General News
13 December, 2025
Speed change angers motorists
LOCAL residents and Ararat Rural City Council have expressed their disappointment over speed changes on the Ararat-Halls Gap Road made without consultation. The Department of Transport announced this week it would change the speed limit on the road between Ararat and Moyston to 80km/h. The department has made no contact with this newspaper, but its website states they’re making it safer to travel between Moyston and Ararat, with a new 80km/h speed limit on Ararat-Halls Gap Road.
“This section of Ararat-Halls Gap Road has narrow lanes, sharp curves, roadside trees, wildlife activity, and no road shoulders,” the website states.
The department said the changes would be made between the 8th and 12th of December. As of Wednesday, the 100km/h signs remained on the road.
Ararat Rural City Council CEO Dr Tim Harrison said the change has come out of the blue.
“It’s a VicRoads road, it’s their responsibility and we’re disappointed in the process and to my knowledge no community engagement was undertaken,” Dr Harrison said.
Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy said the changes ignore the key issue.
“Anyone who drives on our roads knows that the road surfaces are terrible, even on our major transport routes like the Western Highway. For Labor to continue to lower speed limits without fixing the real problem is negligent and an insult to our communities,” she said.
“What’s worse is that people who use this road found out about the decision to lower the limit on social media. They weren’t consulted about whether a speed limit reduction was necessary or the best course of action, just told that it’s happening.
“Why not fix the real problem and upgrade the Western Highway – which I have stood with locals in calling for over many years – and make it safe?
“Locals have previously noted that Ararat-Halls Gap Road should not be used as a Western Highway alternate route because regular heavy traffic is destroying the road surface, but Labor hasn’t listened.
“It’s just another example in a long line of decisions that Labor has inflicted on our communities without giving them a voice,” she said.