General News
30 August, 2026
Road safety campaign continues
REDUCED speed limit signs have been erected along the Hopkins Highway between Warrnambool and Bushfield.
The new 80 km/h speed limit signs mark an important milestone in local residents’ push to improve road safety for families and communities travelling between Warrnambool, Bushfield and Woodford according to founder and campaign lead of Connecting Warrnambool, Elise McKinnon.
“The speed limit has been reduced from 100 km/h to 80 km/h between Warrnambool and Bushfield Oval, with the 80 km/h zone also extended further north of Bushfield,” Ms McKinnon said.
Ms McKinnon believes the changes will help create a safer road environment for local families, freight operators and everyone travelling along the corridor.
“It was incredibly special taking my children, Luca and Daisy, out to see the new signs,” she said.
“Our children and families travel this road regularly. Seeing the speed limit reduced is a tangible reminder of what can be achieved when the community, government and road authorities work constructively together.
“The northern extension provides motorists, trucks and B-doubles with additional distance to reduce speed before approaching the Bridge Road and Hopkins Highway intersection.”
According to Ms McKinnon, the Department of Transport and Planning has also reviewed line marking around the intersection as part of the safety improvements.
“Road safety changes often require extensive assessment, coordination and approval, so we are enormously grateful for the constructive and timely response from DTP and Warrnambool City Council,” Ms McKinnon said.
“Connecting Warrnambool only began in May, and the progress achieved since then reflects what can happen when community evidence, government support and respectful collaboration come together.
“This is not an achievement belonging to one person or organisation. It is a shared result made possible by residents who contributed their experiences, council’s advocacy and DTP’s willingness to listen and act.”
Since May, Connecting Warrnambool has gathered more than 330 community survey responses; secured unanimous recognition and support from Warrnambool City Council; met directly with the Department of Transport and Planning; and helped build evidence supporting the reduction of the Hopkins Highway speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.
The group has also supported the extension of the reduced-speed zone further north of Bushfield; contributed community observations to the review of the Bridge Road intersection and its line marking; and continued working behind the scenes on safer active-transport connections into Warrnambool’s north.
Ms McKinnon said the reduced-speed environment could also support future investigation of a safe, separated walking and cycling connection along or near the highway corridor.
“Reducing the speed limit does not, by itself, make it safe to walk or cycle beside the highway,” she said.
“However, it creates a more appropriate road environment in which potential corridor widening, greater separation and dedicated active-transport infrastructure can be properly explored.
“Bushfield, Woodford and surrounding communities have very few local services and rely heavily on Warrnambool for education, employment, shopping, sport, health services and social connection.
“People who cannot drive currently have very limited alternatives. Children should have the opportunity to travel safely to school, visit friends, attend sports training or access the services they need without depending entirely on their parents to drive them.”
She believes a safe, separated connection would also provide cyclists, families, older residents and people without access to a vehicle with a practical alternative for reaching Warrnambool.
“The new 80 km/h environment is therefore more than a road-safety improvement for motorists. It is also a positive first step towards considering how this corridor could safely connect people as well as vehicles.”
She added that Connecting Warrnambool members would continue working with government, landholders and potential partners to identify practical opportunities for safer walking and cycling connections.
“Any future pathway would require proper planning, engineering, funding and engagement with relevant landholders and authorities,” Ms McKinnon said.
“There appears to be suitable space along parts of the corridor that may offer future opportunities, including the potential to widen or better separate an active-transport connection from the road.
“That work is still at an early stage, but the reduced-speed environment creates a more positive foundation from which those possibilities can be investigated.”
Connecting Warrnambool will also continue advocating for an urgent review of a targeted 60 km/h zone through the Bridge Road intersection and along the Bushfield Recreation Reserve frontage.
The reserve attracts hundreds of children, players, families, volunteers and visitors for football, netball, Auskick, cricket and other community activities.
Many local families and Woodford Primary School students live on the opposite side of the highway and must cross it to access school, sport, friends and community facilities.
The intersection has also been associated with crashes, vehicles leaving the road, heavy-vehicle incidents and repeated impacts with roadside infrastructure.
“A targeted 60 km/h zone would not replace the need for longer-term engineering and safe-crossing improvements, however, it could provide an immediate and proportionate safety measure while the intersection, traffic volumes, heavy-vehicle movements, crossing activity and contemporary road environment are properly assessed.
“We are proud of what the community and our government partners have achieved together in a relatively short period, but the work is not finished. We do not want to wait for a fatality or serious injury before every reasonable safety option is considered.
“But for today we are celebrating a meaningful step towards a safer road and stronger connections for our children, families and wider community.”
