ROYAL Automobile Association (RAA) chairman and president Elizabeth Perry is in Mount Gambier today to honour South East members who have been with the organisation for 50 years or more.
She will meet with around 170 members who have reached the “Gold 50” to discuss how RAA can continue to deliver relevant services and lobby for road safety investment in the Limestone Coast.
Ms Perry spoke to The Border Watch yesterday ahead of a community panel where she met with business leaders to discuss how to work collectively to grow the region.
“RAA is determined to work with local leaders to advocate on behalf of our South East communities on a range of issues in addition to road safety,” Ms Perry said.
“We want to facilitate growth for this vital region of South Australia and help deliver a better quality of life for our members here.”
Ms Perry said the RAA Report a Road initiative had identified a number of priority roads in the region.
“Our last risky roads survey was conducted in 2017 and we have another one coming up early next year,” she said.
“The road that received the most nominations was Princes Highway, which was the third most nominated road in the state.
“Southern Ports Highway and the Riddoch Highway were also in the top ten most nominated.
“Concerns with Riddoch Highway were the undulating surface, unsealed road shoulders and narrow sections of road.”
RAA’s lobbying resulted in a $5m spend on local road improvements, including shoulder sealing on Riddoch Highway, according to Ms Perry.
She said the organisation would continue to lobby for extra funding for the region, while RAA safety manager Charles Mountain would assess major roads where the speed limit has been reduced from 110 to 100kph.
“There tends to be a myriad of reasons as to why speed limits are reduced across the state and there are always differing views as to whether it is appropriate or not,” she said.
“Charles Mountain is driving here and he will assess Carpenter Rocks Road and the Riddoch Highway and give us feedback on what he thinks of the speed limit reductions.
“The RAA position is that we are not against speed limits increasing, subject to road conditions improving.”
Board members and executives will be present at today’s morning tea for loyal Gold 50 members to celebrate their membership milestone.
“We are here to honour these members – it is really rare to have people belong to an organisation for more than 50 years,” Ms Perry said.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for us to meet the members, talk to them about any issues of concern and thank them for being loyal members – we really appreciate that loyalty.”
During the event, RAA Years Ahead educators will provide Gold 50 members with safety tips and driving advice to help them remain safe and confident while driving.
“The presentation will empower some of our older members to be safe when driving,” Ms Perry said.
“It is about keeping people mobile for as long as possible – road rules and automobiles change and it is important to have a check-in.”
