​ Speed Limits in Australia

Pumpkin_rrr on 31/12/2013 - 11:23

During this festive season, a lot of "speeding" fines must have been issued. I am curious to know a couple of things: who determine what speed limit for a certain street/road, and what are other countries doing.

First setting the limits. I used to drive to work using Compton Road in Brisbane, which has a 70-km limit! I thought it is ridiculous giving the structure and length of the road. You can easily drive 110 on that road. It is wide and straight and long.

On a sideline, shouldnt there be a minimum distance for a change in the limit? It always annoys me driving on Getway and the limit change every 500m, or something like that. It changes from 100-90-70-100…. I think it is more dangerous to have to keep looking at your speedometer.

Then some friends say this "Culture" is only unique to Oz. Apparently Europe is not big in speeding fines. I never paid attention when I traveled there as a tourist. Perhaps someone can share their experience?

Automotive

Comments

  • issh on 31/12/2013 - 11:29
    +2

    Compton Road in Brisbane, which has a 70-km limit

    Pretty sure there are heaps of shops down that road

    driving on Getway and the limit change every 500m, or something like that. It changes from 100-90-70-100

    Probably for the tolls to detect the govia tag/licence plate; also I believe there are no speed cameras there, that's why people are always around 100km/h

    • Jesmond on 03/01/2014 - 17:42

      It's strange that nobody has mentioned this, but a big contributing factor when setting speed limits is the width of the road or street, and in particular the width of each lane. More space means access to a higher speed limit. Most widening of roads we see is to add extra lanes and increase the width of each lane, thereby increasing the speed limit allowed on it.

  • MITM on 31/12/2013 - 11:50
    +6

    "I never paid attention when I traveled there as a tourist." What ?

    There is actually a body which studies all the conditions of particular roads.
    Eg. If there is a driveway from a residential house onto the street, it's going to be a 60k zone even if it's a main arterial. They also make suggestions such as guard rails for corners etc.

    I dont know Compton Rd, but 110 is pretty much reserved for motorways because of the setup. Wide lanes, no opposing traffic.

    What's your hurry wanting to do 110 from a 70 zone - trust me, your not going to get there any sooner - but you will get there. Slow down and smell the roses. Life's not a race to the end.

    • bich.light on 31/12/2013 - 12:42
      +1

      I guess an extra 40km/h doesn't make a difference in the time it takes for you to get to a location?
      Well, unless you crash

      • plmko on 31/12/2013 - 14:00
        -4

        It doesn't, because at the end of the road you're going to be stopped by some red light or some sort of intersection with right turners. At most maybe 5 minutes earlier given a 2 hour drive.

        • Bren20 on 02/01/2014 - 04:17
          +2

          Not really, assuming that you can freely overtake slower cars you'd be saving a lot more than that, the situation you described would only happen on occasion.

        • plmko on 04/01/2014 - 02:17

          Have a look at the road the OP has indicated, you assume too much. There are traffic lights on average at every 300m, intersections less than 300m between and house drive ways almost all the way. Driving at 110 on that road would not save you anytime, and if you were to stretch out that road to a 2hr course, time saved would be next to negligible.

          It's a 70 zone for a reason.

        • NGPriest on 04/01/2014 - 02:49

          And i'm going to go 200 in the CBD and stop at every red light…?
          Won't even have the chance to rev up that high, i think? :p

          And i won't be able to watch the speedo while trying to dodge pedestrians? :p

        • bich.light on 18/01/2014 - 23:29

          Pretty amusing, considering…

          My friend and I drove home from a quick McDonalds run — 10 minute drive.
          I was driving at 80km/h and he was driving at 60km/h. I arrived at his house 5 minutes before he did. Why? Because he got caught at every light and I went through every light.

          Now there is a fair bit of chance and luck involved in this; however, I still strongly believe that going faster will get you there quicker! Especially with an additional 40km/h!

    • NGPriest on 04/01/2014 - 00:35

      My car can go at 200+km/h, but you don't see me doing it? :p

  • Pumpkin_rrr on 31/12/2013 - 12:10
    +1

    Gee, looks like I might have portrayed myself as a hoon. Far from it! I just get annoyed with the constantly changing speed limits, and intrigued with how the Regulators set those limits. Yes the end bit of Compton Road has some shops, but there is a long stretch of perfectly sealed and long straight roads. Maybe it is a bad example?
    As for being a tourist and riding on tour bus, my priority is not to look at speed limits, but rather to take pictures and smell the roses. In my next trip I will look closer on this issue. For example, I'd like to know how much fines are raised by other cities….

