The SERVANT of the people...

I attended a meeting of the Yuleba Progress Association yesterday and was given an opportunity to present to the members, the reasons why I felt that I would make a good choice of Councillor. There were 6 other candidates for councillor positions and 2 mayoral candidates in attendance. A little disappointing, given the proximity of Yuleba to Roma, But that’s another story.

During the meeting of the Progress association, the issue of the speed limit on the highway through Yuleba was raised and correspondence with Main Roads in this regard was discussed. Some of you may know, that the current speed limit on the highway trough Yuleba is 80km/hr. The people of Yuleba are trying to get this reduced to 60km/hr.

It is a very laudable and worthwhile request. There is volumes of data showing the direct correlation between speed and accidents. There is not one person reading this who hasn’t been bombarded with “Speed kills” or “Slow down, Stupid” messages. So why then, is Main Roads so dead against it?

It seems that their letter to Main Roads not only went unanswered for months and months, but when a response was received after much prompting, the suggestion was that perhaps the speed limit should be RAISED to 100km/hr!

I really have difficulty with this, I fail to see how an increase in the speed limit in any part of a built up area is anything but a dumb idea. There has been a great push to reduce the speed limit in urban areas to 50km/hr, but somehow Main Roads think it would be acceptable to INCREASE the speed through Yuleba!

Yuleba’s only Pub and Take-away is located on this section of road. Venues that attract pedestrian traffic. Imagine a hotel or cafe with a 100km speed limit out the front!

It seems that, the needs of someone zipping through to the west or in a mad rush to get to Toowoomba before the shops close are of more importance than the safety and livelihood of the people of Yuleba. Studies have shown that the travelling public are more likely to stop in an area where the speed limit is reduced to 60km or less. The current speed limit is denying the people of Yuleba an economic opportunity and impacting on their future prosperity.

It is fair to expect that Main Roads primary focus is on road users and road safety, but this must be coupled to the social responsibility that they, as a department of Government, have to the communities they impact upon.

The people of Yuleba have not given up their fight, and nor should they. Only last week we saw what effective lobbying can achieve in Roma where Main Roads wanted to close the turning lane into the Mandalay Motel. People power has won out in the end, with the proposal to close off the turning lane abandoned (For now)

The speed limit in Yuleba should be reduced, by one means or another. Council needs to take up the cause and lobby main roads on behalf of the Yuleba community. Should Main Roads continue to resist the desires of the community, there are other things that council can do to slow down the traffic, Lobby for the installation of a turning lane into the Yuleba town, installing plantings that make the space appear more “Urban” and closed in thus giving the illusion of a 60km zone, and the installation of speed advisory (Yellow) signs, Children crossing, and the like.

The council placemaking strategy is looking toward creating town entry signage and beautification works, this is a perfect opportunity to calm the traffic down and draw the travelling public into the town of Yuleba.

All levels of Government must remember, government exists to serve all people and that the needs of the person living in a town should always outweigh the needs of those people “Blowing through”.