Save the Oxley Rally

Sat 5th November 2016

Destination: Gingers Creek Roadhouse

Get the bike out of the shed and come along

There are 2 meeting points:

  1. Beside the Walcha Oval in Pakington St Walcha, behind the Royal Café. Assembling at 9am for a 10am departure.
  2. At Andrew’s Park on Cameron Street in Wauchope. Assembling at 9am in the carpark for a 10am departure.

Thousands of cranky motorcycle riders and local community members will attend a rally on Saturday November 5 at Wauchope, Walcha and Gingers Creek to protest plans to reduce the speed limit on the Oxley Highway between Wauchope and Walcha.

There is a petition on Change.org opposing the planned speed zone changes on one of Australia’s most iconic motorcycle tourist destinations the Oxley Highway, specifically the 150 kilometres between Wauchope and Walcha. We oppose the speed zone changes and are asking the RMS to implement the other 13 recommendations from the Oxley Highway Review before reducing the speed zones any further.

https://www.change.org/p/oxley-highway-wauchope-to-walcha-new-speed-zones

picture1

The RMS advises the following specific speed zone changes:

Speed zone changes already implemented

  • Reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h on a 2.5 kilometre section of the highway, west of Beechwood Road to the Wauchope cemetery
  • Reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h on a three kilometre section of the highway, west of Bagnoo Road to Long Flat village (the Long Flat Bends)
  • Reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h through Long Flat village

Speed zone changes to be implemented by Christmas

Long Flat to Walcha 

  • From the bottom of the Walcha Mountain – reduced from 100km/h to 70km/h for 30km
  • Next section on the Walcha Mountain – reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h for 4km
  • And the Next section on the Walcha Mountain – starting 75km east of Walcha from 100km/h to 80km/h for 9km
  • That leaves only 10 kilometres of the 53 kilometres of the Walcha Mountain left at 100K’s an hour

So the 53 kilometres of the Walcha Mountain will have 4 different speed zones. This is absolutely ludicrous and very dangerous as no one will have any idea what speed they should be driving or riding at. A 70km/h speed zone that goes for 30 kilometres will cause drivers and riders to make dangerous overtaking manoeuvrers that will likely increase the road toll not reduce it. Riding a motorcycle through country like the Walcha Mountain at such a low speed is very dangerous. See photograph.

Coming into Walcha from the East

  • Reduced from 110km/h to 100km/h for 5km starting east of Hartford Road to west of Hartford Road. This is supposedly a transition zone leading into the Walcha Township.

www.facebook.com/savetheoxley/

picture1