Locals are fighting the Transport for NSW decision to change the speed limit on the Boorowa to Narrawa Road with a petition which has gone live on the NSW Parliament website.
The petition is open for any NSW resident to sign and is addressed to the Speaker and the Members of the Legislative Assembly.
"The undersigned petitioners, being users and residents of Rugby and Narrawa Roads, bring to the attention of the House our ongoing concerns about the poor condition of these roads and the lack of upgrades and maintenance," the petition reads.
"Instead of directly addressing these concerns, Transport for NSW has introduced reduced speed limits, which limit accessibility and diminish the liveability of the area for local communities."
The petition is asking on the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to reverse the decision to impose the 80km/h speed zone and to upgrade the road so they are safe and suitable for 100km/h travel.
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The petition is open now and as of Friday already had around 500 signatures and will be open until November 25, 2025.
Anna Dreverman has launched the petition on behalf of the residents and says that the decision made by Transport for NSW did not take them into consideration at all when making the determination.
"This decision not only reduces the liveability of our area, but is also further isolating already isolated communities and individuals," she said.
"The Transport for NSW media release (published on the Hilltops Council social media accounts), states it will only take an extra five minutes, however, that is calculated using a formula that doesn't take into consideration the actual road conditions.
"Users have been timing their trips and have noticed upwards of 15 minute increases on their trips."
One argument from local road users has also been that as soon as you turn off the bitumen road the speed limit reverts back to 100km/h, even on some of the gravel and dirt roads.
"The speed limit is inconsistent with the rest of the district," Anna said.
Since the new speed limit came into effect disgruntled road users have removed the signs to show their disgust at the decision.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said that community consultation on these decisions is not required and following three separate site visits the section of road was deemed as not meeting the requirements to retain a speed limit of 100km/h.
"As Transport carries out speed zone reviews with a route-based assessment, this review covered a longer length than initially requested by Hilltops Council to align with the NSW Speed Zoning Standard," the spokesperson said.
"The road length between Boorowa and Little Plains Road has a noticeable difference in the road environment from Little Plains Road, however, the higher crash rate in section one (Boorowa to Little Plains Road) was one factor that supported a recommendation to reduce the whole length."
According to the spokesperson Transport for NSW assessed 13 reported crashes from between 2019 and 2024 as part of its review and determined that speed was a factor in these incidents.
"Speed was identified as a contributing factor in the crashes that occurred on Rugby Road," the spokesperson said.
"Speed can contribute to a crash by exceeding the posted speed limit and/or exceeding a safe speed based on conditions such as road alignment, weather and traffic volumes."
In the Hilltops Council August ordinary meeting Deputy Mayor Tony Flanery said the comment from Transport for NSW about the decision being route-based was 'clap trap.'
"I totally reject those statements (from TfNSW)," Cr Flanery told Council.
"But, if they take a route based approach, why haven't they dealt with William Bradford Bridge?
"I mean, it's an utter load of clap trap.
"It's clap trap."
The petition is available for anyone who is a NSW resident to sign at https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/ePetition-details.aspx?q=7MOmaGvpapn_ReZ8YYLqWg
