Speeding fine at Road works near Pialligo roundabout

aronde said :

I just drove along the Tuggers parkway heading into city and just past Cotter Road there are road work speed signs placed every 50 metres -’80’ then ’60’ then ’40’ then…… NOTHING. Not a truck, not a witches hat, nothing in sight! Just a lot of cars slowing down nearly causing nose to tail accidents.

Ummm… if you can’t slow down from 80 to 40 in 100 metres, then either you weren’t doing 80, or you shouldn’t be driving, or you were actually an ice road trucker and probably not on the parkway at all, in which case: don’t take so many of the little blue pills.

Cars slowing down do not ’cause’ nose to tail accidents: people driving too fast or too close or not paying attention or having bad luck or crap brakes do.

Really, its not that hard: just slow down. (Note to self).

Some years ago Stanhope got asked this question live on radio. It was about 40km zones at night when road works were not active, and for about 6 – 12 months after that you never saw a 40km sign after hours as they were religiously covered up.

I have not seen the traffic below 70kmh during the day in that area (except bumper to bumper hour). It is as if the plod did not want to mess up traffic flow. But more recently I have seen a motorcycleplod loitering in the area.

Your licence is precious, and contesting it does not cost much. If anything contesting it helps clog up the system, and makes the appropriate people actually think about the problem. Given the diverse discussion it may be more appropriate to have a Beak think about the penalty rather than accepting what a trainee plod found confusing in his black book.

And it is true, many of us old timers have learnt to spot the plod before the plod spots you. My father always said don’t speed at night as you cant see the plod. My missus regularly asks why I am slowing down and I point out the plod in the distance.

If in doubt slow down and avoid the wannabe tax collectors, and with the financial crisis hitting hard everywhere, expect to see more of them.

captainwhorebags said :

The AFP provide a service where they will let you know if a speed sign is genuine or not. Costs about $600.

That’s funny.

To Christy… What do readers think of this? Pay the fine or go to Court – simple choice really.

sezzle said :

The speed limits are in place at all hours so that you don’t go speeding through there and crash your car because suddenly a corner or something like that has changed and you weren’t expecting it. It’s not revenue raising, speed limits are there for your safety and the safety of others.

Exactly.

grundy said :

The TAMS link that swaggie posted above states:

“The Contractor shall erect these signs, cover the signs when the speed zone is not in use and remove the signs when the speed zone is no longer required as part of the provision for traffic.”

Its unfortunate that they only seem to cover the roadwork speed limit signs at the end of the day if they remember to do so (Except of course those sites where it may be necessary to keep a reduced limit due to road changes / condition).

I remember when they duplicated Drakeford from Soward to Isabella – when it was all finished, they left a (permanent looking) 60km/h speed sign on one of the lightpoles just before the lights at Soward if you were heading South. It was halfway up the pole, and attached as a normal sign would be. I found it very odd that it would go from 80 to 60 just for that intersection, then back to 80 just past the lights, and only for southbound, so i called TAMS and asked them. The next afternoon it had been removed.

Well Chik is a very important and busy man. How was he supposed to guess there would be special speed zones around EPIC that weekend?

Are you a very important and busy man, Christy?

No Christy. Don’t wear it.

The penalty is manifestly out of proportion with the crime.

My final 2 comments.
1. Yes, I am going to ‘suck it up’ as you have mostly all said and pay the fine. I just thought that it was very excessive compared to being charged the same amount for driving through a school zone at this speed which I never do, or driving at 150kms an hour on the freeway, which I also never do. And yes I will be more careful in future.

2. Maybe I should have just said I didn’t see the sign instead of telling the truth and saying I didn’t think it applied when the road was safe and there were no roadworks happening, as there seems to be different rules for different people! See excerpt below from Canberra Times in January.

