Councillors in Tasmania’s north-west are pushing to lower speed limits on several rural roads after residents and one of the region’s biggest employers warned they were no longer safe.
Waratah-Wynyard Council on Monday voted to seek 80km/h limits on five rural roads, along with a lower limit on a sixth.
The roads include Mount Hicks Road, Village Lane, Little Village Lane, Tollymore Road and Table Cape Road, with a separate change sought for Inglis Street in Wynyard.
The reviews followed safety concerns raised by residents, dairy giant Fonterra and other local businesses.
Councillor Dillon Roberts said once-quiet farming roads were now carrying more homes, young families, tourists and heavy machinery than the default 100km/h limit was designed for.
“I think this is very logical. I feel like if the transport commissioner and that deny it, then … we should push back as a council and say this is a necessity,” he said.
“Not everything is about statistics. Some things are just common, plain sense.”
Councillor Gary Bramich, a long-time campaigner for lower rural speed limits, backed the push for Mount Hicks Road.
“I don’t think there’s many places you can actually do 100km/h on that road,” he said.
“It’s got a lot of heavy traffic on it with farmers moving machinery from farm to farm. And I think it’s safer if we reduce it to 80km/h.”
Councillor Michael Johnstone said the numbers supported the move, with many drivers already travelling at about 85km/h.
“So what’s another 5km/h … making it 80km/h. It just makes sense,” he said.
Fonterra requested the Inglis Street review after raising concerns about heavy vehicles and risks to staff.
The council cannot change speed limits itself, with the final decision now sitting with the Department of State Growth and the transport commissioner.
