What little difference two decades of 'roadworks' can make
A little under two decades ago, I was a young student from central-west NSW, attending university in Sydney.
During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to make the trip through the Blue Mountains.
I have memories of an Easter, stuck bumper-to-bumper while travelling up the Mount Victoria Pass, and another trip where traffic literally stopped, to the point my sister and I swapped drivers in the middle of the Highway.
At the time, there was a lot of talk about investments and improvements that were on the way - there was certainly plenty of roadworks.
For the past decade, I have lived interstate, so I have not had much cause to travel those roads. But since moving back to central west NSW, that has changed, with plenty of reasons to cross the divide to Sydney.
I was fairly optimistic, even looking forward to what improvements might have occurred in the time since I last took on that road.
And I couldn't identify any. Even the roadworks of 17 years ago seemed to be the same ones happening today.
I attempted a count and between the edge of Penrith and Lithgow - a distance of about 80 kilometres - there were somewhere between 25 and 30 speed zone changes. I did lose count because they happened so frequently.
This averages out at a different speed every 3km. And I'm not even counting those changes for school zones or road works.
While some made sense, others just seemed absolutely arbitrary, with no discernible difference why this stretch of road needed to be 70km when it was just the same as the 80km stretch that preceded it.
Given the number of cameras along the road, the cynic in me surmises this might be on purpose.
I have been told that one of the most "successful" speed cameras in the state is at Mount Victoria Pass, raking in $2.2 million in fines every year.
I wonder if the reason so many people fail to obey the speed limit is by the time they reach that point, they are so fatigued by trying to work out if they should be going 60km, 70km, 80km or 90km.
While there have been some improvements in the city - the M4 tunnel going all the way to the city is worth remarking on - it seems the same focus has not been spent on investment for the major thoroughfare for central west and western NSW to access their capital city.
This is not even touching on the number of major accidents that seem to happen along this stretch of road far too regularly.
Surely, given the economic power for this part of the country, it's not too much to ask for some investment in a better journey on such an important road.
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Land senior journalist Elizabeth Anderson.
A little under two decades ago, I was a young student from central-west NSW, attending university in Sydney.
During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to make the trip through the Blue Mountains.
I have memories of an Easter, stuck bumper-to-bumper while travelling up the Mount Victoria Pass, and another trip where traffic literally stopped, to the point my sister and I swapped drivers in the middle of the Highway.
At the time, there was a lot of talk about investments and improvements that were on the way - there was certainly plenty of roadworks.
For the past decade, I have lived interstate, so I have not had much cause to travel those roads. But since moving back to central west NSW, that has changed, with plenty of reasons to cross the divide to Sydney.
I was fairly optimistic, even looking forward to what improvements might have occurred in the time since I last took on that road.
And I couldn't identify any. Even the roadworks of 17 years ago seemed to be the same ones happening today.
I attempted a count and between the edge of Penrith and Lithgow - a distance of about 80 kilometres - there were somewhere between 25 and 30 speed zone changes. I did lose count because they happened so frequently.
This averages out at a different speed every 3km. And I'm not even counting those changes for school zones or road works.
While some made sense, others just seemed absolutely arbitrary, with no discernible difference why this stretch of road needed to be 70km when it was just the same as the 80km stretch that preceded it.
Given the number of cameras along the road, the cynic in me surmises this might be on purpose.
I have been told that one of the most "successful" speed cameras in the state is at Mount Victoria Pass, raking in $2.2 million in fines every year.
I wonder if the reason so many people fail to obey the speed limit is by the time they reach that point, they are so fatigued by trying to work out if they should be going 60km, 70km, 80km or 90km.
While there have been some improvements in the city - the M4 tunnel going all the way to the city is worth remarking on - it seems the same focus has not been spent on investment for the major thoroughfare for central west and western NSW to access their capital city.
This is not even touching on the number of major accidents that seem to happen along this stretch of road far too regularly.
Surely, given the economic power for this part of the country, it's not too much to ask for some investment in a better journey on such an important road.
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Land senior journalist Elizabeth Anderson.
A little under two decades ago, I was a young student from central-west NSW, attending university in Sydney.
During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to make the trip through the Blue Mountains.
I have memories of an Easter, stuck bumper-to-bumper while travelling up the Mount Victoria Pass, and another trip where traffic literally stopped, to the point my sister and I swapped drivers in the middle of the Highway.