“The promoter of Summernats car festival in Canberra has escaped a speeding fine despite driving almost 40 kilometres an hour over the limit.
Chic Henry was clocked doing 77 kilometres an hour in a special 40 kilometre zone outside the event’s Exhibition Park venue yesterday.
The speed limit on the road had been reduced from 80 kilometres an hour, to coincide with the event, and Mr Henry says he simply did not notice the changed conditions.
“The fact is I didn’t see the signs and so I have no excuses whatsoever,” he said.
He says he was cautioned and given a talking to, but not fined. Police say it is up to the discretion of individual officers as to whether to issue a caution or fine.
Police have been paying particular attention to the area.
The annual event attracts around 100,000 car enthusiasts and ACT Police Superintendent Michael Chew says police will be cracking down on reckless driving during Summernats.
“The people that come to the event should come and enjoy the event, but be aware if they’re choosing to behave in a manner outside the event that is antisocial or hoon behaviour or burn-outs, then they’re highly likely be apprehended or spoken to by police,” he said.”

Also, it would be interesting to see if I would have received similar comments if my name had been Chris and not ‘Princess’!

Very interesting topic for me at the moment. Someone I know recently had the front of their new car (200kms new)removed by an allegedly speeding car at some roadworks near belco mall. Both cars were written off with both drivers being injured. The friend says they were following the directions of roadworkers because their vision was severely impeded by the paraphenalia that comes with road works. Plod says friend is at fault for notgiving way. I understand friends are preparing to fight hard on principle.

Trev Fincham, if you want to keep commenting here you’re going to need to learn how to make your point without abusing others.

Furry Jesus said :

Resetting your average driving speed is hard enough, without the constant variation in posted speed limits across Canberra, but if you don’t, you pay. If you don’t want to pay, don’t do it.

So, rather than a ‘user pays’ system, it’s a ‘misuser-pays’ system? I like it.

Trev Fincham said :

No stress paying a legitimate fine Jim Jones.

What does that have to do with what I said about the traffic signs?

Read what I said.

Idiots.

Lunch break at CIT.

Someone needs to give grandapa his meds. He’s going crazy-angry and cussin’ out the kids on the interwebs.

Having spent way too much on speeding fines and red light cameras throughout my life as a driver, and having to tell my boss that I’d had my licence suspended for 3 months after blowing my points, I bought a 4-wheel drive ute and gave up on my Formula 1 aspirations (street circuits being my specialty).

Apart from people involved in accidents or having a loved one seriously injured or killed, who makes a decision as a driver to slow down and observe speed limits without other inducement? The habit of going fast if you think you can get away with it just reinforces our love of speed or that special feeling that we have to be where we’re going 2 minutes sooner.

Resetting your average driving speed is hard enough, without the constant variation in posted speed limits across Canberra, but if you don’t, you pay. If you don’t want to pay, don’t do it.

I’m with you on that one VY. The problem with police being allowed to use discretion is they then get accused of (take your pick) favouritism, racism, sexism, ageism etc. (I’m outta ‘isms!) And while all of the above may have occurred from time to time, I absolutely refuse to believe that it is standard behaviour.

Retesting is a great idea, and I can’t believe the government hasn’t jumped on that one yet. Think of the revenue! A lot more than putting in more bloody cameras…

BTW, for the record I do view cameras as voluntary taxes and have no sympathy for anyone who gets caught speeding.

MW – I do agree with you. I guess my real issue is that I think police should (be able to) exercise a bit more discretion, and that speed cameras really are kinda silly.

It just irritates me that people use whole speeding thing as an excuse not to think. But then I’d also make retesting part of the licence renewal process.

@VY – I think you’re absolutely spot on. But I don’t think you’ve really addressed the issue of the limits themselves. In theory, the limits are set to determine the absolute maximum speed a barely competent driver (as in is only just capable of driving a vehicle) can travel along that stretch of road. Speed limits are set for the lowest common denominator.

While that does make it somewhat frustrating for those who are capable, police and other road users don’t have any way of determining who is capable or not in a particular area. I don’t necessarily disagree with speed limits, but I agree that too much focus is on this issue to the detriment of other areas of road safety (including the condition of roads).

