It’s officially time to slow down and smell the Rosedale.

As of Monday, September 25, the speed limit through Rosedale’s town centre along the Princes Highway (Prince St) has been reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h following concerns raised by locals.

Rosedale resident Sue Coppock last month shared on social media a letter from Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, dated August 22, 2023.

In the letter, Mr O’Brien said he had recently shared concerns about the 60km/h speed limit to the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and had received a response from them which read:

“I am pleased to advise that my team have recently completed a review of the speed zones through the township to ensure consistency with its Speed Zoning Guidelines, as we have done with similar locations across Gippsland,” the DTP excerpt said.

The DTP said the recommendation of the review was to reduce the speed limit of the zone to 50 km/h from west of MacKay St intersection through to north of Mill Lane intersection. Road Safety Victoria approved the measure, which was implemented last week (Monday, September 25), with new signs installed.

The front page of the January 21, 2022, issue of the Gippsland Times had reported on a petition by frustrated Rosedale residents to put pressure on VicRoads to reduce the speed limit.

The town’s centre is often used by motorists travelling between Traralgon and Sale, but locals were concerned about pedestrian safety, arguing that surrounding towns Stratford and Maffra had 50 km/h speed limits.

Resident Sue Coppock had highlighted the danger, which was alerting by the number of trucks.

“As more residents move to regional areas the road is just going to get busier and busier,” Ms Coppock said.

She estimated that hundreds of trucks go through the town.

“It is almost as if every third vehicle at the moment is a truck,” she said.

In response to these concerns, DTP Gippsland regional director Henry Lam told the Gippsland Times at the time that the department (then known as simply the Department of Transport) is always considering ways of continuing to improve safety on Gippsland roads.

“We’re committed to managing the ongoing safety along the Princes Highway (Prince Street) in Rosedale and will consider potential improvements where necessary,” he said.