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.

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

Haaaaa hahahaaa PJack.

Why don’t you check out my user index to see what else I can whinge about!!

I think you’ll find that I’m a highly diversified whinger! ( :>)

And by crikey, if you think having a forking great semi-trailer truck right up your arse while you are sticking to the speed limit is inconsequential, then you need to get out of your little closet, start travelling around a bit, and experiencing this sort of thing for yourself.

<< 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. >>

Hey….. great idea Hazza!

Gee you do come up with pearlers!!

What we need is for some enterprising person to start manufacturing clip-on speed signs that can be firmly placed over stupid speed signs and display the CORRECT speed limit!

Gee, you're not just a single issue whinger, but a diversified whinger; and a scared wimp on the road as well. Please don't join the army whatever ya do, ya wouldn't last a day.

<< 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? >>

Is Mise, I photographed one of these just a few days ago in Byron Bay. The railway hasn’t been used in years. There are large bushes growing in the middle of the track!

I photographed just the same thing in Bunbury recently.

I’ve built up a collection which I call Russell’s really rank road signs, from all around the country. (Yes, that’s my real name!). It has developed into a large set. Stupid speed limit signs prevail, but there are all manner of other things pertaining to the law and road-safety, which are just, well....unbelievably stuuuupid!

I’ve come to hold departments of transport and main roads, and local authorities that are in charge of local roads and signage, in very low regard. And as for the police….

A typical solution from butch, ignore the signs. By doing that sort of thing you are driving 'revenue raising'.
Why not ask why the signs are there for, and let us know the answer.
I think even in QLD they do have a Roads Authority.

The signs are revenue raising facilities because whilst a driver gets absorbed into looking for speed limit signs he is not concentrating on driving & that's what the Cops are pouncing on. Meanwhile proper Police are doing their jobs chasing nasty morons.
As to
"What is going on with our police and politicians?" well, the politicians are busy pleasing stupid media & Police are busy playing diplomat with crooks.

Dear Ludwig,

North of Melbourne, a stretch of highway, - some ten to
twenty kilometers which in the past had been 100K speed limit
today due to increased local traffic conditions crossing
or entering the highway has been reduced to 80k. And
admittedly every time we drive on the highway it is frustrating.
Some twenty years ago, my husband on the same stretch of
road was forced off by a truck and totalled the car.
And possibly that's wht today that stretch is now 80k.

We have driven on your particular stretch of road in the past,
and the conditions appeared to be the same as in Melbourne.
Shortening the speed limit may have been deliberately left
there for safety reasons. Just a thought.

You can tell by certain attitudes there are people that can not cope with road rules. Serial offenders are a menace on the roads.
Why not just go about your business and obey road rules, 5 over is criminal, .05 is too much the figure is to be .049 to be within the law.
It is easy and the art of driving is to stay within the speed limit.

....It is easy and the art of driving is to stay within the speed limit.

Pretty much sums it up 579, because all you think about is the speed limit. There's a lot more to defensive driving than speed limits.

....Why not ask why the signs are there for, and let us know the answer.

Because some num nuts over paid drop kick forgot to remove them.

Either that, or the cops encourage the practice so they can increase their revenue. Perhaps a combination of both.

BTW, I have been driving for 36+ years, had my share of speeding fines (comes with driving 911's), nothing way over the limit, and never had an accident or caused one.

MOST IMPORTANTLY I have never driven over the limit as it is my view that this is far more dangerous than a few K's over the limit.

If you want proof of revenue raising, why don't you see radars in buys crowded main streets?, because doing 60 in a 50 zone is far more dangerous than 110 in a 100 zone.

You see the odd radar in 50 zones, yet you see ome almost every day on an open highway.

Go figure!

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

You’ve got to wonder just how true that is, rehctub. Not so long ago I would have, said: don’t be silly, our esteemed police and their political masters wouldn’t stoop to that sort of thing. But… it is well and truly apparent that yes they do.

An amazing example is the recent lowering of the leeway on speed limits in Queensland, which netted the police and government a cool 8 or 9 million$ in extra revenue via fines. This basically meant that people who were driving to the real-world speed limit of a few ks over the stated speed limit were suddenly being busted for it.