  • neil on 31/12/2013 - 12:14
    +2

    I live in Melbourne (City of Yarra / City of Melbourne) and I've seen speed limits/traffic conditions changed based on council decisions. Basically, the issue is brought up in a council meeting, public is free to comment, then the councilors vote whether to accept or reject (with consultation with VicRoads).

    As an example, there was a hit run near where I lived. The father of victim campaigned successfully for 40km/hr speed limits in that area. The City of Melbourne has now introduced 40km/hr speed limits to parts of the city.

    It always annoys me driving on Getway and the limit change every 500m, or something like that. It changes from 100-90-70-100

    So guess something tragic has to happen before people campaign government to make changes. So if there is a bad accident in that stretch of road where it is attributed to looking at the speedo, then perhaps that will encite a change.

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 31/12/2013 - 17:36
      +5

      I have lived in this area for over 5 years now and have always driven in the same manner, and so is my family.
      Few months ago there was a fatal crash, and the car was in a total loss.
      Then the police set-up a speed check early in the morning, and I saw that they have booked several drivers, mostly travelling 55-60. (it was a 50 zone).
      I dont know how to explain my thoughts, but I find this quite absurd. For the car to be in the total loss, the speed would have to be a lot more than 55. And it was an isolated event given the time I have lived here, and the fact that it is a very busy road. Is speeding fine going to stop the problem, which is a one-off problem in many years? How are other countries doing it? Are we a nanny state? Just following the rules??

      • [Deactivated] on 01/01/2014 - 09:42
        +7

        Yes, we're a nanny state. More than most people know.

    • MementoMori on 03/01/2014 - 11:43
      +1

      The new 40km/h limits in the Melbourne CBD are RIDICULOUS.

      It used to be 60km/h, why not drop them to just 50km/h and see how things go?

      Reducing the speed limits will not do a thing to reduce hit n runs from disqualified, speeding, hoon drivers. Some pedestrian education wouldn't go astray, I drive through there on a Fri/Sat night and drunk people simply walk out in front of my car randomly.

      Wait until they turn on the speed cameras and watch the $$$ flow in. In the UK (NI) they originally had cameras like ours but then decided to cover them with bright hi-vis stickers, the theory was 'we are trying to get you to slow down, not make money'. I'd bet you wouldn't get fined for doing 104 in an 100 either.

      • Speckled Jim on 03/02/2014 - 11:43
        +2

        The message is; they don't want cars in the CBD. Delivery vans and trucks, courier bikes and cycles, yes.

        So they're accommodating the most vulnerable — what I'd term the lowest common denominator — pedestrians and cyclists. It's cheaper than educating these groups. It's also more lucrative to have drivers get frustrated and give it a squirt.

        So the RWC, rego and fuel taxes you're paying earns you the privilege (not the right) to be delayed by those of a more casual, leisurely pace.

        This is the punitive nature of Aussie authoritarianism; we're still a penal colony.

  • username1 on 31/12/2013 - 15:37
    +13

    I'm not a professional, but I have studied this at university, so basic knowledge on the topic. I am definitely not an expert.

    There are a number of factors taken into account when designing roads/speed limits.

    Firstly, speed limits aren't set at the maximum safe speed. Sure, you could safely drive 30km over the speed limit on a certain road, but then you may have not have any leeway if anything is slightly off.

    Engineers need to account for drivers who speed over the limit as well. So speed limits could be 20-30km/h under the actual safe limit, so that even if people break the law, they will still be somewhat safe (disregarding the fact that they are traveling at a different speed to other motorists, which makes it very dangerous).

    Speed limits depend on the ability to spot an obstacle on the road and be able to safely stop without hitting it. Sharper turns, less visibility, lower speeds, etc.

    Public buildings such as houses, shopping areas, hospitals, schools, influence the decrease in speed as well.

    Lastly, in an effort to preserve a road when money is tight or there are constraints to restore/repair it, the speed limit is lowered. This is because roads are more susceptible to erosion when vehicles are traveling at higher speeds.

    There could be other reasons as well, but it's worthwhile to take those into account.

    • username1 on 31/12/2013 - 15:44
      +1

      Also, there are formulas/charts which can be used to find safe speeds, radius, etc.

