How is your memory? Victorian speed limits from some years ago.

[Mick_Marsh]

Chatting with friends, a question was asked?
"Do you remember when the speed limit on some freeways was 120km/h?"

Some years ago, before the speed limits on some freeways were increased to 110km/h, they were increased to over 100km/h. Some people remember it as 120km/h.
It was only up for a short time and was dropped back to 100km/h before it was raised to 110km/h on some freeways in about 2002.
We suspect it may have been around the mid 1980's.

Does anyone else remember this?
Can you remember when it was?
Was I just involved in a group hallucination?

[rovercare]

There has never been a speed limit in Vic of 120km/hr, I remember the hype when it moved to 110 on freeways, I was a kid:D

[Mick_Marsh]

There has never been a speed limit in Vic of 120km/hr, I remember the hype when it moved to 110 on freeways, I was a kid:D
If you were a kid when the current 110 came in, you're too young.
The speed limits were put up. Then they were put back down to 100 for quite some years, then they were put up to 110 where they're at now.
I'm hoping people driving in the mid seventies would remember, if they haven't got Alzheimers yet.

[pop058]

Don't remember 120 kph in Vic and I can go back to 1975.

my money is on oldtimer's :D

[mick88]

The first Open Road/Highway speed limit in Vic was 70 mph
(112 kmh) sometime in the 1960's!
It was later reduced to 60 mph (112 kmh).

Back when Victorian beer was 7% alcohol.



Cheers, Mick.

[slug_burner]

When were the roads speed limits changed to km/hr. I can remember 35 mph limit in town and I think 70 mph on the unrestricted areas? Is that correct?

[Mick_Marsh]

Don't remember 120 kph in Vic and I can go back to 1975.

my money is on oldtimer's :D
It might not have been 120. I thought it was 110.
the important thing was when it was put up. Probably in the mid 1980's.
It wasn't a state wide thing. It was on selected freeways, the Western freeway being one.

[rovercare]

If you were a kid when the current 110 came in, you're too young.
The speed limits were put up. Then they were put back down to 100 for quite some years, then they were put up to 110 where they're at now.
I'm hoping people driving in the mid seventies would remember, if they haven't got Alzheimers yet.

My old boy has spoke of 70MPH speed limits (113km/hr) back when dirt was invented, but never 120KM/hr, I'm guessing it was a good compression session:D

[rovercare]

An absolute speed limit of 70 miles per hour (113 km/h) was introduced to Victoria in 1971. This was subsequently reduced to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in late 1973. South Australia introduced an absolute speed limit of 60 mph in 1974.

From here: Speed limits in Australia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[mick88]

My old boy has spoke of 70MPH speed limits (113km/hr) back when dirt was invented, but never 120KM/hr, I'm guessing it was a good compression session:D

Pre the 70 mph there were not any restrictions on the "open road"....just as long as your were safe.
The V8 muscle cars (Falcon GT's, Monaro's and Charger's) of the late sixties/early 70's and the huge road tolls were reason for the change!

Cheers, Mick.

[rovercare]

Pre the 70 mph there were not any restrictions on the "open road"....just as long as your were safe.
The V8 muscle cars (Falcon GT's, Monaro's and Charger's) of the late sixties/early 70's and the huge road tolls were reason for the change!

Cheers, Mick.

Old man drove around in FB, FE holdens, cracking the speed limit "was a challenge" in bad weather, never heard him say anything good about vacuum wipers:D......nor FB, FE holdens for that matter:angel:

[rovercare]

He did tell me about school during the imperial to metric changeover, trying to learn about "decimeters":D

[Mick_Marsh]

He did tell me about school during the imperial to metric changeover, trying to learn about "decimeters":D
Hmmm......
I remember that too.