The police had trained the public to do a few ks over. Rolling with the flow at 108 on the Bruce Hwy in the 100 zone has always been acceptable. You pass highway patrol cars coming in the opposite direction at that speed with no problems. And then suddenly the police change the rules. No publicity campaign to tell people that the leeway will be 5kmh from a certain date or anything like, just a fully despicable change of policy without any warning.

If the police can do that, and their political masters can condone it, then they certainly do deserve to be utterly despised.

We all need to know EXACTLY what the law is. And I mean the real-world law, where it is different from the strict letter of the law, as it often is, not least with speed limits and other road rules.

continued

This fuzzy concept of a few ks over the limit being acceptable, or of there being a leeway on speed limits but which not the police nor any other authority will ever tell us just what the leeway is, is fundamentally despicable.

We need to know this! The cruising speed out there on our highways is the maximum speed that you can get away! It is the same as the speed limit. The real-world speed limit of a bit over the official speed limit, that is. So it is of absolute fundamental importance that we know what the real-world speed limit (official speed limit plus acceptable leeway) is!!

I think our authorities are very devious, and very conscious indeed of maintaining a high revenue stream from fines. Road safety seems to be a secondary goal, or perhaps and entirely incidental thing.

Afterall, there are many aspects of road safety which could so easily be improved. But dare I say it: because they are not high revenue earners, they get nothing more than token attention from our wonderful police.

Oooooooooh Waaaaaaaahhh--- it's a "conspiracy". Oh woe is me.

Ludwig, you are obviously emotionally traumatised by this non issue. Trust me, your distress will pass and life will get better for you. Try taking a long walk every day to get rid of the stress.

Wat's a few k's over. There lies the problem, that attitude has to stop for the sake of the road toll. Policing figures have been released for vic over the xmas new year blitz. Thousands were caught for using mobiles, thousands were caught without seat belts, thousands were caught without registration, thousands were caught for drink driving. And you say revenue raising, i say it is keeping me safe.
Attitude, is the problem, not the police, and not revenue raising.

What's a few Ks over?

It means that I can top the next hill at,say, 4.5ltrs/100kms instead of at 12/100; that saves fuel and consequent pollution, both to be desired.

Hey 579, I totally agree – the speed limit should be the speed limit. There shouldn’t be any leeway on speed limits. None of this ‘few ks over’ business.

It’s about time that rule of law was tightened right up.

But if this is to happen, it needs to be done with a major publicity campaign to let everyone know exactly what the go is, well before the policing regime changes.

<< Why not just go about your business and obey road rules, 5 over is criminal >>

Because if you fastidiously obey the road rules, you get bullied, you get tailgated, you get safety margins reduced and risk factors increased. This is what happens when you drive differently to those with whom you are sharing the road.

The unfortunate thing is that the safest way to drive and the most lawful way are two different things… and the biggest discrepancy happens in temporary slower speed zones at roadworks!

So…. do you always strictly obey the road rules, 579? If you do, you’d be the only person on the planet!

Do you never ever ever exceed the speed limit, even by a tiny amount? Do you make sure that when you are going from an 80kmh zone into a 60kmh zone you always get your speed down to 60 by the time you pass the 60 sign? And conversely, when going from a 60kmh zone into an 80 zone (or 80 to 100 or whatever), that you don’t start speeding up at all until you get right to the 80 sign??

I bet you can’t honestly say that you never exceed the speed limit... and in reality you do it to some extent all the time, whenever you drive, like we all do.

Here there are 2 restriction signs about 2 chain apart as soon as you come to the first one you have 2 chain to slow down.
And never speed up before a derestriction sign.
Your tailgating bullies, are all in your head. Turn your rear-vision mirror to night view, that way those bullies can't see you looking in the mirror, They drop off. Never be antagonized by what is behind it's what is in front that you should be concerned about.
It's easy, like anything a habit is a habit. And i have never had a speeding ticket ever. One parking fine, yes.

579,
Never having had a speeding ticket doesn't mean that you have never gone over the limit, I used to drive regularly at 100mph when the prima facie limit was 50 mph (80/160 approx).
I was once passed by a police car when I was doing 90 mph but they were in a hurry to meet the train as the driver's wife was on it.

The greatest deterrent to speeding is police patrol cars driving on the highways at a steady 100 kph but then no one would speed and the Government would be out of pocket.
It would not be good for the economy of the State, less crashes means less towing, less smash repairs, less hospital space used etc.

