

[gz1]

Originally Posted by Cruise Control

Please enlighten me on a decision by our law makers.

The story goes like this, a road near my house (Curtis Road) is a one lane each way road without sealed shoulders, gutters, no proper bus stops and also suffers from bad undulations.
It has has a 70km/h speed limit.

The government (I believe the local council) have spent a few million on it to get it up to a good standard, gutters, protected turn right lanes, 'indented' bus stops, nice and smooth surface, a protected bike lane and footpath.
It now has a 60km/h speed limit.

In such a road the police consider it too hazardous as far as workplace safety goes to set up radar traps. Besides most sensible drivers would not exceed the 70k speed limit anyhow, so there would be little gain.

Originally Posted by Cruise Control

So riddle me this,
how can a road that has been upgraded to this standard have a reduced speed limit?

I guess we can say theve have to raise funds for these upgrades somehow....

This makes my head hurt.

Now that are kerbs, and places that the police consider safe for them to set up traps, you need to reduce the speed so you can actually gain something.
What is the bet that within 12 months the speed limit goes down to 50?

[T3man]

Simple really - while there were no pull-over areas for the cops to do their thing the limit was set to the 85 percentile. Now that the road has been "upgraded" two things can (and will) happen. One, the cops now have the necessary room to set up stationary radar and also the room to pull over motorists both after stationary radar and mobile radar detected infringements. Two, people who have been travelling that section of road for years will be in the "habit" of driving at 75km/h or more ... instant prey. Also, as the road is generally in good nick now there is also more likelihood of first time travellers to be pinged while they drive through the area. All in all it's a win win for the tax collectors.

[Neoxr6]

They change the speed limit as the road has now been put into a different category. no gutters ect ect = semi-ruralm, no that they have sealed it and put gutters bus stops ect ect in it is now residential hence the lower speed limit..

[Neoxr6]

double post

[XR06T]

Originally Posted by T3man

Simple really - while there were no pull-over areas for the cops to do their thing the limit was set to the 85 percentile. Now that the road has been "upgraded" two things can (and will) happen. One, the cops now have the necessary room to set up stationary radar and also the room to pull over motorists both after stationary radar and mobile radar detected infringements. Two, people who have been travelling that section of road for years will be in the "habit" of driving at 75km/h or more ... instant prey. Also, as the road is generally in good nick now there is also more likelihood of first time travellers to be pinged while they drive through the area. All in all it's a win win for the tax collectors.

bingo!

[BENT_8]

I presume you speak of Curtis rd Smithfield Plains?
You fail to mention that up until rescently the stretch of road was 60k's from Coventry Rd to Stebonheath road so they may have just trialled this increase and decided against it.
You also failed to mention that the road has a huge amount of residential building going on after Stebonheath rd, a new round about installed and the fact it is one of the options earmarked as the spot for the new northern suburbs 'Super School, between Curtis rd and the golf course.
Considering these developments i fully understand why it has been changed.

I remember back in 86, my old man and me were heading west along Curtis rd just before Stebonheath Rd in his TF Cortina with a descent load of gravel in a trailer, in them days the 80k zone started just after Stebonheath rd.
This tool driving a LC Torana was turning out of Stebonheath rd on the south side and was arguing with his very preggo missus and just pulled straight out infront of us.
We T-boned him doing 70k driving him into the stobie pole on the NW side throwing both the windscreen and his missus from the Torana, she gave birth later that night, Torana was a write off, we fixed the Cortina for $1500.

[V3RSAC3]

im doing a major report on the change of the speed limit around suburban area's ... it is all a part of rising revenue!!!

[MeLLy]

OH that road!...i used to take that all the time to see my friend when she lived there, i noticed the road work and the speed limit was just right at 70...as if they've changed it...they have no idea! do they!

[Cruise]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

I presume you speak of Curtis rd Smithfield Plains?
You fail to mention that up until rescently the stretch of road was 60k's from Coventry Rd to Stebonheath road so they may have just trialled this increase and decided against it.
You also failed to mention that the road has a huge amount of residential building going on after Stebonheath rd, a new round about installed and the fact it is one of the options earmarked as the spot for the new northern suburbs 'Super School, between Curtis rd and the golf course.
Considering these developments i fully understand why it has been changed.

I remember back in 86, my old man and me were heading west along Curtis rd just before Stebonheath Rd in his TF Cortina with a descent load of gravel in a trailer, in them days the 80k zone started just after Stebonheath rd.
This tool driving a LC Torana was turning out of Stebonheath rd on the south side and was arguing with his very preggo missus and just pulled straight out infront of us.
We T-boned him doing 70k driving him into the stobie pole on the NW side throwing both the windscreen and his missus from the Torana, she gave birth later that night, Torana was a write off, we fixed the Cortina for $1500.

Yes i am referring to curtis road at smithfield plains and its not a trail, it is the new speed limit.
And I have only just found out about the new Super School's location.
I am well aware of the new roundabout, Im not blind.
And as for all the tools that drive on our roads you cant cant protect stupid people from themselves.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Cruise Control

Yes i am referring to curtis road at smithfield plains and its not a trail, it is the new speed limit.
And I have only just found out about the new Super School's location.
I am well aware of the new roundabout, Im not blind.
And as for all the tools that drive on our roads you cant cant protect stupid people from themselves.

I'm not saying that the 60k speed limit is a trial, i said the 70k speed limit may have been a trial as the whole section from Coventry rd to Stebonheath was a 60 zone not that long ago. Perhaps they just increased its limit for a trial and have decided to revert to the 60k limit.