NT loses open speed limit on highway

[Daz27]

130km/h cap for Territory highways
By EMMA GUMBLETON
03nov06
THE Territory Government imposed a 130km/h speed limit on open roads yesterday.
But it decided against introducing demerit points immediately.
A points system will be introduced in the second half of next year -- but the Northern Territory News understands it will be more lenient than in southern states.
Both moves were foreshadowed exclusively in the NT News over the past two weeks.
The Government was under pressure from road safety experts to enforce a 110km/h limit on all highways.
But Transport Minister Delia Lawrie instead announced a "sensible" 130km/h limit for the Stuart, Arnhem, Barkly and Victoria highways from January next year.
The default speed on all other major roads will be 110km/h.
Four Government departments will spend the next nine months working out a demerit points system.
Ms Lawrie said two per cent of drivers lose their licences temporarily under demerit point systems elsewhere in Australia.
"If they are using the road dangerously -- running red lights, speeding -- they'll lose their licence ultimately," she said. "But if they change the way they drive then the demerit system won't change their life at all."
The new rules will be rolled out next year. Increased traffic penalties will come in from January. Fifteen red light cameras will be installed at intersections at first at an annual cost of $650,000 over the next three years.

NT NEWS
...Well, there goes possibly the worlds last wide open stretch of road without a speed limit in place. Personally I really do think this sux, because there is basically no fatalities on the Stuart Highway outside of town, and if ever there is an accident, its normally a german tourist or three falling asleep and rolling off the road into a bull... Anyone who has driven that road knows how far apart towns are, and how well maintained that road is. There really is no valid reason to make it 130kph. Far too slow.

[henk4]

NT NEWS
...Well, there goes possibly the worlds last wide open stretch of road without a speed limit in place. Personally I really do think this sux, because there is basically no fatalities on the Stuart Highway outside of town, and if ever there is an accident, its normally a german tourist or three falling asleep and rolling off the road into a bull... Anyone who has driven that road knows how far apart towns are, and how well maintained that road is. There really is no valid reason to make it 130kph. Far too slow.

some comments, large parts of the German Motorways are still unrestricted, and therefore mentioning a German tourist to have fallen asleep might be the wrong connection...
The problem with long straight roads is that you tend to loose concentration and if that happens doing 200 kph, it is not healthy.

[Daz27]

Haha, first up, its not a long straight road. Second up, germans don't handle Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarriers to well, possibly because they expect Porsche Cayenne handling from 2 and a half tonnes of steel. Believe it or not, 90% of accidents on the highway are tourist involved/caused, 90% of those are germans, the other 10% are mad japanese bastards on pushbikes...

[henk4]

Haha, first up, its not a long straight road. Second up, germans don't handle Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarriers to well, possibly because they expect Porsche Cayenne handling from 2 and a half tonnes of steel. Believe it or not, 90% of accidents on the highway are tourist involved/caused, 90% of those are germans, the other 10% are mad japanese bastards on pushbikes...

now of the total population of tourists? How many are German?

[Daz27]

I have no idea, you should ask them hehe. Im not 'picking' on the krauts matey, Im just saying that in the 15 yrs I lived in Darwin, almost every time there was a crash involving fatalities, they were normally german tourists. I look at it this way, the NT must be a popular place for the germans. When they arent tourists, then its normally a drunk aboriginal driving a clapped out kingswood and crashing on a bush track. I know how racist this all seems, but the truth is the truth.

[henk4]

I have no idea, you should ask them hehe. Im not 'picking' on the krauts matey, Im just saying that in the 15 yrs I lived in Darwin, almost every time there was a crash involving fatalities, they were normally german tourists. I look at it this way, the NT must be a popular place for the germans. When they arent tourists, then its normally a drunk aboriginal driving a clapped out kingswood and crashing on a bush track. I know how racist this all seems, but the truth is the truth.

I am not saying that you are wrong, I am just surprised and want to know more. I am not particularly fond of Germans too

[Daz27]

Ive got a fair bit of german in my heritage sadly, I prefer the irish side... They take less shit and generally are on the winning side in world wars.
So, what do you want to know?

[fpv_gtho]

I saw some figures a while ago showing NT's road toll to be clearly down on the rest of the country, when it was restricted to speed related fatalities. The NT government falling in line with the rest of the country is a bit of a blow. Most people will tell you if youre left to go at your own pace, you wont go faster than youre comfortable with, and your concentration levels will be higher as a result.

[henk4]

Ive got a fair bit of german in my heritage sadly, I prefer the irish side... They take less shit and generally are on the winning side in world wars.
So, what do you want to know?

just wanted to know if 90% of the tourists is German and 90% of the crashes involves Germans then at least that is a statistical explanation

[Daz27]

Yeah I kinda made it up, but its so damn close to being accurate.... Take my word for it? The poms hitch hike, The asians prefer boats, The Americans usually prefer boats too but are normally nuclear powered... so that basically leaves the Germans, who for some god knows what reason, choose troopcarriers over falcon or commodore wagons to do there travelling.
Either way, I used to sit on 150 to 170 kph on the highway and stayed relatively sharp and alert. Concentration isnt an issue at those speeds, but I can tell you right now doing upto 130 will kill people.

[clutch-monkey]

well, there goes the only reason to visit the NT

[Blue Supra]

pretty much agreed on that point clutch.

[john14]

I support the new law despite the fact I was able to take advantage of the old law. Basically, it's a sensible law which will probably prevent some driving related deaths.

I was able to drive my friend's Porsche Cayenne Turbo along the Northern Territory's Stuart Highway during our N.T holidays. He only let me drive it twice for about an hour when he was tired and needed to rest but driving at speeds of more than 200km per hour is great but very dangerous as well. I can understand some people would become complacent and could possibly be involved in an accident/crash while driving at very high speeds for long amounts of time.

[Daz27]

Time for a flame here... John14 you are obviously a shit driver. The number one rule when driving on the road is to drive to the conditions. Obviously you dont do 200k's all the time. The highway was derestricted purely because the distances involved were so huge between towns and driver fatigue was felt to be an issue. Fatigue believe it or not is most common when the driver is not mentally stimulated and thus becomes bored and begins to think about other things other than driving... Things like 'how much ****en further to Aileron...'
The point you make about 200 being dangerous at times is true, especially at twillight, but what idiot does 200 k's an hour when the sun sets.
200 is slow incidentally. We've run a HSV Clubby up to 270 along some stretches and I know of others in Ferrari's that have rung out over 300. Its not so much the speed... its the lengthening of travelling time us territorians don't like.

[Rockefella]

Time for a flame here... John14 you are obviously a shit driver. The number one rule when driving on the road is to drive to the conditions. Obviously you dont do 200k's all the time. The highway was derestricted purely because the distances involved were so huge between towns and driver fatigue was felt to be an issue. Fatigue believe it or not is most common when the driver is not mentally stimulated and thus becomes bored and begins to think about other things other than driving... Things like 'how much ****en further to Aileron...'
The point you make about 200 being dangerous at times is true, especially at twillight, but what idiot does 200 k's an hour when the sun sets.
200 is slow incidentally. We've run a HSV Clubby up to 270 along some stretches and I know of others in Ferrari's that have rung out over 300. Its not so much the speed... its the lengthening of travelling time us territorians don't like.

So what you're saying is, lowering the speed limit makes drivers less fatigued over long distances of up to 200km+?