<< Shortening the speed limit may have been deliberately left there for safety reasons. Just a thought. >>

Hi Foxy. Yes in some cases I could see some sort of reason, albeit very flimsy, for leaving an 80kmh zone in place after roadworks had been completed. But most of the time the road in these ‘temporary’ 80 zones is just exactly the same as for the adjacent 100 zones.

I’ve got enough experience after driving around in every state and territory in the last decade, to be able to tell when a slower speed limit is appropriate or not…. and a great deal of the time it just isn’t. It often is so blatantly inappropriate that you really do have to wonder what is really going on here.

There seems to only be two possibilities:

Incredible sloppiness and irresponsibility with the management of speed limit signage at roadworks, after roadworks have been completed and just in general across the board, or…

A deliberate attempt to peeve motorists off and make them much more inclined to exceed the stated limits, get booked and keep the revenue rolling in.

The excuse that these slower zones are kept in place for safety reasons just doesn’t hold up. In fact they work in just the opposite way – they create a conflict between those who observe the slower limits and those who say, bugger it and just bore on through. It results in more tailgating, risky overtaking and generally less safe conditions overall.

Anyway, this thread is about road work speed limits and the fact that these signs are all too often left out after the road works have been completed, or, at the very least delayed.

Now I have no problem if there are no road works in progress and there are hazards, such as barriers etc, but if there are no hazards I think the reduced limits should be over looked by police, otherwise it is simply revenue raising at it's worst.

As for a few K's over, 90% of drivers do this and, it is often the slower driver who causes accidents as other drivers become frustrated.

Besides, how do you lot explain the likes of German autobahns, with their open limits.

Works for them, why not here on our better roads?
My view has often been that travel on main roads and highways should be at the limit during peak hours, as this would relieve some ofmthe frustration, especially when you get caught behind someone doing 90 in the right lane 100 zone.

579, chains and links went out long ago, speak modern day English mate.

Police and local government have handed the responsibility for road signage and speed management over to the traffic management industry.
This was/is allowed because despite the fact that these companies have no legal right to impose either themselves or their signage on the public roads they are the biggest job growth enterprise in the country and no government would be game to slow that down.
Responsibility is passed to a non responsible business
and one run by underground "bikie" enterprise.

GDay PJack. Hey, that’s quite neat – three posts on this thread without offering anything at all towards the discussion at hand.

I think that infringes OLO rule No. 1 pretty profoundly.

You’ve offered nothing but offensive claptrap, as if to say that you don’t give a hoot about the subject of the thread, or the broader subject of road safety or law and the regulation thereof…. and just want to pick a silly puerile squabble with the thread’s instigator.

I think that infringes OLO rule No. 2 pretty profoundly.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/rules.asp

One has got to wonder why you have offered anything towards this thread, and indeed why you are on this forum. What’s going on in your head?

Do you think perhaps you could pick up your act, just a little bit?

.

<< Police and local government have handed the responsibility for road signage and speed management over to the traffic management industry. >>

Yes Chris, and in north Queensland I came to realise just how poorly one particular company was doing with this stuff.

But, surely it is a fundamental role of the Dept of Main Roads, or local councils…. whichever is in charge of particular roads that these companies are then employed to manage roadworks sites, to see that they do it properly.

So it shouldn’t matter if it has been largely privatised. The onus of responsibility is still ultimately on those in charge of the particular roads.

Ludwig
"So it shouldn’t matter if it has been largely privatised. The onus of responsibility is still ultimately on those in charge of the particular roads."
They don't want the responsibility only the job creation.
The only job growth creation in Australia at the moment is in the NON productive areas.

SOME THINKING MUSIC..BEFORE WE BELL THE CAT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOsN-P5abVg
a message to our police
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1t9xBe0wPw
THE TRUE DUTY OF A JURY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7nqdV7wV2k

I can remember being with my dad when he was driving at 60mph.
I was ten years old. I am now sixty five.
So in 55 years there has been no increase in speed limits
While cars now have disk brakes airbags ABS and countless other safety features.
Anyone travelling on the F3 or the Hume highway can see that it would be quite safe to travel at 140kph.
Back on topic. I am certain the police put up these roadwork signs.
The road is perfect and not a worker in site.
If I had the money I would challenge this in court as the sign being illegal as no workmen are present.

On the Gwydir Highway on the eastern approach to the first river bridge west of Grafton there is a 60 kph zone that has had no workers in sight for over a month.
There was work being done to the verges but no work on the carriageway which was untouched when the verge work was being done and which appears to need no work.

