December 9th, 2023Your say…

Country driving

The most obvious difference about moving to the country from inner-city Melbourne is that pedestrians are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to road use in towns.

Many inner city and city fringe Melbourne councils have imposed a speed maximum of 40kmh on all roads. In Daylesford the speed limit is 50kmh.

Some statistics may illustrate the point. Eighty per cent of pedestrians hit by cars travelling at 50kmh will die from the impact. At 40kmh 26 per cent of pedestrians will die from the impact. And at 30kmh 10 per cent of pedestrians will die from the impact.

Studies also reveal that social interaction and social use of streets along the footpath and crossing the road, increases as car speeds are reduced.

The third point to make is that motorists see pedestrians in a different light when driving at higher speeds compared to lower speeds. At 60kmh drivers see an outline of a figure. At 40kmh drivers can tell whether the pedestrian is male or female, young or old, carrying a child, or even pregnant.

From now on I will be the old motorist who, when driving in Daylesford, brings the world economy to a standstill by giving way to pedestrians at the upper and lower roundabouts. And I invite the council to do the maths on visitors from Melbourne.

Are they welcome or not? From Tom Perfect, Glenlyon