Speed limit signage at roadworks and the regulation thereof are out of control!

Having just driven from Coffs Harbour to Port Macquarie yesterday, I am flabbergasted as to how bad it has become.

South of Urunga, there is a long zone with numerous ‘80 road works’ signs, extending for several kilometres. There is isn’t a hint of roadworks! This would normally be a 100kmh zone. The temporary signs have been left there, seemingly permanently, long after the roadworks have been completed.

North of Kempsey there are a couple of long 80 zones, for no apparent reason. The road is just the same as for the normal 100 stretches.

Going through the roadworks just north of Coffs Harbour the previous night, which has copious 80 signs and several ‘speed limits at roadworks are enforced’ signs, a large truck came up behind me and tailgated as close as possible, in the rain, while I was sitting on ~85. Then the mongrel raised his high beam as if to say I was going far too slow!

So we have a situation where those in charge of implementing temporary speed signs are very often doing so in a highly careless and irresponsible manner, the policing regime has almost completely collapsed… if it ever really existed in the first place, and the driver who desires to stick to or close to the speed limit is put in a highly conflicting situation, pincered between what the legally-binding signs say and what other drivers are doing, especially the one behind.

It is safer to roll with the flow rather than stick to the law. But when the police do occasionally do their job at roadworks, the driver who feels that he has to break the law to drive safely gets busted just the same as the rank driver who wantonly ignores the speed limit and readily bullies anyone in front of him who is going even slightly slower than he wants to go.

What is going on with our police and politicians? How could the situation be allowed to get so hopelessly out of control?

The thing is you should not have been doing five over. it's best to give way to anyone that tailgates by slowing down so they can pass.
You can't make something right by doing something wrong yourself.
If the signs were there they must be obeyed, someone may know something you don't.

Stop whinging about something that's utterly inconsequential. You're living a VERY closeted, cushy life if that's all you can whinge about.

It's about time the truckies went back to heavy steel bull bars, rather than the pretty polished alloy things they now sport.

Then they could take out these long abandoned roadwork signs, as they pass, as they always used to.

Ludwig,

You have my support, the Gwydir H'way is plagued by the same seemingly abandoned signs and all highways have "Rough Road" signs on patches of almost un-noticable undulations and then a few miles later a section of broken dangerous pavement that no one seems to have noticed.

Then there are towns that have parallel parking on both sides of a street as well as central 90 degree parking and the speed limit is 40 kph then in side streets that are exactly the same (width, parking etc.,) the limit is 50; makes no sense.

The town of Glen Innes famously has a 40 kph section of the main street (Grey St) signposted as a "High Pedestrian Activity Area" with a 40 limit, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I took a photo there recently during daylight and there was not a person or a vehicle in sight. Why?

Then there are the "STOP" signs at railway crossings where there has not been a train for 30+ years and the tracks are buried under the road; should one obey them?

Apparently so, as I know of a few people who were booked about five years ago for not stopping at such a sign, a sign that locals had been ignoring for 25 years since the last train trundled through.

Yes Ludwig, and they (the signs) are even being used as revenue raisers.

I say this because two of our trucks have been booked doing a few K's over the road works limit, even months after the road works were completed.

My view is that if road works are not being performed, and there are no hazards then drivers should be able to ignore these signs.