A SECTION of the Ophir Road on the outskirts of Bathurst, which is known as a notorious location for speeding motorists, is on the local highway patrol’s radar.
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It seems the back road, which runs past historic Abercrombie House, is a haven for drivers who pay little regard to the sign-posted speed limit.
The problem has been raised by Councillor Monica Morse, who has asked for an investigation into a solution.
Cr Morse raised the topic at a recent policy committee meeting of council and the matter was referred to the traffic committee.
Her thoughts are echoed by Sergeant Peter Foran from the Chifley Highway Patrol, who said he is aware of problems on the road.
“We have been enforcing the 100km/h speed limit and I know quite a few speeding tickets have been issued in that location,” he said.
“Whenever possible we endeavour to allocate our resources there. Anyone going over the limit has to realise they are moving into a high speed category and need to be dealt with accordingly.
“The road out to Abercrombie House isn’t that wide and it really becomes tight and windy further out along there.”
Sgt Foran said the hefty fines and demerit points for speeding should be a good deterrent for motorists in a hurry.
“If you are caught going over the speed limit by less than 10km/h the fine is $109, but it ramps up if you are 10km/h or over to $254 and for over 20km/h it’s $436,” he said.
“If it’s more than 45km/h over the speed limit, which is ridiculously fast, there is a fine, six- month suspension of your licence, effective immediately, and, in certain cases, suspension of the motor vehicle.”
Cr Warren Aubin from Bathurst Regional Council’s traffic committee said any long, straight road like Ophir Road has the potential to be a problem when it comes to speeding.
“Unfortunately, some motorists just don’t heed the rules of the road,” he said.
“However, we can’t simply go changing the speed limit because people go too fast. It’s an issue for Roads and Maritime Services [RMS].
“As a committee it really isn’t worth us looking into, but if it was known that local police were keen to target that location the message to slow down would soon get out there really quickly.
“If you stick to the speed limit you won’t have a problem, but if you break the law then fines of hundreds of dollars can really hurt the hip pocket.”