      I'm not sure if they are actually used by designers/engineers in practice though.

      • Pumpkin_rrr on 31/12/2013 - 17:28
        +2

        Thanx Bom. This is the technical knowledge that I am after.
        Very intriguing…

  • p1 ama on 31/12/2013 - 17:20
    +2

    I think there are just too many actual speed limits, like there's 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100.

    You might as well just eliminate the odd numbers or anything, like if it's safe to drive at 70 on a road, it's pretty much safe to drive at 80.

    I don't mind the faster ones though, but 50 is notoriously hard to keep at, I always end up a bit above (closer to 60) and obviously other drivers do too and the cops know this and always patrol the 50 zones, which I think is just a way to make money really, they're not saving lives or anything by catching people who go at 56 - 57.

    • pjcook on 01/01/2014 - 07:37
      +5

      I used to think a lot like you in regard to the higher speed (80 as opposed to 70) made no difference. I then did a defensive driving course and got a real world example of the difference 10 kph does make in stopping distance, distance travelled until you react to a situation and the final speed you actually make contact with whatever it is you are trying to avoid. Regardless of how good you think you are of how good your car is, you will hit harder if you are going 10 k faster.

      • p1 ama on 01/01/2014 - 10:24
        +2

        Yes, but by your logic we should always drive slow. I never disputed the physics behind it, but I would love to see the "dangers" that are present on 70 roads, but not on 80 roads.

      • kristo on 01/01/2014 - 23:20
        -1

        The subtext of what you have written, implies you may have missed the point of the defensive driving theory — the static Speed Limits (ie. following the letter of the law) is not what is important, it is being aware of the constantly changing conditions around you that determine the safest driver behaviour. Certainly, a difference of 5kph can mean the difference between life and death, or minor injury and permanent disablement, relative to overall speed.

        • pjcook on 02/01/2014 - 08:15
          +3

          No, I did not miss the point of a Defensive driving course, I was highlighting the difference 10 K makes in stopping distance etc. I drive to the conditions at all times and if that means dropping down to well under the posted limit then I do so.

    • kristo on 01/01/2014 - 23:38
      +2

      I agree wholeheartedly with that concept, and I would take it further and limit the speeds to 40 \ 60 \ 120. Overseas studies have shown repeatedly the speeds do matter and contribute significantly to the road toll in every country. But the system of regulating speeds is often flawed and having differing standards and unpredictable changes in driving conditions contributes more to driving hazards. Ultimately, it would be safer for all road users, to eliminate most speed restrictions to a very simple level, with no special zones (eg. a street with shops or built up areas will become 60 for its full length), no need for signage as traffic calming devices can more effectively and consistently reduce speed by 20kph or more (eg. near a school) without any speed restriction requirements; this is turn ensures drivers are more aware of their environment, and pedestrian traffic, rather than only focusing on the numbers on their dash.

      Of course, just like Gambling and Tobacco taxes, few governments would happily part with a solid revenue stream like speeding fines, so we may never see a safer system.

      • Pumpkin_rrr on 02/01/2014 - 02:06

        Yes agree, I think we need to draw the line between being sensible and being over-regulated. Afterall, speed is not the only factor that contribute to road accidents. For example, I would advocate annual or bi-annual compulsory driving test to all drivers. All drivers should drive defensively, rather than relying on speed limits, traffic lights and regulations.

      • pumpkinspice on 14/01/2014 - 11:31

        It's a nice thought, but relies upon people being responsible… and a large amount of people don't seem to care about other road users or pedestrians.

  • srhardy on 01/01/2014 - 07:49
    +2

    FINED AT

    Vic is 3% over & you BOOKED
    NSW is 5% over & your BOOKED
    QLD is 10%-2k (it was 1k but that changed in sep/oct and they have announced they will reduce it again) & your BOOKED

    so QLD in a 50 zone you get 5k-2k grace or 3k, so 53> & your BOOKED

    The above is for digital automated speed cameras, handheld 1k over and they CAN AND DO BOOK PEOPLE as seen in a recent CM article of a townsville driver. But you can argue that (and the dropped it) but ive seen upheld speeding fines of 3k over the speed limit and no amount of the usal excuses (like speedo accuracy) made any difference

    • Roney on 01/01/2014 - 13:23
      +5

      WA drivers hogging on right hand lanes of freeway/highway and doing +10% under limit DO NOT get booked. Clearly speeding fine is just a revenue raiser, not safety consideration.