[muddy]

G'day Folks :)

Yup! Uncle Ho working out of Muddy's this evening, I can very clearly remember when the truck speed limit was 55mph :( as I was doing Melbourne/Adelaide O/night,running a 675 Dodge Long Body and the mermaids would follow you without lights until they got your speed logged then it was swindle sheet & portable scales time:(:mad::twisted:

cheers

[V8Ian]

If you were a kid when the current 110 came in, you're too young.
The speed limits were put up. Then they were put back down to 100 for quite some years, then they were put up to 110 where they're at now.
I'm hoping people driving in the mid seventies would remember, if they haven't got Alzheimers yet.
Who are you? :confused::confused::confused:

[Mick_Marsh]

Who are you? :confused::confused::confused:
Bout time the nurse showed you the bed Ian. You remember what a bed is?
No, perhaps not.

How are you tonight Ian? Were you stamping your mark on the Western Highway in the mid eighties? What do you remember of the stretch between Deer Park and Ballarat?

[DeeJay]

Pre the 70 mph there were not any restrictions on the "open road"....just as long as your were safe.
The V8 muscle cars (Falcon GT's, Monaro's and Charger's) of the late sixties/early 70's and the huge road tolls were reason for the change!

Cheers, Mick.


I remember dad had a Vanguard in 1962 We were travelling behind a car around Trafalgar in Gippsland & He thought they were cops and asked mum to make sure they were & then passed them at 70 + MPH . Mum said, no it was a Reverend. Well the "Reverend" later pulled the old man over & booked him because he "thought" dad went a bit quick thru the towns. He also mentioned that dad was sitting on 84MPH between towns and said "but I've seen these vehicles do 90".
There were no speed limits on the open road back then.
I also recall Dad pointing out police cars for the next 6 months telling mum " look, there's another Reverend:p"

[muddy]

I can't remember the bit between Deer Park and Ballarat but I can well remember the Ballarat to Nhill bit on highway 8 :) and the mermaids that used to infest it and that was in the late 60's

[bee utey]

Well I'm old enough to remember the introduction of metric speed limits(not licenced yet but big bro was), and I just found a copy of one of the TV adverts:

Metric conversion ad - 1974 - YouTube

SA had an open road speed limit of 110km/h throughout the state until much later, now only freeways and major highways are 110km/h

[85 county]

lucky aussies

Kiwi land thay cut the limit to 80klms to save on gas imports.

Bloody hard on a kid with a 1971 3.3 victor. but then demerit points were only 3 per ticket and then only if the judge remberd. you did have 100 to lose

[mikehzz]

I don't know about Victoria but I remember dad doing 100mph in a Kingswood out near Hay in the 60's and none of us had seat belts. There was no speed limit, the sign used to be a black circle with a diagonal line through it. I only ever remember the 100kph on the Hume in Victoria but something is dinging in my head about 120kph being lowered to 100 earlier. It didn't affect me because I drove an old Beetle and there weren't enough downhill runs for me to reach 100. :)

[350RRC]

The first Open Road/Highway speed limit in Vic was 70 mph
(112 kmh) sometime in the 1960's!
It was later reduced to 60 mph (112 kmh).

Back when Victorian beer was 7% alcohol.



Cheers, Mick.

There was no speed limit in Vic on the open road until somewhere around 1971. I can clearly remember being out on the Plenty Rd near Mernda in my father's mid life crisis machine (Mazda R100) and he slowed down from over the ton (imperial) to the 'new' speed limit of 70mph that was going to be introduced in a week's time.

Felt like coming to a standstill.

The later reduction to 60 mph was purely a fuel saving measure.

cheers, DL

[SLOWBOAT]

The derestriction was on most country roads and it was up to you to prove it was safe to travel at the speed you selected if pulled over. And then reduced to 100kph when they changed to metrication if I recall?

[EchiDna]

I can remember the calder highway between the calder raceway and gisbourne being 100 km/hr through the 80's, then it was upgraded into a wide dual carriageway and the limit went up to 110 for about 3-4 years, then reduced again to 100 for another 10+ years... its been at 110 again for the past 5 or so years... no memory of 120km/hr though...