Vehicles appear not to slow down at all for the restriction, an apparent 100 kph being the norm.

So why the signs?

Work is going to start again perhaps as there are two road maintenance vehicles parked about 100 m. off the road, maybe they've been forgotten like the signs.

If that was an isolated example, Is Mise, it would hardly be an issue. But it seems to be the norm!

I see it just everywhere – temporary low speed limits for roadworks when there are absolutely no roadworks, or when the work area is entirely off-road, or low speed limits after hours in roadworks sites that might be appropriate while work is happening but need to be changed upwards when there is no work.

Add to this the absurdly long distance between the actual work area and the return to normal speed that is emplaced at practically every roadworks site. This I have never been able to understand.

Sure, you need a fairly long lead-in slow speed zone. But once you are past the work area, you should be allowed to return to full speed straight away!

WHY..THE SIGNS?
its regarded as a lawful 'notICE'

THERE ARE SO MANY..sO THAT YOU SWITCH OFF..
and just like a judas goat/fall into their trap..
when they selectively..'en-FORCE..THe 'notice'..according..TO the revenue they need raise.

[usualy done by private coNTRACTERS
LEASING A REVENUE SOURCE AS A SERVICE.]
WITH GOVT GETTING MINIMAL 'fees'/

'com-miSION/sub-missiON/PER-MISSIONs.

I lost a long winded explanation so gave up.
Those signs are to reduce speed over road not in its usual state EG no center lines marked reseal and loose stones a host of reasons.
TWO manuals exist for traffic control at work sites.
My name should be in the old version, as a senior union delegate I was on the group that drew it up.
NO ROADWORKS can proceed on main roads without that detailed plan, site specific for the work in place.
Even details such as work tgrucks movement plan on site are contained there.
One fault exists Ludwig and motorist in general deserve to be told about the plan.
Site workers intimate understanding is far from that some motorists have

With all this safety in mind, Belly, perhaps you could explain why, on the New England and Gwydir Highways there are blind corners with broken centre lines, indicating to the unwary that it is a safe passing place.

On the New England in the vicinity of Stonehenge there is a long straight with a car concealing dip in the middle of it, broken lines all the way.
I saw an example of the same thing on the Gwydir yesterday when a small car magically appeared ahead; he'd been it the dip as I came onto the straight.

Belly, as one who was involved with the a drafting of the first manual of traffic control at roadworks sites, can you tell me why there is almost always a very long distance between the end of the actual works site and the return to normal speed.

Occasionally you get to return to normal speed almost straight away, but 99% of the time, the lead-out slow zone is just as long as the lead-in slow zone on the other side of the road.

For some reason, which I have never been able to work out, the esteemed authorities deem it necessary, almost all of the time, to have the speed limit the same in both directions on any given stretch of road.

And yet there is an enormous difference between the need to reduce traffic speed considerably before the actual works site and the absolute lack of any need to keep it slow for the same bloody distance on the outward going stretch.

This is highly problematic, as it puts the law-abiding driver and normal driver at stark odds in the lead-out zone. The vast majority of drivers just ignore the completely stupid slow zones after the actual works sites.

One thing that really riles me and has done for many years is when I get pincered between a lawless driver behind me and a speed limit sign which obligates me to lawfully keep my speed considerably slower than what the mongrel tailgater wants me to do!! This happens at just about every roadworks site!

Please Belly, tell me what is this absurdity of slow lead-out zones from roadworks all about!

Ludwig,

The simple truth of the matter is that the truck would have to stop twice, so it's easier to just jump out and put the signs up together.

Yesterday I had to visit Tenterfield before going to Grafton so I drove south to Dundee and took the short cut via the Bald Nob road (Google Earth 29/34/41.15S x 151/52/11.45 N on the New England) to join the Gwydir H'way east of Glen Innes.
This is a popular road as it cuts about 30 kms off the trip compared to going back to Glen Innes to join the Gwydir.

The Bald Nob road is tarred all the way and there is no difficulty maintaining a speed of 100 kph however it is windy and with some tight blind curves; there is no centre line at all and only two signs in its entire length and they are 'T' intersection signs at each end where it joins the highways.

All in all a potentially very dangerous piece of road and apparently no one in authority cares a hoot.

