How many times have you driven through a roadwork site when workers have finished for the day, or at night, and still have to drive to the 40km/h or 60km/r signs?

In certain conditions, this may be a thing of the past as the NSW Government has introduced legislation which will pave the way to remove worksite speed limits outside construction speed hours where it is safe to do so. 

Currently, construction speed limits remain in effect outside of construction hours. While some road and lane closures do warrant ongoing speed reductions for the purposes of safety, it is not uncommon for drivers to have to slow down on an unobstructed road for work that is not taking place. 

The Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, presented to Parliament yesterday, requires all road authorities, including Councils and their contractors undertaking road works, to install, maintain and remove road work speed limit signs in compliance with a Standard to be published by Transport for NSW in the Gazette. 

This is a common-sense approach that applies where there is a road work area, but clearly no road workers in the middle of the job. If there is an unobstructed road and it is safe to do so, motorists will be able to return to the normal driving conditions. 

These arrangements are already in place in Victoria and South Australia.

It is expected that the new Standard will be finalised by the end of the year following consultation with stakeholders, with the new system implemented next year. 

Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said, “This is an important commonsense reform to the way we manage our road worksites. 

“Protecting workers and road users around worksites is critical, and we will never weaken rules around safety. 

“However, leaving speed restrictions in place outside construction hours often needlessly slows down traffic movement. 

“This measure strikes the right balance in ensuring speed limits are appropriate and respected.”