Piries-Goughs Bay Road - Decision to apply for reduction

Council has decided to apply to the Department of Transport and Planning for the following change:

Issues raised in community responses were further investigated, as well as other relevant factors.

Travel time

Several respondents objected to increases in travel time.

Council’s investigation found this reduction would increase travel time by 9.9 seconds for the affected section of Piries-Goughs Bay Road. This is not considered to be a significant impact.

Separate footpath

Both supporters and opponents of this reduction advocated for construction of a dedicated footpath alongside the road. This is a priority for Council, and Council is currently seeking funding to construct a path.

Road maintenance

Many respondents advocated for improving safety through road maintenance rather than by reducing speed.

Priority sections of Piries-Goughs Bay Road were resealed in early February. Although this helps reduce the risk of loss-of-control accidents, the risks from vehicles travelling at high speed near other road users and turning traffic are still significant.

Driving ability

Several commenters disagreed with the need for a speed reduction to protect less skilled or less confident drivers travelling at high speed. The main purpose of this reduction is rather to address the risk a high-speed vehicle poses to others.

Stopping distance

One important safety factor is the distance a vehicle would travel while the driver reacts to a hazard and brakes, before coming to a stop.

For a car travelling at 100km/h, this stopping distance is 165m. At 80km/h, the distance is 115m, meaning this speed reduction would reduce cars’ stopping distance by 50m.

Likelihood of fatality

High speed increases the likelihood that a collision will result in fatality. At 100km/h, the chance of fatality in a head-on collision is almost 100%. At 80km/h, the chance is reduced to around 40%.

Activity in area

This road section forms the approach to Goughs Bay, and has a higher density of abutting properties than an ordinary rural highway between settlements.

As a result, there is likely to be more activity in the area, including traffic entering and exiting the road from driveways, leading to a higher safety risk from high-speed vehicles.

An 80km/h speed limit is consistent with other town approaches, including at Mansfield, Bonnie Doon, and Merrijig.

All these factors have been considered in Council’s decision to apply for a speed limit reduction.

Road section affected by the proposed speed reduction