Motorists still risk fines on ‘trial’ speed reductions in Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, RAC project: police

WA Police will be on the look out for motorists exceeding the new trial speed limits ushered in across the Augusta-Margaret River shire. Although the Safer Speeds reductions are part of a three-year trial, there has been conjecture it will lead to permanent changes. WA Police declined to comment on the degree to which the agency had been consulted in the RAC project. However, a spokesperson confirmed officers always had discretion when it came to penalties. “Police officers have discretion when issuing infringements and this can factor in a range of considerations, such as the recent change in speed limit,” police said. “If an infringement is issued, it will be based on the existing speed limit, and the former speed limit won’t be a factor in the penalty.” A spokesperson for the RAC confirmed police were “an important contributor” to development of the Safer Speeds trial. Main Roads echoed those remarks, as well as the expectation non-compliant motorists would face penalties on the more than 500 local government roads affected by the trial. “All posted speed limits across WA are legal, with offences enforceable by WA Police,” the agency said. Shire of Augusta-Margaret River president Julia Meldrum said the local government authority had been advised police would be able to use their discretion regarding enforcement. “Roads like Wallcliffe Road west of Caves Road and Bushby Road will see reductions of more than 10km/h,” she said. “Most of the roads on which the reduction will be greater than 10km/h are currently unsigned semi-rural roads — so 110km/h is the default speed limit.” The rollout, which started across the shire last month, comes as stakeholders railed this week about WA’s road death toll being in crisis. In comments supporting the trial, Cr Meldrum said the shire took road safety very seriously. “Road safety is a top priority for our community, and this trial is a proactive step towards protecting lives,” she said. “By lowering speed limits on high-risk roads, we aim to make a tangible difference in reducing serious injuries and fatalities. “While the trial may result in a slight increase in travel times, the safety benefits far outweigh this.” In November, WA’s Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said there was no doubt speed was a killer, but factors such as inattention, fatigue and lack of seatbelts made for “a deadly cocktail”.