SOMERS residents are pushing for a 30kph speed limit on the town’s unsealed roads, citing a lack of kerbs, footpaths, or road markings as a serious safety hazard for pedestrians.
The Somers Residents Association (SRA) lodged a formal submission with the Mornington Peninsula Shire last month calling for the change across all 17 unsealed roads in the community including main roads like Alexandra Ave and Stanmore Ave.
“Given the total absence of kerbs, footpaths, separated and protected bike lanes and road lines, the speed limit on unsealed roads in Somers should be managed to minimise the risk of fatal and serious injury,” the submission stated.
“There is also nothing to indicate that in the use of the roadway, pedestrians and vehicles are equal or that motorists should give way to pedestrians.”
The proposal has widespread support among residents who say, “being and feeling safe on and around our roads improves our quality of life and liveability within our communities”.
Somers is a small coastal village with only two shops, one being a café and the other being a post office.
Many residents rely on unsealed roads to access destinations including Somers Pre-School, Somers Primary School, The Koala Park, tennis courts, Garden Square Reserve, a playground, Somers beach and more.
There have been multiple near-miss incidents on these roads, often caused by motorists driving at unsafe speeds.
The SRA submission also noted the proposed speed limit aligned with the state government’s speed zoning policy, which recommends lower speeds to reduce the risk of fatal or serious injuries in areas lacking proper pedestrian infrastructure.
SRA president Libby Moore said, “These roads weren’t built for speed. With no lines, no kerbs, nothing separating cars from people, slowing down to 30kph is the least we can do to make Somers a better, safer place to live”.
“Whether you’re walking the dog or heading to the beach, you should be able to do it without worrying if a car will come flying around the corner.
“This isn’t about rules for the sake of rules – it’s a commonsense approach to ensure the safety of our community.”
SRA secretary Michael Borowick called on the shire to back the residents wanting safer roads, saying “council endorsement is critical to gaining state government support for the change”.
The SRA said reducing the speed limit also supported the Victorian Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 which aimed to eliminate road death by 2050, with the first step of halving road fatalities by 2030.
A shire spokesperson said, “we have discussed this proposal with residents and looked at traffic data for the township showing 85 per cent of cars travel at or below the speed limit, generally below 40kph”.
“While there are no current plans to change the limits, it will be assessed as part of an upcoming speed limit review and action plan early next year.”
First published in the Western Port News – 26 November 2025