Gungahlin Al said :

That said, I wouldn’t have minded seeing the wallopers get the woman yesterday doing 100 through the 60 bit at Mitchell in her Mercedes Kompressor coupe…

That’s what annoys people the most I think and brings them here to winge.

I’ve been pinged doing 59 in a 50 zone – fair enough I was over the limit. But when you see someone going stupidly fast and getting away with it, it just makes it worse.

Please, oh most wise VY, please impart more of your invaluable driving knowledge on us mere amateurs so we may openly flout road rules and not be caught

No problem. Watch what you’re doing, stay in control of your vehicle and indicate your intent to other drivers.

Once you get used to doing these things, keeping an eye out for the vans or plod is easy.

However, like I said, if everyone obeyed the posted speed limits, regardless of how close together the decreasing speed limits signs are, then there should be no risk of nose to tail accidents.

Absolute brain washed bollocks. Speed limits are one of the ways in which authorities seek to mitigate accident risk (by attempting to reduce accident occurrence and severity). They DO NOT remove all risk. There are a range of other risk reduction strategies as well, like other rules, design requirements, seat belts, etc.

The problem is that people believe they are ‘safe’ if they don’t speed. Rubbish. The degree of risk relates, in part, to the speed of the vehicle. You can still die in a car that hits a stationary object at 60km/h regardless of whether the speed limit is 40km/h, 60km/h, or 100km/h.

My biggest problem with the focus on speed is that it takes away focus from the many other ways in which accident risk can be reduced, which to me is even more dangerous.

$600?? Ouch!

But fact is, the Piallago roadworks have had all sorts of twists, turns and changes, so it is entirely reasonable at any time of day.

However there are as Sgt B says some dumb speed limits around. The stupid 60-80-60-80-60 changes along Flemington Rd are ridiculous – and just make for ripe pickings for the police, as most people sort of split the difference and sit on 70. I’ve asked Tony Gill at Roads ACT to consider making it a standard 70 along the whole road until nearer the town centre, but so far it’s just “under consideration”.

That said, I wouldn’t have minded seeing the wallopers get the woman yesterday doing 100 through the 60 bit at Mitchell in her Mercedes Kompressor coupe…

@62 & 64

fair enough, thank you.

RatsNest said :

Out of curiosity, why do so many of you rely on your cruise control to keep you at the ‘right’ speed?

I understand using it for long distance driving but surely the distraction of changing the settings over such small distances is more inconvenient (not to mention dangerous) than just lightening your foot and occasionally glancing at the speedo for that distance?

After getting pinged a few times on the Monaro (about 7km over each time) once the new RRSCs (Revenue Raising Speed Cameras) were in place I decided that I would only ever use cruise control on that stretch of road – far too easy to get ever-so-slightly distracted and allow the speedo to gently nudge up, and then bingo – you have a fine. I haven’t had a ticket since I started using cruise control.

It should all depend how good the road surface is and if there are workers present.

If the road is good and there are no workers it is fair that the limit be put back to normal. If there are obstructions, but nothing substantial I think a partial reduction in the speed limit is waranted (say 60 in an 80 zone).

If there are workers, sharp turns or big holes in places it should be 40 at the max – and enforced.

When driving in NSW this seems to be what happens. In the ACT it seems people couldn’t be bothered changing the signs, or it’s too hard, so we’re stuck with doing 40 on the parkway at 10pm on a Sunday night.

I guess it depends on the car your driving RatsNest. My cruise control is dead easy to set without distracting from driving. That said, I doubt I’d botheer using it for incidental changes to speed limits like short stretches of raod works. Cruise control really comes into it’s own on longer distances like the road works currently along the Hume Highway between Gundagai and Albury.

Out of curiosity, why do so many of you rely on your cruise control to keep you at the ‘right’ speed?

