Popular riding route Donna Buang Road in Melbourne’s eastern ranges will soon be safer and even more attractive.
The speed limit on a 13.8 km section of the route between Rocky Creek and Donna Buang Summit Road will drop to 80 km/h.
The limit is currently 100 km/h—obviously a risk for riders and other road users in such an environment.
The road has a winding alignment, is narrow in places and there is roadside vegetation in close proximity.
The Department of Transport says that by making sure the speed limit is right for the road, crashes can be prevented and their severity reduced when they’re unavoidable.
The new limits will be introduced at the end of the month.
In the week starting Monday 29 March, new signs will be installed, existing speed limit signs will be updated to 80km/h and yellow ‘New limit’ signs will be installed to increase driver awareness of the new speed limit.
Crews will be working between 9:30am and 3:30pm.
During works, there will be a lane closure in place, with traffic management to help drivers continue travelling in both directions and temporary reduced speed limits to keep work crews safe.
Riders are asked to observe traffic management signage and temporary speed reductions, and watch out for our crews when travelling through these areas.
The DoT says it will implement safer speed limits on a number of Victoria’s low-volume, high-speed roads to better suit the road design and environment.
"Donna Buang Road is a popular route, traversing through the Yarra Ranges National Park between Mount Toolebewong and Warburton.
"It is often frequented by cyclists and visitors—providing access to a number of tourism spots including the Mount Donna Buang observation tower and the Rainforest Gallery.
"From January 2014 to December 2018, there were 11 crashes along this road, five of which resulted in serious injuries,” DoT said.