By Dominique Tassell
Allora locals raised at the Connecting with Council meeting earlier this month that speed limits on a handful of roads in town are disruptively high.
Locals state that the speed limits on South Street and the Warwick Street crossings are too high and potentially dangerous.
While most residential roads are 50km or lower, locals stated that these roads are noticeably higher.
Reportedly, this is due to these roads being State controlled.
A SDRC representative stated that the section of Warwick Street, Allora from the New England Highway to the junction with Forde Street is under TMR jurisdiction, while the remainder of Warwick Street from Forde Street to Bennett Street is SDRC controlled.
The minimum speed limit on most State roads is reportedly 60 kilometres per hour.
A resident of South Street in Allora stated that they frequently witness trucks driving over the speed limit, and this makes driving out of their residence hazardous.
A Transport and Main Roads spokesperson stated that “speed limits are set to reflect differing factors between state and local government-controlled roads such as traffic volume and vehicle types”.
They stated that they have “a rigorous procedure for determining speed limits on Queensland roads”.
The spokesperson said that the departments aims to balance factors including road function, road environment, number of services, number of property accesses, sight distances, traffic volumes and speed environment of the road.
“This ensures speed limits are realistic and consistent, encouraging voluntary compliance by motorists.”
They stated that any recommended changes are reviewed by the local Speed Management Committee made up of representatives from the Queensland Police Service, local council, and Transport and Main Roads (TMR).
“TMR routinely monitors the entire state-controlled road network and carries out speed reviews on a regular basis.”
The spokeperson stated that they have reduced a number of the speed limits in Allora, including on the New England Highway at the approaches into Allora and between Forest Plain Road and South Street.
Southern Downs Regional Councillor Andrew Gale sits on the Speed Management Committee.
The next meeting is on 25 November and he stated that he would put this on the agenda.
