Speed limits.

Speed limits are a contentious subject to most drivers - but are they an aid to safety or a source of revenue for the government ?
Many would disagree with the actions of the Road and Traffic Authority ( RTA ) when they reduced the speed limit on the four lane extension of the F6 through Engadine to 50 kph. Obviously it is necessary to separate pedestrians and traffic, but the obvious answer would have been an overhead pedestrian bridge. That simply costs money rather than delivers revenue.
There is a school of thought that speed limits should be set by the average speed of drivers using a particular stretch of road. This is determined by cameras recording all vehicles and their speed over a period of a given number of months. Then the lower ten percent of speed is subtracted from the survey and the upper ten percent - which takes care off the few maniacs travelling at very high speed - is similarly removed. The then average speed of the majority of those using that piece of road becomes the posted speed limit.
It makes sense. The average driver travels at a speed that is safe for the conditions and yet speed limits are set by some obscure back room committee who rely entirely on parameters which have no relation to the reality of the road in question.
The " driver averaging " model of setting speed limits recognises the skill and common sense of most drivers - and filters out the " little old ladies " in the lower ten percent - and the " hoons " in the upper ten percent.
The system works well in some overseas countries where it has been adopted, but so far such suggestions have met a deaf ear in this state.
Unfortunately speed limits are a bit of a joke when it comes to inner Sydney. All unposted Sydney streets have a blanket 50 kph limit - but achieving even a fraction of that during the rush hour - which is now the majority of the day - is beyond most driver's wildest dream !