By Jessica Micallef
Woodend residents are calling for reduced speed limits on the Avenue of Honour.
The death of a driver on the road last month has prompted residents to question the appropriateness of the current speed limit.
The speed limit begins at 100km/h and decreases to 80km/h, then to 60km/h.
Woodend resident Ross Ogilvie said he had been concerned about the speed limit along the Avenue of Honour for some time. He said he would like the speed reduced to 70km/h along the entire stretch of road.
“I am a regular user on the road [and] I think it’s about time,” he said.
“Most of the road is fairly straight but there are one or two slight angulations. There is a bend in the road which is unfortunately where that accident did take place. There is virtually no artificial lighting on the entire road.”
Avenue of Honour resident Russell Griffin said he often feared for his family’s safety when driving or crossing the road.
“My 15-year-old son was crossing the road because the car was a long way away from him and he said he actually had to move quickly to get off the road because the car was just going fast,” he said.
“School buses actually stop on the Avenue of Honour in the 100 zone.”
Mr Griffin said entering and exiting his driveway in a 100km/h zone was a challenge.
“When coming out of my driveway and turning, I am having to brake suddenly because someone has started an overtaking move and is taking up the side of the road that I was going to drive on,” he said.
Mr Griffin agrees the speed should be reduced.
“I’ve had local people tell me it should be a 60 zone all the way through,” he said.
“You’ve got trees next to the road, there are kangaroos. There’s no plausible reason why that should be a 100km/h road … on the one to two kilometre section before the freeway.”
One person has died on the Avenue of Honour in the past five years, according to Regional Roads Victoria.
Regional Roads northern regional director Brian Westley said speed limit changes are considered on a case-by-case basis.
“Following community feedback, we have been reviewing all speed limits approaching Woodend, including the speed limit on the Avenue of Honour,” he said.
