By Melissa Grant
VICROADS has repeatedly rejected calls from Cardinia Shire officers to drop the speed limit on McGregor Road, Pakenham, from 70 to 60km/h.
The council has approached the road authorities several times this year in a bid to have it decreased, but was told the road didn’t meet the criteria for speed reduction.
The refusal has angered some members of the community who say the 70km/h limit is too high.
“It should be lowered to 60km/h, especially with the new school and shopping centre, which should be 40km/h,” Esther Smith, of Pakenham, said.
Cardinia Shire councillor Brett Owen agreed, saying the close proximity of Pakenham Secondary College and Pakenham Springs Primary School to McGregor Road warranted a lower limit.
“I would personally like to see a reduction, especially considering the large number of school children using that area,” he said.
Pakenham Secondary College principal Ray Squires said he supported anything that would make McGregor Road safer for students and the general public.
“And if that means part of the solution is reducing the speed limit to 50km/h or 40km/h during school times, we would support that,” he said.
Acting Sergeant Mal Marsden from Cardinia TMU said he had no problems with the speed limit, considering that a section of McGregor Road was now duplicated.
“It should be 60km/h but with the widening of the road 70km/h is a nice speed for it,” he said.
When asked recently about the road’s speed limit Dean Zabrieszach, the acting regional director of VicRoads’ Metropolitan South East said: “McGregor Road is a local road under the care and management of the Shire of Cardinia. “It is therefore up to the council to assess and determine the most appropriate speed limit for this road, in accordance with the relevant speed management guidelines.
“When changes to existing speed limits are proposed, councils are required to submit the changes to VicRoads for approval.”
The council’s general manager of assets and services, Mike Ellis, said the council had made a number of approaches to VicRoads about reducing the speed limit along McGregor Road.
They were advised it didn’t meet the criteria for speed reduction, he said.
>>> Locals’ mixed feelings about speed limit, Facebook feedback page 12.
