Tasmania Mkii

[Guest caffiend]

What, drinking coffee and gos... networking with other female friends?

Ok, if you insist...

SWMBO!!!!

You busy? Goss session coming up!!!

Yay!!!

Kate

1489 hours, 47 minutes and 55 seconds... Has he gone yet?

[fraggle]

   

The brakes go on in speed-cut plan

By MICHELLE PAINE

02jun05

TASMANIA'S speed limits will be slashed statewide under a radical overhaul proposed by the State Government yesterday.

Country road speed limits will drop from 100km/h to 90km/h, highways from 110 to 100km/h and remaining 60km/h zones will become 50km/h zones.

If the plan comes into force, the Brooker Highway speed will cut to 70km/h and there will be 40km/h zones passing all education institutions.

Some 100 speed zones will drop to 60km/h and unsealed rural roads will have 40km/h slashed from their speed limits, to 60km/h.

Infrastructure Minister Bryan Green said two years of work into speed zones, crash statistics and international research supported the sweeping changes.

Mr Green opened the proposal to public comment yesterday.

He said hundreds of lives and an estimated $12 million would be saved every year from the ground-breaking reforms.

"A number of options are presented for each of the 12 areas of possible change," Mr Green said.

"But the areas that will have greatest safety impact are changing rural roads to 90km/h and changing the remaining 60 zones to 50.

"The number of Tasmanian lives saved from these initiatives could be similar to the impact caused by the introduction of seat belts in 1973 and speed cameras in 1992.

"The reforms proposed have the potential to reduce the deaths on our roads, but we want to know what Tasmanians think about the ideas before we go ahead and do anything."

Mr Green said all roads couldn't be five-star.

"As much as we`d like to, we can't improve every road in the state to five-star standard."

He said half of the fatal crashes last year and one-third of casualty crashes were in 100km/h zones. The next worst figures were in 60km/h zones.

Mr Green said outstanding results from the 50km/h zone changes confirmed benefits.

In the first year there were 63 fewer casualty crashes than the previous year. In the second year there were 143 fewer.

A leading accident researcher has praised the speed-cut plan.

Ian Johnston, director of the Monash University Accident and Research Centre, said evidence worldwide was clear that reductions slowed drivers.

Professor Johnston, who appears on road safety ads screened in Tasmania, said all drivers knew there was a "tolerance" level before they would be booked -- behaviour that had to be taken into account.

"In urban areas the result is very powerful. The Victorian experience is extremely clear-cut. It reduced from 60 to 50 and reduced the tolerance and there was a dramatic difference," Prof Johnston said.

"People know they don`t get prosecuted much below 70 in a 60 zone, they see driving at 67 as behaving legally.

"When you reduce the limit, everybody's behaviour changes. The bad drivers drop back too."

He said only fully-divided dual-carriageway highways deserved a 110km/h limit.

"The blanket 100 on the rest is generally speaking too high: 90 is much better."

But Prof Johnston said a high quality road with a low limit would hurt credibility.

Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania chief engineer Doug Ling criticised the plan as a knee-jerk reaction.

Mr Ling said many accidents were a result of people driving too fast for the section of road or conditions -- even if they were under the official limit.

He said reducing 80km/h to 70km/h on the Brooker would reduce the capacity of the highway, which was high standard.

"For people who drive above the limit, dropping by 10 will have no effect on them. The Government also should be using more advisory speed signs," Mr Ling said.

"It's about having safer drivers in safer vehicles on safer roads, a total systematic approach. We don't believe more enforcement and greater fines will modify people's behaviour.

"We believe this is sending the wrong message. People should be driving safely for the conditions."

Road Safety Task Force chairman Paul Hogan said reducing 100km/h zones was vital.

"Certainly this package does have the potential to influence a reduction in the road toll, there's no question about that," Mr Hogan said.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Had some stupid woman on radio the other day saying that we should be lowering the speed limit because to many wild life were getting KILLED on the roads.

I say GO TO THE FRIGGIN ZOO if you want to look at the wild life !!

But then again who sticks to the speed limit anyway

[Lumpen]

What, drinking coffee and gos... networking with other female friends?

Kate

No...REAL Woman things.

You know...like Cooking. Cleaning. Ironing

And if you have a spare 2 minutes...reproducing

Lumpy

I'm going straight to hell aren't I?

[Guest caffiend]

I don't mind cooking, just so long as someone else cleans up the mess afterwards.

And there's someone in the house that irons, but it isn't me... That's VoyBoy's job. Before he moved in, there wasn't even an iron or an ironing board in this house.

And reproducing? Well, the practising is always fun, but I think the world is in bad enough shape without my DNA being multiplied.

[Lumpen]

I don't mind cooking, just so long as someone else cleans up the mess afterwards.

Paper Plates it is! or maybe a different take-out each day?

And there's someone in the house that irons, but it isn't me...  That's VoyBoy's job.  Before he moved in, there wasn't even an iron or an ironing board in this house.

Surprisingly enough...This isn't surprising.

And reproducing?  Well, the practising is always fun, but I think the world is in bad enough shape without my DNA being multiplied.

... ... Modesty Forbids m'dear

[Guest caffiend]

Several different restaurants do happen to appear on my speed dial... Strange how that happens, right?

Oh, and there's photos around of someone running around the house with a feather duster. Again, it's not me holding that thing! (I didn't know I had one till VoyBoy went for a rummage through my cleaning supply cupboard. But then, I don't know 1/4 of what's in there. I just buy all these different products, but strangely enough, I still can't seem to get up the same amount of enthusiasm for cleaning that you see on the ads. DAMN TV! It lied to me!!

Anyway, back to the coffee.

[fraggle]

BUMP!!

So 52 days to go

[BADGERSXR6TUTE]

BUMP!!

So 52 days to go

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

we don't have to count down fraggle, we can go and enjoy our great roads anytime we want

[fraggle]

First weekend off in six months all the car problems are behind me so look out

Might see if I carnt find the kids some SNOW been cold enough

[Logsie]

Are you still useing the same itinery or has it changed?