I understand using it for long distance driving but surely the distraction of changing the settings over such small distances is more inconvenient (not to mention dangerous) than just lightening your foot and occasionally glancing at the speedo for that distance?

I think that you’ll find that s19 of the ACT Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act 1999 allows the ACT government to ‘authorise’ anyone they choose to install speed signage. If you ever get your hands on a contract for road repairs you’ll see that authorisation explicitly written into the contract. You’re Stop ‘n Go fella (commonly provided by national outfits that specialise in traffic management and are accredited by the relevant authorities in the jurisdictions that they operate in) will be well equipped to ensure that nationally accepted codes relating to signage are adhered to.

Further, if there’s any doubt, s21 of the Act goes on to clarify the legality of such signage: …a prescribed traffic control device installed or displayed on, above or near a road or road related area, or on a vehicle on, above or near a road or road related area, is conclusively presumed to have been lawfully installed or displayed there under this Act.

Keep your money in your pocket princess. You’ll need it to buy yourself a ladder when you get to the bottom of your hole.

Unfortunately, roadwork speed limits are typically ignored by the majority of the community as a whole, and those who obey them tend to be demonised by others behind them who are in a hurry. I can only assume this because more than half of the time there appears to have been no reason for the lower speed limits found in roadworks whatsoever, thus, nobody respects them. Still we must legally obey them. Personally I always obey them regardless of the situation, primarily because I don’t want to be disobeying a roadwork limit when there’s no obvious reason to be obeying it, only to have a previously unseen road worker stumble out in front of my vehicle.

I figure anyone stuck behind me fuming away because I’m doing 20-60km/h less than the usual speed limit shouldn’t blame me, rather they should blame the incredibly lax ACT roadwork standards which are enforced to the Nth degree. Wouldn’t it be nice if upon roadworks being packed up, whoever is responsible for accidentally leaving the roadwork speed limit signage out copped a monetary fine equivalent to the one that road users would receive for breaking that road work speed limit and doing the normal speed limit. Such as the 40km/h sign left posted underneath a give way sign at the end of Torrens Street in Braddon for literally years after the roadworks had been packed up? Unfortunately that is not the case.

Find out if you have grounds to contest the fine, but if you don’t, cop it sweet and pay it, as you were breaking the law regardless of how silly it appeared to be. Next time you’re in a roadwork zone, don’t exceed the lower limit regardless of what it is, the 0-2 minutes you’ll save for not obeying the limit is not really worth the possibility of a $1600+ fine, or the possibility that one day you could collide with a road worker and be found at fault because you were exceeding the speed limit.

Jim Jones said :

Dude – advising people to try and get out of paying legitimate speeding tickets when you’ve been done going 145 in a 110 zone. Great look!

Funny how riot acters seems to love to get all gung ho about “damn criminals they should be sent to prison and have their hands chopped off”, but as soon as someone gets a speeding ticket it’s not their fault and the evil gummint is to blame and it’s an OUTRAGE.

So What?
People think some laws are good, some are bad.
The difference is, speed limits are meant to prevent or reduce risk of accidents, injuries and death, when a lot of the time they do no such thing.

That’s fair QBN gal. I’ll get something up.

No stress paying a legitimate fine Jim Jones.

What does that have to do with what I said about the traffic signs?

Read what I said.

Idiots.

Lunch break at CIT.

How about you back that up Trev with the appropriate legislation? Comparable perhaps to the link placed by Swaggie Post #20

So if Ive been done speeding does that mean my comment is not true?

Smart.

Good argument.

Idiot.

Go ring the CIT and ask them.

Exactly the point clown dribbler.

Stop and go people ARE NOT AUTHORISED to put traffic signs out.

Bet me. Something small like $10,000

Please..

Just reading some of the comments….

Any idiot can put a traffic sign on the side of the road. And any idiot usually does. There are so many rules/ laws/ requiremenst for the way traffic signs are placed. The distances they need to be from eachother from other signage the length of visability etc etc.

