STOP PRESS | Declaration in Stokholm set to focus on the safer journey

It was put together by an 'Academic Expert Group' and will be presented by Claes Tingvall, the group's chairman and professor at Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology.

There are nine recommendations including 'that cities mandate a maximum road travel speed limit of 30kmh to protect vulnerable road users and achieve sustainability goals addressing livable cities, health and security'.

Another seeks to 'shift travel towards cleaner, safer and affordable modes incorporating higher levels of physical activity such as walking, bicycling and use of public transit...' Can you imagine that here? 30kmh? Everyone walking or riding bikes to work?

Here nobody drives at the 50kmh limit and if you do there's a tail-gating bullbar in your mirror. We're already being slowed on roads because of poor maintenance.

The Cargo Road is one where an 80kmh limit has been imposed because of the condition of the road even though there's a well-supported theory that suggests higher speed limits can actually reduce accidents.

And speeds were reduced from 70kmh to 50kmh on a safe straight section of Burrendong Way south of the Northern Distributor. And it's now excellent hotmix.

Drivers normally travel at a speed that feels safe and comfortable depending on road and weather conditions regardless of the posted limits.

So a speed that's below this comfortable rate means drivers sticking to the slower limit can disrupt the flow of traffic that's found its own pace. When you're driving slower than the other cars, you might be the one posing the safety risk. When motorists are all generally going at the same speed it's a safer corridor. Our delegation should tell that to the 'expert' Swedish mob.

Now Victoria's government has just supported a move by councils to reduce speed limits on 58 roads from 100kmh to 80kmh. Is 30kmh next?

Who can remember the old round Australia Ampol reliability trials with checkpoint controls in Orange to refuel?

The first 10,450km trial was held in 1956 and won by Wilf Murrell and Allan Taylor in a Peugeot 403 while the last was in 1970.

The trials attracted colourful drivers like Jack 'Gelignite' Murray, radio star Jack Davey, Peter Brock and David McKay, who was a regular Gnoo Blas competitor winning the first Australian Touring Car Championship here in 1960.

Orange enthusiast and then assistant manager of the Hotel Canobolas Ron Speet and Alan Gibbons in a VW were 27th in the field of 32 finishers in the tough 1956 Ampol.

But 1995 was the last time we filled our cars at Ampol petrol stations when prices were around 70 cents a litre, about half the price they are now because the Ampol brand was phased out after the company merged with Caltex.

Caltex now plans to return to the Ampol name after US oil giant Chevron terminated permission for the company to use the Caltex name here.

So later this year our Caltex stations will get a new name, a new look and a new logo. Maybe a return to the Ampol trials?