[Chilly]

Victorian speed limits from some years ago.......If memory serves me right...I believe the speed limit used to be 3-4mph. You had to have a person walking in front with a red flag too!! :cool::p

[Hymie]

I remember dad had a Vanguard in 1962 We were travelling behind a car around Trafalgar in Gippsland & He thought they were cops and asked mum to make sure they were & then passed them at 70 + MPH . Mum said, no it was a Reverend. Well the "Reverend" later pulled the old man over & booked him because he "thought" dad went a bit quick thru the towns. He also mentioned that dad was sitting on 84MPH between towns and said "but I've seen these vehicles do 90".
There were no speed limits back then.
I also recall Dad pointing out police cars for the next 6 months telling mum " look, there's another Reverend:p"

I remember when I was a young tacker, dad was driving through Longwarry in the old VF Valiant. Anyhow, a cop on a pushbike chased and caught him and booked him for excessive speed through the town.
No Amphometer, No Radar, just a Coppeer on a pushie with his own idea of how fast a car should drive through his patch.

[Bigbjorn]

The Putty Road was the last unrestricted road out of Sydney. The speed limit signs went up in 1970.

Queensland as far back as I can recall was 50 mph open road, 30 mph built up areas, which changed in 1960 to 60 mph open road, 40 mph built up areas. The 40 mph in built up areas was lowered after a brief few months to 35 mph. With the advent of metrication these became 100 kph and 60 kph. Effectively no change. No other changes have been made since other than a few miles of motorway lifted to 110 kph, residential streets lowered to 50 kph and school zone restrictions. This in spite of exponential changes in the quality of roads and improvements in the cars themselves. Compare the typical family car of 1960 with today's offerings and see why I get cranky with the "speed kills" and "every k over is a killer" parrots.

[tony66_au]

The derestriction was on most country roads and it was up to you to prove it was safe to travel at the speed you selected if pulled over. And then reduced to 100kph when they changed to metrication if I recall?

DING DING DING We have a winner!

De-restricted out of town/city limits was the rule and although you wouldn't get booked for speeding you could get booked for dangerous or culpable driving.

then the limits came in at 100kph with a few 110 zones which then increased as the roads were deemed fit for the blistering 10 kph raise lol

Suburban roads like Burwood Hwy went from 75 kph to 80 kph in the non 60 sections.

An interesting hangover from the De-restricted zones going to 100 kph zones are the many many country roads that are posted 100 limit that really need to be 60 or 70.

[Mick_Marsh]

Victorian speed limits from some years ago.......If memory serves me right...I believe the speed limit used to be 3-4mph. You had to have a person walking in front with a red flag too!! :cool::p
That local bylaw still existed in the town I live until about fifteen - twenty years ago.
Oh, red flag during the day and lantern at night.

[350RRC]

DING DING DING We have a winner!

De-restricted out of town/city limits was the rule and although you wouldn't get booked for speeding you could get booked for dangerous or culpable driving.

then the limits came in at 100kph with a few 110 zones which then increased as the roads were deemed fit for the blistering 10 kph raise lol

Suburban roads like Burwood Hwy went from 75 kph to 80 kph in the non 60 sections.

An interesting hangover from the De-restricted zones going to 100 kph zones are the many many country roads that are posted 100 limit that really need to be 60 or 70.

First open road speed limit in Vic was definitely 70MPH, later 60MPH then 100km/h. Some freeways are 110 km/h. (Even though they are designed for cars to be travelling @160 km/h and the cars are too)

DL

[mick88]

He did tell me about school during the imperial to metric changeover, trying to learn about "decimeters":D


I was doing my apprenticeship in the early 70's when the "Metric System" system was introduced and being young it wasn't that hard to get a grasp of! However it caused nightmares in parts of the industry as a 1" (25.4mm) diameter steel became a 25 mm diameter bar and so a 1" bearing would fall off it. For years we had to stock both metric and imperial sized stock in the steel rack and the problems and waste that eventuated were never ending for the following several years.


