The NSW roads minister has been quizzed in parliament about a proposal to lower default speed limits on country roads from 100kmh to as little as 70kmh.
NSW Minister for Roads and Minister for Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison, was asked by Member for Barwon Roy Butler about the idea which would apply to speed limits outside built-up areas.
“A lower speed limit means longer trips and less time in the day for family, community and work. It would increase the isolation that many country people experience, which has its own negative health impacts,” Mr Butler said last week.
Ms Aitchison said speed zones should be appropriate to the conditions of the road but individual driver behaviour was also a consideration.
“My concern is that where we have a lot of people who are speeding above the speed limit, 40 per cent of deaths on our roads are people doing that,” Ms Aitchison said.
Speed was found to be the biggest contributor to road trauma on regional and remote roads.
“While crashes result from a range of factors, speed remains the single most significant contributor to road trauma,” a departmental report stated.
The report also noted that “stronger community resistance” was likely by a large reduction to 70kmh but an initial reduction top 80kmh provides an opportunity to assess impacts and compliance before considering further reductions.
Mr Butler, whose electorate includes areas such as Boggabri and Wean near Gunnedah, had earlier described the move as a “cop out” designed to deflect from the need to improve road standards.
He also said the regional data was skewed as it included much more populated areas of the state, like Wollongong and Newcastle.
“To be very clear, I do not agree with this approach. We need better and safer roads. Lowering speed limits because the roads need work is a cop out,” Mr Butler said.
“The statistics include Wollongong and Newcastle as regional areas, so they don’t accurately reflect the lower incident rates we see on our rural and remote roads, especially unsealed roads.”
The speed limit reduction has also drawn the ire of the Country Mayors Association (CMA) which in October issued a statement highlighting its opposition to the proposal.
“Lowering default speed limits will obviously increase travel times, exacerbating the tyranny of distance issues that impact on those living in smaller towns and villages, increasing their sense of isolation. This undermines efforts to promote regional liveability and population growth,” CMA chair, Mayor Rick Firman said.
Public submissions recently closed on the idea and will inform a final Federal Government-led, Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) about proposed changes to the Australian Road Rules.
“Fortunately, the State Governments set their road rules and the Federal Government’s recommendations are just that,” Mayor Firman said.
This RIA says its role is to assess proposed changes to default speed limits on roads without a sign-posted speed limit. It does not propose, nor consider, changes to any current sign-posted speed limits.
Reform options for governments to consider list a range of new speed limits for outside built-up areas including 90, 80 and 70kmh for sealed roads as well as 80 and 70kmh on unsealed roads.
Statistics also show a 10 per cent increase in road fatalities per 100,000 population over the period 2020 to 2024.
What the RIA says:
“Reducing the number of people killed and injured on Australia’s roads is a priority for all governments. In 2024, 1294 people were killed on our roads, with more than 30,000 people seriously injured as a result of road crashes. Speed is a major factor in serious and fatal traffic crashes.
“Through the National Road Safety Action Plan 2023–25, all governments agreed that the Australian Government would develop a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) on reducing the default speed limit outside of built-up areas.
“The development of this RIA could lead to changes to the Australian Road Rules, which is a model law that states and territories base their own road rules on. The implementation of this change would give states and territories the opportunity to reduce default speed limits as appropriate.
“Some roads in Australia do not have sign-posted speed limits. This means that a default speed limit applies on those roads. The Australian Road Rules state that the default speed limit on roads outside of built-up areas is 100kmh. The Australian Road Rules do not specify a default speed limit for unsealed roads.
“Some roads outside of built-up areas, especially in regional and remote areas, may not be safe to travel on at 100kmh. Travelling at up to 100kmh on roads such as these may not be safe and will increase the risk of crashes, death and serious injuries. Reducing travel speed on these roads can help prevent the tragedy of road crashes, injuries and deaths, by setting a speed limit that is safe for drivers and people using the road.
“This impact analysis considers the options, costs and benefits for lowering the current default speed limit in the Australian Road Rules, and introducing a new default speed limit specifically for unsealed roads.”