At the time, there was a lot of talk about investments and improvements that were on the way - there was certainly plenty of roadworks.
For the past decade, I have lived interstate, so I have not had much cause to travel those roads. But since moving back to central west NSW, that has changed, with plenty of reasons to cross the divide to Sydney.
I was fairly optimistic, even looking forward to what improvements might have occurred in the time since I last took on that road.
And I couldn't identify any. Even the roadworks of 17 years ago seemed to be the same ones happening today.
I attempted a count and between the edge of Penrith and Lithgow - a distance of about 80 kilometres - there were somewhere between 25 and 30 speed zone changes. I did lose count because they happened so frequently.
This averages out at a different speed every 3km. And I'm not even counting those changes for school zones or road works.
While some made sense, others just seemed absolutely arbitrary, with no discernible difference why this stretch of road needed to be 70km when it was just the same as the 80km stretch that preceded it.
Given the number of cameras along the road, the cynic in me surmises this might be on purpose.
I have been told that one of the most "successful" speed cameras in the state is at Mount Victoria Pass, raking in $2.2 million in fines every year.
I wonder if the reason so many people fail to obey the speed limit is by the time they reach that point, they are so fatigued by trying to work out if they should be going 60km, 70km, 80km or 90km.
While there have been some improvements in the city - the M4 tunnel going all the way to the city is worth remarking on - it seems the same focus has not been spent on investment for the major thoroughfare for central west and western NSW to access their capital city.
This is not even touching on the number of major accidents that seem to happen along this stretch of road far too regularly.
Surely, given the economic power for this part of the country, it's not too much to ask for some investment in a better journey on such an important road.
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Land senior journalist Elizabeth Anderson.
A little under two decades ago, I was a young student from central-west NSW, attending university in Sydney.
During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to make the trip through the Blue Mountains.
I have memories of an Easter, stuck bumper-to-bumper while travelling up the Mount Victoria Pass, and another trip where traffic literally stopped, to the point my sister and I swapped drivers in the middle of the Highway.
At the time, there was a lot of talk about investments and improvements that were on the way - there was certainly plenty of roadworks.
For the past decade, I have lived interstate, so I have not had much cause to travel those roads. But since moving back to central west NSW, that has changed, with plenty of reasons to cross the divide to Sydney.
I was fairly optimistic, even looking forward to what improvements might have occurred in the time since I last took on that road.
And I couldn't identify any. Even the roadworks of 17 years ago seemed to be the same ones happening today.
I attempted a count and between the edge of Penrith and Lithgow - a distance of about 80 kilometres - there were somewhere between 25 and 30 speed zone changes. I did lose count because they happened so frequently.
This averages out at a different speed every 3km. And I'm not even counting those changes for school zones or road works.
While some made sense, others just seemed absolutely arbitrary, with no discernible difference why this stretch of road needed to be 70km when it was just the same as the 80km stretch that preceded it.
Given the number of cameras along the road, the cynic in me surmises this might be on purpose.
I have been told that one of the most "successful" speed cameras in the state is at Mount Victoria Pass, raking in $2.2 million in fines every year.
I wonder if the reason so many people fail to obey the speed limit is by the time they reach that point, they are so fatigued by trying to work out if they should be going 60km, 70km, 80km or 90km.
While there have been some improvements in the city - the M4 tunnel going all the way to the city is worth remarking on - it seems the same focus has not been spent on investment for the major thoroughfare for central west and western NSW to access their capital city.
This is not even touching on the number of major accidents that seem to happen along this stretch of road far too regularly.
Surely, given the economic power for this part of the country, it's not too much to ask for some investment in a better journey on such an important road.