But I suppose the first introduction of the Metric System in Australia was in February 1966, when in came the Dollars and the Cents, to replace the Pounds, Shillings and the Pence!


Also the first introduction of open road/ highway speed limits in Victoria was definetly 70 miles per hour!

Cheers, Mick.

[Sharkee]

Derestricted zone on open roads anyone remember these signs.;)

[Sleepy]

Yeah I can remember the speed limits starting higher then dropping back to 100 then later 110. I would have said mid 80's when the Hume was upgraded. I don't recall 120 even though 130 would be an appropriate limit on the Hume.

[V8Ian]

Bout time the nurse showed you the bed Ian. You remember what a bed is?
No, perhaps not.

How are you tonight Ian? Were you stamping your mark on the Western Highway in the mid eighties? What do you remember of the stretch between Deer Park and Ballarat?

No Mick, back then I was converting diesel into noise and wearing out tyres in the gulf and western Queensland. (IIRC :D)

[V8Ian]

The Putty Road was the last unrestricted road out of Sydney. The speed limit signs went up in 1970.

Queensland as far back as I can recall was 50 mph open road, 30 mph built up areas, which changed in 1960 to 60 mph open road, 40 mph built up areas. The 40 mph in built up areas was lowered after a brief few months to 35 mph. With the advent of metrication these became 100 kph and 60 kph. Effectively no change. No other changes have been made since other than a few miles of motorway lifted to 110 kph, residential streets lowered to 50 kph and school zone restrictions. This in spite of exponential changes in the quality of roads and improvements in the cars themselves. Compare the typical family car of 1960 with today's offerings and see why I get cranky with the "speed kills" and "every k over is a killer" parrots.
I recall when Queensland had derestricted roads Brian.

[Mick_Marsh]

Yeah I can remember the speed limits starting higher then dropping back to 100 then later 110. I would have said mid 80's when the Hume was upgraded. I don't recall 120 even though 130 would be an appropriate limit on the Hume.
Excellent. That's two that remember. Three if you include me. Four if you count the fellow at work.

All I have to do is get proof now.

[Tombie]

Derestricted zone on open roads anyone remember these signs.;)

I can do more than remember...

There's still some up around here!

[jplambs]

Problem is Tombie that they only mean that you can drive to the maximum speed allowed by law on open roads, 110 I believe in SA. (Or at least thats what I've been told) We've got a few of them around here as well. Please correct me if I'm wrong though, as it would be nice to know that the road from town out to my place is completely unrestricted. :D

[Roverlord off road spares]

An interesting hangover from the De-restricted zones going to 100 kph zones are the many many country roads that are posted 100 limit that really need to be 60 or 70.

They did that to the road through the
Blackspur from Mooroondah dam through the forest. It used to be posted 100kph, Ludicrous!!! when it has 25kph bends. It now had been restricted and policed they usually get a dozen or 2 bikers now. I can see a bike leaning through the bends, but cars and tourists towing ski boats no.

As for Vic 120 Speed Limit, that is the driving publics unofficial speed limit.
What ever the sign says add at least 10, that's the drivers mentality.

[Bigbjorn]

Have a look in Wikipedia for Speed_limits_in_Australia.

The derestriction signs in Vic. didn't mean "no limit" but that the default statewide rural road limit applied". In NSW the signs meant that the "prima facie" open road speed limit of 50 mph applied as a recommendation and the driver could be charged with dangerous driving if exceeding this. The onus was on the driver if charged, to prove to the court that they were not driving at a speed or manner dangerous. When I lived in Sydney I was a member of a sporting car club. From time to time the committee would be asked by a member facing court on these charges for a letter to the court stating that he had taken part in many motor sporting events and was a competent safe fast driver.

Ian, I got my learner's permit in 1957 and the Qld. speed limits then and for years before were 30/50 mph. As boys my mates and I were straining at the leash to be old enough to drive and avidly devoured all literature on the subject. In the 1930's Queensland had a speed limit of 30 mph on "first class roads". I can't find a reference to defining a "first class road". Rural roads then and for decades after were so poor that you would have taken your life in your hands driving at 50 mph or more on most of them.