      • happysound on 02/01/2014 - 12:45

        It really doesn't matter if you're going the speed limit or less in the right lane so long as you're overtaking or preparing to turn right etc… If not - get out of the right lane.

    • kristo on 01/01/2014 - 23:11
      -1

      Further to that, in VIC the speed cameras are always well hidden, whereas NSW and QLD (used to and perhaps still) have a 'speed camera warning' sign ahead of the speed camera, ensuring drivers modify their speed rather than get a ticket.

      • Pumpkin_rrr on 02/01/2014 - 02:08

        Hmm, not too sure if I'd agree to that. So often I've seen Police Officers hiding behind a bush or after a corner….

        • netsurfer on 02/01/2014 - 02:31
          +1

          Even the NSW police are better than VIC police.

          1. NSW police tells you the conversation is being recorded right away.
          2. NSW police subtract more out of measured speed (5%) compared to VIC police (2-3%).

          In VIC, sometimes they warn you 5KM ahead of the actual speed camera. In NSW, they let you know within 50-100m.

          You do feel Victoria's setup is more for revenue first, rather than safety first.

          However, like my friend said… just don't drive over the speed limit.

        • Janko on 02/01/2014 - 15:04

          5km ahead - just enough time to forget. Reminds me of Telstra's text messages saying your credit is expiring in 4 days and to recharge or lose your balance.

      • After Dark on 04/01/2014 - 23:26

        As I understand it in Qld fixed speed cameras do have at least one warning sign - van mounted Police radars have to display a sign which is typically in front of the vehicle which seems ridiculous - hand held on the side of the road units offer or require no signage
        Oddly enough the fixed cameras still catch lots of motorists - go figure

    • EnALup on 02/01/2014 - 17:01

      New Cars (may be 2010 onwards) already have their speedos calibrated to show 5% or around 5km/h more than the actual speed.
      Earlier got confused when I realised there was a 5 Km/h difference in my GPS and car. Dealer explained that is a standard thing in all the cars these days.

    • 4wd on 02/01/2014 - 21:43
      +2

      The 3% tolerance for Victoria is not quite accurate.

      For mobile speed cameras, it's 3kph up to 100kph, 3% if you are over.

      For fixed speed cameras, it's 2kph up to 100kph, 2% if you are over.

      For averaging point-to-point cameras, you're screwed :)

      http://www.camerassavelives.vic.gov.au/home/cameras/fines+an…

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 01/01/2014 - 22:11
    +5

    Regarding the issue of always looking at a speedometer, I'm guilty of that when I'm driving past a camera or school zone. Since I'm generally mindful of speeding I don't exceed the limit in general but due to paranoia regarding my speedometer accuracy I pay less attention to the road in school zones with cameras since I'm always checking to make sure I don't accidentally climb too high, defeating the intended purpose of the 40km/h limit in the first place (i.e. improved safety for children),

    What annoys me is that you'll always see multi-laned roasds with speed cameras around school zones that tell you the speed during school hours but not the speed for every other time. Just a whole lot of speed camera ahead signs :)

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 02/01/2014 - 02:10

      Yes, constantly changing speed limits have to be my biggest enemy. I still remember my test-driving days and it was a challenge to me to have to concentrate on the road and speed limits all the time, not to mention those various shape sizes and colour road signs.

    • Janko on 02/01/2014 - 15:22

      Parking directly outside schools shouldn't be allowed—there's too much chaos, as you say drivers continually looking at their speedo, cars pulling up to park, parents trying to concentrate with kids in the back bouncing around.

      How often I see children emerge between two parked cars and pulled back desperately by their parent. Can't blame the kids, they're on the road already thinking the parent is crossing, not getting a better view. Cars even going 30 haven't got much chance to stop when a kid suddenly emerges after a parked people mover.

      Get rid of parking and improve visibility for both pedestrians and drivers.

