Speed limit changes to affect business

A freeze on further changes to speed limits on the Oxley Highway has been welcomed.

Tamworth MP and parliamentary secretary for roads Kevin Anderson said the decision follows meetings with Roads and Maritime Services officials and NSW roads minister Duncan Gay.

The RMS says no change will be made until further investigations were made.

This follows a very grassroots campaign – and some political intervention – which saw an online petition reach 5000 signatures in just over a week, and a series of local meetings.

On Tuesday, Oxley MP Melinda Pavey met with RMS representatives and about 16 business operators who are dependent on traffic flow for their operations. That meeting was held at Mt Seaview.

The main issue was the dropping of the speed limits along the popular ‘Walcha run’.

A spokesperson for Mr Anderson’s office confirmed that the RMS will hold off on future changes until more research is done.

“That includes more traffic counts and looking at other options for safety measures. Because of the high number of crashes, there is still a need to improve safety.

“Many people ride that road,” he said.

Gingers Creek Bush Resort owner and operator Gary Hartas said the reduction of speed limits on the Oxley Highway was likely to cause more accidents and would directly affect his business.

“Dropping the speed limit will cause more accidents,” he says.

“Anyone who has driven on this road will know how frustrating it is if you are caught behind a cattle truck or larger vehicles.

“By dropping the limits, the patience of drivers will be tested thoroughly and you won’t be able to overtake without breaking the law.

“And that’s if you can actually overtake someone because of the road.

“Drivers get frustrated (driving) on this mountain. This is only making it worse.”

Another issue was overtaking, as dropping the speed limit along the flat sections of the road from 110km/h to 70km/h would make it nearly impossible for cars and motorcycles to legally overtake trucks, leaving them stuck behind the larger vehicles as they struggle up the hills.