Speed limits cut at Vic level crossings

Speed limits will be reduced at all level crossings on sealed roads in Victoria in response to the Kerang train disaster.The
Victorian government will cut speed limits from 100km/h to 80km/h in an
effort to prevent a repeat of the crash that killed 11 people in
northern Victoria two years ago.But the various, lower speed limits at level crossings on gravel roads will remain unchanged.The
government will also consider rolling out safety cameras at crossings
so motorists who swerve around boom gates and break crossing laws can
be fined.Cameras will be trialled on the Midland Highway near Bendigo in central Victoria next month.A
second trial was planned for the notorious Springvale Road crossing at
Nunawading, in Melbourne's east but the line will now be moved
underground.The new measures are outlined in the government's
response to a parliamentary committee inquiry into level crossing
safety, tabled in state parliament.The inquiry was ordered after a truck driver slammed into a train at a level crossing in Kerang on June 5, 2007.Earlier this month the truck driver, Christian Scholl, was acquitted of all charges arising from the accident.In the wake of the disaster, the government announced 80km/h speed restrictions at 75 highway crossings across the state.It has now signalled that this program will be expanded."VicRoads
will ensure that speed limits of no more than 80km/h are introduced at
all level crossings on sealed roads in regional Victoria," the report
said."Only sealed roads will be treated because research
indicates that, on unsealed roads, vehicle speeds are usually below
80km/h and a 80km/h speed sign would tend to encourage motorists to
increase their speed."A government spokesman could not say how long it would take for the speed limits to be changed.In
a statement, Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said: "The Victorian
Railway Crossing Safety Steering Committee, in collaboration with
VicRoads and councils, will now develop a schedule for reducing speed
limits at level crossings on sealed local roads."There are 1,872 level crossings in Victoria.The government will also investigate advanced warning technology that alerts motorists to an oncoming train.