  • kristo on 01/01/2014 - 23:08
    +1

    Principally Austroads produces Technical Standards, which are followed along with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) when road \ traffic engineers design new or redevelop, esp. arterial roads and intersections.
    http://www.austroads.com.au/about-austroads has the standards they base designs on, covering things such as visibility, camber, grade, crossroads, drainage.
    After that the designs are passed through the State or Local body who is responsible for maintaining that road, typically base on the land it is built on; arterial roads are usually Federal or State owned, whilst secondary and tertiary roads may be local government owned. Intersection works must pass through both\all responsible bodies for approval, as well as any other affected authorities (eg. rail\maritime\parks\etc). Naturally the State governments have their own design overlays, which must be complied with, this will be in part a response to the roadside environment, pedestrian use, cyclist use, parking layouts which vary from one municipality to another. It also factors in traffic flow, in order to best serve the majority of vehicles in the peak, and signalised intersections. The RTA in NSW pioneered the design of the SCATS traffic signalling system in the 60s, which is widely used around the world. This (largely antiquated) system is factored into the speed limits imposed on arterial and some intersecting roads.

    Lastly, are vehicle accidents and predominant wildlife, frequently used (as a knee-jerk response) to justify speed reductions in local areas. It often takes a string of fatalities before a section of road or intersection becomes a blackspot and given a reduced speed. Furthermore, some road authorities are notorious for reducing speed limits and traffic signalling in order to boost revenue from fines.

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 02/01/2014 - 02:12

      Wonderful write-up. Will read abd find out more.

  • MITM on 01/01/2014 - 23:13
    +2

    Understand you're not a hoon Pumpkin.

    I wish people would just enjoy the drive - even if it's to work in the morning.
    Cars are so much easier to drive, pleasant background music, air conditioned comfort, power assist brakes and steering, GPS, auto gear shift etc. Geez, what's so hard about getting there.

    Drivers that sit on my ar..e should wake up 2 minutes earlier, and by default they would be in front of me.

    An overseas experience: No horns blasting in the chaos of Kuala Lumpur CBD and when they make a lane change, they analyse the space between cars, indicate and move. No road rage.
    Here it's like - how dare you get in front of me in MY lane.
    And, I'll sit forever in the right lane 'cause eventually I'm going to turn right.

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 02/01/2014 - 02:14

      Haha, agree, drivers in Asian countries seem to be more flexible and accommodating than us. When we were in Beijing, our driver never swore or frown. Everyone was watching the traffic, let others came in and go out, what a delight. Rome was a different story. I am looking forward to our US trip driving from East to West. Yay.

  • cannedhams on 02/01/2014 - 01:09
    +2

    In Qld, there used to be an administrative tolerance of 10 k/h, with an additional machine tolerance of 2-3 ks (to reflect inaccuracies in the machine). Apparently the machines are better, so no real machine tolerance anymore, but the administrative tolerance is still up around 9ks or so. Of course, anecdotally, I have heard of people getting booked for less.

    Apparently each k they reduce the tolerance by results in $8 million in extra revenues. Not bad, what?

    http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/lowering-toleranc…

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 02/01/2014 - 02:16

      Geewhiz, thanx for the post. I dont read CourierMail much these days, perhaps I should resume…..

    • srhardy on 02/01/2014 - 17:30

      QLD is 10%-2k now for digital speed camera/automated speed devices but manual speed camera or 'speed matching' (they are following you) it can be as little as 1k over now but anything under 3km i would argue and it will be dropped if you argue but if you dont then payup before the court date or it will cost you a lot more as the judge almost always sides with the police in qld unless you have a real good lawyer and its just not worth it $$$ wize

      BEAWARE that they have announced but not lowered the -2k to -3k yet so this will change sometime in 2014! So in a 50k zone 5% is 5k and with -2 you have until 53km, 53km and your gone! -3km and your gone at 52 when they change it again…

      The police are getting us USED TO THE LOWER LIMITS over about a year, and every K they lower they make another 7-8 million a week! Victorians paid off their state debt doing this 2 decades ago,,, guess qld is trying the same thing?

  • schmuppet on 02/01/2014 - 12:16
    +1

    Once I did 83 in an 80 zone and everybody died.

  • warwick108 on 02/01/2014 - 14:40

    Ausroads design guidelines dictate the speeds =)

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 04/01/2014 - 10:35

      I did look at them earlier, it's a jungle out there. Cant easily find the guidelines on setting-up of speedlimits. It still looks over-regulated to me.

  • Foma2 on 02/01/2014 - 19:00
    +4

    I propose 30km/h limit on all Australian roads ;)
    What ?
    Then we all can smell roses.

  • stemcell on 02/01/2014 - 19:01

    Everybody thinks they are a better driver than they actually are.

