Monash Freeway truck speed limit trial – finally ends Sunday night

March 2, 2017

The 90km/h speed limit trial for trucks on the Monash Freeway will finally end on Sunday night after uncovering evidence that “cars were equally and sometimes more aggressive than trucks in tailgating behaviour”. 

A preliminary trial evaluation, conducted by the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB), of two months of trial data found:

On some sections of the Monash between Noble Park and Mount Waverley, cars were equally and sometimes more aggressive than trucks in tailgating behaviour

The mean speed of trucks was lower than cars, most likely due to slower moving trucks within the traffic stream

The 90 km/h speed limit was being adhered to in all lanes but the fast lane AND 6% of cars in the right hand lane exceeded 100 km/h

831 fewer trucks a day on average used the right hand lane during the trial – a drop of 7% – yet traffic conditions in the right lane were worse with both cars and trucks leaving less headway between vehicles, and

Feedback from motorists found many drivers witnessing increased weaving between trucks and cars in the outside lane.

VicRoads revealed that individual trucking companies had taken action in cases where drivers had been observed exceeding speed limits on multiple occasions during the trial. The statutory body will continue to analyse the full six months of the trial.

The focus will now move to the second stage of the trial – a ban on trucks in the far right lane – once construction on the Monash Freeway Upgrade is completed between Noble Park and Mount Waverley later this year.

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