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Chairman's
Preface
In a report tabled in Parliament in November 1991 the Parliamentary Social Development Committee recommended the revision of speed limits in Victoria to achieve credible and uniform speed limits. The subsequent program to implement the revision of speed limits was completed in 1994 and the Road Safety Committee considered it was appropriate to review the program and report its findings to the Parliament.
In particular the Committee was interested in whether the revised speed limits have changed the pattern of casualty crashes, whether government agencies adequately monitored these changes and what evaluations have been carried out.
The Committee found that the identification of roads requiring speed limit revision was well handled and the implementation had been completed.
However, the monitoring of vehicle speeds prior to the change of speed limits was not adequately performed.
Fortunately the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria had collected data for its own purposes which now forms the basis for the assessment of the effects of speed changes in the Melbourne metropolitan area. VicRoads monitoring of vehicle speeds after speed limit changes appears to be adequate.
The Committee found that evidence was not yet available to determine the effect of the speed limit changes on casualty crashes. One of the recommendations of the Committee is that this research be undertaken as soon as possible. The Committee specifically recommends that the road safety experience of the current 110 km/h roads be determined before extending this speed limit to any other roads.
The Committee noted that a stated Government intention to implement a general urban speed limit of 50 km/h was reversed late in 1994. This decision conflicts with the views of the Victoria Police, Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, Municipal Association of Victoria, bicycle groups and possibly other State Governments. The Committee considers Victoria should await the outcome of a recent Austroads urban speed management study and discussions at the Australian Transport Council before taking any action on changes to urban speed limits.
This inquiry is the first of what will be a series of inquiries to review progress in the implementation of Government decisions arising from reports of this Committee.
Although this was a public inquiry it involved only a small number of agencies and on behalf of the Committee I thank these organisations for their willing assistance and co-operation.
I also thank my Deputy Chairman Mr David Cunningham MP and the Committee members for their work in this inquiry.
Finally I thank the Committee staff - Executive Officer Mr Geoff Westcott, Senior Research Officer Mr Graeme Both and Office Manager Mrs Lois Grogan for their professionalism and dedication.
John I. Richardson, MP
Chairman
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