Hansard debates

Ms SHEED (Shepparton) (11:47:19): (257) This constituency question is for the Minister for Roads in the other place. Minister, can you please advise what plans you have to improve the safety of the Strathmerton community and reduce the speed limit along the stretch of the Murray Valley Highway that goes through their town. Concerns have been repeatedly raised with me about the need to reduce the speed limit through the township from 80 kilometres per hour to 60 kilometres per hour. In November 2017 I raised this issue with the then Minister for Roads and Road Safety and was informed that a traffic island was being built to improve pedestrian safety and an assessment of traffic conditions would be completed by VicRoads. Fifteen months later, and with reports of several troubling near misses, action on this seems to have stalled. The Murray Valley Highway is a major transport thoroughfare, with trucks going through day and night. One possible solution is to reduce the speed limit between the hours of 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. to 60 kilometres per hour, with 80 kilometres per hour being the speed limit overnight. I understand such a change is largely supported by the community, council and local trucking businesses.