To save money/ time/ hassle they almost always get one of the roadworkers to put them out. Based on his best judgement and NOT the legal requirements.

Obviously the cops dont want people to know….

I know for a fact that unless the signs have been put in place by ‘authorised’ traffic controllers and NOT any random person from the RTA or contractor looking after the road works – They ARE NOT ENFORCEABLE.

How’s this for a fact – every schmuck who sits the Stop ‘n Go man course at CIT is trained to set up speed signs for road works. All ACT Government contracts for road works require speed signs and other traffic control measures to be in accordance with nationally accepted codes. You’d have a snowflakes chance of demonstrating that they weren’t set up properly.

I also know for a fact that the lazy busted a.ss ACT gov do NOT use the correct proceedures and the signs will not have been put out by an authorsied traffic controller.

I’ll call you on that one sunshine. You’re talking dream talk out of your bum.

Also, I received a traffic fine for speeding in VIC comming back in to ACT

Thanks for your help, I believe my work here is done.

Dude – advising people to try and get out of paying legitimate speeding tickets when you’ve been done going 145 in a 110 zone. Great look!

Funny how riot acters seems to love to get all gung ho about “damn criminals they should be sent to prison and have their hands chopped off”, but as soon as someone gets a speeding ticket it’s not their fault and the evil gummint is to blame and it’s an OUTRAGE.

Christy,

I know for a fact that unless the signs have been put in place by ‘authorised’ traffic controllers and NOT any random person from the RTA or contractor looking after the road works – They ARE NOT ENFORCEABLE.

I also know for a fact that the lazy busted a.ss ACT gov do NOT use the correct proceedures and the signs will not have been put out by an authorsied traffic controller.

YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THIS AND ASK THE QUESTION

Also, I received a traffic fine for speeding in VIC comming back in to ACT – I was doing 145km in the 110 zone and I only got a $380 fine!

$600 is very excessive. Especially when the speed zones cant be infoced unless the police know who placed the traffic signs.

Please look into this!!!

aronde said :

Pretty unlikely EVERYONE will slow down to 40 from 100 when nothing is going on! That and the fact the signs were pretty close together means if you tried to obey them you would be slowing down very quickly indeed.

However, like I said, if everyone obeyed the posted speed limits, regardless of how close together the decreasing speed limits signs are, then there should be no risk of nose to tail accidents.

As has been pointed out in previous posts, these speed signs are there not only because there are workmen in the area, but also because of the road conditions that are often dangerous at the usual speeds until the work is completed.

I’ve been done for speeding through roadworks when there was no work happening. I paid my fines and learned my lesson ( although it took 2 goes to do it). I don’t speed through roadworks anymore, in fact I find cruise control handy for keeping me to the right speed, saving me having to look down at my speedo constantly.

So Christy, I have to say, suck it up, pay the fine, and keep to the speed lilmit in future. It’s not that hard!

Frangipani in the shape of the Southern Cross on your car does not give you immunity from speed limits.

My argument would be bad lighting, unable to see the sign 🙂

shanefos said :

aronde said :

I just drove along the Tuggers parkway heading into city and just past Cotter Road there are road work speed signs placed every 50 metres -’80’ then ’60’ then ’40’ then…… NOTHING. Not a truck, not a witches hat, nothing in sight! Just a lot of cars slowing down nearly causing nose to tail accidents.

Perhaps if they all obeyed the posted speed limit there would be no risk of “nose to tail accidents”…

Pretty unlikely EVERYONE will slow down to 40 from 100 when nothing is going on! That and the fact the signs were pretty close together means if you tried to obey them you would be slowing down very quickly indeed.

Speed is really little to do with ‘nose to tail’ accidents. It’s all about keeping an adequate distance between yourself and the vehicle in front, to allow an emergency stop, whatever the speed. This is most easily measured by time, ie, number of seconds. It reminds me of an old biddy who rear-ended someone, and when I suggested that perhaps she was too close to the vehicle, she told me she wasn’t until he had to brake suddenly. Hmmm.

