Wagga drivers revved up over speed limits

Long and wide, away from schools and houses and an arterial road into the city – but still limited to 50 km/h.

Frustrations are boiling over and two Wagga driving schools have called on authorities to lift the speed limit on a number of the city’s roads to account for favourable driving conditions.

Kincaid Street, Tarcutta Street and Lake Albert Road have drawn the ire of the driving instructors, with Kincaid and Tarcutta streets limited to 50km/h as well as sections of Lake Albert Road.

Able Driving School instructor Glen Goudron is the most vocal, who claims the 50km/h speed limit on “non-blackspot” roads is a lucrative act of revenue raising.

“As far as I’m concerned, it is purely revenue raising,” he said.

“According to the government, the mobile speed cameras are there for blackspots. How can it be a blackspot if there are no accidents?”

Mr Goudron said Kincaid Street speed limit should be lifted “immediately” because of its 12-metre width, limited housing due to the Murrumbidgee Turf Club and adjoining cricket ground and wide road shoulder.

“All those reasons are more than enough in my opinion,” he said.

U-Learn Driving School instructor Craig Callow said most cars already travelled at 60km/h on Kincaid and Tarcutta streets.

Mr Callow said his students were often tailgated on Tarcutta Street despite travelling the speed limit.

“You will going the right speed and they will sit on your tail and go around you irately,” he said.

He added visibility was good on the two roads and there was limited traffic.

Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire revealed he had submitted an application to have the Kincaid Street speed limit raised.

“I’ve been following that one up with the RMS (Roads and Maritime Services),” he said.

“In my humble opinion, it’s a big and wide road that doesn’t have any schools down it.”

Mr Maguire said there was a process the RMS used to identify speed limit changes, which included monitoring traffic movements.

It comes as Wagga motorists demand a fairer go from the state government by relaxing mobile speed camera laws.

The RMS did not respond to The Daily Advertiser inquires prior to publication of this story.