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What little difference two decades of 'roadworks' can make
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Land senior journalist Elizabeth Anderson. A little under two decades ago, I was a young student from central-west NSW, attending university in Sydney. During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to make the trip through the Blue Mountains. I have memories of an Easter, stuck bumper-to-bumper while travelling up the Mount Victoria Pass, and another trip where traffic literally stopped, to the point my sister and I swapped drivers in the middle of the Highway. At the time, there was a lot of talk about investments and improvements that were on the way - there was certainly plenty of roadworks. For the past decade, I have lived interstate, so I have not had much cause to travel those roads. But since moving back to central west NSW, that has changed, with plenty of reasons to cross the divide to Sydney. I was fairly optimistic, even looking forward to what improvements might have occurred in the time since I last took on that road. And I couldn't identify any. Even the roadworks of 17 years ago seemed to be the same ones happening today. I attempted a count and between the edge of Penrith and Lithgow - a distance of about 80 kilometres - there were somewhere between 25 and 30 speed zone changes. I did lose count because they happened so frequently. This averages out at a different speed every 3km. And I'm not even counting those changes for school zones or road works. While some made sense, others just seemed absolutely arbitrary, with no discernible difference why this stretch of road needed to be 70km when it was just the same as the 80km stretch that preceded it. Given the number of cameras along the road, the cynic in me surmises this might be on purpose. I have been told that one of the most "successful" speed cameras in the state is at Mount Victoria Pass, raking in $2.2 million in fines every year. I wonder if the reason so many people fail to obey the speed limit is by the time they reach that point, they are so fatigued by trying to work out if they should be going 60km, 70km, 80km or 90km. While there have been some improvements in the city - the M4 tunnel going all the way to the city is worth remarking on - it seems the same focus has not been spent on investment for the major thoroughfare for central west and western NSW to access their capital city. This is not even touching on the number of major accidents that seem to happen along this stretch of road far too regularly. Surely, given the economic power for this part of the country, it's not too much to ask for some investment in a better journey on such an important road. Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Land senior journalist Elizabeth Anderson. A little under two decades ago, I was a young student from central-west NSW, attending university in Sydney. During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to make the trip through the Blue Mountains. I have memories of an Easter, stuck bumper-to-bumper while travelling up the Mount Victoria Pass, and another trip where traffic literally stopped, to the point my sister and I swapped drivers in the middle of the Highway. At the time, there was a lot of talk about investments and improvements that were on the way - there was certainly plenty of roadworks. For the past decade, I have lived interstate, so I have not had much cause to travel those roads. But since moving back to central west NSW, that has changed, with plenty of reasons to cross the divide to Sydney. I was fairly optimistic, even looking forward to what improvements might have occurred in the time since I last took on that road. And I couldn't identify any. Even the roadworks of 17 years ago seemed to be the same ones happening today. I attempted a count and between the edge of Penrith and Lithgow - a distance of about 80 kilometres - there were somewhere between 25 and 30 speed zone changes. I did lose count because they happened so frequently. This averages out at a different speed every 3km. And I'm not even counting those changes for school zones or road works. While some made sense, others just seemed absolutely arbitrary, with no discernible difference why this stretch of road needed to be 70km when it was just the same as the 80km stretch that preceded it. Given the number of cameras along the road, the cynic in me surmises this might be on purpose. I have been told that one of the most "successful" speed cameras in the state is at Mount Victoria Pass, raking in $2.2 million in fines every year. I wonder if the reason so many people fail to obey the speed limit is by the time they reach that point, they are so fatigued by trying to work out if they should be going 60km, 70km, 80km or 90km. While there have been some improvements in the city - the M4 tunnel going all the way to the city is worth remarking on - it seems the same focus has not been spent on investment for the major thoroughfare for central west and western NSW to access their capital city. This is not even touching on the number of major accidents that seem to happen along this stretch of road far too regularly. Surely, given the economic power for this part of the country, it's not too much to ask for some investment in a better journey on such an important road. Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Land senior journalist Elizabeth Anderson. A little under two decades ago, I was a young student from central-west NSW, attending university in Sydney. During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to make the trip through the Blue Mountains. I have memories of an Easter, stuck bumper-to-bumper while travelling up the Mount Victoria Pass, and another trip where traffic literally stopped, to the point my sister and I swapped drivers in the middle of the Highway. At the time, there was a lot of talk about investments and improvements that were on the way - there was certainly plenty of roadworks. For the past decade, I have lived interstate, so I have not had much cause to travel those roads. But since moving back to central west NSW, that has changed, with plenty of reasons to cross the divide to Sydney. I was fairly optimistic, even looking forward to what improvements might have occurred in the time since I last took on that road. And I couldn't identify any. Even the roadworks of 17 years ago seemed to be the same ones happening today. I attempted a count and between the edge of Penrith and Lithgow - a distance of about 80 kilometres - there were somewhere between 25 and 30 speed zone changes. I did lose count because they happened so frequently. This averages out at a different speed every 3km. And I'm not even counting those changes for school zones or road works. While some made sense, others just seemed absolutely arbitrary, with no discernible difference why this stretch of road needed to be 70km when it was just the same as the 80km stretch that preceded it. Given the number of cameras along the road, the cynic in me surmises this might be on purpose. I have been told that one of the most "successful" speed cameras in the state is at Mount Victoria Pass, raking in $2.2 million in fines every year. I wonder if the reason so many people fail to obey the speed limit is by the time they reach that point, they are so fatigued by trying to work out if they should be going 60km, 70km, 80km or 90km. While there have been some improvements in the city - the M4 tunnel going all the way to the city is worth remarking on - it seems the same focus has not been spent on investment for the major thoroughfare for central west and western NSW to access their capital city. This is not even touching on the number of major accidents that seem to happen along this stretch of road far too regularly. Surely, given the economic power for this part of the country, it's not too much to ask for some investment in a better journey on such an important road. Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Land senior journalist Elizabeth Anderson. A little under two decades ago, I was a young student from central-west NSW, attending university in Sydney. During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to make the trip through the Blue Mountains. I have memories of an Easter, stuck bumper-to-bumper while travelling up the Mount Victoria Pass, and another trip where traffic literally stopped, to the point my sister and I swapped drivers in the middle of the Highway. At the time, there was a lot of talk about investments and improvements that were on the way - there was certainly plenty of roadworks. For the past decade, I have lived interstate, so I have not had much cause to travel those roads. But since moving back to central west NSW, that has changed, with plenty of reasons to cross the divide to Sydney. I was fairly optimistic, even looking forward to what improvements might have occurred in the time since I last took on that road. And I couldn't identify any. Even the roadworks of 17 years ago seemed to be the same ones happening today. I attempted a count and between the edge of Penrith and Lithgow - a distance of about 80 kilometres - there were somewhere between 25 and 30 speed zone changes. I did lose count because they happened so frequently. This averages out at a different speed every 3km. And I'm not even counting those changes for school zones or road works. While some made sense, others just seemed absolutely arbitrary, with no discernible difference why this stretch of road needed to be 70km when it was just the same as the 80km stretch that preceded it. Given the number of cameras along the road, the cynic in me surmises this might be on purpose. I have been told that one of the most "successful" speed cameras in the state is at Mount Victoria Pass, raking in $2.2 million in fines every year. I wonder if the reason so many people fail to obey the speed limit is by the time they reach that point, they are so fatigued by trying to work out if they should be going 60km, 70km, 80km or 90km. While there have been some improvements in the city - the M4 tunnel going all the way to the city is worth remarking on - it seems the same focus has not been spent on investment for the major thoroughfare for central west and western NSW to access their capital city. This is not even touching on the number of major accidents that seem to happen along this stretch of road far too regularly. Surely, given the economic power for this part of the country, it's not too much to ask for some investment in a better journey on such an important road.
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School parking stoush at Caulfield Grammar reignites as new rules floated
Residents could be blocked from parking outside their own homes around Caulfield Grammar under proposed new rules, reigniting tensions between parents and locals over snarling traffic around the Glen Iris private school. Previous efforts to ease pick-up and drop-off congestion appear to have failed after Stonnington council found many parents were flouting the rules, which inspectors have struggled to enforce. Police have even stepped in after a complaint was made about dangerous driving. Now the council wants to try tighter parking restrictions on streets surrounding the school, changing resident permit zones on Harold, Willoby and Dorrington avenues to no-parking areas at drop-off and pick-up times. Glen Iris resident Michael Coates said those who flout the rules make pick-up harder for other parents and impact traffic flow across the suburb. 'Half the parents are very entitled – they overstay the time, and they don't care. It seems a little bit rough if we can't use the street that we live on, but the parents can,' Coates said. Officers deployed to observe compliance after parking restrictions were introduced last Easter recorded 71 instances of rule-breaking during one afternoon pick-up. Police also raised concerns that motorists were illegally overtaking other drivers on Burke Road when traffic banked up waiting to enter nearby Sacre Coeur school. Sacre Coeur changed its school hours to help ease congestion and some parking has been removed on Burke Road during peak periods. However, drivers' speeds were found by the council to have slightly increased since the safety measures were introduced, and a survey asking whether parking had improved was met with a resounding 'no'.
