Photo: Kate Judson
Waka Kotahi is putting the brakes on 16 sections of state highway that were to automatically revert to their previous higher speed limits.
The sections, classified as urban connectors, were on parts of state highways from Northland to Canterbury and involved speeds of between 50 and 100 kph.
Under new rules, sections of state highway that were classified as urban connectors where speed limits had been lowered since 1 January 2020 were required to automatically reverse back to their previous higher speed limit by 1 July 2025.
But public opinion has seen the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) slow the pace.
"NZTA has received feedback on a number of urban connectors where the community is strongly in support of keeping the current lower speed limits, instead of seeing them reverse," said NZTA group general manager of transport services Vanessa Browne.
One of the roads under review was State Highway One through the Canterbury township of Rakaia.
Rakaia Community Association chairman Neil Pluck said residents strongly supported the speed limit staying at 50kph and not returning to 70kph.
"It's a cost in terms of driving time we think between 8 and 12 seconds as you pass through the town to go at 50kph instead of 70. The difference that it's made is it just feels so much safer. There were plenty of traffic incidents on this road because of that 70kph stretch of speed," he said.
"We're thrilled to get to opportunity to put our views to [Waka Kotahi], whereas it was looking like it was just a forgone conclusion before."
Browne said formal speed reviews would go ahead as a result. These would include public consultation and an online survey.
Once the consultation is finished, Waka Kotahi would analyse the feedback alongside technical data and cost-benefit analyses before decisions were made on the final speed limits for these sections of road.
Public consultation would open for six weeks from early next month.
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