THE community’s safety concerns over the Gratwick Road and Dorsch Avenue intersection have been heard by the District Council of Loxton Waikerie, which has moved to extend the road’s 60km/h zone.
The current speed limit throughout the section of road is 80km/h, but residents have asked for it to be lowered to 60km/h for another 150m past the Dorsch intersection to make it safer for commuters.
The Dorsch Avenue and Gratwick intersection was highlighted as a P1 high risk intersection in the council’s 2019 heavy vehicle audit, with reports traffic was becoming built up from the back of Loxton High School and Venus Fruits through to the intersection.
“For the most part, generally traffic is abiding to the speed limits,” the council said.
“However there is an element of the public that are exceeding the speed limit, in particular when leaving the Loxton built-up area.”
Another concern highlighted in the vehicle audit was the Dorsch Avenue and Bookpurnong Road intersection, which doubles as a B-double access road.
The stretch of road was also named a P1 high risk intersection and as such, the council moved to remove the B-double gazettal from the intersection itself, but still allow B-double access on Dorsch Avenue via Gratwick Road.
“It’s an area that’s a B-double road as well, so it’s just (about) making sure that it’s safe and easy to turn down Dorsch (Avenue),” said David Beaton, District Council of Loxton Waikerie CEO.
“Obviously, big trucks need a lot of visibility and they need to be able to pull out safely for it to be safe for the rest of the traffic.
“That manoeuvre is a lot safer in an 80(km/h) zone.”
Mr Beaton said lowering the speed limit should ease rather than congest traffic during peak hour times.
He said it is yet unknown when the speed changes would be put in place as all requests had to go through the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.