Regional communities back speed limit increase for some country roads

Regional community leaders have backed a plan to return the speed limit to 110km/h on some thoroughfares, reversing a change made by the former state government.

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Regional community leaders have backed a plan to return the speed limit to 110km/h on some thoroughfares.

Eight country roads across the state had their speed limits dropped to 100km/h under the previous Labor government, and the Liberals plan to return the stretches to 110km/h after upgrading them.

Colin Byles, chief executive of the Jamestown-based Northern Areas Council, welcomed plans to increase the limit on a section of the Goyder Highway from Crystal Brook to Gulnare.

“Changing it to 100km/h just made it harder for all the country people to get to where they wanted to go, because trucks can only go to 100km/h anyway,” Mr Byles said.

Pushing the speed limit back to 110km/h would also help tourists get to the Flinders Ranges faster, he said.

Roxby Council chief executive Roy Blight expected his community, too, would welcome the Andamooka Rd speed limit returning to 110km/h, between Andamooka and Olympic Dam.

“There’s quite a bit of traffic between Roxby Downs and Andamooka and restrictions like this do add a bit of additional travel time,” Mr Blight said.

The road had little vegetation close to the carriageway to attract animals, and sight lines were good, so he doubted increasing the speed limit would affect safety.

In the state’s Far North, Coober Pedy Council chief executive Colin Pitman said it was common for drivers travelling from the Northern Territory to be caught speeding, coming from a 130km/h speed limit on Stuart Highway, to South Australia’s maximum of 110km/h.

He believed a 130km/h limit on the stretch between Port Augusta and Glendambo would be safe, as long as sections of the road shoulder were upgraded.

But road conditions north of Glendambo were too poor — with many undulating sections — to increase the limit through Coober Pedy and Marla towards the state’s northern border.

No timelines have been announced for upgrading the roads, which also include sections of Cleve Rd, Riddoch Highway, Ngarkat Highway, Browns Well Highway, Clay Wells Rd and Carpenter Rocks Rd.