Transport experts are calling for speed limits to be cut on freeways in Melbourne's outer suburbs where traffic is dangerously congested. In Werribee, in the city's outer south-west, one freeway exit is so bad people say they've stopped using it.
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00:00 This is what it's like trying to get home in the afternoon peak in Werribee, 30km southwest
00:08 of Melbourne.
00:10 Cars are backed up in the emergency lane trying to get off the freeway.
00:14 The queue goes back more than a kilometre, while cars and trucks pass in the next lane.
00:20 It's just a disaster waiting to happen at any time really.
00:24 The car shakes.
00:25 It's frightening.
00:28 Last month, Rikki Hogan was stuck in this traffic when she came close to an accident.
00:33 A truck came roaring past and it was very close to swinging the trailer onto one of
00:39 the cars, which was very scary to see.
00:44 The reason the line is so long is population growth.
00:47 This is the last exit on Melbourne's outer fringe in the fastest growing area in Australia.
00:54 The state government is finalising planning for a potential upgrade of this intersection.
01:00 Locals want a roundabout to ease the traffic flow problems.
01:03 But for people stuck in this traffic day after day, it can't come soon enough.
01:10 Until then, experts say the speed limit here should be cut from 100km/h to 60km/h during
01:17 the afternoon peak, as well as at other dangerously congested roads across Melbourne's growth
01:23 corridors.
01:24 A reduced speed limit means crashes are less likely to happen.
01:27 It also means that when crashes do happen, they are much less severe.
01:33 But throttling freeway speeds wouldn't be popular with thousands of commuters who already
01:38 deal with congestion and roadworks.
01:40 In this situation, if we're going to fix the problem, we probably need to have a look at
01:45 the design and investment of the road infrastructure itself.
01:49 For now, plenty of locals have started working from home or taking long detours to avoid
01:55 the queue.
01:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]