    Tasmania drivers are total utter fockwits, they tailgate even when your the only car on the road doing the speed limit and on a dual carriageway.

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 04/01/2014 - 10:37

      I have never been to Tasmania, but I am surprised the first time I drove in Gold Coast, and still am, that despite being a tourist city, the drivers are more aggressive and impatient than a lot of places. They tailgate and give hand gestures!

      • NGPriest on 04/01/2014 - 13:07
        +2

        Hang gestures? It must be the Hawaiian Good Luck (or peace sign)?
        More info here: http://www.nairaland.com/116101/grandmas-letter-love

        Or here…

        Dear Friend,
        The other day I went up to a local Christian bookstore and saw a "Honk If You Love Jesus" bumper sticker.

        I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance,
        followed by a thunderous prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper.

        Boy, I'm glad I did! What an uplifting experience followed! I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection,
        just lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is, and I didn't notice that the light had changed.
        It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn't honked, I'd never have noticed!
        I found that LOTS of people love Jesus!

        While I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed,
        "For the love of GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ, GO!"What an exuberant cheerleader he was forJesus!
        Everyone started honking! I just leaned out of my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people.
        I even honked my horn a few timesto share in the love!

        There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a "sunny beach",
        I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant, he said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something.
        Well, I've never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My grandson burst out laughing, he was enjoying this religious experience, too!

        A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed.

        So, I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away.

        Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!

        Love,
        Grandma

        • Pumpkin_rrr on 04/01/2014 - 13:37

          That's hilarious Grandma. I must get that sticker and email this to Mt friends.

    • NGPriest on 04/01/2014 - 13:09

      No, they're trying to hide thieir number plates from the speed cameras…
      We need speed cameras like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvYxXBMqEOM

  • Copydog on 02/01/2014 - 22:14
    +1

    Recently drove to sydney from bris as it worked cheaper than return airfares for 4. True oz bargainer here.
    Unfortunately I forgot to factor in the cost of the almost certainty of getting a ticket. We weren't in a hurry and wanted to enjoy the drive so I drove absolutely to conditions but the speed limit changes so many times it was nigh on impossible to recall what the last speed sign you passed was or if you'd missed one. The only guaranteed way to avoid a ticket is to drive 20kmh under what "felt" safe which I often did.

    Reduced speed roadwork signs with no roadworks going on, 100kmh zones suddenly dropping to 50kmh speed zones, and multiple speed changes within 500m was what annoyed me the most.

    The second one annoys me most because I like to get plenty of notice before needing to drop from 100km to 50kmh so I can ease gently and conserve fuel and break pads.
    It's strange that these small towns with big wide roads going through them have 50 km zones , but there are plenty of narrow streets in the cities that have 60-70 zones, many that I would reckon are an accident waiting to happen.

    • May4th on 03/01/2014 - 10:17

      buy a gps with speed limit display..sometimes i turn it on just for that

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 04/01/2014 - 10:39

      I feel for you Copydog. I dont mind driving slow or at whatever speed, but I hate the constantly changing speed limits, stop-start, slow-fast-slow. One of my friends drive like that and I am always nauseaus in her car. Pity your family in your car.

      Think of it this way: even if you were to fly from Syd to Bris, you would still need to drive in Bris after you arrive…… And you probably have less "training" given the short time and more likely to get booked…..

    • srhardy on 06/01/2014 - 10:11

      bought my first GPS because i was going to be driving in NSW because of exactly this (I was done on one of thoes wonderful 'double the point, double the fine' days a few years before after i left a town and thought the speed limit was back to normal by mistake. was picked up just before the speed change sign and was told it was too bad)

      I used to breath a sigh of relief when i used to cross the QLD border, but no more… Now the QLD police are just gov tax/revenue raisers and the roads are still crap as are the many speed signs (a complete mess! M1 on the northside has a 80km that no one slows for. Ive only seen roadworks1 day in the last month but they still have it signed and mobile police cameras just past it last week)

      Just sucks

  • Pumpkin_rrr on 15/01/2014 - 10:44

    Thanx for all the feedback my dear OzBargainers.
    Wealth of info.
    That left me not knowing what to do now :-)
    Petition for a review of laws to speed limit?
    Well, no rush, will sit on it.
    Meantime, happy driving.

    • pumpkinspice on 15/01/2014 - 15:47

      I thought result was:
      Move to Europe

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join