Speed Management Plan 2023/27

In 2022, new legislation was introduced to change the way that speed limits are planned, consulted on and implemented. The aim of the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022 is to improve the process of setting speed limits, provide consistency in speed limits, and create better alignment of speed management generally. As required under this rule, the Council is developing a phased approach to Speed Management Planning which focuses on schools and a few other major roads/intersections in its first iteration. We want to wait for the new Government to be formed to see if promises to repeal speed limit rules are realised in its transport policies before deciding on a district-wide approach. For this reason, Councillors have requested that a minimum option be progressed for now that prioritises the safety of school children and some known road safety concerns

The two key proposals are:

Speed Limits at Schools

The Speed Management Plan, at this stage, primarily focuses on reducing speed limits around our schools. This aligns with the specific requirement under the Land Transport Rule that Councils use reasonable efforts to reduce speed limits around all schools by the end of December 2027, with an interim target of 40% of schools completed by the end of June 2024. The plan proposes a mix of fixed and variable speed limit signage around schools.

Why are we proposing these changes?

In short, the legislation requires that the Council develop a Speed Management Plan and this proposed plan is the minimum that the Council can progress in relation to speed around our schools.

Speed Management Plans form part of New Zealand’s Road to Zero Strategy that aims to stop people being killed or injured on our roads. Reducing road speed will reduce the impact of road crashes and injuries. It will also provide a safer environment for all road users.

Speed needs to be set so that crashes are survivable and even legal speeds can be dangerous. Lowering speed from 50km/h to 40km/h reduces chance of death from 80% to 30%. Our speed limits do not always reflect the risk on the road. When crashes happen, there are many causes – people make mistakes, the road might be unfamiliar, the weather might be bad. The vast majority of severe casualties are not from extreme high-risk behaviours, but from generally law-abiding people making a simple mistake.

The number of people walking and cycling is increasing across the District. The Council’s goal is to provide an accessible network of roads, paths, lanes and corridors so people of all ages and abilities can safely travel around the District.

Implementing safer speed limits on our roads is just one area of focus where we can address harm. Other areas include improving our roads and roadsides, encouraging the use of safer vehicles and encouraging better driver behaviour. The Council has a wide programme of work addressing all of these areas and we continue to deliver road safety programmes in the community such as cycle skills in schools and support national advertising around safer road use and vehicles. Safer roads contribute to improvements to health and wellbeing. Lower speed limits help to reduce emissions and help response to climate change.