Drivers who choose not to follow advisory speed signs in Macedon Ranges are taking risks too great for council and the community to ignore.
Councillors unanimously voted to write to the Road Safety Minister Luke Donnellan and VicRoads seeking the replacement of the advisory signs on the Calder Freeway in the Macedon Ranges with variable enforceable speed-limit signs.
The council says that when the advisory 40km/h speed signs are in operation, traffic is travelling at speeds between 40 kilometres and 110 kilometres an hour.
Cr Ian Ellis raised concerns that the variation in speeds could some day “end in disaster”.
He believed a safer option was to change the advisory signs in adverse weather conditions to enforceable speed-limit signs.
“I think it’s a very important issue, not only on the Calder, but on all roads around Victoria,” Cr Ellis said.
“What we have is drivers travelling at vastly different speeds along the same roads because the advisory signs are not enforceable.
“The majority of people obey the signs but those who don’t want to [follow the advisory signs] just overtake and speed off.
“Those coming from outside the Macedon Ranges don’t understand the road conditions, especially in winter when we get black ice. This could just end in disaster.
“Macedon councillors are calling for enforceable speed signs.
“There have been so many accidents on the Calder because of drivers who don’t know how to negotiate the roads.”
The penalties for failing to obey regulatory signs and signals include fines and demerit points.