This distance thing was one of the first and most repeated messages given to us when I was doing my Stay Upright motorbike training. I apply it when I’m driving cars too, but note it is oft-ignored.

aronde said :

I just drove along the Tuggers parkway heading into city and just past Cotter Road there are road work speed signs placed every 50 metres -’80’ then ’60’ then ’40’ then…… NOTHING. Not a truck, not a witches hat, nothing in sight! Just a lot of cars slowing down nearly causing nose to tail accidents.

Perhaps if they all obeyed the posted speed limit there would be no risk of “nose to tail accidents”…

But not even the workers keep to their posted speed limit signs. Or don’t the signs apply to the people who put them up?

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

The skill you need to develop is in working out where the police or speed vans are likely to be, and being extra careful in those areas.

Do you use a forked stick or some kind of divining rod to help you do this?
Please, oh most wise VY, please impart more of your invaluable driving knowledge on us mere amateurs so we may openly flout road rules and not be caught!

I just drove along the Tuggers parkway heading into city and just past Cotter Road there are road work speed signs placed every 50 metres -’80’ then ’60’ then ’40’ then…… NOTHING. Not a truck, not a witches hat, nothing in sight! Just a lot of cars slowing down nearly causing nose to tail accidents.

hellspice said :

maybe there was a worker still on site in the crapper reading the picture doing overtime and it was his job to cover up the signs when he left ?
might have a hard time proving if work going on or not

shouldn’t have a hard time unless that worker was working for free. I’m sure his working hours would be recorded somewhere.

maybe there was a worker still on site in the crapper reading the picture doing overtime and it was his job to cover up the signs when he left ?
might have a hard time proving if work going on or not

I feel your pain, Christy. There’s lots of other things I’d rather spend $600 on. And while you did the crime and have to pay the fine, I can understand your feeling that it was a revenue raising exercise at 8 on a Saturday night. On that note, a mate of mine used to be a parking inspector.

My running group was gathered at a dark and lonely spot on a Monday night, and one of the group pulled into the disabled carpark, which was one of many in a huge empty carpark. Our parking inspector cautioned him that while it was dark and empty, inspectors would deliberately target such areas at such times because they knew that people thought the rules were unlikely to be enforced and the size of the fine was considerable.

I’m not inviting comment on parking in disabled spaces here – no question that it’s a BAD THING. But know that rules is rules, whatever the time of day or night, and assess the risk of being caught if you choose to break them. Me, I’m going to take a lesson from your misfortune at Pialligo, which, I confess, I had been disregarding to some extent when no workers were around.

– 5

Plus fours.

Can we play golf now?

+4

Oh, go on then … +3

+2

captainwhorebags said :

Very Busy: you’re right in saying that Canberra is full of people who ignore speed limits, don’t indicate, merge incorrectly etc.

I guess the distinguishing factor is if, when booked, these people cop it sweet or if they complain about how unfair it is.

I have had a handful of speeding tickets in my driving career. Each one was deserved, and each one was paid in full without question because I knew full well that I was speeding at the time.

What I do have a problem with is speed cameras being touted as safety devices when in plenty of instances they are no such thing.

+1.

Obviously no one here belongs to all the people I see on a regular basis going through the exact same area during the daytime (again no roadworkers), or many other areas who whizz past me (now going at 40klm) at the normal 80km for that area.

I’ll be the first to admit that I use speed limits as guidance more than hard rules (as do many people). The skill you need to develop is in working out where the police or speed vans are likely to be, and being extra careful in those areas. Frankly, I think this is a safer driving approach because you end up actually watching and thinking about what you are doing, rather than just mindlessly blowing along on cruise control.

Very Busy: you’re right in saying that Canberra is full of people who ignore speed limits, don’t indicate, merge incorrectly etc.

I guess the distinguishing factor is if, when booked, these people cop it sweet or if they complain about how unfair it is.

