Claims of trial talk ‘misleading’ dodged in RAC Safer Speeds partnership after Busselton bows out

Augusta-Margaret River shire president Julia Meldrum has backed support for the controversial RAC safer speeds trial, insisting the project could be undone if the new limits were ultimately unsupported.

It comes after it was revealed ratepayers who participated in consultation for the proposed “trial” of speed limit reductions across the Augusta-Margaret River shire may have been misled.

As the City of Busselton last week sensationally voted not to go ahead with the RAC’s proposed Safer Speeds trial – despite the Augusta-Margaret River Shire Council voting to support the $1 million program in December – it was revealed any speed limits reduced as part of the “trial” might not be reversed.

The revelation was provided by the city after its council followed overwhelmingly negative feedback from residents opposed to a “whole of network” approach to the RAC program.

Ms Meldrum, however, insisted the changes could be undone if the program was ultimately unsupported.

“I understand there have been some questions about the nature of the trial, and to be clear, this is indeed a trial period where we’ll gather valuable data on its effectiveness to best decide any long-term implementation,” she told the Times.

RAC has since pulled the plug on support for Busselton’s part in the trial, leaving Augusta-Margaret River to go it alone despite significant questions still swirling.

A Main Roads spokesperson this week said Busselton’s component of the trial would have involved installing about 1400 new speed signs.

“Main Roads advised the city that it could not provide a blanket approval to remove the new speed reductions on all of the 1250 roads at the end of the trial,” the spokesperson said.

“The results from the comprehensive evaluation taking place over the next three years would ultimately determine whether the proposed trial speed limits should be retained or amended.

“Main Roads confirmed, however, they would review the trial speed limits on any specific roads, if requested by the city.”

A Busselton spokesperson stood firm on its position, saying Main Roads advised twice they “would not be reversing regional speed reductions, with the exception of perhaps one or two roads if they felt they needed to make an occasional adjustment”.

RAC’s social and community impact group executive Terry Durant did not comment on whether describing the project as a trial had misled residents during community consultation.

Instead, she said the project was always based on “trialling a new holistic approach to speed limit setting at a network-wide level, rather than the existing process of standalone road requests”.

“Following implementation this year, the speed limit changes will be evaluated after 12 months and three years,” Ms Durant said.

“The results of this evaluation will be used to measure the impacts and identify where adjustments may be required.”

While feedback on the trial affecting 550 roads in Augusta-Margaret River was relatively benign, more than 80 per cent of Busselton residents were against changes to the 1150 roads in its region.

The city last week instead voted to go it alone, investigating speed reductions to just 14 key roads identified in modelling since 2022.