[Bigbjorn]

Problem is Tombie that they only mean that you can drive to the maximum speed allowed by law on open roads, 110 I believe in SA. (Or at least thats what I've been told) We've got a few of them around here as well. Please correct me if I'm wrong though, as it would be nice to know that the road from town out to my place is completely unrestricted. :D

It is not. The derestriction sign means that the previous limit no longer appplies and the "prima facie" limit applies.

[Disco44]

I recall when Queensland had derestricted roads Brian.

When and where were they Brian? I've had my license since 1961 and I cannot remember any.
John

[gromit]

Derestricted zone on open roads anyone remember these signs.;)

That sign is still in use in the UK (and probably Europe).

It meant that the National speed limit applies
Usually 70mph but it was dropped during the fuel crisis many, many years ago to 60mph and then put back up again.

UK Road Signs - Road Signs Giving Orders (http://www.driving-test-success.com/uk-road-signs03.htm)

I haven't been here long enough to comment on the speed limits here, I'll ask the Father-in-law he goes back to the days of the man with the red flag.....


Colin

[solmanic]

Maybe a case of back to the future if Tim Fisher's suggestion gets any traction...
Aplin puts brake on Tim (http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/1287373/aplin-puts-brake-on-tims-call-for-speed-increase/)

[Bigbjorn]

When and where were they Brian? I've had my license since 1961 and I cannot remember any.
John

It was Ian's post, not Brian's.

[gromit]

Found this report dating back to 1980
There are some arguments for & against 100 kph & 110kph limit.

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/publications/1980/pdf/Rural_Speed_3.pdf

Someone here mentions 70mph on parts of the F3
http://www.hcvc.com.au/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1322921489



Colin

[V8Ian]

It is not. The derestriction sign means that the previous limit no longer appplies and the "prima facie" limit applies.




When and where were they Brian? I've had my license since 1961 and I cannot remember any.
John

Scarborough Road Redcliffe and Ipswich Road Darra to beyond Goodna, but I was only a kid at the time so Brian's comments make sense; derestricted - 60 mph.

[SuperMono]

On the original post; Victoria has never legislated a 120kph limit.

[mick88]

Recently I was talking to a bloke from the Roads Dept of our Local Council and he told me that Vic Roads have plans to legislate a maximum speed limit of 80 kmh for all unsealed roads in the state!
Not that there is any real need to exceed 80 kmh on an unsealed road.
Anyone else heard of this.

Cheers, Mick.

[Sharkee]

I can do more than remember...

There's still some up around here!
Ok thanks mate I haven't seen one in years, even travelling and therefore assumed were a thing of the past. My mistake thanks Tombie
and Gromit yeah I always just new them as deresricted signs. Hmmm didn't relise theyre still out there though. I must lead a sheltered life:lol2::blush:

Cheers Steve

[Mick_Marsh]

Recently I was talking to a bloke from the Roads Dept of our Local Council and he told me that Vic Roads have plans to legislate a maximum speed limit of 80 kmh for all unsealed roads in the state!
Not that there is any real need to exceed 80 kmh on an unsealed road.
Anyone else heard of this.

Cheers, Mick.
On the radio recently, they reported a report was commissioned by Vicroads on speed limits in Victoria. The report recommended the speed limit on all country roads be dropped to 80km/h.
Can't see that working.

A quick search reveals this article. Might be related to what I heard.
Regional road slowdown key to saving lives: expert | The Border Mail (http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/1163376/regional-road-slowdown-key-to-saving-lives-expert/)

What Vicroads has to say on speed limits.
Speed Limit Review : VicRoads (http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/SafetyAndRules/SafetyIssues/Speed+Limit+Review/?intcmp=HPE000110/)

Probably as a result of the same report, in Tasmalia
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/302465/80kmh-gravel-road-speed-end-limit-signs-to-go/'src=rss