Thursday, 9 February 2023

Macedon road safety

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (17:32): (28) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety in the other place, and the action I seek is for her to implement urgent speed limit reductions in the Macedon area, particularly Moffats Lane, Romsey, and Gap Road, Cherokee, to 50 kilometres an hour. Whilst most speed limits on minor rural access roads have not changed in the last 30 years, the surrounding environment has. Neighbouring landowners have become actively involved in revegetation programs to help restore the fragile environment in Macedon.

Bev McArthur interjected.

Georgie PURCELL: This successful community effort has led to the return of many species to their habitats, who are now living in constant threat of road strike. A colony of wombats recently moved back to the area, including Moffats Lane, after 36 years, only for the first victim of car strike to be found days after by one of the community members leading this effort – which I am sure is very exciting to Mrs McArthur.

It was recently estimated in an NRMA Insurance wildlife road safety report that 10 million animals are killed on Australian roads each year, which also presents a major safety concern for drivers and their passengers. Since approval is not required to establish the legal effect of default limits and the Department of Transport and Planning speed-zoning guidelines do not mention wildlife at all, I am concerned that community efforts to restore wildlife habitat in the region are not being supported and that the risk to human safety has been overlooked. I hope the minister will consider a speed limit reduction to 50 kilometres an hour on Moffats Lane and Gap Road to help protect our native wildlife.