Yesterday we were talking about the speed limit reduction on William Hovell Drive.
This morning the Canberra Times has cottoned on to the issue.
Roads ACT has admitted it could have communicated better a permanent reduction in the speed limit on a section of William Hovell Drive but denied it was gun-shy after the Gungahlin Drive Extension speed limit controversy.
Territory and Municipal Services director-general Gary Byles has asked for a full internal report into a ”breakdown in communications” within the directorate which did not see the reduced speed limit – from 90km/h to 80km/h – properly flagged to the public before it was put in place on Wednesday.
After 6pm last night a media release was issued on the subject by Territory and Municipal Services:
The ACT Government wishes to advise that permanent speed reductions have been made on William Hovell Drive between Coppins Crossing Road and 500 metres east of Bindubi Street to address road safety concerns raised as part of the Nation Building Black Spot Program.
“There has been a total of 11 casualty crashes at the intersections of William Hovell Drive/Coppins Crossing Road and the intersection of William Hovell Drive/Bindubi Street in the last five years,” Director, Roads ACT, Tony Gill, said today.
“A report completed in August 2011, which assessed the safety of William Hovell Drive, recommended that the speed limit be reduced from 90 km/h to 80 km.
“William Hovell Drive was the only road in the ACT with traffic lights that had a speed limit of higher than 80 km/h.
This morning the Liberals’ Alistair Coe is weighing in:
“Not only does the decision to decrease the speed contradict the government-commissioned report, the implementation violates Australian Standard 1742.4 of speed limit signage,” Mr Coe said today.
“The government only released information about the decision after the Opposition and the media started asking questions about this sudden change.
“It should be standard practice to inform motorists in advance of speed limit changes, to avoid them feeling a sense of entrapment regarding being caught unknowingly speeding.
“This is yet another example of the ACT Labor Government failing to manage core local services and keeping the community in the dark on important changes,” Mr Coe concluded.
