Great Ocean Slowed: Famous coastal road sees speed limit reduced to just 20kmh as tourist crowds descend for Chinese New Year
- Great Ocean Road speed limit cut as foreign drivers converge on popular region
- 21 per cent of crashes on the road in Victoria caused by out-of-state motorists
- Man suffered spinal injuries last month after crash last month with foreign driver
- Mandarin-speaking rangers also to patrol coastal stretch for Chinese New Year
A famous coastal road has had its speed limit slashed to just 20km/h as tourists descend for the Chinese New Year.
Around 21 per cent of crashes on the Great Ocean Road, south-west of Melbourne, are caused by non-Victorian drivers.
The new limit has been introduced at Port Campbell - with the speed limit dropping from 80km/h, before gradually increasing again further down the road.
A famous coastal road (pictured, stock image) has had its speed limit slashed to just 20km/h as tourists descend for Chinese New Year
The limits will be in place for the whole of February - with more than 128,000 visitors expected to descend on the region over Chinese New Year.
A man suffered spinal injuries last month after he was involved in a collision with a foreign tourist who ran a stop sign, and motoring experts are pushing for visitors to undergo 'pre-vacation' driving tests.
The new limits, installed near the Twelve Apostles visitor centre, are part of wider efforts by VicRoads and Parks Victoria to step up road safety on the 244km stretch.
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Mandarin-speaking park rangers will also be patrolling the region for Chinese New Year, which is running for two weeks from February 5 to February 19.
Another limit of 60km/h at Memorial Arch south-west of Geelong has been installed by authorities at the spot popular with visitors taking photos.
'People visiting during the remainder of summer should allow extra time for their trip and observe changed traffic conditions,' he told The Sunday Herald Sun.
The limits come after one resident of the popular region took matters into their own hands in recent weeks by putting up road signs in Mandarin
More than 100 signs telling drivers to 'drive on left' have also been installed in the past year.
One resident of the popular region took matters into their own hands in recent weeks by putting up road signs in Mandarin.
The signs – two at the intersection of Colac-Lorne Road and Deepdene Road, Murroon and two at Apollo Bay near the Great Ocean Road – include give way and stop signs.
VicRoads replaced the two signs in Murroon with electronic ones which display safety messages in Mandarin.
VicRoads replaced the two signs in Murroon with electronic ones which display safety messages in Mandarin