<< The simple truth of the matter is that the truck would have to stop twice, so it's easier to just jump out and put the signs up together >>

Is Mise, I can’t come up with a better explanation!

Yep, it just seems to be fundamentally without any basis in law, common sense or road safety to have the signs together on each side of the road!

There are lots of backroads in the hilly parts of southwest WA, with 100kmh signs on them, on which even a hoon like Hasbeen would be battling to get up to 100!

And then there are absurd 50kmh stretches on wide flat straight main roads passing through small towns, with ridiculously long lead-in and lead-out zones!

The contrast is extreme!

Gee Ludwig, you can not be expected to know but in truth your last post truly honestly hurts, it does no joke hit right in the center of every road workers heart.
I would need a thousand posts to tell about the road workers factory floor and of the dead or injured road workers.
I have seen and heard of far too many.
I am proud to say I while being criticized for doing nothing [good morning Bruce, worked unpaid up to 17 hours on Sundays to get a safer workplace.
e mails and demanding letter, flowed until I hadto lock up my works office and go home
Picture a factory long and no walls in both ends, cars trucks speeding past your work bench at speeds some times oh yes sometimes near twice the speed limit.
I am proud of my award on the wall proud of the twin bridges I got named after a road worker killed on the job.
Ludwig every day, some time twice a *fool* demands to be told why sites just like you talk of, have no signs in place!
HIGH VISIBILITY,that is the reason for duplicate signs on both sides of the road.
A car over taking, *and it happens many times a day* the front one who is reducing speed, *Can Only See the sign on the other side of the road!
Drunk/drugged/old with poor eye sight a flagman and the workers he protects must step out in front of many every day and hope he gets home safe.
Too confront these stupid insults quote*why don,nt you blokes do this at night/day.
Why are you lot standing around as we drive past?
As opposed to running out in front of them?
In the end the thankless job of a road worker is one of being abused for fixing the road.
And too often by the same fools for not fixing it!

<< HIGH VISIBILITY,that is the reason for duplicate signs on both sides of the road. >>

Oh dear Belly, you are completely misunderstanding what I am saying.

Traffic indication is a massive job growth industry. It is only going to get bigger and worse especially when they make their actions legal.
At the moment anybody can place a traffic warming sign on the road and it becomes enforceable at law.

Ludwig old mate you truely do not understand the issue or what I am talking about

ChrisGaff sorry you too, bloke 73 dead motorists or passengers, just in my job site.
Nights of horror rain tears and mentally broken road workers and one very special Sergent of police.
Early ninety's NSW RTA lead this country, discarding the throw a few signs up and put the most useless on flagman job.
Training started soon to be followed by every state.
A traffic control plan, one out of the manual or hand made for the site MUST BE IN PLACE.
Every level of worker involv3ed must have his/her ticket and it is renewed by law every three years.
Courts would goal ANY ONE NOT HAVE THE RIGHT PLAN after a death.
Traffic controllers one day course is no push over the two hour test unforgiving of not understanding.
Few know the star of the RTA first training video was a very young Kiwi born part owner of south Sydney league team Russel Crow.
As a union official a HWP cop recruited me to get in his car and give evidence to a construction firm its signs had been wrongly placed.
My photo is saw a big fine levied, they had put 60 k signs up along side 100 s and not covered the existing ones.
Ludwig signs on both sides of the road are mandatory in most plans and part of the high visibility factor for the above reasons.
Any road worker reading this will shudder that persons are so uninformed about conditions in their work place.

<< Belly, I fully understand what you are saying. I have no problem with it.

But you have completely misunderstood what I was saying. And as a result you are incorrectly thinking poorly of me.

Those who manage speed limits at roadworks need to realise that there is a very real and present danger if they put up signs that people think are patently too slow. This riles people. It makes some people behave in a manner that they would not normally behave, which increases the risks to themselves, other road-users and workers at the site. A dangerous schism is created between the ‘normal’ driver who basically ignores temporary slow speed signs that they think are patently too slow and the driver who wishes to obey the law.

This situation is heightened in the lead-out zone from the actual roadwork site to the point where you can legally resume normal speed.

These zones are often absurdly long. And yet I can see any reason AT ALL why there can’t be a return to normal speed very soon after the end of the works area, in most cases. And indeed if this was to be implemented as standard practice, it would surely make it less stressful and significantly safer for all concerned.