I have had a handful of speeding tickets in my driving career. Each one was deserved, and each one was paid in full without question because I knew full well that I was speeding at the time.

What I do have a problem with is speed cameras being touted as safety devices when in plenty of instances they are no such thing.

The TAMS link that swaggie posted above states:

“The Contractor shall erect these signs, cover the signs when the speed zone is not in use and remove the signs when the speed zone is no longer required as part of the provision for traffic.”

So if you want to contest the fine, you would need to show that ‘speed zone’ was ‘not in use’?

Considering that the place is full of roadworky things, I’d say that it was still in use…

🙂

But what if there had been a duck walking on the road?

Maybe people would be more inclined to take the signs more seriously if they were only used when needed.

Also, I was told by someone who works in Traffic control that legally they are only allowed to keep the signs up for the time roadworkers are present

I think that you’ll find that if the speed signs were still up they are deemed to still be needed. It’s not just about road workers, it’s also about road conditions.

The basic rule is, if the signs up – that’s the speed limit. If the signs up because someone forgot to pull it down, it simply means that the slower speed limit applies. If the cops went down there at 7.55pm and put the sign back up after it had been pulled down by road workers five minutes before you came along … guess what? Yep the lower speed limit applies.

I think you should appeal it though. Then post back here and let us all know what the additional costs were that the court ruled you have to pay for wasting it’s time.

WOW, so many self righteous, do gooder, model citizens coming out of the woodwork. Where are they when I’m driving on ACT roads??

Christy, your speed probably was a little excessive. If in doubt 60kmh would have been a safer risk but you still have a case worth contesting. Go for it.

Ari said :

Whatever the rules, it does seem a trifle unfair on the OP.

Why????

Haha, this made my morning. I’m always pleased to hear that someone has been pinged for speeding through a roadworks site.

“But officer, I thought I was able to make my own interpretation of the rules. Bwahaha, howl, howl’

Whatever the rules, it does seem a trifle unfair on the OP.

Ah RiotACT, home of the “I got done for speeding because I was speeding but it’s not fair because they did me for speeding” post.

I was taught if you’re in doubt about whether a lower roadwork limit still applies, go at the lower speed just in case – doesn’t add that much time to your trip and could save you $$$. And don’t think that just because there are no roadworkers around, the limit doesn’t apply – the lower limit can be for reduced lane width, a hole in the road etc.

Appeal if you want, that’s your right and that’s the due process – not whinging on a public forum that you got done.

In summary: suck it up, princess.

Here ya go Cristy, everything you ever wanted to know about temporary roadworks and speed limits:

http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/34682/SS01_Provision_for_Traffic_01_00_.pdf

Jim – laughable interpretation of my comments. I hope Cristy challenges the suitability of the road conditions to the speed limit temporarily enforced because Jim, sometimes the gubmint get it wrong. (gasp!)

Obviously no one here belongs to all the people I see on a regular basis going through the exact same area during the daytime (again no roadworkers), or many other areas who whizz past me (now going at 40klm) at the normal 80km for that area. Yes, I know that doesn’t make it right and no it isn’t dangerous unless the original road was dangerous. NSW usually covers their signs up when roadworkers are not there as do Victoria. Maybe people would be more inclined to take the signs more seriously if they were only used when needed.
Also, I was told by someone who works in Traffic control that legally they are only allowed to keep the signs up for the time roadworkers are present.

Although the primary reason for the 40 limits around roadworks is the protection of road workers, another is that the condition of the surface etc can be altered and unsafe at higher speeds.

You SHOULD appeal it in court as it’s possible they might reduce the fine,(worth a shot)but don’t count on it.

isnt there some sign along the lines of, “speed limits are inforced etc” around road works ?

Swaggie said :

If the Gubmint told half the posters on this thread to jump over a cliff, I suspect they’d do so willingly – if the Gubmint sanction it then it must be right after all…. Sezzle will no doubt be first in line.

So everyone should ignore speed limits because they’re put in place by ‘the evil Gubmint’?

