By Romy Stephens
More calls have come for speed limit changes along the Maroondah Highway to be scrapped until further community consultation takes place.
Earlier this year, VicRoads announced road works along the highway would be conducted to improve safety.
This included reducing the speed limit from 100km/hr to 80km/hr between Coldstream and Healesville.
Healesville resident Lucie Oude-Meilink said her son frequently took the bus service along Maroondah Highway to get to school.
She said she was frustrated to hear that the State Government claimed road users had been consulted with.
“For them to say that people have been consulted is dog wash, we have not,” she said.
“The people of the town, the users, have not.”
“I applaud what they are doing as far as the roadworks, it’s going to definitely add onto the safety.
“But they haven’t looked at all aspects and other possible solutions. Is it possible that the weekend is 80km/hr but during the week it’s 100?”
Ms Oude-Meilink said she believed the speed changes should be put on hold until there is greater understanding of how it will impact the wider community and road users.
Meanwhile the general manager of a Healesville-based bus service also raised concerns about the impact speed changes could have on his business.
McKenzie’s Tourist Services’ Brad Sanders calculated an extra travel time of 92 seconds due to the speed reduction.
He said this would result in reduced time for train connections and a reduction in turn around times.
He added that the additional travel time would impact local school students, who would arrive later to school as a result.
“School run services are already under pressure with increased traffic in the Lilydale area for arrival at schools for students,” he said.
“In particular for Mt Lilydale Mercy College students who are the last to be dropped off at school.”
Mr Sanders said changing the bus timetable would not be a simple solution, with earlier start times adding extra overtime costs.
The additional concerns from community stakeholders come after Eildon MP Cindy McLeish called on the Minister for Roads to consult with the community before dropping the speed limit along Maroondah Highway in April.
A Government spokesperson said businesses and residents along the impacted area of the Maroondah Highway indicated support of the reduction.
This was due to a lower possibility of rear end and side impact crashes for people entering and leaving properties.
“Introducing a lower speed limit on this section of road will drastically reduce the chances of lives being lost as a result of crashes,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ve listened to local residents and businesses who were concerned about safety on this section of the Maroondah Highway, particularly with the increased the amount of tourist traffic and drivers unfamiliar with the area.”
Most of the serious injuries that have occurred on this section of the Maroondah Highway in recent years were a result of head-on collisions, due to vehicles drifting onto the wrong side of the road.
According to the State Government the new speed limit will add less than two minutes travel time and increase the chance of survival in a head-on crash from 10 per cent to 75 per cent.