Let’s get RID of absurd long lead-out zones at roadworks, where for some completely unknown reason the standard procedure is to have the return to normal speed at the same point as the first temporary slow speed sign on the approach to the site on the other side of the road!

Ludwig excuse me please and except my sorry mate.
I have refrained from telling all my story, a contributor here once my very best mate some times lets the green monster out about my union job.
But I drove this issue even opening up my office, with full permission, and working all day Saturday and Sunday unpaid.
I sent e mails and letters to every one! tens of them hundreds in fact.
We had to stop the deaths, Ludwig, Government departments are experts in failure.
And while the laws are good.
Educating the public is non existent.
I showed you why speed restrictions like that exist, the re-occurring 80 klm.
If a death took place, and these signs had not been in place.
Those in charge, rightly so could be sent to prison.
But yes you are in part right, I could name a traffic control plan, lay it out here sign by sign, but it now needs the traveling public to know part of what I know.
Because SOME do drive too fast because lack of education and understanding leaves them thinking it is OK.
Just to set up my most used traffic control plan here, on paper TCP 83 OR 84 would take three posts and the same hour it takes in real life

taxation. The government alone collected trillions of dollars in taxes. And what happens if you do not pay taxes? You are beaten, threatened, and locked in a cage. And those taxes were used to kill, assassinate, and loot people in third world countries. What happens if you try to build your own road or start your own police agency, or try to compete with the electric company? The mafia comes in and tells you that you aren’t allowed. What if you want to start a business? Well, you must obtain a special license. What if you want to own a gun or start a protest? You must have a special permit for that too. What if you want to collect rain water, sell lemonade, grow certain plants, get married to someone you love……….well you need special permissions from the government to do all of those things too. What if you decide to not wear your seat belt? Well, the government will arrest you, extort you of your money, even though there is no immediate victim, and tell you, “we are doing this for your own good because someone “might” get hurt in the future.”

While the government’s little brother is the media. The media will tell you that violence is “cool,” being slutty is the new “classy,” and having a bad attitude makes you “hip.”
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/do-you-consent-to-be-governed-myths-and-facts_012014
In reality, the government in conjunction with the entertainment media outlets literally ARE the matrix. The matrix is just a fancy word for a monopolized, pacified, farmed, and controlled society. And the worst part is that, the very people whom receive this message will try to kill me, taunt me, or call me crazy, because they are so dependent, utterly reliant, comfortable, and in-love with the system, that they will defend it to their last breath, especially those who benefit from it the most (police, politicians, military, investors, welfare recipients, lobbyists etc…).

Belly,

I also worked on the roads and I can sympathize, however I worked for a Shire Council not the RTA but we built major roadworks to RTA specs and under their ultimate authority.
I particularly remember one long downhill straight in which we were ordered to construct an artificial hump as the RTA's view was that unobstructed vision would lead to people speeding.

On the other hand, and you made this point, I had a local rate payer complain that every time she drove past them the Tar Gang were standing by the side of the road. She was a bit embarrassed when I told her the reason!
Your other point about the worker perceived to be the most useless being on safety point. I was doing test drills in a blind cutting using a drilling rig mounted on a large tractor and my point men were sent out to warn traffic.

I did a drill and as I was moving the rig I spotted one of them standing just a few metres away.
Naturally I asked him (politely, and with a suitably modulated voice!!)why he wasn't up the road.

Reply: "There was no traffic".

Yep. We’ve completely lost it with temporary speed limit signs. It seems that temporary slow speed limits for roadworks, in the complete absence of any roadworks, has become the new norm!!

Having just driven up from Sydney to Noosa, there are many examples of this!!

What’s going on??

Is it just incredible sloppiness on the part of whoever manages this stuff? Or is there a deliberate trap-setting motive, whereby the police know they will get a good return from booking speeders in these zones?

Or both?

They seem to be the ONLY possibilities!

Or is there a deliberate trap-setting motive, whereby the police know they will get a good return from booking 'speeders' in these zones?

'Speeders' who are doing a perfectly safe speed that is lower than the normal speed limit for the particular section of road, that is!

These blokes are the growth employment industry. I saw one yesterday and he had to be 80 and a poor walker. He was putting cones out so the council could cut the grass on the median strip.
There are six separate road safety sign companies here in Cairns. God knows how many around the country but cockroaches are more rarer than these blokes.