Can I borrow your tinfoil hat so that the aliens don’t read my thoughts?

Just the distractions of a road work area can be seen as a hazard. This has been encouraged by people who would sue if they crashed their car because their attention was being diverted. Someone else has judged the area dangerous above 40km hour, and they may have some more knowledge on the topic than you.

Even heard the trainee asking the trainer how much he should put down for this offence as, presumably, even he had concerns about the legitimacy of what they were doing.

Interesting presumption! Maybe you were the first person going that fast for the session and the officer wanted to confirm the details. Try that one instead.

If the Gubmint told half the posters on this thread to jump over a cliff, I suspect they’d do so willingly – if the Gubmint sanction it then it must be right after all…. Sezzle will no doubt be first in line.

captainwhorebags said :

The AFP provide a service where they will let you know if a speed sign is genuine or not. Costs about $600.

Any speed sign with a red circle around it visible is the current legal speed limit. All other speed signs without the red circle are advisory. This applies throughout Australia.

For my two cents worth, reduced speed limits for road works are actually something I have no problem with. The reduced limits are not just there to make for a safer working environment for road workers, but also to protect drivers in situations where the road surface may be inconsistent or in some other way unsafe to travel at the regular speed limit. So no, I doubt that this is ‘blatant revenue raising’ just because the road workers were tucked up in bed – the limits there to help protect road users.

I doubt that you’d have any luck challenging the fine. The limit is whatever was posted at the time of the offence, so you’d have to establish that there were no signs stipulating a 40km limit. Good luck with that.

It’s not that hard to back off for a short period. I find cruise control invaluable for such stretches of road as maintaining the specified limit becomes a no-brainer.

If it was a Trainee officer who issued you the fine then I would contest on the grounds that the the Trainee was not a sworn officer and may not have the legal right to issue a Speeding fine.

(Then I could be wrong)

The AFP provide a service where they will let you know if a speed sign is genuine or not. Costs about $600.

You CAN drive as fast as you want. You just have to accept that you will get pinged occasionally.

The speed limits are in place at all hours so that you don’t go speeding through there and crash your car because suddenly a corner or something like that has changed and you weren’t expecting it. It’s not revenue raising, speed limits are there for your safety and the safety of others.

“It is very hard to work out whether or not roadwork speed limit are genuine or not”. If the sign is up – it is genuine.

It is very hard to work out whether or not roadwork speed limit are genuine or not. It is often the case that the signs have been left there by mistake or there is no sign to mark the end of the roadworks leaving motorists uncertain of the speed limit. This was the case yesterday along Tuggeranong Parkway northbound between Cotter Rd and Glenloch Interchange. The was no work going on and no sign to indicate the end of the roadwork zone. This was at 10:50am.

If you have a good driving record I would appeal for the fine to be waived. If you are successful the offence will probably still go on your record as a warning and the fine will be waived due to your good driving record.

“I should be able to drive as fast as I want and ignore speed limits without any consequences”.

Um, no.

Have heard that road works sites are only allowed to have signs posted that alter the speed limit during the times they are actually doing road works and not after hours

One of those urban myths for sure. If there’s a sign posted speed limit, that’s the speed limit.

You must be thinking of those other speed limit signs – the ones that say ’60, or whatever, it’s just, like, a suggestion, you know?’ I think the Easter Bunny puts them up.

It doesn’t make a rats whether the signs are ‘supposed’ to be there or not, and it’s not up to you to use your discretion about whether or not to obey them. Do the posted limit.

I don’t know whether road works sites can have signs up after hours, but it is rare to see them removed or covered outside work hours.

The way I see it, it is a very small inconvenience to drive 40km slower through roadworks, and a very great inconvenience to amass $600 to pay a fine; so the choice between the two options is quite easy.

I do think the limits should be eased when the workers are not present, but I don’t have any objection to those roadworks being funded by people who choose to drive faster than the signposted limit…

Contest the fine.