Ministerial Statement

SPEED LIMITS

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:32): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Today I advise that the Commissioner of Highways has approved the reduction of speed limits on 45 sections of road within approximately 100 kilometres of Adelaide and Yorke Peninsula from 110 km/h—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —to the default rural road speed limit of 100 km/h. By reducing the speed limit—

Mr Venning interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Schubert, behave—yes, you.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: By reducing the speed limit on these roads, I am told we can save 12 casualty crashes per year. Importantly, these changes will be in place before the busy Christmas holiday period. The Weatherill government is taking immediate action to achieve the community's target to reduce the road toll by at least 30 per cent by the end of the decade. This is outlined in the new road safety strategy, Towards Zero Together, and features prominently as part of the State Strategic Plan.

Over the past five years, around $371 million has been spent on road maintenance in rural South Australia, using a combination of state and federal funding. In the same period, more than $110 million has been invested in arterial roads through the Rural Road Safety Program, the shoulder sealing program, the Responsive Road Safety Program and the state Black Spot Program.

Road safety infrastructure improvements are an integral part of our road safety strategy but must be complemented with other measures. Reducing average travel speed is the most effective way to reduce trauma and produce significant and immediate road safety benefits.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: There's no-one better in this chamber than you at flapping their gums.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: In 2003, the speed limit on around 1,100—

Members interjecting:

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: that was a most wicked, vicious statement against you—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. Pardon, I can't hear you. Can you start again?

Ms CHAPMAN: That was a most wicked statement made by the minister against, and reflecting on you, Madam Chair, and I think she should withdraw it.

The SPEAKER: I'm sorry, I didn't hear the statement made. I will read the Hansard later. If there is an issue, I will ask the minister to withdraw it.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I can assure you, Madam Speaker, no comments were made in relation to you whatsoever. In 2003, the speed limit on around 1,100 kilometres of rural arterial roads was reduced to 100km/h. Research by the Centre for Automotive Safety Research shows this reduced casualty crashes on those roads by 20 per cent. The roads included in this announcement are undivided rural roads. The Northern Expressway, Port Wakefield Road, South Eastern Freeway and Sturt Highway are divided roads with controlled access and will retain their higher speed limits.

In the past five years, almost one fifth of all fatal and serious injury crashes in South Australia happened in the inner rural area within 100 kilometres of Adelaide. There are 45 sections of road within this 100 kilometres of Adelaide, and on the Yorke Peninsula, with a speed limit of 110 km/h, that have been approved for the change. The Yorke Peninsula was included in this measure as many of its busier roads are already 100 km/h.

To provide consistency across the peninsula, the remaining 110 km/h roads on the Yorke Peninsula will also be changed to 100 km/h. These road sections range from 1.2 kilometres in length to 58.2 kilometres, with an average length of 17 kilometres. I am told the longest time added to a journey on one of these stretches of road is three minutes and 10 seconds for 58.2 kilometres of travel. There were 290 casualty crashes on these roads from 2006 to 2010, resulting in 22 fatalities and 121 serious injuries. Six of these fatalities were on the Yorke Peninsula.

Seven other sections of road within the nominated areas come under the care and control of local government. The respective local mayors have been informed of our intentions and I urge them to support us to reduce the pain and suffering brought on by the road toll, and to get this done before the Christmas holidays.

I have heard criticism that this change is not necessary and casualties can be avoided through greater investment in road infrastructure. Over the past five years, $17 million has been invested into the 45 roads through road safety improvements such as the installation of safety barriers and shoulder sealing. In addition to the lower speed limit, we will continue to invest in these roads through the Rural Road Safety Program, the Shoulder Sealing Program, the Responsive Road Safety Program and the State Black Spot Program.

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure will be moving swiftly to change signs on the roads under their care and control by Christmas.

Mr Pederick: Are they going to book people before that?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: It only changes when the sign goes up.

Mr Pederick: Thank you; we got an answer.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The speed change comes into place when the sign goes up. Brightly coloured 'Speed Limit Changed' signs will be used on these roads to alert drivers to the new speed limit and a public information campaign will follow. The Weatherill government does not believe that deaths or serious injuries on our roads are acceptable or inevitable. We will do everything we can to reduce casualties, and reducing the speed limit on rural roads is one way we can achieve this. We are confident this measure will help reduce the unacceptable burden that road trauma imposes on the South Australian community.